7/20/2007 - The Greatness of Kansas: One Student's Year in the Heartland

Note: Felix, a hosted student from France, wrote this letter to the editor of a local newspaper, the Manhattan Mercury, in his hosted hometown.

To the Editor:

I have trouble believing that my AFS exchange is finished. Time went by so fast that it seems to have only been a few days since I arrived at the airport tired and anxious, trying vainly to adapt to a new time, a new language and new temperatures all at the same time.

But when I think about the year and all the things I did, the fact that I was really here for more than 10 months starts to be more acceptable. And that is why I would like to thank all the people who made this whole experience unique and unforgettable.

Coming from a large city of France (Strasbourg), I must say that I was slightly afraid when I heard that I would live in the middle of Kansas for a year. I spent the beginning of the summer explaining to people in my family that it was really Manhattan, Kansas, that it had nothing to do with New York — and getting disappointed reactions or bad jokes about cowboys and buffaloes. Moreover, Americans having a strong and relatively negative reputation in my country, I cannot remember half the remarks I got about food, living habits or even overall sanity of the people I would live with.

But the warm and nice Kansans who welcomed the exchange students undertook immediately to reassure me. From the volunteers who received us in the Wichita airport and prepared us for our stay, to my host father who welcomed me in his house and helped me to acclimate myself to my new life, to the formidable AFS chapter members of Manhattan High School who supported and helped every exchange student adapt to the new school, everybody tried to help me enjoy my time in the United States. I must say that they succeeded.

I had great opportunities to watch sports such as American football at Kansas State University or even rodeo. I had opportunities to learn about the rich historical, geographic and cultural heritage of the region and to visit museums and expositions. I was able to explore the diversity at Manhattan High School, which allowed me to learn tons of new things, try a dozen diverse subjects and meet a lot of nice and interesting people. I had a colorful and rich stay.

For this fantastic year, I would like to thank the AFS school chapter, directed by Mr. Wichmann. As students, we spent much of our time at school, and they did their best to help us make good choices, to organize regular meetings, lunches or events such as trips to Kansas City or the roundup in Manhattan, which were some of the best parts of my stay. I would like to thank my AFS uncle, Leo Schell, who took me out a lot of times in order to make me see as much of Kansas as possible, and I’d like to thank my liaison, Jay Davis, for a great baseball game. I also really appreciate the work of the AFS district chapter. The meetings at which we discussed our home countries were great experiences.

And last, the person I want to thank the most is Duane Daily, for hosting me during this whole year, for having the patience to take care of me and help me in my everyday life in the United States. He is the one who made my stay possible, and more than everybody else, he made it an extraordinary life experience that I will never forget. Thank you again for everything.

It was a real pleasure to discover so much about the United States, a country we hear a lot about in the news in any foreign country, but which needs to be visited to be even a little understood. I have only seen a little of Kansas, but what I have seen made me want to spend a lot more time in the country.

My thanks again to all the community of the Little Apple, which made my stay a fantastic experience. I will come back, and why not — I’ll bring some French people who still need to be convinced of the greatness of Kansas. It is not my case anymore.

Felix
(AFS Hosted Student from France)