Waterloo to Waitsburg

WAITSBURG - At 18 years old, Thibault Marti- nelle is already a seasoned traveler, having visited most of Europe, including France, England, Ireland, Turkey, Italy and Spain, as well as U.S. visits to Florida and Connecticut. Still, leav- ing his home in Waterloo, Belgium to spend the school year in Waitsburg as an ex- change student has been a "one-of-a-kind" experience.

Waterloo, with a popula- tion roughly that of Walla Walla, is not a particu- larly large city, but sizeable enough that Martinelle ex- perienced some concern when learning he would be living in a town of 1200. "I was a little scared, but also excited and happy to experi- ence something new," said Thibault.

His fears were quickly relieved as he learned how friendly and welcoming the community was, even meet- ing many students via Face- book prior to his arrival. "I think a small city is really cool," Thibault said, "I feel more at home and you're able to make a lot more friends in a smaller place."

One of the most striking differences Thibault noticed between the Waitsburg area and Belgium was the land itself. "Back home we don't have large pieces of land or farms like you do here," he explained.

Hosted by farming fam- ily, Norman and Melis- sa Hansen and son E.J., Thibault has enjoyed expe- riencing an entirely different lifestyle. In addition to liv- ing in the country on a farm full of animals, Thibualt joined the family on trips to attend a Seattle Seahawks game and a Tri-City Ameri- cans hockey game with them.

The Norman's relish their role as host family. "It's been one of the best ex- periences we've ever had," said host-mom Melissa. "He's been a great addition to the family and I think hosting is something every- one should do."

School sports are a highlight of the year for Thibault, who played football and basketball and anticipates track. He explained that the U.S. is one of the few coun- tries where American foot- ball is popular and playing here was a dream come true. He'd feared he wouldn't make the team since he didn't know the sport well, so he studied the rules and practiced what he could in advance of his visit. "I loved it!" he said, grinning when asked about his football experience.

"At home, teachers are not your friends like they are here," Thibault said, regard- ing school.

Though enrolled as a junior here, he will enter a civil engineering program at Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve as a col- lege freshman next fall. He noted that "almost ev- eryone" attends college in Belgium, where tuition av- erages $1000 a year; signifi- cantly less than in the U.S.

When it comes to food, Thibault was pleasantly surprised. "The U.S. has a stereotype of eating a lot of unhealthy, fast food. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," he acknowl- edged. Still, he admitted gaining 10 pounds, though he's attributing some of that to muscle mass from football and weightlifting.

Thibault will return home mid-June, but is looking for- ward to a trip to the Oregon coast with his host family first. He then plans to do more traveling, taking a trip with his sister and looking forward to a summer back- packing trip with friends, through Asia, next summer. "I love to experience differ- ent lifestyles and meet new people," he said.

High School principal Stephanie Wooderchack feels the exchange stu- dent program benefits the school as well as the visiting student. "The exchange program is a positive ex- perience for the exchange student, Waitsburg students and the community," she said. "It gives all sides a chance to share their cultures. We have great staff who are always excited to welcome the visiting students, and do a great job of quickly integrating them."

When asked if he had any specific comments regard- ing his time in Waitsburg, Thibault said emphatically, "Please, just thank everyone for making this such a great year."