By Hannah Bute and Marissa Wagley
Most 15-year-olds dream of getting their driver’s licenses, but Oyungerel Munkhbat’s dreams are much larger than that.
As a 15-year-old foreign exchange student from Mongolia, Munkhbat, known as Oyuka here, plans to attend Stanford University after completing her senior year at Flora High School.
Munkhbat recently decided to experience something new and applied for the chance to become a foreign exchange student. Upon discovering she would be sent to Flora, IL, she explained, “I didn’t know any of the other foreign exchange students.” She finally met them at the reception party with their host families after arriving in America.
One of the first things she noticed after attending school the first day was the difference in the way classes proceed. “In Mongolia, we don’t change classes,” Munkhbat said. “The seniors only have two classes.” She elaborated that the teachers went to them and they stayed in class all day. It helped them bond as classmates.
Another difference she noticed was in television channels. “I can watch Pretty Little Liars here!” she exclaimed. In Mongolia it didn’t air on television, so she watched it on the Internet.
Munkhbat’s home country of Mongolia is a landlocked nation sandwiched between China and Russia. The city she hails from, Ulaanbaatar, contains about 1.2 million souls. Some activities enjoyed by the public there include ice skating, movie theaters, shopping, and roller skating.
Flora differs greatly from Ulaanbaatar, she said. “It’s a nice small town. Calm and peaceful. I hope it gets better, though.” She went on to say that she enjoys getting to know everyone in Flora. It’s more difficult to do in a city of 1.2 million.
“If you were to visit my country, I would recommend going to the countryside in Mongolia.” She stated that the city was too crowded. She also suggested hanging out at the city center, as it is a regular haunt for teens there.
Once the school year ends in Flora, Munkhbat intends to major in international affairs at Stanford University.