WELCOME TO AMERICA; EXCHANGE STUDENTS ARRIVE IN VENTURA COUNTY.Byline: Paul O'Donoghue Staff Writer The allure of entertainment industry hotspots wins out even over Southern California's famous beaches when it comes to what Siberian native Andre Stodolnikov wants to do during his monthlong visit here. ``I first want to visit Beverly Hills Beverly Hills, city (1990 pop. 31,971), Los Angeles co., S Calif., completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles; inc. 1914. The largely residential city is home to many motion-picture and television personalities. and Melrose Place  This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling.You can assist by [ editing it] now. ,'' said the 15-year high school student. ``I heard many things about that place and Hollywood.'' The Moscow resident is a native of the Kamchatka Peninsula Kamchatka Peninsula Peninsula, eastern Russia. It lies between the Sea of Okhotsk on the west and the Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea on the east. It is 750 mi (1,200 km) long and 300 mi (480 km) across at its widest point, and it has an area of 140,000 sq mi (370,000 sq km). in Eastern Russia Eastern Russia is the region of Russia between the Ural Mountains and the Pacific Ocean.
Pacific, Pacific Ocean - the largest ocean in the world and the Bering Sea Bering Sea, c.878,000 sq mi (2,274,020 sq km), northward extension of the Pacific Ocean between Siberia and Alaska. It is screened from the Pacific proper by the Aleutian Islands. The Bering Strait connects it with the Arctic Ocean. and famous for its frozen wilderness, but this summer Andre is among 220 high school students on a foreign exchange trip in Ventura County. The students arrived this week and are staying for a month with area families in Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. , Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. and other cities to hone their English skills and learn about Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, and American culture. ``This is our sixth year, and we're growing every year,'' said Sylvia Giardina, the area manager of Education First, a Texas-based nonprofit group that organizes the program. Students from across the globe spend about $4,000 for the summer exchange, where they take courses at California Lutheran University Mission statement The University's mission statement is as follows: "California Lutheran University is a diverse, scholarly community dedicated to excellence in the liberal arts and professional studies. in Thousand Oaks in the mornings and spend their free time touring the Golden State. The students plan to hit a range of attractions during their visit, from the Getty Museum to Magic Mountain and Venice Beach. Some might also take day trips to San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden , San Diego and Las Vegas. School buses unloaded the students at CLU (language) CLU - (CLUster) An object-oriented programming language developed at MIT by Liskov et al in 1974-1975. CLU is an object-oriented language of the Pascal family designed to support data abstraction, similar to Alphard. this week for classes taught by local high school teachers, and the students milled about; dressed in shorts, summer dresses and T-shirts, they could pass for locals except for the accents from their homelands. Antje Bracke, 17, is staying with a family in Moorpark and is one of 17 Belgian students participating in the program. Bracke, who is from the Flemish-speaking part of Belgium, said she was amazed at the size of everything in America. ``The main thing is how big the trees and other things are - the buildings, the strange cars,'' she said. ``I'm just not used to it.'' The students come from a range of countries, including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Holland, Norway, Portugal, Russia and Switzerland. To participate in the program, all the students must have a basic command of English. ``Welcome to America,'' said Patti Barrale of Education First after all the students had arrived at CLU after their first overnight with their host families. Wearing a skateboarding beret, baggy shorts and T-shirt, 17-year-old Sami Hard from Finland blinked in the sunlight on the heels of his 24-hour trip to the United States. ``It's quite nice - it's quite hot here,'' he said. ``I'm not so tired as I thought I would be.'' Families who participate in the program provide food and lodging for the students, but receive no funding. But the families often bond so strongly with the students that they form lifelong friendships, often visiting one another, said Giardina. ``The families are really the heart and soul of the program,'' said Giardina. In fact, said Giardina, host families often bond so strongly with students and the students' families that they opt out of taking other students in following years, preferring instead to exchange visits with their newfound friends. ``They become like part of the family,'' said Giardina. Giardina's own family in Westlake Village has hosted a Russian student and has visited the student's family in St. Petersburg, where she said she sampled some of the local delicacies, including vodka and dried fish. The student now helps out with the exchange program. ``She's half-family now,'' said Giardina. ``And we're hosting another (student) this year.'' CAPTION(S): 3 Photos PHOTO (1--Color in Conejo Edition only) A group of exchange students waits for instructions at California Lutheran University after being dropped off by buses for the visitors' first day on campus. (2--Color--Ran in Conejo Edition only) Evamaria Pinl of Austria looks over the schedule of summer classes at California Lutheran University. (3--Ran in Conejo Edition only) Danish tour escort Even Burg, left, and program coordinator Patti Barrale, in hat, help exchange students get to their destinations. Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News |
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