Near & Far

The new faces at FHS in 1976 that didn’t look like sophomores were the foreign exchange students, Lotta Rüdh, from Sweden; Marc Riviere, from France; and Giovanni Crippa, from Italy.

What did they think of FHS and the United States?

Marc and Lotta said that school was easier than in their own country but Giovanni said it was about the same. They all agreed that English wasn’t a problem since it had been a required class in their own school for more than seven years.

They were amused when they were asked about their favorite American food because, as they pointed out, most American foods are also found in their own country.

And what about American football? Lotta didn’t like it “because I don’t know what is going on.” Giovanni liked it only when they played well, but Marc preferred to watch the spectators.

They all agreed that the people here were as friendly or friendlier than in their own country, and they pointed out that it does take a lot of kindness to take foreign students and make them feel so welcome.

— 1976 Amethyst