The halls at Owen-Withee High School are being shared with two foreign exchange students this year. Amy Siemon is 16, from near Frankfurt, Germany and is staying with Patricia Steiner. She has two brothers and a sister. Her parents work in the field of education.
Guillem Carrasco is 15, from Barcelona, Spain and is staying with Nicole Langiewicz. He has one brother. His father works in a factory and his mother works in an office doing accounting.
Amy is currently participating in volleyball and plans to do track in the spring. Guillem is planning on playing basketball this winter.
Both said they are enjoying their time here so far. Amy likes school and sports. Guillem said he has no regrets; he likes it here.
School back home is different for them than it is here. All classes are mandatory and are 90 minutes long. School ends before lunch. They feel that the classes here are easier. Amy said she will have to repeat this school year when she goes home, Guillem said he won’t have to repeat. Both are in the 10th grade at O-W.
Amy said living in the countryside is different from where she grew up. They also both commented on the fact that there is no public transportation here and where they are from, you could walk everywhere.
Amy is planning on going to college when she graduates and will probably do something that allows her to work with kids. Guillem hasn’t planned that far out yet.
Both like hanging out with friends. Amy said that she likes shopping and trying different foods. Guillem likes to play basketball and video games.
They both talk to their family by phone. Amy said she sometimes misses home a little. She chose to be an exchange student because other family members had done it and told her if she had the chance, she should take it. Guillem chose to be an exchange student to play basketball, at home he would have to join a club to participate in sports. He also would like to improve his English. Although he speaks Spanish, his native language is Catalan.