Exchange students bring new faces to Wahkiakum HS

Five young people come to Cathlamet during the fall to join the Wahkiakum High School student population.

They each come from cities that easily dwarf our little community. They are funny, bright and articulate. They are:

Pedro Murashima

Senior, Sao Paulo, Brazil; staying with Bill and Thelia Tawater.

Pedro comes from a city of 11 million, a city in southern Brazil that “has more people than New York.” He misses the weather but he does not miss the noise, especially since the road to the airport is right outside his building.

He learned about the exchange program from a friend who went to Minnesota. His father agreed it would be a good experience and a great opportunity to improve his English. After filling out the necessary forms, he waited five months to find out he’d been placed in Cathlamet.

He likes to experiment in the kitchen, baking and cooking Brazilian food for his host family.

“They like it,” he said.

He enjoys listening to electronic music, reading articles and watching videos. He is considering studying Mechanical Engineering after he graduates, already at work on details for the university.

He notes that Americans are friendly, but greetings are very different at home. He is accustomed to a more affectionate culture, where one greets with a hug. Here one throws up a hand with a hello. The affable, resilient young man said, “I’m already used to it.”

Hannah Uhlenbruck

Junior, Karlsruhe, Germany; staying with Blair and Tammy Peterson.

Hannah has wanted to be an exchange student since she was in third grade. Her grandmother and uncles had been exchange students in their youth.

“It sounds cool,” she said, “I want to do it.”

She waited a long time for the name of a host family, finding out six days before she left for the states. She had to pack without knowing whether she’d be in Florida or Minnesota or somewhere in between.

“I still have not enough warm clothes,” she laughed.

She likes to study languages, speaking French, English and her native German. Her hometown is 10 kilometers from the border of France, so French was a requirement. She is now studying Spanish at the high school, which has turned out to be her favorite class.

A tennis player at home, she has joined the basketball team. Despite the lack of a tennis team, she has a good attitude, “at least I can try new things.”

As for her future, she wants to learn about different cultures and help people, though she hasn’t sorted out the specifics. It’s a big dream to go to university and spend a semester away. She’s certain her parents would prefer The Netherlands, but she’s holding out for Russia.

(Editor’s note: After this interview, Hannah moved to another community.)

Thorben Hubner

Senior, Bielefeld, Germany; staying with John and Nova Lee Knopp.

Thorben is a tall, quiet young man.

“Everyone in Europe wants to come to America,” he said.

He came here to learn English.

When pressed on his thoughts about the US, he replied, “There are so many different parts of America, so many different climates.”

He thought he’d be placed in California or Florida but here he is.

“It’s nice,” he laughed.

Thorben is keen on sports and it makes sense that his favorite class would be weight practice, as he enjoys working out. He has joined the Mules basketball team this season. He plays basketball and soccer at home in Bielefeld, a city in northern Germany, where he likes to root for his favorite soccer team, the Bielefeld DSC.

After his year in the states he will return home to finish school and then on to university, where he will continue to make sports a part of his life.

“My wish would be to do something with sports but it’s really hard to get money with that,” he said.

Jenton Zeng

Junior, Guangzhou, China; staying with John and Nova Lee Knopp.

Jenton returned to his classroom one day to find a paper on his desk about the exchange program.

“I was interested in American culture so I went to the teachers and asked,” he said. After some discussion his parents agreed that he could take part.

Because he is from southern China, Jenton’s first language is Cantonese, but he also knows Mandarin, the national language. He was required to study English every day in school and it has paid off.

He has joined the basketball team, enjoying the challenge and relishing the camaraderie of teamwork. He has kept it quiet, but it turns out this young man has studied Chinese kung fu since he was four years old, and has won some titles.

Jenton also plays the violin, but he left it at home. He has learned to fill the void with guitar lessons from his host father, John. He loves to travel.

“I meet different cultures, people, customs and talk with them,” he said, with obvious excitement. He’s been to Australia, Italy, France and Malaysia and now here. He plans to go to university after he graduates, possibly to study medicine, as long as it works into his travel plans.

Max Gutmann

Junior, Freiburg, Germany; staying with Erik and Kim Anderson.

Having completed studies at one school in Germany and at a crossroads, Max was uncertain of occupation and his future. He and his family discussed options for the year and he applied to a program that would allow him the opportunity to come to America. He’s glad he did.

“I love it here. I love my whole family,” he said, though “the first couple weeks were difficult with my English.”

Max played football this season and is looking forward to baseball in the spring. He enjoys sports and school, playing video games and hanging out with friends.

“I have a lot of fun here,” he said.

His favorite class is weight training. As for any expectations about coming to the US, he replied, “I thought I will eat a lot, but I lost weight…’cause I played football and had weight training.”

He is still sorting out what he wants to do when he gets home but knows whatever it is, it means more school.