BonnerSprings.com

“Everything here is bigger. The cars, the malls. Even the milk cartons are bigger,” said Stefan Mbiyavanga about his first observations of America.

The 17-year-old from Switzerland arrived in America about a week ago, and while he settles in as one of two foreign exchange students in the Bonner Springs school district this year, he can’t help but notice the differences between the two countries.

Mbiyavanga is from a small town of about 2,700 people located in Switzerland between Basel and Zurich. While in America, attending Bonner Springs High School, he is staying with the family of Robert Van Maren, USD 204 superintendent.

Mbiyavanga said last year he changed schools and met a boy who had been an exchange student the previous year. He said he was told a lot about America and his interest grew.

“He told me lots of nice stories from the year he spent in the U.S.A.,” he said. “So I thought, why shouldn’t I do the same?”

Joining Mbiyavanga as the only other exchange student in the district is Nina Sabllotny, 16, from Toppenstedt, Germany. While in America, she will be staying with the family of Kris Munsch, a wood shop teacher at BSHS.

Sabllotny said she came to America to improve her English, but hopes to leave with more than just that.

“I thought it would be interesting to do something else than go to my school,” Sabllotny said of her decision to be an exchange student. “I want to learn the language and I want to know somebody in America.”

The two had their first day of classes Tuesday along with the rest of the district. Mbiyavanga said the biggest difference he noticed was the number of classes and amount of time spent in classes.

“In Switzerland we start earlier and finish around 5 or 6 (at night),” Mbiyavanga said. “We have more lessons in the week.”

For Sabllotny, she said while in Germany they have the core classes such as math, German, English and Biology, there are many electives offered.

Another big difference they’ve noticed is the amount of languages an American student knows. While both Mbiyavanga and Sabllotny know at least four languages, many Americans barely know one additional language.

But the two foreign exchange students said that probably had to do with the geography of the country.

“(Language) is something we just have to learn,” Mbiyavanga said. “In my country there are four national languages. If I only spoke German, I couldn’t go to the French part of Switzerland.”

Sabllotny agreed, saying the travel makes knowing many languages important. With countries right next door to each other, it’s easy to find yourself in a territory of another language within only a couple of hours.

Beyond academics, both said they want to get involved outside of school, with Mbiyavanga going out for the soccer team and maybe the basketball team and Sabllotny going out for volleyball.

While neither have specific goals or sights they want to see while visiting America, they just hope to make the most of their time here.

Mbiyavanga has already been to the Van Maren lake house in Missouri, where he experienced water tubing for the first time.

Sabllotny will also get a chance to travel soon, with vacations to the east and west coasts already planned with the Munsch family.

Van Maren said he thought the student exchange program was important not only for the students traveling, but the students in each location that get to interact with someone from a different culture.

“It gives everyone a different perspective of the world,” he said. “Youths tend to think everyone is just like them so this is a good experience to see and learn about other cultures.”

Munsch said he couldn’t agree more, adding that he’s already bombarded Sabllotny with many questions about her country.

“I’ve asked her like 1,000 questions about Germany,” he said. “I think we’ll learn just as much from her as she learns from us.”

In the short time both students have been in Bonner Springs, both Van Maren and Munsch said they already feel like members of their family.

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