Ankeny High School (AHS) and Centennial High School (CHS) host families officially welcomed 21 students from Mexico City on Oct. 19. Ankeny’s exchange program offers students the opportunity to spend two weeks in a new country and experience attending an American high school. American high schools and towns are seemingly portrayed in a glamorous light in movies and TV shows, but is this glamour seen by fresh eyes?

During the two weeks they are here, the Ankeny Community School District attempts to provide our exchange students with fun, educational activities that can also offer experiences they would not have at their school. Activities like seeing the leaves change, American football games, and trick-or-treating were reportedly highly anticipated.

Carmina Ramirez Reza is a sophomore at Copan Prep. She is hosted by a CHS junior, Carla Foster, and her welcoming family.

“The football game, I’m so excited about, because my hosts are in the show choir and color guard,” Ramirez Reza said.

Enrique Garcia, a senior at Copan Prep, also reports the differences in sizes of the schools, and even the difference in things as small as the air conditioning.

“I’m excited for today’s football game. We don’t have that kind of stuff in Mexico,” Garcia said. “I’m also really excited to go to the pumpkin patch. Trees don’t really change in Mexico, so getting to see the yellows and oranges is what I am excited about.”

Copan Prep students were reportedly eager to go trick-or-treating and try different American fast food chains.

“I’m excited about trick-or-treating because it’s a very traditional thing here. Then we are going to this event with pumpkins, and then we are going to this park where we can kayak and go hiking,” Copan prep senior Sofia Bonila said. “And I really like the food from here, like Taco Bell. I haven’t tried it on this trip, but I’ve tried it in other years. They are not like the tacos from Mexico, but I really like them.”

How did it shape up to your previous expectations?

While the school day can seem monotonous to Ankeny students, to a new set of eyes, it can be just like the movies.

“I had a really structured thought about Ankeny and the U.S. because of movies and people that were here last year,” Copan Prep junior Valeria Sanchez said. “When I arrived, it was just like the movies. It’s very similar to ‘Mean Girls.’”

Typical American towns and high schools are a popular trope in films, shaping people’s expectations of what the life of a student can be like. While these can be dramatized or exaggerated, some of the aspects can be true.

“It’s like the typical American town, like in movies,” Copan Prep sophomore Ander Izazola said. “Centennial is like a higher social level. It’s pretty nice. I was told it was like the typical American town and it is.”

For the past 34 years, Ankeny has hosted siblings and friends of current exchange students. When previous exchange students go back and share their experience, it can shape what people think about Ankeny and the high schools.

“My brother came two years ago. I had an idea because a lot of my best friends came here, but everything is different when you actually come to experience it, since hosting is different,” Bonilla said. “Everything is so personal with your host.”

First Impressions of the town of Ankeny

Differences in the initial cities are noticeable, but subtle differences also shine through. Things like the number of people on the streets or much open space Ankeny has.

“I think it’s really clean. In Mexico, the streets are not this clean. And everyone is following the rules [in the US]. The landscape and the restaurants are really nice and cool,” Bonilla said. “Another shock is the houses, because they are very similar to each other. In Mexico, they are so different between houses.”

In Mexico City, many houses differ in architectural style and color from one another. While in the US, neighborhoods include certain regulations and styles that the houses must follow.

“I would say that it’s a beautiful town, everything’s perfect. Everything is perfect and the quality is so clean,” Copan Prep junior Valeria Sanchez said. “In Mexico, houses are different sizes, colors, and models, so when I see 50 houses in the same model, it’s just perfect.”

The differences between Mexico City and Ankeny are endless, and can be anything from the architecture of the houses and streets, to how the sun affects us in different weather. Either way, it is a new experience for Copan students.

“The sun is really bright, but it’s still cold out. If the sun is out in Mexico, it’s really hot. Like, you have to stay inside,” Ramirez Reza explained.

First Impressions of the Ankeny High School

At Copan Prep, students reported choosing one of four areas for different careers, then taking classes based on which pathway they chose.

“I really, really like the high school because it’s beautiful and it’s so big. I like the pride of being a part of it. The activities that you can do, they have so many,” Bonilla said. “You can choose your own classes, and you are freer. I like the cafeteria, it’s so big and colorful. I think that you are more prepared for college, and you can really know what you want to do.”

The number of classes we have was mentioned multiple times, along with the size of the building.

“It always amazes me how big it is, especially compared to Copan. You guys have a class for everything, and you guys have AC[air conditioning], which might not be much for you guys, but it’s impressive for me,” Garcia said.

Copan students were also able to notice a difference in how students are learning in the classroom.

“Teachers are pretty nice, but they also want to teach. They have the mentality of a teacher. They want to pass their learning to someone else, like actually wanting to do that,” Izazola said. “The school is pretty clean, and people don’t really shout. In Mexico, everyone is shouting to their friends.”

Impressions of the student body

Many students mentioned seeing a difference in how students interact with each other in Ankeny versus in Mexico City. In Copan Prep, according to the exchange students, they are more sociable with each other, while AHS students tend to stay within their own groups.

“You are all nice, but you are also cold. You don’t really talk to each other; it’s very common not to know people,” Garcia said. “Whenever I go talk to someone, they are always nice, but they would never come talk to me.”

Both students expressed that while people at the school are polite, there is a noticeable emotional distance in day-to-day interactions.

“They do not talk much between them; they are very serious. And if you sit with someone, they are very to themselves,” Copan Prep sophomore Ximena Diaz said.

Copan described the student body of AHS as “cold.” This was observed within groups at lunch tables, quiet classrooms, and friends walking through the halls, keeping to themselves. The authentic culture that the Copan students bring to AHS can teach students a lot.

“They are really impressed by seeing a Mexican, sometimes even scared. Some of them take a bit of distance, and I hope we are making a good impression. They are pretty nice. This guy bought me a Gatorade,” Izazola said.

Even though they are only here for two weeks, Ankeny opens its 34th round of exchange students with open arms and plans to continue for years to come.

“I thought it [the exchange experience] was going to be like a school musical, and I haven’t been disappointed,” Diaz said.