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After living here nearly eight months, Daiki Yamaguchi says his favorite thing about the United States is garlic toast. “It is delicious. I’ve also tried a lot of other new things here,” said the 17-year-old Japanese student. Yamaguchi is one of five foreign-exchange students attending Fort Atkinson High School for the 2013-2014 school year. He is joined by Fredrik Afzelius of Sweden, Joeri Bakkers of The Netherlands; Enes Kelekci of Switzerland and Lorenz Kupka of Austria. Each student comes from a different educational system, with different expectations. “I like this school system better because it’s much freer. The teachers are there for you — and not only for your grades. They really care about your progress,” explained Bakkers. “At home, the school is not as big, and we do not have as many classes. You sit in the class, and the teachers change. But here it’s a little different, and in the beginning, it was a little confusing because I could not find my classes,” Kupka recalled. Afzelius explained how his year in the American school system will not count as a year in the Swedish system. “It’s like a break, a year off,” he explained. The students explained some of the big differences between living here and in their homelands. “Only when you’re here do you realize how big America is. The Netherlands is four times as small as Wisconsin. It’s crazy,” said Bakkers. Yamaguchi listed several other differences. “The most different things here, I think are the people, how friendly they are; the language, and some customs,” he explained. “Our driver’s seat is on the right side; Japanese people drive on the right side. Here the driver’s seat is on the left side.” Having endured one of the coldest winters in recent memory, all five students say they are looking forward to the spring. “I heard about Wisconsin getting very cold, but not that cold. It’s pretty cold,” said Kelekci. Regardless of a particularly tough winter, the students all agree that the experience has been a positive one, and not just the academic benefit of becoming fluent in a second language. “This is a fun, fun thing to do,” Afzelius said about visiting Fort Atkinson. “We want to thank everyone for this experience,” added Kelekci.
