The World Comes To M.V.: An introduction to the many foreign exchange students studying at MVHS (September 12, 2018)

This is the latest installment in an ongoing series introducing the group of foreign exchange students who are attending MVHS this school year. These students are in Moapa Valley to find adventure, experience a different culture and create life-long memories. All of these students are here with the Education First program

By JENNA RHUDE

Moapa Valley Progress

Maurice Torbeck comes from Hamburg, Germany where he lives with his mom Nicole, dad Sven, and younger brother Fabian.

When he asked his parents about becoming an exchange student, he was met with apprehension familiar to most parents. “My mom really going to miss me,” said Maurice. “But my dad was really excited. He saw it as an opportunity to improve my English, explore a new culture, and become more independent.”
While in Moapa Valley, Maurice hopes to make new friends, experience new things, and see if American culture is anything like the movies he has seen.

After high school, Maurice hopes to continue his education. He will then follow his father in business or become an architect. He prefers older architecture versus the newer buildings.
Maurice is staying with Dean and Brooke Redd of Logandale. He has two host sisters and one host brother.

He is playing American football and enjoys weight training. He also likes to play soccer, swim, hang out with friends and listen to music. He speaks German, English, and is learning Spanish.

Chun-I Sue, known to her classmates as “Alice,” is from Taiwan where she lives with her mom, dad, and brother. She comes to America hoping to improve her English and to simply try something new.

When Alice told her mom she wanted to do an exchange year, her mother found the information and helped her with all the necessary tasks she needed to do. Both her parents were nervous to send her so far away, but they are proud of her decision.

While in America, Alice is playing tennis. She also enjoys swimming, going to the movies, listening to music, and hanging out with friends.

Her host family is Gregory and Carolyn Marshall. She has one host sister living at home. Alice speaks Taiwanese, Chinese, a little bit of Japanese, and is taking Spanish in school.

Marcus Novaa is from Copenhagen, Denmark. He lives there with his dad Kim, mom Tascha, little brother Oscar, and little sister Isabelle. He also has two older sisters.

Marcus found Education First to be a good program with a fast response time. “They are very professional and offer their students more than other programs,” he reported.

Marcus’ family was excited about his decision to come to America. His dad saw it as an opportunity for him to improve his English.
“My mom was worried and said she will miss me a lot,” Marcus said. “However, she was soon fully on board and they are very happy for me.”

Marcus hopes to learn and live a new culture, see a new part of the world, and live in a new community. After high school, he hopes to work in economics because he enjoys working with numbers.
While in America he is playing soccer and hanging out with friends. He enjoys the cinema. He speaks Danish, German, and English.