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Exchange student at home in Chetek
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| By: Rachel Westberg |
May 13, 2009 |
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Rubén Alvarez, center, an Ecuadorian foreign exchange student studying at Chetek High School, has made himself at home with host family Steve and Pasty Vork, of Chetek, during his stay in Wisconsin.
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Alvarez's dream to travel began when he was a freshman in Quito, Ecuador.
"A teacher had us writing a paper [about what we wanted to do in our future]," remembers Alvarez. "I wrote that I wanted to go on an exchange program as a senior."
True to his dreams, Alvarez applied for a foreign exchange program during his junior year. The entire year went by, however, without him finding a placement.
"A lot of my friends didn't believe I was going," says Alvarez. "Just a week before I left, I got the call that said I would be going."
Alvarez took the week to pack and say goodbye to family and friends. His goal for the trip was simple: to learn how to better speak the English language.
Back in Wisconsin, Steve and Patsy Vork had hosted a Norwegian foreign exchange student a couple of years ago. They enjoyed it so much that they discussed doing it again. After reading a couple of profiles, Alvarez topped their list.
"It is hard to travel when you work and have kids (the Vorks have two adult sons), so we wanted to bring the world to us," says Steve. "The exchange student program is a good thing, and it is important to have these students and break down some of the stereotypes there are."
Having hosted a student before, the program was very important to them, which made the decision to host a student again all the easier for the Vorks.
"If it is a program you believe in, [things with the program] don't happen unless you do it and are involved in it," says Patsy.
Alvarez arrived during the last two weeks of August., enough time to get the lay of the land, but not a lot else. Although one might think that coming to a rural area from a city of more than 1.5 million people might take quite an adjustment, Alvarez seemed to enjoy it.
"It is much more relaxing here," says Alvarez. "It is quiet. In my city, people don't let me sleep. At 3 a.m. I'll have people screaming at my door, but here it is quiet and relaxing. It can be dangerous there. Even when going on my bike, I have to be careful."
"Rubén has told us before that you don't go outside after 6-7 p.m. [in Quito]," adds Steve.
Alvarez got to know several students right away, joining the cross country team before school even began. Once he started school, he adds that things got a little tricky, especially when it came to all of the passwords and combinations he had to remember for computers and lockers. Many students knew him, but he knew very few of them. He adjusted quickly, having homework, classes and cross country to keep him busy. He joined the bowling team and ski club in the winter and is now on the high school's track and field team.
"In Quito, I never participated in sports. I kind of thought that while I was here I'd be eating lots of junk food and hamburgers, so I wanted to keep in shape. I signed up for cross country the first day and I've never ran that much in my life."
At home, the Vorks have taken Alvarez on several trips around Wisconsin and Minnesota. Much of the family time at the house is spent in the kitchen, and Rubén has even taught the family a few new things regarding cooking. Alvarez does his own laundry and even helped shovel snow and split wood.
"I had no idea how to use an axe before I came here," admits Alvarez. "I couldn't even hit the fire log at first."
Many of Alvarez's adventures involved the cold, something he was clearly not used to, coming from a country that lies right on the equator. Steve has even taken him ice fishing.
"I was surprised at how cold it was," said Alvarez. "I brought heavy coats and my mom showed me these big gloves I never thought I'd used, but they came in very useful. I was not expecting to wear a shirt, a sweater and a large coat just to walk around."
"He adjusted pretty well," says Steve. "He really didn't complain more than anyone else."
Rubén is not the only one in the family to have learned a few new things, either. On top of learning about Ecuador and its culture, the Vorks have had their share of schooling, as well.
"It has been fun to not only get to know more about Rubén and his country, but we've met so many other host parents and exchange students, so we got to learn a lot about some of them and their cultures," says Patsy. "For instance, I expected there to be more commonalities between our pop cultures, given we are in the same time zone. But Norway [and Europeans] are much more up on that than Rubén was. It speaks to the power of television as an agent of moving pop culture."
Alvarez's time in Chetek will soon come to an end. He is scheduled to leave in mid-June and plans on beginning college in January. He hopes to study business administration.
"I am excited about going back, but I'm also sad I'm leaving," says Alvarez. "It is like any adventure. But I think I've learned what I wanted to learn and more. It has been a great experience. I've been involved in as many things as possible. I always like to try everything once. I think I've grown up a lot and gotten more responsible and a little more organized."
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©The Chetek Alert 2009
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