Residents of North Stonington and students at Wheeler High School were recently faced with some tough goodbyes: six foreign exchange students that lived in here for the past school year headed home.

The six students came from Denmark, Spain, Norway, Yemen, Thailand and Brazil and attended one or two semesters at Wheeler. They came to this country through two exchange programs: the Center for Educational Travel, USA, CETUSA; and the American Field Service, AFS. The programs allow students to stay with local families, attend school, and go on optional organized trips to New York and Hawaii.

Local exchange program coordinators set up families with international students at the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year. There is no fee to host an exchange student, however, the students pay a hefty fee to come to this country with the exchange programs.

CETUSA and AFS are currently looking for host families for the upcoming school year. Students and teachers at Wheeler all say that they are excited to meet next year's students.

Normally a very secluded and sheltered school, Wheeler High seemed to benefit from the cultural diversity that these exchange students brought into the classroom. There are about 200 students in total attending Wheeler, most of which have grown up with each other from preschool. Many of these students have never traveled outside New England. However, after getting to know their foreign classmates, Wheeler students now express a desire to travel the world and visit their new friends. Today, the student body is much more open to traveling, joining exchange programs, and meeting new people. This is because Wheeler High School students were exposed to new cultures and were able to become friends with other students from all corners of the world.

The exchange students all said that they adjusted to the American way of life very quickly. Some, like Emma Waege of Norway, arrived speaking nearly perfect English. Others, though, arrived in the United States speaking little to no English. However, most of them agreed that the biggest hurdle to overcome was not the language, but the American transportation system (or lack- thereof).

Paula Herrán, a junior from Spain said, "I needed a ride for going everywhere, I can't have any independence." Saleh Hamid, a senior from Yemen, put it more bluntly, "The transportation system in the U.S. is terrible." Besides this relatively small issue, all six exchange students said they reveled in their time here.

When asked what she will miss most about her time in America, Usanisa Thongchuea, a senior from Thailand, responded, "I will always miss all of my teachers, friends, and classes I have taken in this year in this high school, and I'll always miss everything I've done here, because everything is new to me."

GABRIELLE BLISS IS A SENIOR AT WHEELER HIGH SCHOOL IN NORTH STONINGTON. THIS ESSAY IS PART OF HER SENIOR PROJECT.