Rotary Exchange student Kirsty Lara Greenwood, 17, was scheduled to board a plane today bound for Johannesburg, South Africa, after having spent almost a year living with three families in Northfield.

But Greenwood, who had doubts about whether she could endure her year here when she first faced the cold temperatures when she stepped off a plane in Minneapolis Jan. 19, said she now will miss close friendships she developed here ... and the snow.

"I was freezing; I couldn't believe how cold it was," Greenwood said Monday during an interview. "I didn't think I was going to be able to do this because of the cold."

But Greenwood hung in there, and 11 months later she has no regrets.

The spirited teenager was chosen as a Rotary Exchange student last year after a three-step processing including essays and personal interviews. She said she applied because she's always been fascinated with the United States.

But after learning of her acceptance in the program, she had the mental image of being exchanged to a city such as New York, or somewhere like California.

"When they told me I was going to Minnesota, I had to look on a map," she said. Then to find Northfield she had to get a more detailed map. However, she said she was not disappointed. "I consider this home now," she said.

Misperceptions

Greenwood said coming from South Africa she spent a good deal of time correcting the image many locals had about the country.

For instance: No she doesn't ride an elephant to school; she doesn't wear leopard-skin clothing; she doesn't have lions living out her back door; she's not black and neither are many South Africans; and no she doesn't speak a tribal language ... she speaks English.

She said she also was asked many times about apartheid, a social system enforced by white minority governments in 20th century South Africa, and Nelson Mandela, the country's first democratically elected president after having served 27 years in prison because of the apartheid.

"It seems that's all some people know about South Africa," she said.

But Greenwood also learned about the United States and its citizens. Most importantly, she said she learned that Americans are not ignorant about the world.

Academic differences

When Greenwood returns to South Africa, she'll enter her senior year in school, starting in January. And that is why she spent half of two different academic years here; South Africa's school year goes from January through December, with smaller mini-"holidays" periodically throughout the year.

So when she went to school for the first day on Jan. 23, she entered Northfield High School as a junior and then became a senior with her class at the beginning of this year.

Greenwood said she feels school at home is more difficult but students face a lighter workload; whereas, students here have more work, but it isn't as academically rigorous. She added she felt the teachers here more thoroughly explain coursework, though.

Greenwood also said that U.S. schools focus more on national history and less on world history, the reverse of her home country. But she doesn't see that as negative.

"Americans know how important (national history) is," she said.

Given a choice, Greenwood said she likes the U.S. academic calendar better than South Africa's because she said students enjoy the three-month break much more than she does the mini-breaks at home.

‘Home' life

Greenwood stayed with three host families while she was in Northfield: Kristi and Mark Gleason and their daughter, Sonja; Vicki and Lea Dilley and their son, Evan; and John and Laurie Larson and their daughter, Annaka. And she loved every stay.

She would spend three to four months with each family and then move to experience life with a new family, a Rotary Exchange program requirement.

She said at first she had a difficult time finding the group of friends at school that fit her, but when she did, they became fast friends.

"Once I found my group, I loved them to pieces," she said. "They made me feel I wasn't away from home."

She said some of her favorite memories of the past year include building her first snowman with her "sister" Sonja, learning to snow board, sledding with friends at the St. Olaf hill, and attending prom.

Greenwood did stay connected with her family back home through e-mailing, text messaging and a weekly Sunday phone call. But she hasn't seen them the entire year, which was very difficult, she admitted.

So the first item on her agenda when she gets home is to spend a lot of time with family and friends ... and to hug her dog. "I've missed him so much."

Growth experience

Greenwood said her trip has been a growth experience and has helped her mature. She said she's learned to make more conscious decisions and to care more for people and found a new respect for Americans.

"I have a lot of respect for the people who looked after me and the country itself," she said.

She added that leaving Northfield has been more difficult than leaving home in January because she knew she'd eventually be going home, but she doesn't know how long it will be before she can come back to visit Northfield.

But she most definitely wants to bring her parents back with her to visit next time.

-- Devlyn Brooks can be reached at 645-1116 or dbrooks@northfieldnews.com.

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