Home of: young ambassadors

ST. IGNATIUS - "Where I'm from, we eat rice with everything," Bass LaBaisa-ard said. "Here, it's cheese."

LaBaisa-ard is from Thailand and has been living in St. Ignatius since August of 2009 and is one of 13 foreign exchange students living in Lake County as part of the Youth Exchange and Study Program (YES) and Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) programs. Six are enrolled in St. Ignatius High School.

One of the differences in cultures is the food. More preservatives are used here than in Kazakhstan, where Aisulu Shabarbekova is from.

Ata Sahin, from Turkey, has tried bear and mountain lion.

Students are selected for the programs through an open, merit-based competition. Academic performance, English language competence and personal qualities are used as benchmarks for the FLEX program while a written application, in-person interview and final screening is used for the YES program. Students who are selected are provided with a full scholarship to study in the U.S. coming from the government.

"They have to make sure you are going to survive a year away from home," Eldana Esenalieva from Kyrgyzstan said.

Each student is then paired with a family who is willing to house a student for a year. The host families are able to request students from certain areas of the world and students have no idea where they will be placed once selected for the programs.

The difference in language isn't a barrier for the students as English is a third language for many and spoken as if it was their first.

"Their English has improved significantly since arriving here," Marilyn Murchie, Local Coordinator Academic Year in America, said.

Before arriving in Montana, many of the St. Ignatius imports didn't know much about the state.

Many took to the internet to research, but found mostly pictures of mountains and woods, if anything at all. A couple took to watching movies about Montana in efforts to learn more, as Ata Sahin saw Brokeback Mountain as part of his research.

When LaBaisa-ard arrived, his suitcase contained many pairs of shorts and had to go buy pants for the winter months as he is used to 80 degree weather at the coldest.

"We have two seasons, rain and summer," he said.

Many of the participants come from large cities. Katie Hvorost, from Moldova, comes from a school of 2,000 students, so to move to a town the size of St. Ignatius was a shock.

One change was the lack of public transportation in Mission. The students are unable to drive, so getting around has posed challenges but many have traveled around the state to see Glacier or Yellowstone.

School has also been a change for the students. Students dress in uniforms in LaBaisa-ard's school and there are strict limits on the length of one's hair.

"That is why mine is so long now," he said as he grabbed a handful of his shaggy mop.

Sahin's school in Turkey also had rules regarding students' appearances.

"You have to be clean shaven," he said. "The relation between students and teachers is more formal."

Each student found that the amount of activities offered in St. Ignatius and the amount of energy spent on each is greater then the amount from back home.

"Sports are such a big deal," Sara Sallehhadin from Malaysia said. "It scares me sometimes."

Sahin said that no one is part of a wrestling team in Turkey and this past season he had a great time.

The mountains and wildlife were also pleasant surprises to the students. While many stare in awe of the size of the Mission Mountains, LaBaisa-ard said the mountains in Montana don't compare to the ones back home.

"These are hills where I come from," he said.

One time a bear was in a tree and Esenalieva was surprised at how calm everyone was. During school, a buffalo was in the parking lot and students were advised to stay inside.

"This can only happen in Montana," she said.

The time spent in Montana isn't all fun and games as each student has requirements to fulfill as part of the program. Presenting information on their home countries and volunteering are part of the plan. The students took part in a cultural exchange at Two Eagle River school in March and witnessed a powwow.

The 12 months each spent in Montana is already starting to take effect, mostly in the responsibility department.

Sahin has gotten used to waking himself up for school whereas his mom usually did that for him.

"My mom would never let me be late," he said.

With two months left, before leaving all of the students said they were sad to be leaving so soon.

"We are so thankful for our host families that opened their homes and hearts," Esenalieva said.

Murchie is now looking for host families for the upcoming 2010-2011 school year. For more information, contact her at 406-544-4571.