Two students visiting LHS get to experience an American high school and the major cultural differences between Paraguay and the United States.

Traveling abroad can be both an exciting and scary experience for exchange students. They have to cope with speaking a different language, adjusting to the customs, meeting new people and even living with people they’ve never met.

But for Paraguayan exchange students Tatiana Noelscher and Amy Alvarenga, the experience has been quite enjoyable.

Noelscher and Alvarenga are both from Encarnación, Paraguay. They, along with 10 other students from Paraguay, decided to make the long trip to Lawrence.

While visiting, both girls have noticed major differences between their home town and Lawrence, one of them being fashion.

“The people in my city wear all the same thing,” Alvarenga said. “But here, the people just wear what they want, and I like that”.

The weather is another major difference the girls have noticed.

“Kansas is very beautiful,” Noelscher said. “In Paraguay we don’t know when it’s winter or summer because it’s always the same.”

The main similarity that both girls have noticed between Encarnación and Lawrence is the people.

“The people are very nice here and in Paraguay too,” Noelscher said

One difficulty Noelscher and Alvarenga both face as exchange students is speaking in a foreign language.

“You have to start speaking English, and maybe your English is not that good so you are a little shy,” Alvarenga said.

Helen Hawkins and Evelyn Morales, the host students, have found ways to help Noelscher and Alvarenga adjust to the language.

“We just speak slowly so we can understand each other,” Hawkins said.

Hawkins and Morales have also found being in Spanish five quite helpful for hosting. “Since I speak Spanish, she (Alvarenga) sometimes doesn’t know how to say  a word so she’ll say it in Spanish,” Morales said.

Both the hosts and exchange students agree that they will take great relationships away from this experience.

“I love them,” Morales said. “Amy is like my little sister now.”

“[The hosts and exchange students] get to see how very similar they are in spite of language and cultural differences,” Spanish teacher Karen Hyde said. Hyde is one of the teachers who assist with this exchange program.

“I love seeing them all eating lunch together at the same table,” Hyde said.

Hawkins said her favorite moment with Noelscher so far has been taking her ice skating.

“It was fun because it was something that she’s never done, and she liked it,” Hawkins said.

Another new experience has been navigating through the halls to each class.

“I like it,” Alvarenga said. “And for me, it’s really big, and I always get lost inside.”

Despite some confusion, both girls have had good experiences with their first adventure through American high schools.

“It’s a beautiful school, I love it very much,” Noelscher said. “I love this school.”