PENDLETON, Ind. — When 25 Costa Rican teenagers arrived in Indiana, they were shocked by the cold weather, shy among each other, and struggled to communicate with Americans.

Now, two weeks later, the exchange students have ice skated and had snowball fights, now chat and laugh non-stop among each other and with Pendleton Heights High School students, and have grown close to their host families with whom they converse more confidently in English.

“People here are so friendly,” said Natalia Madrigal, 16. “Everyone knows each other and they talk to their neighbors.”

The students, ages 15 to 17, come from three different schools located in the city of Guapiles. The group flew into Chicago on Jan. 12, and made it down to Pendleton the following day to meet their individual host families.

On Wednesday, five of the students sat on a hallway floor at Pendleton Heights, excitedly talking in Spanish about their experiences so far.

The group said that during the first week of living with their host families there was a lot of nodding and smiling because the families and the students struggled to understand each other.

They began using hand gestures and facial expressions to explain themselves, Valeria Chinchilla Blanco, 16, said.

And now, they can actually have conversations with their American “siblings” and “parents,” as they refer to them.

“During the second week I realized I really would like to spend more time with my family,” Pamela Baralis, 15, said. “I’ve become attached to them.”

The students will be in Pendleton until Feb. 4, said Janet Miller, who has led the students’ English lessons at the high school.

Since arriving in Pendleton, they have been taking two-hour English lessons five days a week, Miller said, and speaking it and hearing it everywhere as they alternate between shadowing students at school and going on field trips to The Children’s Museum, bowling, sledding, “Disney on Ice” and basketball games.

“When we are in English class (in Costa Rica) we just talk to our teachers in English, but here you wake up speaking English right away and all day,” Baralis said.

Fabian Solano, 16, said his English has improved a lot and he has picked up on lots of new words.

“Like the word ‘hoarding,’ where people collect a lot of things,” he said. “I’d never heard of that word, but I learned it by watching a television show.”

Miller said having the exchange students at the school has benefited local students as well.

“They have learned a lot about Costa Rican culture and about what it takes to learn another language,” Miller said. “It’s been an eye-opening experience for our students. Many of our students may not have had an opportunity to travel outside of the country, so this way we can bring a little bit of Costa Rica here.”

The students have noticed several differences between life in Indiana and in Costa Rica.

Their schools are a lot smaller than Pendleton Heights, and more open-air, with outdoor areas where students can go between classes. That has a lot to do with their climate being warm year-round — another big difference.

Madrigal said she has noticed that there is a lot more school spirit here and students flock to watch athletic teams play games, unlike at her school.

“They have such a great devotion to sports, and they play so many of them,” said Jovel Ruiz, 17.

“And the arts too,” Madrigal chimed in. “They have lots of clubs and language classes.”

Shopping has also been a favorite for the entire group, and they have been stocking up on clothing and electronics because they are much cheaper here, Chinchilla Blanco said.

They all agree that the food is much different than what they eat at home, but they have enjoyed everything new they have tried, including waffles, Pop Tarts, frozen pizzas, Powerade, and biscuits and gravy.

“In Costa Rica we eat rice with everything,” Ruiz said. “That’s the biggest difference. I’ve only had it two times here!”

Ruiz said his host family, like all the others, has been very generous in offering him all sorts of goodies. He returned the favor by preparing “pinto,” a typical Costa Rican dish with rice and beans.

They all say their favorite part of the trip has been bonding with their host families and new American friends.

“I’ve never traveled anywhere before, so this has been great,” Solano said. “My favorite part has been the sharing and meeting new people. And I really like my family.”

Contact Melanie Hayes: 648-4250, melanie.hayes@heraldbulletin.com





Costa Rican exchange students:

Isaac Aguilera, Luis Antonio Alfaro, Axel Cespedes, Ignacio Alcides Navarro, Jose Daniel Porras,  Jorge Rodriguez, Jovel Ruiz, Alvaro Fabian Solano, Oscar Mario Solano, Natasha Baltodano, Paola Gianina Baralis, Pamela Andrea Baralis, Fleyken Nicole Cerdas, Valeria Chinchilla, Angelica María Dittel, Valeria Garro, Mariana Hernandez, Natalia Madrigal, Adriana Paola Montero, Stephanie Morris, Marilyn Andrea Ordoñez, Michelle Cristina Quiros, Ana María Rodriguez, Melissa Sanchez, Joselin Vega. Chaperones: Henry Paolo Espinoza, Carlos Tobias Ramirez and son Tobias Josue Ramirez.