Exchange student experiences rural America
Staff writer
Seeing sunrises and sunsets, learning about farming, experiencing a peaceful environment with no traffic, and having to use a car to get anywhere.
These are some of the things that teenager Fernando Pav’l from Spain is experiencing as an exchange student in rural Kansas.
Fernando, who is staying with Eric and Bethany Carlson of Lincolnville, is a junior at Centre High School.
He has two older siblings who also were exchange students. His father is a chemistry professor, and his mother works in municipal government.
His American family includes a brother, also is a junior; a sister in college; and two younger brothers.
“I like my family here,” Fernando said.
Having grown up in a city of 700,000, Fernando didn’t choose to come to rural Kansas, but he is having a unique experience of living on a Kansas farm.
He misses being able to walk wherever he wants to go shopping, as he could in Spain, and misses being a member of a boxing club.
He is outgoing and well-liked by his classmates and school staff.
“I really like the people in the school,” he said. “They try to help me. I have had friends since Day 1 in America.”
He had no qualms about getting involved in student activities.
He is a member of Centre’s quiz bowl team, which is headed to state competition. He is a kicker on the football team, wrestles at Herington, and plans to play baseball this spring. He also is a member of the Centre FFA chapter.
His studies were more rigorous in Spain, he says. Some of the subjects he is taking now as a junior were taught in Spain when he was a freshman.
His favorite subjects are welding and English. He plans to join the Spanish army after graduation and study engineering.
To prove his popularity, Fernando has dates for two proms this spring — one at Centre and one in Marion.