Exchange Students Get First Taste of Snow

BY MELANIE BUCK –

Something as simple as snow can make us realize how much we take for granted. Two exchange students share their stories of how the snow made their eyes sparkle, their smiles bigger, and their hearts swell.

Exchange student Carol Wang of China experienced her first snowfall last week as Polk County was covered in the fluffy white precipitation. Carol has been in the U.S. since September, coming to Mena in November and lives with host family, Brian and Lis Robinson, along with Lauren Standridge and Jeremy Standridge.

“This is my first time to see it snowing. My first reaction was to open my mouth to catch it and eat it. It was really frozen but really amazing,” said Carol. Wanting to see more snow, the family drove to Rich Mountain and played in the snow. “I laid down in the snow. I got all wet and it was cold but I didn’t even care. I made a snowball to have a snowfight. It feels really amazing. When I catch it, I don’t want to throw it away. I didn’t want to leave the mountain. My host mom helped me to make a snow angel. Everything was so white and so pretty. It was really quiet, and me and my host family just enjoyed the snow.”

Loving the cold, soft snow Carol said as they were coming down the mountain, “I asked them if we can stop again and again. It was just not enough. I could not get enough.”

Once back home, her host family made snow ice cream, another first for Carol, “We made snow ice cream and I really like it. They put some sugar in it and it was so much better than ice cream from the store.”

Phuong “Finn” Le, exchange student from Vietnam who is staying with host family, Victor and Susan Rowell, along with their girls Tori, Emmye, Bethany, Cassie, and their newly arrived exchange student, Ingrid, enjoyed the snow as well. It was her second snow since arriving in the United States but was a special event. “We don’t have snow in Vietnam so I really like it. It’s cold, obviously, but the first time it snowed, I literally ran outside with shorts and bare feet to catch the flakes. Snow is very pretty, it makes everything look soft and sparkle, and I love taking pictures of it. I also enjoy playing with the snow,” said Finn. She also said, “I spent two hours outside building a snowman. I love my snowman, he’s cute. After one week since I started working on him, he hasn’t melted yet. I guess it was the power of love.”

About Author

Jeri Pearson

Jeri is the News Director for Pulse Multi-Media and Editor of The Polk County Pulse. She has 10 years of experience in community focused journalism and has won multiple press association awards.

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