Marta Specchi, Heta Kosunen, and Catarina Lemos decided to come to the U.S. from their home countries. They were placed here at Lewis Cass together. Marta and Catarina are both in the same home. In this article, you will read about each of them, their home lives, their opinions on American food, and their student life here in the U.S. and in their home countries.

Marta is from Italy. She enjoys playing volleyball and going to concerts or to the stadium with her family. She dislikes mac and cheese very strongly. Corn dogs, cookies, and cream Hershey bars are her favorite American foods so far. She likes the Indiana lifestyle. If she had to choose where she was placed, she would have chosen somewhere near the beach. US history is her hardest class. Marta’s favorite class is weightlifting. She plans to participate in swimming, tennis, and volleyball. She lives in a small town in Italy but goes to a big school with 2000 people. In Italian schools the teachers change and the students stay in the same class throughout the day. She likes to spend time in her two beach houses. She lives in the beautiful city of Milan. She enjoys spending time with her younger brother, and golden retriever. Her favorite Italian food is pizza with mushrooms and ham. In Italy her favorite class is Chinese. She has played volleyball for years but just started playing competitively a year ago. In Italy, sports are not affiliated with the school you choose your own club. When she goes to school, she has to travel on public transportation because she can not drive in Italy until she is 18. Marta is excited to continue to live the American life.

Heta is from Finland and loves playing basketball. Heta’s basketball team won Finland’s country Championship. If I do say so myself it is incredible. In Finland, she plays basketball and swims. This year she plans on participating in volleyball, basketball, and softball. She has had to adjust to Lewis Cass because her school is way smaller and urban. Finland is smaller than the U.S. and people here are more talkative. Her favorite food in Finland is Finnish Rice Pudding. Finnish Rice pudding is a porridge served with cinnamon.   Her least favorite American food is pork on a biscuit. If she had to choose where she could stay in the United States she would have chosen Hawaii. If I could choose where I lived I would live in Hawaii too.

Catarina or Cat as I call her is from Brazil. She plans on participating in volleyball, swimming, and tennis. In Brazil, she plays the sport of handball. In Brazil, she also enjoys helping her mom in the kitchen and walking her dog every day. She enjoys her daily life in Brazil. In Brazil, she starts school at 6 am in the morning and then ends the school day at noon. In Cat’s school, the teachers switch classes and the students stay in the same class throughout the day similar to Marta’s school in Italy. Her favorite Brazilian food is Feijoada. Feijoada is a black bean and pork stew. Her favorite American food is blueberry Pop-Tarts.

Marta, Cat, and Heta are excited to continue to explore America, the American lifestyle, American education, and of course American food.