"I’ll never forget the first time I met the Argentines. We were all on a bus, nervously laughing as we drove up to the school. When we parked and Mr. Johnson told us to get out, we hid behind the bus, not knowing what to do next. It was one of the most pure, fun, and nerve-wracking moments of our lives. We had just traveled halfway across the world to meet people from an entirely different culture, and once we finally introduced ourselves, all our nerves disappeared. I’ve never met a kinder or more welcoming group of people.
Throughout the week, we shared stories about our lives, talked about our cultures, and gradually became more comfortable with each other. We went hiking, horseback riding, and played games. There were occasional struggles with the language barrier, but nothing we couldn’t overcome. By the end of the week, the Argentines felt like family. None of us wanted to leave. I may have arrived nervous, but I left with memories I’ll never forget.
The following year, we welcomed the Argentines to our school and our country and showed them how we live. Hosting two students was eye-opening not only for them but for my family as well. We got to experience a culture we had never encountered before, right in our own home. After they left, I promised I would return to Argentina someday, because knowing them was one of the greatest privileges of my life.
I learned that even though a continent may separate people, we’re all alike. We can form relationships with people of any culture, any background, and from any country. The world is a huge place, and this exchange let me experience a small part of it in a way I’ll never forget."
- Erik Powell-Bechtel, MG Class of 202
“Hosting two students from Argentina brought new perspectives and a glimpse of Argentinian culture into our home. Our seventh grader loved having them around, we still keep in touch on WhatsApp, and it gave us a taste of what life might be like when our own daughter reaches high school.”
– Melissa Zuroff, Lanesborough
“Our whole family loved hosting our three St. Paul’s students–Sonny, Salva, and Mateo. For two weeks, they filled our home with love, laughter, and music; they became part of our family. At dinner, we enjoyed conversations during which we learned about their families and lives in Argentina, and they asked great questions about our culture. The boys shared interesting observations about the similarities and differences between La Cumbre and Williamstown. Also, I had the opportunity to have each of the boys in my English classroom at Mt. Greylock when they shadowed Mt. Greylock students. The St. Paul’s students’ presence in the school building was exciting for everyone–their host students, the students that they shadowed, and the rest of the Mt. Greylock community. The evening and April break events for the 33 St. Paul’s students, their teachers, and the Mt. Greylock host students were full of conversation, fun, and connection. Each evening, I sent the boys’ parents an update and photos on WhatsApp, and I enjoyed reading their enthusiastic responses. They were so excited about and grateful for the opportunity for their sons to live in Williamstown and to learn about Mt. Greylock’s and our family’s ways, values, and traditions. We felt the same about Will’s experience with Sonny’s family, his host family, when he traveled with Mt. Greylock teachers and students to Argentina in April 2024. This fall, Will is returning to Argentina to live with Sonny’s family (and Salva’s and Mateo’s, too!), to volunteer at St. Paul’s School, and to travel. The Mt. Greylock-St. Paul’s School exchange has been life changing for our family.”
- Kathleen Igoe, Williamstown
"Our family has participated in the Argentinian exchange program in both of its first two years -- one of our sons traveled to La Cumbre with the first group of Greylock students, and we then hosted a St. Paul's student when they visited last April. Our experience hosting a student was fantastic, and we cannot recommend it enough. Integrating a student into our home really gave us the time and space to get to know each other and to learn more fully about the student, La Cumbre, and Argentinian culture more generally. It gave our children, and all of us, a sense of closeness that would have been hard to achieve through just the larger group activities, as truly enjoyable as we know they were for our children. But the most memorable experiences came from the small moments — over breakfast, driving through a carwash, sitting on the porch together, etc — that bonded our children (and us!) with our exchange student. Since the visit, we have stayed in regular contact and we imagine that will continue -- we highly recommend the experience to others!"
- Paige Bartels and Nicole Mellow
