I'd like to nominate my daughter, Sanita Bordeepong as the Ayusa Star of the Month.  Sanita, or "GiNG" as we know her, joined our family in August for her academic year in America.  There are so many things that make GiNG special and it's hard to describe how much she means to our family.  GiNG came to the United States with an open mind, an open heart and a genuine desire to succeed.  In her first six months of the program, she has embraced the American culture, maintained straight A's in each of her classes and established herself as a mature and responsible teenager.

 We have been most impressed by GiNG's warm heart and willingness to help others.  On her flight to America in August, GiNG helped another exchange student locate a lost passport at the airport in Tokyo.  She has also made time on several occasions to lend an ear and offer advice to friends from both Ayusa and other programs who are experiencing home sickness or difficulties with their host families. GiNG consistently displays a positive attitude and openly communicates any concerns that arise.
 
GiNG has also experienced great success at school and is well known and liked by both students and faculty.  For International Education Week, she prepared an extensive presentation on her home country of Thailand which focused not only on the important features of the country, but also life as a teenager in Thailand - from school uniforms to favorite hang out spots.
 
We hope this year abroad will teach GiNG more about herself as a person and help her to develop the skills she needs for a successful future.  Having GiNG as a member of our family has been one of the greatest experiences of our lives and has created memories that we hope will last forever.
 
Brent & Apisara Houltram
Schaumburg, IL

U.S.A, the country of freedom, is where I spent my exchange student year with tons of experiences. I have been to several countries for study abroad programs, but I have never been away from home for this long. I was hoping that I can go to a place on the west coast, or the east coast of the U.S. such as LA, NYC, etc. However, I ended up in Syracuse, KS. I still remember the first thought that I had when I saw Kansas on the plane was "What kind of trouble did I get myself into?" And the first thought I had when I knew there are only 16 students in my school was "I am so out of here," But I told myself that I can't retreat because the environment doesn't fit me. I came all the way to the U.S. to experience different environments, so what I should do is to let me fit the environment.

Too much expectation often brings students down when they find out that the situation isn't like they thought. I could barely bear the disappointment when I found the truth that Syracuse, KS is so small (approximately 1800 people). It was a huge shock for a person that has lived in a big city for 15 years. I eventually overcame the difficulty and discovered good things about small towns. I found out that determination and patience are needed to solve every problem, and they sure helped me through any kind of problem while I was in the U.S. Life in the U.S. is very exciting for me because there were always new challenges. Every day is a whole new experience and every challenge is different from the previous one. I had many precious and unforgettable experiences during the year.

I concluded what I learned into three major points: First, it is very common for Americans to see foreigners. Because of that, exchange students are nothing special but simply people trying to accomplish their own American Dream. Because of that, I focused on conveying the many positive attributes of Taiwan to a people that might not otherwise learn. Second, selfishness and childishness are not going to do any good. Independence, responsibility and respect are required for a remarkable year. Third, but not least, students need humility and confidence at the same time. Be humble to receive, but be confident to give when exchanging cultures. I hope these valuable techniques will help future exchange students with their year in the U.S.

Exchange students have the responsibility to bring positive influences into the community. I am proud that I tried my best to learn about the U.S. and to introduce Taiwan. I appreciate Ayusa and I am thankful that I had the chance to be an exchange student. Maybe the processes weren't smooth, but the fruit of achievement will always be the sweetest.

I would like to formally nominate Marco Eylert for the Ayusa Star Athlete of the Year Award. Marco came to Brainard, Nebraska from Berlin, Germany in the fall of 2008. Marco immediately became a part of our community and school. His involvement at our school has been unparalleled. He has taken part in football, wrestling, and track during the 2008-2009 school year. The students at East Butler Public School have really accepted Marco because of his great personality and willingness to take part in activities at our school.

Marco Eylert had a highly successful year for our football team. Honors that he received include Lincoln Journal Star and Omaha World Herald All-State Honorable Mention. He was also an All-District kicker and an All-Conference kicker. East Butler is in class C-2 in Nebraska with an approximate K-12 enrollment of 300 students. Marco's past experience with soccer allowed him to be one the top kickers in our area and state. Marco is our current school record holder for longest field goal in a game with a 37 yard field goal this season. He completed five field goals out of the six he attempted. Distances include 25 yards, 27 yards, 32 yards, 33 yards, and 37 yards. Marco also completed 13 out of 14 on point after touchdown kicks. On kickoffs, Marco averaged 51.2 yards per kick. Marco also made a game saving tackle toward the end of the season that enabled our team to reach the playoffs. His numbers were among the leaders in the area and were remarkable considering Marco had never played organized American football. Despite his inexperience, Marco was an active member of our team and contributed in many ways. He was constantly looking for ways to improve his technique and help the team. Marco was a great addition to our team because of his ability and presence.

In conclusion, I would highly recommend Marco Eylert for the Ayusa Star Athlete of the Year Award. I could not think of a more deserving candidate. He is a talented athlete that received many awards and had impressive statistics. Marco is also an exceptional person who has represented his family and East Butler School with class and pride. Thank you for your time and consideration of Marco Eylert for this award.

One rewarding aspect of cultural exchange is having the opportunity to experience many different traditions and holidays from all over the world, not just in the United States. One of our shining Ayusa students from China, Yao Cui, took the initiative to explain Chinese New Year to her classmates this year. Yao is living with the Lovelace family in Kennesaw, Georgia. Please take a few minutes to read a special message from Yao's Regional Director.

This is one of my Chinese students who in her school is involved with the Chinese club. With Chinese New Year being yesterday, she had a celebration at school by inviting the students in her school to come and enjoy her Chinese Dumplings at the Chinese Club today. She stated she didn't expect many students to show because last semester they didn't show up in huge numbers. However, she had over 30 who came today for the celebration with her. Her family celebrated with her also this weekend. She really enjoyed her Chinese New Year in the US with us. I, her RD, sent she and my other Chinese students a Chinese Money envelope with money in it to celebrate with them. They were very excited to have received the Chinese Money envelope in he mail. I am so proud of her for doing this and she is a wonderful student on the program.

Eloise Hearns
Regional Director

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Yao also wrote about her special day to her Regional Director:

Hi Eloise,

Thank you so much for the card! I was so surprised when I received it. When I opened it, I think I will cry! I am so happy for the card! Thank you so much!

On Saturday, I saw CCTV?s great Chinese celebration, then went to Chinatown to buy dumpling skin. Then I went to Stone Mountain to play in the snow and enjoy the good view! Finally I went back home had a good dinner! It is a nice Chinese New Year forever! It is my first Chinese New Year without my family, but it is a nice Chinese New Year!

Today, I did my Chinese club making dumpling after school to celebrate Chinese New Year! I made two big beautiful posters two weeks ago, all students can see it! And I do announcement after school today. I bought almost 120 pieces, they finished all of them today! I am so surprised that 32 students come. I cook the beef inside dumpling this morning and bring plate and forks to school. We use the cooking class big kitchen. I thought 28 plates was enough, I don't think many people will come because last semester my club only 9 people came. But, today they can't find plate and forks to eat! They only can use hand and tinfoil to eat! Everybody likes my dumpling! It is the second time I cook dumpling by myself! The first time I was cooking because I want to practice it for Chinese club! It is fun. I just came back home and email to you and say thank you for your card!

Maybe next time you can come my house, we make dumpling together! It is not hard!

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Thank you both Eloise and Yao for sharing this very special story!
Xin Nian Kuai Le!