Volume XX I Issue 7 May 2014 The Eagle’s Eye HEDGESVILLE HIGH SCH OOL Life Begins At the End of the Comfort Zone Hedgesville High School 109 Ridge Road North Hedgesville WV 25427 I am blessed to have my host By Syazwani Yatim family, who are eagerly teaching “To be an exchange student is one me American culture and bringing Editor of the best experiences.” me to places so that I would not get bored staying here. Many good Lena Nunez NEVER in my life would I things have happened as the days have thought of getting the oppor- have passed by, especially in tunity to go to a country that is so school. far away from my home. It has Staff Writers changed me into the better and My first impression of more positive person that I would Hedgesville was…AMAZING! have ever imagined. I have tried You can tell from the name many new things and had many though. My expectations of an Chelsea Bleigh new experiences from my very American High School was sort of first day here. I can say that at first, like High School Musical or Glee. Liam Jack it was not easy since everything I was surprised that school here is was so different compared to my actually ‘normal’ like in my home Genevieve Montinar home country, Malaysia. It is real- country. Of course there are dif- ly out of my comfort zone. I still ferences between those two, the remember when my host family, system I mean. We don’t ex- Advisor the Mullens, picked me up at the change classes period to period. In Hagerstown Airport. We went Malaysia, our teacher would come Kim Hatfield straight for lunch at Applebees. It to the class, and we stick in one was awkward for me to call my room. We wear uniforms and host parents “mom and dad”. Ini- Converse shoes (depends on a stu- tially they were total strangers to dent, it’s optional though). me, but soon things changed and Contin- we became good friends. After two ued on and a half months here, I learned to love them as they are my new fam- Page 2 ily. To be frank, I was homesick for a few weeks as my family and I The purpose of the Eagle’s Eye is were 9,469 miles away! In addi- to inform, educate, and entertain tion, my granddad had passed readers accurately and responsibly. away, a week before my departure. It does not necessarily reflect the I can tell that my family was in a opinions of Hedgesville High heavy cloud. I wanted to stay by School or the Berkeley County their side especially in this hard Board of Education. Also, any situation. I did not want to come opinions expressed are those of the here because of what had hap- individual writers pened, but I am glad to be here as I am writing down this article biting down on a bagel (bagel is my fa- vorite food here in the States). Syazwani Yatim P a g e 2 The Eagle’s Eye Life Begins (cont.) I had already graduated close to the Philippines. I came the day I have to leave this six months ago before I from the capital city of Malay- country. As time goes by, I came here. Malaysian stu- sia, Kuala Lumpur. To me, realize that life begins at the dents are the only ex- West Virginia is such a beauti- end of the comfort zone. I change students that do ful state and I’m glad to be here have to survive no matter one semester in the United regardless of what other people what kind of obstacles life States. Normally we would said and judged about the state gives to me and I realize it’s come in August for a year itself. I find it an amazing state important to always be posi- program but we cannot covered by the mountains as I tive. Through hard work and skip our National Exam have never felt the beauty of support from my host family (SPM, more likely a S.A.T nature in a big city. I was happy and friends, I have enjoyed exam) to enter a Universi- to see a herd of deer too! I know my life as an exchange stu- ty or College. it sounds funny, but I truly dent here. I’ve learned to mean it. Whenever they ask me appreciate and show respect which country I am from, Things I like about West to others, which is really most people here don’t Virginia are West Virginians important and meaningful. really know where Malay- bring comfort to the needy, help Coming here meant going to sia is and probably never those with disabilities and instill college later than my fellow knew it existed. After a love of art in children. People friends and possibly break- times of global crisis, here are friendly too. It was re- ing up relationships, but to which includes the missing ally something different for me, build new relationship as Malaysia Airlines Flight as I’ve never experienced a long well. Looking back now, I 370 during its travels from snow before. By the way, we am so grateful I made the Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, don’t have any seasons in Ma- choice to come here. I am China, that’s when every- laysia. It is hot and humid most proud of how much I’ve body could figure out of the time. I was super excited grown and look forward to which land I’m originally to touch and experience snow learning more in the next 67 from. Malaysia is such a the past few weeks. If the whole days. small country compared is truly greater than the sum of My name is Wani, I’m with the U.S, with 14 its parts, West Virginia must be 18 years old, and studying states located in Southeast- a great place for having so abroad changed my life. ern Asia, in between Thai- many good things. land and Singapore, bor- Tick tock make its count to dered by Indonesia and Order your 2014 high school yearbook today Order your 2014 Call: Order Online: Hedgesville High School Yearbook 1-866-282-1516 Jostensyearbooks.com today! Volume XX I Issue 7 P a g e 3 Sight Translation Award By Lena Nunez limited amount of time. Editor Students from all around Congratulations to Maureen the state competed and she Budka for winning third place in did a great job. Her teach- Marshall University’s Sight er, Ms. Horioka, would Translation Contest for Latin I. like to recognize and con- Budka had to translate a diffi- gratulate her for this out- Maureen Budka standing accomplishment. cult passage about Caesar in a Photo by Lena Nunez Emily Johnson in South Africa By Genevieve Montinar million people in the country which is near Cape Town the Staff Writer are said to suffer from AIDS country’s capital, an iconic South Africa is one the world’s and nearly 240,000 have died place where tourist go to see most beautiful countries and Emi- from it. There is no doubt that what Mandela had to experi- ly Johnson, a senior at this high number of sick people ence. Hedgesville High School, was has a direct correlation to the “Unfortunately I didn’t get able to take that 20 hour flight South African economy. Last the chance to go to Robben from Dulles International Airport year, the country’s unemploy- Island due to bad weather,” ment rate was at a whopping to South Africa and experience said Johnson. what this growing country had to 24.9%. This makes it hard for Although, she did get the offer. people dealing with the disease chance of a lifetime to see Johnson did not go to South to get treatment because they some of South Africa’s safa- Africa just for vacation but rather cannot afford it. People are left ris. Johnson and her father got to attend a medical conference on in poverty and right now there to take safari trip in a car to infectious diseases with her father, is a big push on the South Afri- see all the different types of a medical doctor. It wasn't exactly can government to provide jobs animals that you can’t see in ideal since some of the presenta- to their citizens. their natural habitat anywhere tion were boring, she said, but Another large part of South else. there were some that caught her African way of life and political “It really was a dream eye. culture was Nelson Mandela. come true, because when I “You saw a large focus on He was trailblazer for the anti- was younger I wanted to be a AIDS since approximately 1 out Apartheid movement and even- zoologist and I love animals,” of every 5 South Africans suffer tually became the country’s first she said. They saw everything black president. Since he was an from this disease,” said Johnson. from zebras, baboons, and activist for this cause govern- hippos to elephants, giraffes That statistic that she men- ment officials during that time tioned is 20% of this country’s and even a penguin colony. were not pleased so they sen- From Emily’s descriptions population which is an extremely tenced him to prison for 27 large number for disease that at South Africa seems like a years. For part of that time he wonderful place to be.