11/11/2007 - Some different views of life in the Valley
bY PAM DAILEY
Staff writer
TURBOTVILLE — Viorel Dilion takes a few minutes each day to contemplate the strange landscape that is his home for the next year. Everything around him, from brand names to the size of automobiles, contrasts with life in Moldova, a small country crouched between Romania and the Ukraine, famous for its catacombs filled with aging wine.
Dilion, from Chisinau, the densely populated capital city of Moldova, is studying this year at Danville Area High School through American Field Service’s (AFS) student exchange program. Like the other students visiting the area through the program, Dilion said he appreciates many aspects of life in Central Pa., especially the multi-colored autumn landscape and the quiet country setting.
“I like nature a lot,” Dilion said. “This area has very beautiful views.”
He also noted he was surprised to see large automobiles lining the streets in the U.S.
“In Moldova, we don’t have trucks,” Dilion said.
Other students, too, described their new surroundings in terms of how they differ from home.
Pattana Sungkrit of Thailand said it will take some time for him to warm up to chilly temperatures here in the northern hemisphere. Sungkrit has never seen snow in person, and he’s not especially looking forward to winter’s first snowfall.
“Everybody thinks cold is better than hot, but it’s too cold for me,” he said.
However, he is looking forward to showing his family the medal he received when the Lewisburg Area High School soccer team won the district championship recently. Sungkrit added that he was nervous about his ability to communicate in English when he first arrived in the U.S., but he quickly realized that mostly everyone was willing to help him out.
“I like the people here because they’re friendly,” he observed.
Exchange student Sana Zaida of India said one of her favorite events so far was dressing up for Halloween.
“When I was in India, I knew nothing of Halloween,” she said.
Zaida, from new Delhi, joked that she’d like to see Halloween celebrated in India so she could go trick-or-treating back home.
Other students studying in local high schools through AFS are Judith Heichinger of Austria (Danville Area High School) and Maria Fernandes of Brazil (Loyalsock High School).
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