Like a Rockstar

Exchange student tastes U.S. life.

Franco Zazzali could be a typical American teenager.His long, shaggy black hair hangs into his face. He wears black skater-style shoes and keeps them untied. He likes iPods, hamburgers and pizza.
But Franco`s not American; he`s a 17-years old Rotary exchange student from Copiapó, Chile. He`s been here since the beginning of August and is a junior at Montezuma-Cortez High School.
“All my life I want to learn English and, you know, that`s the best way to do that, learn the language, and another culture and lifestyle” said Franco, whose carries only a mild accent when speaking nearly-fluent English.
But when he first came here, that was different story, said Lorna Wilkes Ruebelmann, the Cortez Rotary YEP Chair whom Franco is staying with for an interim month before making his way to his second host family of the year.
“It has improved so much” Lorna said “And it didn´t take that long. He was more frustated because he had to jump right into school and English classes... two weeks after he got here.”
Franco said he had studied a basic English in Chile but no much else. But after six to nine weeks he was fluent, Lorna said.
The exchange student spent his first semester with Sue Ciccia, who has a son, M-CHS junior Justin Baacke, doing a parallel Rotary Exchange in Germany. After his brief stint with the Ruebelmanns, He`ll move to the home of Laura and Jim Herrick for the second semester, countinuing his exchange experience with a new family.
“He`s liked it a lot” said Sue, speaking of Franco`s American experience with her family “My younger son made the comment that it was as much of a diplomatic encounter for us as it was for him,” she added, noting that Franco`s observations about their lifestyles made them think differently.
The goal of Rotary YEP, the program that both Franco and Justin are in, is to provide high school underclassmen the opportunity to “learn about a different culture and country while serving as goodwill ambassadors for their own countries and cultures,” according to a statement provided by Lorna, the local chairperson of the program.
And Franco´s learning about American culture. He noted that people in America spend time very differently than those in Chile.
“How the people spend the time is completely diferent” said Franco. “We don´t do so much sports and here the people spend a lot of time doing sports and thinks like that. We (in Chile) spend more time partying on weekends, not here, not so much.”
“Here people wake up very early” Franco addesd, laughing. “like doing things before school starts, Oh my gosh!”
He`s has the chance to participate in American sports like Snowboarding; in Chile where he lives, near the Atacama Desert, he had only sandboarded before, he said.
Franco doesn´t love most American food, missing his Chilean diet, wich he dais is similar to the Mexican-style diet, consisting primarily of rice and beans.
“I don´t like it so much” he said. But he does love that quintessential American fare: Hamburgers and pizza. And junk food.
“The candies are pretty good here,” he added.
“I think he likes too much some of the stuff, like candies and sweets” said Lorna, laughing.
During his stay, Franco´s gone to Durango and Grand Junction, and his host mom Sue Ciccia took him to New Jersey and New York City over Thanksgiving break.
On the East Coast, Franco toured New York City and saw Times Square, The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, and the Statue of Liberty, standard tourist fare for the first time visitor. He`d like to go back there, he said.
Franco`s Chilean parents are hosting an American student while he`s in the United States. He doesn`t get to talk to them too much, but does stay in touch over E-mails and calls, he said
When he returns to Chile, he´ll get ready to go to college; he`s already finished school there, even though he`s only a junior at M-CHS.
Franco said the most difficult part about the exchange program will come when he leaves; he`ll miss the friends he made here in Cortez.
“That`s the hardest thing i guess. When my exchange finishes probably i can never see my friends again” he said, with a somber look on his face.
But he said his friends are welcome to visit him in Chile, and seems to think the program has been a good experience overall.
Lorna, for her part, beamed when asked how she felt about the program, wich she participated in when she lived in Wyoming before moving to Cortez and becoming active in the Rotary club here.
“It´s been a really, really positive experience for us” she said. “I just am thrilled that we are able to make a contribution to world better understanding and peace in the world at a very local level ... It really helps with the world understanding and getting to know different cultures. It´s a great feeling to be able to contribute to thant and learn from them.”

By Stephanie Paige Ogburn
Journal Staff Writer

Cortez Journal
Saturday January 12, 2008