Exchange students aren’t an uncommon sight at Harwood. The school hosts several each year, and one of this year’s six is visiting not only to study abroad, but to discover her own culture. Thalia Boyer-Little is from Geneva, Switzerland, but was born to American parents and holds American citizenship. “I’ve never lived here, and I just want to know what it’s like to be American,” she said.
She applied through FLAG International, an exchange program similar to CIEE or Rotary International, this past January. The application process mirrors the American college application process: her application could be rejected for any reason, so she had to answer “lots of questions, and some of them were very personal, like, you’d wonder why they needed to know this,” including why she wanted to study in the United States.
After completing the questions, she participated in an interview with a FLAG representative, where she was told that she was eligible to study in the United States. She was originally placed with a host family in Fort Worth, Texas, in May, but the deal fell through in July. She found out that she would be staying in Vermont on August 22, less than a week before her flight. “Vermont was actually the only state I didn’t want to go to,” said Boyer-Little. “I saw a documentary [Backlash: Misogyny in the Digital Age] about a woman who was cyberbullied in Vermont, and everything looked cold and gloomy. I had that idea when I came here, and I was originally excited for the hot weather in Texas, so I was a little sad, but the first day I came here, everything changed.”
The weather here is similar to Switzerland’s, if not a little colder, and ski mountains are more accessible–albeit travelling in Vermont without a car is difficult, and exchange students are not allowed to drive. Geneva is an urban area in western Switzerland, close to the French border, and the closest mountains are around an hour away. “The mountains are so close here, and I feel like it’s [skiing] a big deal,” she said. She’s excited to try Vermont skiing and compare it with Swiss skiing; people may use different techniques here.
Being in Vermont has felt like “a holiday” for Boyer-Little: “Everything is always an adventure. For you guys, this is normal, but for me, there’s so much to discover.” She’s loved American food so far (although she hasn’t found anything yet that can rival Swiss chocolate or cheese), and she’s adored the sense of community she’s found. “School feels more like a community. People here are more friendly and they’re trying to make things better for their community.”
She just finished her season playing on Harwood’s JV volleyball team, which she loved. It was her first time playing volleyball, and she said, “It was really good to be part of a school sports team. I’ve never done that before.” She’s also looking forward to playing tennis in the spring.
Despite her first impression of the state, and the hoops she jumped through to arrive here, Boyer-Little is pleased. “I’m really happy here. Even with all of the difficulties I’ve been through, I’d do it all over again to be placed in Vermont.”
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