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Kincardine Rotary Club president John Hill (L) welcomes exchange
student Lubica Horvathova of Slovakia, to the Christmas party
It's been almost four months since Lubica ("Lubi") Horvathova arrived
in Kincardine and the 17-year-old from Slovakia is feeling at home in
small-town Ontario, Canada.
On a year-long student exchange through Rotary International, Lubi is
staying with Lynn Clayton and Charlene Randall-Clayton until after
Christmas and then she will stay with John and Helena Hill, followed by
a stay with another host family before she returns home mid-July next
year.
Kincardine is considerably smaller than her home town of Banska Bystrica,
Slovakia, population 80,000, but she is thoroughly enjoying her stay.
"It's awesome here. The people are really nice and friendly and
helpful," she says. "When I signed up for the exchange, I had to list my
preference of countries I wanted to go to, and my first choice was
Canada. I really wanted to come here. It's not as big as the United
States, and everybody goes to the U.S."
She is in Grade 12 at Kincardine District Secondary School, studying
world issues, sociology, advanced functions (math), and physical
education.
"School is a lot different here than back home," she says. "The
relationship between the teachers and students is much more relaxed and
friendly. At home, we can't choose our subjects like you do here, and we
don't have extracurricular activities."
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The instruction is different too, she says. "The students stay in the
classroom and the teachers come in to teach us, so we're with the same
classmates all through high school."
She is playing hockey for the first time as part of her gym class. "I'm
trying to look like I can skate and I can sort of stick-handle, but it's
difficult." The best part of hockey is being at the arena, she says. In
Slovakia, the students don't venture beyond the walls of the school for
gym class, and all sports are played out of school time, she adds.
Since arriving in Kincardine Aug. 22, Lubi has travelled to Toronto,
London, been to the Royal Ontario Museum and seen the Dead Sea Scrolls,
to the Royal Winter Fair, Owen Sound, Goderich, and Port Elgin
Pumpkinfest. She is hoping to go to Niagara Falls in the new year.
Lubi has a good command of the English language which is of great value
in her travels. "I started learning English when I was six years old,"
she says. "And I started learning German in Grade 5. In my first year of
high school, I began learning French. I have finished my third year of a
five-year high school program in French Immersion."
Through her school, she has been on several exchanges, travelling to
France, Belgium and Spain, and hosting students from those countries.
Her parents and older brother also travel together a lot on holidays;
they have been to Greece, Italy and Egypt.
"When I go home, I will finish high school and go to university," says
Lubi. "I would like to travel during summer holidays. And I would
definitely like to come back to Canada but I'm not sure if I would live
here."
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