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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (June 7, 2018)
Pakornkeat “James” Insawang Brandon Johnson Corbin Nelson Will Scheuerman Mekhi Williams Haley Lindsay Aja Ota Misty Pasko Ben Schulte, Kailia Jackson Murad Yazmedov Gonzalo Lozano-Amaya, Carmen Paez-Toledo Jake Patton Olivia Shulnut Sona Zakaryan Cassie McFalls Maddy Zavales Kiley Merx Kameron Powell Bethany Stockwell Brendyn Mullikin Odessa Roberts Clay Sullivan, Lily Buchanan Class President Rebekah Barnes Guest Speaker Juliet Safier Brook Naron Noah Rylans Andrew Vasquez Principal Nate Underwood Kob Kun Lae Sawasdee Krab and Auf Weidersehen Vanessa W: Today we have the great honor to speak for twelve individuals who were once strangers to each other and to all of you. We’re proud to stand in front of you after spending 10 months living here and being a part of this community. I’m sure I speak for all of us when I say that we all changed during our stay. You grow as a person, become more independent, learn how to handle difficult situations on your own, and learn that you can’t survive without fast food in America. We are extremely thankful to all the people who have ever helped us during this past year and who had to keep up with our accents and bad pronunciations. For all of us, this year has been a great time. We visited so many new places, met so many new people, and this became a second home for us. It feels like yesterday when we went to outdoor school and taught the kids campfire songs, where all the exchange students stood in the last row, trying to figure out what to sing. Pakornkeat I: American high school changed me in many ways both mentally and physically. And I’m sure it’s for the better. The way of American high school is unique and cannot be found anywhere else. It introduced a lifestyle that I will miss very much. It makes school a lively part of life. Somethings are different, like the way that we walk around the school to switch class. There’s no homeroom that you stay in and stick with a group of people like in some countries like mine. I love the way that sports is a big part of school, and that a lot of people are involved. Sports unite people beyond the barrier of language and culture. You didn’t need to know each other to do sports together and then you become friends later. VW: I can’t believe this year is over. Everyone told me at the beginning that the time is going to fly by and I didn’t believed them. I had 10 months in front of me back then and now I’m just really shocked to see how fast it actually went. All the days of school, the days of hanging out or going out of town to go shopping. The Homecoming, Winter Formal, and Prom days where we went shopping to try to find the perfect thing to wear. All the trips we went on together, where we had so much fun. Many people say that the Exchange Students are always really close. I, for myself, found best friends in these Exchange Students. I knew I could trust them, and that I was not alone. I knew there’s always someone who would understand me when no one else would. I feel sorry for all the teachers that would ask us how to pronounce our name and no matter how hard they would try... it was still wrong. But I mean they tried their best, right? PI: On my personal note I’d like to thank my host mother, Shelly Hennessy, for making this year possible for me. And thanks to her son Brandon and his wife Tia for taking good care of me and teaching me. And thanks to my niece Mia and my nephew Jagger for being very cute. Another thank you is for Justin and Ashley Ward for helping me with a lot of things, they helped in making my year. Many thanks from all of us to Cathy Ward for being a great area representative, for going above and beyond for all of us foreign Exchange Students. And lastly thank you Vernonia for welcoming us into this American high school and this community. VW: Someone that helped me and supported me from the beginning on, were my host parents Erin and Tyler Swepston and my little host sister Aloma. We got along perfectly since the beginning and I couldn’t have wished for a better host family. They came to as many games as possible, included me in everything, and most important, they gave me a second home. There’s this quote that says ‘Every end is a new beginning’ and I don’t want to sound cheesy but I think that every end does have a new beginning. So, when we go back to our country we’re going to be a different person. It’s human nature that when something ends, it brings new beginnings. We all left a piece of our heart here in Vernonia, and we’re going to come back. Thank you and goodbye. Vanessa Wollny ~ Germany Pakornkeat Insawang ~ Thailand
