At ADM we have three Foreign Exchange students this year. each month we will interview one and post it here. this month, October, we have Batool.

Batool is from Bahrain, an island in the middle east.

Q:how is the US different from your country?

           A:”my country is an island it’s different in many ways, in your country you have a president, in my country, we have a king, we speak Arabic instead of English, we don’t pay taxes.”

Q: why did you become a Foreign Exchange student?  

A:”we applied for a program for students who could speak, read and write English, do some tests and interviews, and if you passed the tests, and interviews, you earn a scholarship from the

American consulate.”

Q:How did it feel to leave your family back home?

A:”well, I felt bad, and happy at the same time, because I’m getting rid of my siblings, but I still miss them now, but I guess they’ll have to deal with it, cause I’ll probably go away to college for three years too.”

Q:how do you like your host family?

A:”they’re amazing, I love them.”

Q:how is School here different from back home?

A:”my school, in my country, is way more strict than this school. what I love about this school, is that you fail a test, you get a low grade, you can retake it, and retake it. in my country you fail, you fail, repeat a year, you’re done.  our math is easier than your math. I don’t know, I go to a private school so its pretty similar, in public schools they take stuff in our language, in Arabic and have just one period a day for English, and instead of moving, going to classes they just sit in classes and the teachers come to their classes. that’s in public schools, in private schools, it’s really similar.”