Montenegran student enjoying studies at WHS

Aleksandra Vlahovic has been in Cathlamet a little more than a month but has handled the transition with aplomb and a great sense of fun.

She is an only child, the daughter of an inspector and a hospital administrator in a small town called Bar, in Montenegro, in part of what used to be Yugoslavia.

“People hear Montenegro and think I am from South Africa,” Vlahovic said. “Or they would ask if I were from Spain. Even teachers would open with ‘Hola! Como estas?’ It created some really fun moments. I was asked if we had cars, or i-Phones or cameras.”

Vlahovic started her year as an exchange student in Olympia. She attended a big school in a town much bigger than her own and ultimately it wasn’t a good fit.

“Cathlamet kind of felt like home,” Vlahovic said. They are really friendly at the school. I really love it. I’m really sad that I came here so late and I have to leave in 22 days.”

Vlahovic likes Mr. Hurley and a substitute teacher, Mr. Thomas, who knows a bit of her language.

“I never liked math and then I came here,” she said. “And the teachers are friendly. Mrs. Haberlach is really friendly, and it’s easier to listen to her and to try to understand when we have a nice relationship. I love this school. I’m really sad because they had all the fun games and everything and I came right at the end of the school year and now nothing is happening.”

Vlahovic had always thought that America sounded like a special place. She admits she was a bad student, but when her dad offered her a chance to travel here if she picked up her grades, she did just that.

“I studied for a whole year and I did everything that I could do to get my A’s,” Vlahovic said. “I got all A’s, which was really surprising for me. I started researching exchange programs. I learned what to expect, the good and the bad.”

Vlahovic has one more year of high school back home. She isn’t sure what she wants to do yet and admits she changes her mind frequently.

“First I wanted to be a cop,” Vlahovic said. Then I wanted to be a school counselor. Now I’m thinking about journalism or English.”

“I think English is going to help, no matter what I decide to do.”

Vlahovic is staying with Bill and Dolly Tawater. Her dreams of being a cop diminished a bit when she got a chance to ride along with her host dad, who works for the sheriff’s department.

“It’s really fun for me because I really wanted to be a cop,” she said. “Now I see that I don’t want to be a cop. I’m always for the bad guy, whatever he does. Poor guy! I think. One guy got a ticket for speeding and he got so mad. I thought, ‘maybe he doesn’t have a lot of money.’”

“My host dad says, ‘Aleksandra, please don’t be a cop, it’s going to be disastrous!’”

One day she asked her host dad if she could visit the jail.

“Why?” he asked.

“I just want to make them pancakes,” she told him.

“He told me to stay away from the jail!”

There’s always journalism. Or photography. Whatever she decides, it’s likely there will be laughter.