Meet West Hartford’s AFS Students: Paul Gaglick from Switzerland – We-Ha
This is the next article in this year’s series, “Opening Our Homes and Minds: West Hartford’s AFS Exchange Students and Their Host Families.”
Interviewed and edited by Debbie Peterson, AFS Volunteer and Paul’s Support Liaison.
meeting Kosei Suganuma from Tokyo, Japan. He is one of the AFS exchange students living in West Hartford this school year.
meeting Paul Gaglick from Thun, Switzerland. He is one of the AFS exchange students living in West Hartford this school year.
Hello Paul! Tell us about yourself.
Hello – I am a senior at Conard. I’m from Thun in a house overlooking Lake Thun, about two hours from Zurich. I have a 19 year old sister, a 15 year old sister and a 13 year old brother. I’m 17 in the middle. My mother is a doctor and my father is a dentist. I want to study dentistry and follow in my father’s footsteps. I live with the Kramer/Glasser family in West Hartford. My host sister is in college but my host brother Ethan made me feel very welcome and we have a lot of fun together.
Why did you want to become an AFS exchange student?
My mom and sister were both exchange students and have spoken about what a great experience it is. It was a big decision because I willlose a school year,” but when I was looking at my sister’s photos and listening to her stories this time last year, I made the decision. I was amazed to be assigned to my host family here in just three days!
What are the biggest cultural differences between Switzerland and here?
You ride everywhere here and I’m used to using my bike a lot more often to get where I need to go. I have a regular bike and a motorbike. There is also a lot more wildlife here in the city. This could be partly because my host family lives in a wooded area.
I also noticed that we deal with time differently. In Switzerland we are always on time for everything, while here it is considered acceptable to be 30 minutes late to a meeting.
What did you like about West Hartford and Thun?
TBH it feels like what I’ve seen in movies about American high school! People are very open, less reserved than at home where it takes longer to get to know people. And school seems easier here. My home classes here are more like AP classes and more time is spent on non-core classes here.
What are you doing here outside of school?
I was on the soccer team, which was a lot of fun. Now that the season is over, I’m going to the indoor track with my host brother Ethan. I want to join the volleyball team in the spring.
I joined an international food club with some friends. We meet every two weeks on Wednesdays to choose a country and plan, then we meet on Saturdays to eat and hang out. Let me know if you’d like to join us!
What would you like people reading this to know:
Admission of an AFS exchange student: Successful hosts should be open to new ideas and not make hasty judgments. You should be interested in other cultures and get to know them.
As an AFS exchange student: It’s a great opportunity to see new things, meet new people and see the world!
If you are interested in hosting an exchange student, or if your high school-age student is interested in participating in an AFS exchange, please visit afsUSA.org.
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