After a full school year in Olds, foreign exchange student Angel Sanchez, 16, will be returning home to Mazatlan in Mexico on June 15.
Sanchez came here as part of the Rotary Exchange program and has been attending École Olds High School since September.
“I really like Canada, it's cold and wet. There’s a lot of different things that in Mexico I don’t have the opportunity to see,” Sanchez said.
One of the biggest things was, of course, the snow but he also mentioned a rodeo and a Calgary Flames hockey game.
Another significant difference for Sanchez was the experience of being in a Canadian high school.
“It’s really different, the people are different and how to learn, it’s really different from Mexico,” Sanchez said. “In Mexico we don’t choose our classes. They give you a piece of paper and say this is what you need to study and these are your classes.”
During his stay in Olds Sanchez has stayed with several host families and felt he’s had good experiences with all of them.
“All the families are different. Like the culture, some pray before lunch and in other houses no, they like to spend more time with their kids and in other houses no,” Sanchez said.
One of the most memorable experiences Sanchez has had in his time here was an ice fishing trip in February during the infamous cold snap.
“Before February was normal, it wasn’t too cold, well being a Mexican it is too cold and then your body is like it’s cold but not too cold but February, that was too cold,” he said.
Before coming to Olds one of the biggest concerns Sanchez had was his language.
“The first time when I come here I don’t know how to speak English. I knew how to say “hello”, “how are you” and “where is a washroom," Sanchez explained. “But then you start to learn, listen, talk with people and going to school helped me a lot.”
Sanchez said it took him four months to feel like he was catching on to and having full conversations.
The most valuable takeaway from his time here, he said, is learning how to do his own laundry and making his own bed.
“When I come here, I’m more like a kid. I don’t know how to wash my own laundry, make my bed or put my shirt in the right place,” Sanchez said.
In Mexico, Sanchez grew up with a housekeeper to take care of those jobs for him.
The thing that Sanchez is looking forward to most about going back to his home is to see his family and friends again. He has kept in touch through social media but lamented that it wasn’t the same.
Sanchez has enjoyed his experience in Canada, taking in the culture and the weather. And when it comes to Olds, he liked the size of the town.
“I like that it’s not too big so I can do a lot of stuff because they are really close.
“I can go to watch a movie, go to a store and then go home, I guess.
“You can do all these things walking and all the people are really good, they’re always smiling,” Sanchez said.
