Arrival of Austrians Brings Excitement

The annual group of Austrian exchange students arrived at SDA Monday night, leading many students to find new additions to their classes; the exchange students’ arrival was long expected by their respective host families.

For the SDA students hosting Austrian exchange students, the wait for the exchange students’ arrival was filled with excitement.

Senior Blake Stoner-Osborne had been looking forward to the cultural exchange. “I’m excited to connect with someone from another country,” said Stoner-Osborne. “I’m expecting to do a lot of Encinitas/San Diego culture things like going to the beach, getting Mexican food and going to the meditation gardens at Swami’s.”

Every student had his or her own reason for deciding to host an exchange student and, for Natalie Shields it was her senior year status that influenced this decision. “It’s my senior year and I’ve always seen people hosting them in the past so I thought ‘hey, this is my last year, I might as well,’” said Shields.

Each exchange student will spend two weeks living in Encinitas and attending SDA with their host student, which slightly worried Stoner-Osborne. “I’m a little concerned that sitting through classes might be a little boring for my exchange student,” said Stoner-Osborne.

Despite his concerns, Stoner-Osborne not only views hosting an exchange student as a fun experience, but also a learning experience. “Having someone live with you makes you rethink how you live your own lifestyle,” said Stoner-Osborne. “I’m expecting to realize things about my own lifestyle that have just become nature at this point.”