The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

WAITSBURG - It is not unusual for Waitsburg high schoolers to study alongside a student from a foreign country - learning about the exchange student's way of life while introducing them to American ways and local traditions. This year, for the first time in several years, Waitsburg is not host to an exchange student.

With area exchange pro­grams actively soliciting both host families and stu­dents interested in intercul­tural learning experiences, The Times decided to check in with last year's exchange students - Chaloei Dai and Thibault Martinelle - and see what they have been up to since returning home.

Chaloei Dai - Shang­hai, China

Chaolei Dai - known as Cherry to her Waitsburg friends - came to Waitsburg High School from Shang­hai, the largest city in the world. Dai stayed with host family Mickey and Tawnya Richards and their children Kyle and Katelynn Martin. She especially enjoyed all their animals, and she expe­rienced her first horse ride in Waitsburg. At WHS, Cherry played basketball and partic­ipated in Knowledge Bowl and band.

Dai says she is taking her junior year over again in Shanghai and will fin­ish high school next year. "The courses here are quite different; most of them are compulsory. We don't have guitar class here!" she said.

Dai shared that she has joined a couple of clubs as well. One is Model United Nations, which she signed up for "because of the awe­some experience I had in Youth & Government" last year. Dai says she still loves basketball and is working to improve her skills. She ex­pressed appreciation for all the help she received from her Waitsburg coaches and teammates and misses the camaraderie.

Dai said there have been many changes since her return home - all good. "I can feel the relationships within my family have been brought closer. We have more family interactions - like cooking!" Dai recently spent a week-long Spring Festival (to celebrate the Chinese New Year) with her grandparents in Qingdao.

"I just enjoy spending time with them, listening to them sharing stories about their youth and telling sto­ries of my life. 'Family' means a lot to me, especially after I had a second home in Waitsburg. The love I received from Tawnya's family, from the community, from all of you, made be a happier girl who is willing to love and help people around me."

Dai said that she misses her Waitsburg friends a great deal but has been able to keep in touch with friends and teachers via email. "I've been writing postcards. They're probably on their way. Oops! That is supposed to be a surprise!"

Dai also misses her host family and says she especial­ly enjoyed the gift exchange with them this Christmas. "Tawnya sends me news­papers once in awhile. It's really nice for her to do it so I can catch up with you. I still feel super excited every time I read them. I'll be like, 'Look! Mom, my friend is on the news!'"

Dai says she has several colleges and study interests in mind, though no particu­lar career plan yet. She plans to "figure it out in college," which she is already looking forward to. Dai said it would be "super cool" to travel around in college, possibly returning to Waitsburg to see her friends again. "You're always welcome in China," she said.

Thibault Martinelle - Waterloo, Belguim

Thibault Martinelle spent his senior year in Waitsburg, living with host family Nor­man and Melissa Hansen and their son, EJ Meserve. Martinelle was very active at WHS where playing Ameri­can football was "a dream come true." Martinelle also participated in basketball, track and knowledge bowl. One of the highlights of his time in Waitsburg was at­tending a Seattle Seahawks game with his host family. "I heard that the Seahawks won [the Super Bowl] - that's awesome!" said Mar­tinelle.

Just as he had planned in his February 2013 interview with The Times, Martinelle has been busy travelling since his return home. Dur­ing the summer he visited Rome with his sister, Greece with a friend and Corsica with his family. "I did a lot of fun stuff with my family and friends in Belgium, too," he said.

In mid-September, Mar­tinelle began college at Lou­vain La-Nueve where he is studying civil engineering. "My first finals went great," he said. "My English helps me a lot because some of my classes are in English."

"I really miss the people from Waitsburg and the sports and activities like football, fishing and four- wheeling. I also miss the place and all the nature there is," said Martinelle. He feels that he returned home from Waitsburg "a lot more open- minded."

Martinelle hopes to take part in some type of vol­unteer project abroad this summer, though he isn't sure exactly what yet.

Get Involved

Below right: Thibault Martinelle enjoyed explor­ing Rome with his sister Agnes.

According to AFS Inter­cultural Programs volunteer Fred Crowe, rural commu­nities have a great deal to offer exchange students. "I grew up in a small town that had an active AFS program and I know that kids placed in those communities are a much larger part of the com­munity than are kids placed in cities simply because they get to know nearly every­one," said Crowe.

Melissa Hansen, host- mom to Thibault Martinelle, said, "It's been one of the best experiences we've ever had. I think hosting is some­thing everyone should do."

There are several area agencies that coordinate families interested in host­ing an exchange student and facilitate students inter­ested in participating long or short-term exchanges. See Page 6 for information on ASF and ASSE exchange programs.