European students enroll at Washington High

    Three exchange students are enrolled at the Washington High School this school year, and they come from three different countries in southeastern Europe. Senior Bozidar Stankovic hails from Montenegro, a country on the Adriatic Sea, which is on Italy?s east coast. Junior Katerina Kazazi comes from Albania, which borders Montenegro to the south, and junior Marina Milosavlejevic originates from Serbia, which borders Montenegro to the east.  

    The students are here through a program called World Link World Changers, which brings students to Iowa on a government scholarship given to them after a merit-based competition. They have been in the country one month, and are already busy with after-school activities.

    ?I go to all the football games ? varsity and junior varsity,? said Marina. ?I run cross country after school. I didn?t do that in Serbia, so it?s really new to me. I really like it, and I?m probably going to be out for track and soccer.?

    Marina said she helps with dance marathon and is involved in Business Professions of America (BPA). She said that she spent last Sunday helping at St. James Church in the kitchen and at the kids? games.

    Katerina is also a member of BPA, enjoys going to football games and likes to spend time with young kids.

    ?Each Wednesday, I go to the Methodist Church to help with the children,? she said. ?I also really want to help elderly people in a retirement home.?

    Bozidar goes to the football games and spends two hours at the Washington Community Y every day after school. He walks to the Y, and is surprised he doesn?t see more people on the sidewalks.

    ?You use a car for everything,? said Bozidar. ?When I go to the gym here, I don?t see anyone walking. I feel alien. Everybody watches me from their cars like, ?Oh my god, what is he doing? He?s walking.? In Europe, people walk a lot.?

    The students said that they tried not to create any images in their head of what the United States was like before they arrived.

    Katerina commented, ?I didn?t want to have a stereotype of America, because then it would be more difficult to destroy. The Americans I?ve met always ask about our language. They always ask about our country and our geography. I really like it.?

    Marina expressed much the same sentiment, remarking, ?When they ask me questions, I see that they want to learn something about Europe ? something about the world. It fills me with joy that they are so interested and that I can answer their questions.?

    Bozidar, Katerina and Marina are staying with three different families in Washington. Bozidar is staying with Roger and Lori Adams; Katerina is staying with Mike and Debbie Jewell; and Marina is staying with Scott and Tori Lumberg. Bozidar said that his host parents are wonderful people, and that he was pleasantly surprised that a couple of complete strangers would let him stay with them for the entire school year.    

    ?The people here are very polite and friendly,? he said. ?My host family is great. I cannot imagine how they manage to have one person be with them for a whole year, not knowing who the person is. In my country, I don?t think as many people would be host parents as here.?

For more, see our Sept. 14 print edition.