7/1/2008 - Exchange Students Say Goodbye
By Jacob Lammers
The News-Herald
Nearly a year ago, Mattia Matarrese was among strangers. Now the Italian teenager calls these people his family. Mattia came to Mentor (Ohio) in August through the American Field Service, an international exchange program. His cultural journey came to an end Monday as he and 17 other teenagers packed their bags and took a bus to New York to make their way back home to their respective countries.
“You can look at my eyes. It’s hard,” Mattia said while holding back tears. “I’m going to miss my family.” His host family, Rick and Pat McAteer of Mentor, clung to Mattia as they all struggled to say goodbye.
“We have daughters, so he was like a son,” said Rick McAteer, who bonded with the 17-year-old over sports.
Mattia became a star tennis player at Mentor High School, and he soon fell in love with baseball after watching the Cleveland Indians play. He also considers the Cavaliers his favorite basketball team.
“I loved everything here, from school to family,” Mattia said – although he couldn’t help but complain about one thing. “Weather’s not the best.”
The teen is from Naples, Italy, where it rarely snows.
The adjustment to American culture was not too painful, but food was another issue.
Mattia said he typically eats pasta three days a week back home.
After some coaxing, the McAteers introduced him to hamburgers and peanut butter, which he hated at first but has come to love.
The international exchange program included teenagers from Germany, Switzerland, Thailand, Chile, Italy, Bolivia, Paraguay, Norway, Austria, Hungary and Japan.
The program teaches host families and the students about their respective cultures, said Sandy Caporossi, AFS Mentor chapter president.
“It really helps make the world a smaller place,” Caporossi said.
“If we can understand other cultures through these students, it’ll promote peace overall. “It just spreads that idea of understanding and tolerance.”
Bolivian teenager Paola Luciana Jijena Lopez said it took patience to help her come to grips with cultural differences. “It’s a really great experience,” Paola said. “You get to open your mind to learn new cultures.”
Debra and Ken Bryda shared tears and hugs with their “daughter,” Roberta Piras of Sardinia, Italy. Roberta is the third foreign exchange student the Mentor family has hosted. The other students were from Switzerland and Thailand.
“I’ve been crying since March,” Debra Bryda said. “You guide them, you lead them … then they’re everything to you.” She said the family will not host a student next year, instead saving money to visit Roberta in Italy.
As the bus honked and pulled away, several students waved goodbye to their families for the last time.
Pat McAteer said her goodbyes, but she knows it’s not permanent. Mattia plans to visit the McAteers next year, and he said he wants to attend college in the U.S. and become a translator.
“I’m not looking at it as a departure,” Pat McAteer said. “I’m looking at it as we’re seeing him off to school and he will be coming back.”
Reprinted with permission from The News-Herald. This article was originally published here.
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