Five high school students from Tulancingo, Mexico, will arrive in Pleasanton next Monday, marking the start of this year’s Pleasanton-Tulancingo Sister City Association’s annual summer student exchange. The students from Tulancingo are Orietta Hernandez, Dante Vizcayno, Daniela Bravo, Jorge Enrique Perez-Tagle and Montserrat Vizcayno. Pleasanton students Chelsea Heimbaugh, Malina Catlett, Ann Sanborn, Randi Olsen and Caitlin Stanley and their families will host the Tulancingo students during their stay, which will last until July 17. At the end of the visit, the Pleasanton students will travel to Tulancingo with their home stay brother or sister where they will stay with a Mexican family until August 14.
“Meeting someone from a different culture will be a lot of fun,” said Randi Olsen, a junior at Amador Valley High School. She first heard of the program when a group of students from last year’s group gave a presentation on their experience.
“The kids seemed so enthusiastic and it sounded like they had a lot of fun,” she said.
Since the sister city relationship between Tulancingo and Pleasanton was established 23 years ago, the student exchange has been a key part of the program. Pleasanton students at least 15 years old who are either sophomores or juniors and have taken at least two years of Spanish can apply for the exchange. Applicants go through a rigorous interview process before five students are finally chosen.
In addition to learning about a new culture and making friends, the program offers Pleasanton students a great opportunity to improve their Spanish skills. The program is total immersion, so while the students are in Tulancingo, they’ll speak Spanish the entire month with their host family.
“Spanish has always been my favorite subject, and this is a good chance for me to improve my Spanish skills,” Olsen said. “I’m scared I’ll forget everything when I get there, but I know people will help me.”
While in Pleasanton, the group of Tulancingo and Pleasanton students will explore the Bay Area, visiting Alcatraz, the Exploratorium and Waterworld. The students will also attend meetings with both of Pleasanton’s rotary clubs, Rotary Downtown and Rotary North. During the annual Fourth of July picnic at Lions Wayside Park, the Tulancingo students will be introduced to the community. Before that, members of the PTSCA will have a chance to meet the students at a Welcome Open House reception next Wednesday.
“I’m looking forward to the new experience,” Olsen said. “It will be fun to represent the city as an ambassador and make new friendships.”
