Exchange Students

While Ukraine probably doesn't top the list of spring break destinations for students, 10 North Hollywood High School freshmen and sophomores have packed their bags for a trip starting Friday to the former Soviet republic. The three-week visit, including a cultural stop in Kiev, marks the first phase of an American-Ukrainian-Russian exchange program that will bring a group of Ukrainian students to North Hollywood in November.

You could tell the jet lag had worn off by their wide-open eyes. Friday was a day of amazement and wonder for six South Korean teens who visited Chatsworth High School as part of a cultural exchange program. They witnessed classes in robotics, band and computer education and even saw a jazz musical performance at nearby Lawrence Middle School. "They were amazed the students had that much talent and could learn this at school," said Chatsworth High Assistant Principal Arlene Anderson.

They are exchange students who wouldn't exchange their experiences for anything. Karin Deden is a 16-year-old junior from Krefeld, Germany, who plays No. 1 singles for the Nordhoff High girls' tennis team. Eva Holl is a 15-year-old sophomore from Koblenz, Germany, who is the top singles player for Antelope Valley. They don't know each other, but they share more than a common homeland and the top positions on their respective teams. They both are thoroughly enjoying their time in the U.S.

When Osnat Nagosa, an Ethiopian Jew living in Israel, arrived to meet some Orange County students, she thought the teens would be standoffish and uninterested in opening up to her. "I thought they would be pretty shy--not mean, but they wouldn't speak to us," said the 19-year-old schoolteacher.

Thirteen students from the former Soviet Union will visit McKinna and Brekke elementary schools Monday. The visit will be the first stop in the United States for the students who come from Armenia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Tajikistan, Russia and Georgia. The visit is sponsored by Cultural Homestay International, a nonprofit student exchange program. The exchange students will spend one month in the Los Angeles area before departing Aug.

Twenty Spanish teenagers are scheduled to visit Orange County next month for what they thought was a mini-course of English immersion. Instead, they may get a taste of crisis management. The first phrase they might need in their Spanish-English handbooks: "Can I crash on your couch?" The teens have been saving their pesetas for years in hopes of making the trip. But a coordinator for International Journeys, the organization sponsoring the trip, failed to find homes for the group.

Families in Brea, Placentia and Yorba Linda are being sought to host high school exchange students for a three-week visit this summer. Students from France and French-speaking nations of Africa will study English daily at the North Orange County Community College Continuing Education Center in Yorba Linda. The students, ages 13 to 17, have studied English in school (many are fluent) and are eager to experience life in the United States, said program coordinator Lorrie Farrelly.

The wait was worth it for Leo Salinas of St. Bonaventure High. Ineligible for the Buena boys' swim team last year because he was a first-year exchange student from Monterrey, Mexico, Salinas became eligible after transferring to St. Bonaventure. On Saturday, Salinas recorded victories in the 200 and 500-yard freestyles in the Southern Section Division III finals at Belmont Plaza. In the 200 freestyle, Salinas came from behind to beat Bob Martinez of Redondo Union by .