Brandon Twp.- Marcela Ochoa was born and raised in Colombia, but has grown up in America.
Ochoa, 18, arrived in the United States Jan. 18 as a student in an exchange program. She has been attending Brandon High School and living with her host family? Jeff and Tammy Cole and their daughter Megan Cole, a junior at BHS.
‘I like living here,? says Ochoa. ‘I’ve grown up here. I have a larger view of the world.?
Ochoa comes from Paipa, a small town in the mountains of Colombia. She graduated in December from a private high school in her native country and is now considered a college student, but is attending BHS as part of a cultural exchange program through the Ortonville Rotary Club. Ochoa’s parents are involved in a Colombian rotary club.
Ochoa didn’t know much English before arriving, but is learning it. English is one of the classes she takes at BHS, along with U.S. history, Spanish, American literature, and clay.
‘I like U.S. history the most, but I like clay,? says Ochoa, who enjoyed choosing her own classes, something she could not do in high school in Columbia, where classes are required by law and several are taken throughout a student’s year, with different classes every day of the week.
Ochoa is having a good time with her host family. She describes her host mom as ‘very warm? and ‘nice?, the latter an adjective she also uses for her host sister, and says her host father is ‘funny.? When she first arrived in Michigan, she attended an auto show in Detroit with the Coles, shopped with Megan Cole at an outside mall in Rochester and went to a Detroit Pistons basketball game.
‘It was my first time seeing a basketball game,? she says. ‘They’re huge.?
Ochoa enjoys movies and has watched several with her host family. Many of them are the American movies she watches at home, but with no subtitles. She is also accustomed to wearing Americanized clothing and listens to popular bands such as Coldplay and Aerosmith.
During her stay in the U.S., Ochoa says she has encountered many people who think her home country as a dangerous place, but says that’s not true.
‘We are a third-world country, but the economy is stable,? says Ochoa, whose father is a doctor and mother is a fashion designer.
Ochoa does not drive, although in Columbia she could get a license at 16. She says it is more common to walk, use bikes and public transportation, because everything is nearby.
In Columbia, Ochoa says, the houses are closer together than they are here. She is surprised at how much land each home has in Brandon Township.
The weather has also been somewhat of a surprise for her.
‘The weather is so up and down here,? she says. ‘Where I live in Columbia is cold. I live in the mountains. The winter is rain, no snow. The wind is cold, but not like here, it’s so cold.?
Ochoa calls American food spicy. At home, she does not eat enchiladas or tacos, saying those are Mexican foods. In Colombia, she eats a soup called ‘ajiaco,? made of corn, chicken and cilantro and also eats rice, meat, potatoes and vegetables. At festivals or during holidays, she eats a bread called almojabana and drinks sabajon.
In Colombia, the largest meal is lunch. Breakfast is small and dinner is fruit or cereal.
‘We don’t make our food in the microwave,? Ochoa says. ‘A lot of food here is in the microwave.?
Her favorite food that she has tried in America was glazed ham.
Ochoa has found Americans to be ‘very nice,? but different from Columbians, who are ‘louder and more folkloric, with more parties and celebrations.?
The exchange student is here for a year and has not experienced homesickness yet. She communicates with her parents every week by phone and e-mail, but does miss her friends.
‘I like this kind of exchange, because the rules are like I am a daughter,? Ochoa says, smiling. ‘It’s nice… I will grow up here and meet different people and different cultures and learn English.?