We have had more foreign exchange students at Hayward High School this year than any other year. The four new students attending HHS are Hannah Schulze Isfort from Germany, Sakina Mammadli from Azerbaijan, Klaudie Srankotova from the Czech Republic, and lastly Sona Ovezmyradova from Turkmenistan. We gave them the same seven simple questions that would provide us with insight into who they are, and how their lives differed from where they came from, to their lives in the U.S.
Hannah Schulze Isfort came to the U.S. from Germany. She is living with her host family, Britta and Matthew VanNatta. She thinks Hayward is a nice city. The biggest change that she has noticed about moving here is the school system. Hannah has become a real cheesehead by saying that her favorite U.S. snack/food is cheese curds! However, her favorite food/snack from Germany is currywurst, “a fast food dish of German origin consisting of sausage with curry ketchup.” Hannah is a great addition to our school.
Sakina Mammadli came to the U.S. from Azerbaijan. She is living with her host family, Karen and Dirk Jensen. Sakina had some very good things to say about Hayward, “I really enjoy Hayward. I walk around here with my host family, and it’s really enjoyable for me. The landscapes, lakes and its nature.” Sakina has noticed some bigger differences about the U.S., like the cultures, educational systems and the food. However, Sakina has adjusted very quickly and has noticed that the Hayward community is very welcoming and supportive. She has found some really good friends and new favorite places to hang out! Sakina’s favorite food/snack that she has found in the U.S. is waffles. Sakina has a lot of national food/snacks in her country. For example, plov. Plov is one of the most widespread dishes in Azerbaijan that contains long-grain rice, yellow carrots, onions, mutton (cooked sheep), fat and vegetable oil. Sakina has come to find out that Hayward is going to be an enjoyable place to experience.
Klaudie Srankotova is from Prague in the Czech Republic, her host family is Joan Carmichael and William Banker. Klaudie has said she likes it here in Hayward but is a small town compared to Prague, which is the capital of the Czech Republic. She says that the U.S. is bigger than she thought it would be. Her favorite food/snack in the U.S. is PB&J and her favorite food/snack in the Czech Republic is everything. Klaudie says she’s getting used to the United States every day.
Sona Ovezmyradova is from Turkmenistan, and her host family is Karen and Dirk Jensen. Sona loves Hayward because, “… people here are extremely friendly, kind, and helpful”. We asked Sona if there was a big change from Turkmenistan to the U.S. and she said, “There are differences in mentality, everyday life, school system and many other things.” Sona said that their exchange programs have a great motto, “Not better, not worse, just different.” This is a wonderful motto that has an amazing meaning! Sona’s favorite snacks from the U.S. are tacos and chips. She said that she was surprised by the variety of the flavors of chips, her favorites are pickled cucumber chips. She said she unexpectedly liked the Lays/IHOP “Rooty Tooty Fresh ‘n Fruity” strawberry-topped pancake flavored chips. Sona told us about her favorite food from Turkmenistan, plov (like Sakina!), which is a traditional dish of rice, lamb or beef, carrots and onions cooked in a large cooking pot called “Kazan.” Sona says she misses a lot of the traditional dishes, so she tries to cook them to share her culture and to stop dreaming about Turkmen food!
We’d like to thank our news students for letting us get to know them a little better. If you haven’t had the opportunity to meet Hannah, Sakina, Klaudie, or Sona yet, now is a great time!
