Date: Fri 11-Dec-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: MICHEL

Quick Words:

Conny-Staub-AFS-student-Swiss

Full Text:

Swiss AFS Student Finds Lessons In American Life

(with photo)

BY MICHELE HOGAN

Can you imagine any better way to learn about life in another country, than to

spend a summer there, or have a house guest from there?

Newtown High student Thyra Wilson has done both. Thyra went on an AFS

(American Field Service) exchange program to Australia two summers ago, and

then welcomed a Swiss student to her home in Newtown for this academic year.

When Conny Staub, Swiss student, came to America it seemed to her that

everything in America was on a grand scale. The cars seemed huge, the

distances from home to shopping long, and especially, the corridors of Costco

were unbelievable.

Conny missed being able to hop on a bus or take her bike wherever she felt

like going, whether it be a little cafe or a magnificent castle, the home of a

friend or the local stores. In Switzerland, Conny felt much more independent.

Conny did say that Thyra, her "sister" and the whole family, have been great,

driving her around and showing her what this country has to offer.

During the fall months Conny came to appreciate the natural beauty of Newtown.

She loved the fall colors and is looking forward to seeing some snow.

It seems her parents in Switzerland are expecting her to find snow soon, too.

They just sent her a snow board and piles of Swiss chocolate. Conny has been

sending postcards and e-mailing her family and friends back home and telling

them about America.

She said that it is a great experience for her. She said, "If you have the

chance to do it [go on an AFS exchange to another country] do it!"

Conny moved to Newtown August 6, and will return to Baar, Switzerland at the

end of June.

She knows she will have to spend the summer studying to catch up on her Swiss

curriculum, which is different from what is offered at NHS.

Here, she is taking video production, economics, American government, English,

and her favorite course, astronomy.

Conny loves the sciences, so next semester she plans to take oceanography and

biology, as well as geography and pre-calculus. In Switzerland she takes 13

subjects each year, with an emphasis on French, English, Latin, and

mathematics.

And she has studied with the same group of 20 classmates for years. She thinks

it's stimulating to see different students in different classes, the way that

it is done here.

Although studying at the senior level in most of her courses in Newtown, she

still has another two years of education before university in Baar, the

German-speaking Swiss town where she was raised.

And for Conny, one of the most educational experiences she can imagine is the

one provided by AFS.