Coming from the Southern Coastal City of India, Aishwar Ganasekar, a foreign exchange student is embracing the exciting yet different ways of American life.

Arriving on Aug. 13,Ganasekar is welcomed into the Oestrick home to stay the school year until June 14.  The ES scholarship program, funded by the U.S  State Department, has given Ganasekar this special opportunity to come and study abroad.

“I want to thank America,” Aishwar said. “The tax money from the Americans allowed me to come here.”  

Ganasekar started learning English when he started school many years ago.  He estimates around 10 years and has been taught it every year since. He says that the American English language is slightly different from what he has learned because the fact that he learned the British English, which has small yet important differences compared with American.

Ganasekar added that many differences exist and include things such as: food, school rules as well as some legal differences such as driving age, which is 18 in India compared with 16 in America.

Another few set of differences that Ganasekar shared were the school set up and what was allowed in school and what is not. Ganasekar explains that in his school he has to wear uniforms, is not allowed a cell phone let alone a Chromebook, his classes are chosen for him and stays in the same classroom with the same teacher through all his classes, and his school was much smaller in comparison with NHS.

Even with all these differences Ganasekar says he does not miss India at all and loves it here in America, even if he is in the state that is known as the “cheese state”  when cheese is the only food he does not like, which he finds quite ironic.

Ganasekar says he plans to join tennis later this year and is excited for more fun and excitement within his stay in America.