Exchange student comes to Peninsula
Learning about different countries and about their cultures gives an insight to the lives that people lead, especially to junior Jada Broerse. From Amsterdam, Netherlands, she has traveled to many countries including Belgium, France, Greece, Egypt and Morocco. After her mother encouraged her to explore the
world outside of Europe, Broerse signed up to participate in a one-year foreign exchange program offered at her school.
“I think the more that I travel, the more it makes me self-sufficient and gives me experience by being on my own,” Broerse said. “If I get another opportunity to travel to a new country, I would definitely take part and learn about their ways of life.”
The organization running this program places students in a host family by considering the students’ selected choices and the host families who are willing to house a student. Broerse was welcomed into a family that lives near Peninsula.
“Everything is different, the people are different, the organization of classes is different and the way the teachers teach is unfamiliar,” Broerse said. “Where I am from, all the kids dress and act mostly the same. Here, people wear sweatpants and have their own unique style.”
She marveled at the extensive elective programs that Peninsula offers, specifically ceramics and digital photography, which are not available in Amsterdam because the schools focus mainly on academics.
According to Broerse, being a new foreign exchange student, and adjusting to the life styles of an American teenager is hard. In her school at Amsterdam, Broerse would have a different schedule with courses selected for a specific week.
“Students here worry about the grades that they receive while in Amsterdam, getting a low score does not affect them as much,” Broerse said.
Despite the difficulties that Broerse has encountered while adjusting to Peninsula, she still values the things that she is learning.
“Participating in the foreign exchange program has really opened my eyes into different cultures,” Broerse said.
