Monica Van Ginkel
You can’t imagine a more appealing teenager than Suffield High School’s exchange student Monica Van Ginkel, who hails from Barcelona. Barcelona might make one wonder; that name doesn’t sound Spanish! No indeed. Monica’s father is Dutch and her mother is Bulgarian; they met in Spain. Monica herself is officially a Dutch citizen, but really a world citizen: she speaks Dutch, Bulgarian, Spanish, Catalan, and English—and all of this at the age of 15. It makes one blush to think about the typical American, who would be lucky to have mastered one language besides English.
Monica had a yearning to study outside Spain, and with some effort persuaded her parents that it was a good idea. Her first possibility was Ireland, her second was Las Vegas; we are lucky that she landed in Suffield, with the Halasi-Kun family as hosts. A small town in Connecticut is a far cry from the busy city of Barcelona, and at first Monica was a little taken aback at the sight of open farmland and forested acreage; however, she has come to appreciate the beauty of our countryside. And besides, she is very busy at SHS, so there is little time for doing anything else.
Monica described her school in Barcelona, where the curriculum to American ears sounds a bit narrow and even out of date; Monica would agree. For example, she was surprised to discover that at SHS there are electives, over and above the required basic subjects, and she is taking advantage of every opportunity. She is exploring topics such as film making, forensics, psychology and sociology; she has joined various clubs and is involved in theater, sports (track and tennis), and other outside activities; and all of this is added to the usual course load. She says that American students have no idea how lucky they are to have so many choices, and she is not going to waste a minute of her time here when there is so much she can do.
When asked about her favorite American food, she was quick to name — who would guess it — s’mores! Marshmallows are rare in Spain, and the combination of graham crackers, Hershey bars, and marshmallows toasted over a fire was totally new to her. The frequent use of butter has been a surprise too; at home, families use olive oil except in baking. She has also been astonished that so many teenagers here drive cars. In a Spanish city that would be almost unheard of; teenagers are used to walking everywhere.
It takes enormous courage and fortitude for a 15 year old, on her own, to venture out in the way that Monica has done. Here she is, in a country thousands of miles from home, making her way in a culture that must seem not only foreign, but often strange. Her outgoing personality, her warmth and intelligence, her energy and curiosity all combine to make her an unusually mature and well-grounded young person. She is undoubtedly benefitting from her stay among us, and we are enriched by her presence. The exchange is a win-win, as they say!