Charlo welcomes two international students
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Charlo — Imagine it: A mere teenager and embarking on your first international adventure. Bracing yourself for a new culture, a new language, a new family and hopefully a few new friends.
This year Charlo has opened its school doors to a few such adventurous teenagers — Azharra Al Farid and Gvantsa Gatenadze.
Gatenadze hails from the Republic of Georgia’s capital city, Tbilisi.
With 1,345,000 inhabitants, Tbilisi is a stark contrast to Charlo — population 1,904. But Gatenadze considers herself right at home in a town where everyone knows each other.
“I’m not a city girl,” she said, sitting on the bleachers after volleyball practice.
Gatenadze is eager to get involved in the community and looks forward to experiencing life as an American teenager.
There’s academia, extracurricular activities, and of course high school’s social highlights, such as prom and homecoming.
Her host parents Dave and Liberty DeGrandpre jumped at the chance to host an exchange student.
“We thought it would be a good opportunity for our kids,” Dave said. “To experience a new culture and to learn about a new place.”
The DeGrandpres already have three younger children, but with one younger sister of her own, Gatenadze feels right at home as the eldest child in the DeGrandpres' house.
Gatenadze participated in a program called the Future Leaders Exchange Program. Flex is a program initiated by the state department in Central Asia and Eastern Europe that encourages teenagers to become exchange students in the United States.
After studying English for nine years, Gatenadze became a flex finalist last September, meaning that she passed a series of interviews and essays. Eventually, she qualified to become an exchange student in the U.S.
“I wanted to see another culture and meet kids my own age,” Gatenadze said.
“When I finally got my family (assignment) I was so excited,” she said.
She immediately did research about the area and discovered mountainous Lake County to be similar to her homeland.
“I really feel like home,” she said.
Al Farid is from a city 32 miles east of Jakarta, Indonesia called Karawang. She enjoys the people here, but does notice the difference between Montana and Indonesia.
“I’m always cold here,” Al Farid explained.
The climate isn’t the only difference she notices, the food is different too, she explains.
But in her few weeks of living like an American teenager, Al Farid enjoys Montana and said that Montanans speak English well and slow, making it easier for her to understand.
“Montanans are nice,” Al Farid said. “They are kind and helpful and love to make jokes.”
Al Farid is the oldest in her Indonesian family as well and enjoys having an American family with more than a few little ones. She is staying with the Shad and Tricia Anderson.
So far the family has taken Al Farid and their four other kids to many local places including the Bison Range, a water park and a baseball game.
“I like them. They’re fun and they love me,” Al Farid said. “They don’t make me homesick. I just feel like in my own family.”
But it’s not just about these two exchange students learning American customs and language. Charlo students and teachers have plenty to learn from both young ladies.
Al Farid is observing Ramadan — the ninth month in the Islamic calendar, when members of the Islamic faith fast from sunrise to sunset.
Montana’s long summer hours are not what she expected.
“I have to break my fast at 8:30 p.m.” Al Farid said, noting that it’s difficult to fast for so long alone.
And skipping lunch at school is bound to raise a few eyebrows.
“They ask why do I do this, but I explain it to them,” Al Farid said.
