TEXARKANA MAGAZINE
Eilidh MacDonald Why did you want to become a foreign exchange student? The American lifestyle has always intrigued and excited me! I am very passionate about learning about other people, other cultures and meeting new people. I have always loved to travel and becoming a foreign exchange student was the perfect opportunity to do that. Little did I know when signing up that it would be everything that I’d hoped for and more! What was your opinion of the United States before you came here? I wouldn’t say I had an opinion, but more of a stereotype. For example, when I found out my placement was in Texas, I thought I would be living amongst cowboys in the middle of the desert. I wondered if American schools would feel and be like I saw in the movies, if the accents would be strong, or the radio stations would be strictly country music. Some of what I expected was true, but as I also expected, there is so much more depth to it than that. What has been your favorite experience in the United States? It’s impossible to choose just one, but I’d like to say how grateful I am for the people I have met here–my family, my friends, my teachers and directors, my fellow exchange students and local coordinators. However, something entirely unique to America that has left me with a permanent flood of happy memories is high school football and the Friday night lights! For an American student in the school, this was just another Friday. For me, this was everything I had dreamed of and grown up thinking about America. It all came to life - the spirit, the pride, the excitement in the air. Getting to support your classmates in a sport that pumps adrenaline through your veins, chanting with the cheerleaders on the field, watching the showstoppers perform, feeling the band’s songs rush through you–there is nothing like that at home. It was exactly like I had stepped into a movie. It blows my mind how normal and average it is to so many people here. Did you get to participate in any student sports or organizations? Tell us about that experience. I took part in UIL speech (poetry) and UIL theatrical design. I got a bronze medal at district contest for speech, which meant I got to advance and compete at regionals. Theatrical design, however, took the cake for me. I won a state championship medal with my team of three other girls and our sponsor, Mrs. Beck. This is by the far the coolest thing I get to take home with me. Aside from the hardware being as bling as I like, I owe a lot of thanks to Pleasant Grove’s Curtain Call Productions. I can say I am a Texas State Champion. Not many people in Scotland get to say that! Would you recommend this experience to other exchange students? Absolutely, without a doubt, YES! This is easily the greatest thing I have ever done. I have learned more in a short ten months than I think have in years, about other people, about myself, about the world and about what I want to be in the next five years and beyond! I have gained so much! I have a new family and a new community of people that I will never forget. I have friends for life from all over the world and ultimately an excitement about life and what it offers that I never had before. I feel like a new and improved version of myself in the very best way!
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COMMUNITY & CULTURE
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