Morse High School in Bath will celebrate the cultures of 24 exchange students from schools across the state at its first International Night celebration this Friday.
The event was conceived by the high school’s new International Club and its six exchange students from Kazakhstan, France, Italy, Germany, Ukraine and Mexico. Exchange students will share facts, food, dance and musical traditions of their countries with attendees.
Club faculty adviser Dean Emmerson said the exchange students will be joined by local Girl Scouts who have been studying foreign countries as part of their World Thinking Day projects to give presentations of their own.
“It’s going to be a great night to explore other parts of the world by speaking with students who’ve traveled thousands of miles to learn about our country and to share a bit about theirs with us,” Emmerson said.
To solidify the illusion of traveling around the world, attendees will receive a fake passport to stamp at each table they visit.
Akku Shaimerdenova, a Morse exchange student from Kazakhstan, said she is excited to share her culture with others and plans to bake traditional Kazakh bread.
“Americans love bread,” she said.
During her time in Bath, Shaimerdenova said she noticed a few key differences between Americans and Kazakhs.
“One of the biggest differences between America and Kazakhstan is the mentality,” Shaimerdenova said. “People here in the U.S. are more open, always smiling and trustworthy. In Kazakhstan, we usually have a more serious and cold manner.”
She said the fast friendship of Americans took her by surprise, noting that Americans call someone a friend after knowing them for a week, but in her culture, the word “friend” is reserved for someone you have known a long time.
“My experience shows me that studying here means exploring new things every day,” she said. “The first thing people imagine when they hear ‘American high school’ in Kazakhstan are yellow buses, lockers, cheerleading and a lot of fun! All these are coming from American movies about teenagers that we watch often.”
International Night will take place at Morse High School from 6-8 p.m. It’s a free event
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