Archive

Farvel, Christian! Zai Jian, Yang!

May 13, 2010

By Maggie Deadrick ’10,

Editor-in-Chief

Elliot Faulk and Christian Stenild — Faulk and Stenild enjoy their last few weeks as MHS Seniors together

Graduation for two particular students holds a different connotation than it does for many Mariemont veterans. For most it means leaving behind childhood and the home they’ve known for years, but for Christian Stenild and Yang Lei, it means returning to such an environment, halfway around the world, in their home countries.

Stenild arrived in Cincinnati at the beginning of August, but unlike most exchange students, he already knew his host brother, Elliot Faulk, from an exchange program they did together four years ago through Children’s International Summer Village. “I wasn’t really scared or nervous because I’d already met a lot of Elliot’s friends when I was here before,” he says.

Though it wasn’t his first time visiting the United States, Stenild calls this year the best experience of his life. “I can’t think of any other way to get an inside view of another culture like I have this year. I never thought there would be such a difference. Overall great experience,” he says. “I have been to the USA before, but as a tourist you don’t get to see how different it is compared to Denmark.”

Over the year, Stenild has become very accustomed to American life. “I’m going to miss the food, and that everything is bigger and so much cheaper. At MHS I’ll miss my friends, and all the nice and outgoing people,” he says. When he gets home, he plans to drive around in his car (he can’t drive in the US) and ride around on his ATV. “And of course spend a lot of time with my family and friends,” he adds.

22352_352691429621_755129621_4967591_962221_n — Stenild, with Gerberick and Colaw, in Blue Knob, PA.

Stenild hopes to keep in touch with the friends he’s made here at MHS, and plans to make another visit to Cincinnati in the future. He says he will always remember his skiing trip with Josh Colaw and Reed Gerberick to Blue Knob, and sports at MHS.

“An AFS year abroad is a challenge, and it is most likely a lot different from what you’re used to,” says Stenild. “But I would strongly recommend it.”

Yang Lei was not able to be reached for an interview.