Center Hill High School has opened its doors not only to the students of Olive Branch, Mississippi, but to a few new students from outside the country.

“It’s a dream come true,” said junior Rebeca Sierra, who hails from Castilla y Leon in Spain. “I never imagined I would be here.”

Sierra said she told her principal she wanted to go to America with the exchange program CCI Greenheart. Once she was chosen, she had to fill out lots of paperwork, go through interviews in English, and keep her grades up. When that was finished, she was assigned  a host family. CCI Greenheart planned, organized and paid for the entire trip.

Sierra said school is very different in the U.S. than from her school in Spain. For instance, her school doesn’t have lockers. And rather than students changing classrooms and going from room to room, the students stay in their seats and the teachers rotate, giving the students a five-minute break between classes. She said they also have a class where they learn English, starting from the age of 5, when children’s brains have better neuroplasticity.

Now that she’s in America, Sierra is adjusting to the changes, but settling well. She keeps in constant touch with her mother and some of her friends. One friend even came to America last year, and is giving her tips for staying here.

Along with Sierra, CHHS has another student from afar, Leonie Bradtner. Hailing from Duisburg, Germany, Bradtner spent about 13 hours total on different flights to get here. She left her home in Duisburg on a two-hour flight to Frankfurt. From Frankfurt, she flew eight hours to New York City, where she stayed for three days. After that, she flew for nearly three hours to Chicago, and made her final flight to Memphis.

Bradtner, also a junior, has been learning English since she was about 10 years old. She, like Sierra, started learning it for school. However, she said she knew speaking English would be essential to achieve her dream of coming to America.

In order to come and learn in America, Bradtner joined a program called DFSR (Dr. Frank Sprachen & Reisen). To qualify, she said she had to get a teacher recommendation and go through several interviews. Once that was finished, Bradtner had to write about herself and write letters to her host family. She also got to meet the other participants of the program.

Just as with schools in Spain, German school are different from American schools.

“My school was smaller,” Bradtner said. “We don’t have lockers, and no buses to take us directly to school.”

In lieu of school buses, students in Germany use public transportation. Their schedule also changes daily. Instead of four blocks a day for one semester, Bradtner said there are classes she goes to on only certain days of the week.

In accordance with a true American high school experience, Bradtner and Sierra attended the football game on Aug. 19. They sat together and watched from the top of the stands, near the band.

“It was really exciting when they were getting close to making a point,” Sierra said. “I like how the guys have to push each other.”

Bradtner also shared her thoughts on the whole experience.

“I loved being there,” she said, adding that she enjoyed the marching band and the dance team’s performances. “It was so great. I never have been to something like that before. The people were wonderful. Everybody is so nice. That made the whole game perfect. I still don’t know the rules from the game, but I really liked watching it.”

Sierra and Bradtner are here for just one year. They’ve enjoyed themselves so far, and said they hope to enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime experience to the fullest extent.

Jurre Van Dalen, a sophomore from The Netherlands, is also an exchange student at CHHS this year.