International Students International students on tour in Boothbay Harbor April 26 and seen here before a scenic boat tour. (Photo Diane Randlett)

Saturday's Fishermen's Festival activities were attended by seven international students. Host coordinators Jacki and Chris Medeiros from Richmond brought their students to view the event. Former Boothbay Harbor Vault restaurant owner Jacki said, "Activities at the Fishermen's Festival are a different kind of having fun, the lobster crate running and trap hauling is different from the Freedom Trail in Boston, or Disney World, it's an interesting part of Maine. The community here relies on seasonal work and has their own culture before the summer season starts. This is what the townspeople do for fun."

A Morse High School graduate, Jacki Medeiros is a placement coordinator for American Scandinavian Student Exchange [ASSE] and is totally behind the ASSE program. "I love them, every one of my kids; they appreciate anything that you do for them, they all have a goal to speak better English, and some wish to go into politics," she said.

ASSE is a program which facilitates a one-year placement of high school age children to homes all over the world. Children and host parents are carefully screened for the ASSE program. American children can go abroad and students from 63 countries from around the world can come here for a rich one-year cultural experience.

Jacki and Chris Medeiros live in Richmond and coordinate students to host families around the state. They themselves have taken in several children during their affiliation with the ASSE. Currently a student from Germany, Johannes Rehberger resides with them. He exuberantly shares, "I love playing baseball at Richmond High School. I like lobster and love my (host) Mom's parmesan crusted chicken. She is a great cook." His older brother stayed with the Medeiros family four years ago and Johannes made up his mind then that he wanted to do the same.

At the Festival, the children watched all of the activities and at noon were treated to the Fish Fry at the Boothbay Lobster Wharf. Not a huge fan of fish, student Abdurrahman "Adie" Haydarov from Tajikistan, however, shared, "I love skiing, tennis, soccer and baseball. I play outfield."

Most of the seven students shared their love of U.S. sports and feel grateful for the opportunity to try them. Butterfly swimmer for Gardiner High School swim team, Polina Trumba from Russia, said," I like it (here) a lot. People are so nice. At first it was hard with slang words, now my friends tell me all the slang words. I studied English for seven years. I attended an English school in Russia, specializing in the English language. Here I have met such wonderful friends. I like seeing America from the inside, not a television show. It has changed my opinion. People need to know the real people here. This program gives a chance to know this," she said. Polina added that here she has to limit her intake of the yummy snacks available to her. "I love peanut butter, especially peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and peanut butter cups; I cannot get them in Russia."

Jumpu Morishita from Japan told the children about eating bees in his country. He loves tennis and soccer and attends Charleston High School near Bangor with Korean student Yong Won Choi. Yong lived in Truckee, Calif. near Lake Tahoe for three months and loved that experience. He also loves U.S. soccer.

Nataliya Shevchuk from the Ukraine especially loves her host family. An only child at this home in Garland, she plays soccer and basketball. "The best thing is that there are more activities and more spare time," she said.

Yuliya Pupysheva, also of the Ukraine, said, "I love this program; it breaks stereotypes. Before coming here I thought that Americans went to McDonald's every day. I called a friend of mine and told her that I have not eaten at McDonald's once since I got here. My (host) mother cooks at home and I like traveling. Please put in the paper that I so love my host family they are the best in the world," she said.

Interested in hosting or being an exchange student? Check out the ASSE Web site!