Exchange student enjoys being an Outlaw

When Marine Tresnie stepped off a plane to begin the first day as a foreign exchange student in Sisters, she was embarking on a journey that she had dreamed of for years.

A native of Tubize, Belgium, Tresnie signed up for the foreign exchange program after passing tests to ensure that her English and other academic skills were adequate.

"I didn't want to go to college right after high school, so the program drew my interest," she said.

After signing on, Tresnie had to wait to be selected.

"My information, interests and a photo was given to different host families who were looking," she explained. Based on this information, Clyde and Laura Simmons of Sisters stepped forward to be her host family. "My host family is wonderful. They treat me exactly like their daughter. During both the good and the bad, it's like they really are my

family."

Twenty years ago, the Simmonses hosted a foreign exchange student while their own children were young. Since then, their children have grown and the Simmonses thought it was time to have another foreign exchange student in their home.

The Simmonses have shown Marine around Oregon, and recently returned from a trip with Marine where they toured several western states.

As a senior at Sisters High School, Tresnie has enjoyed the relative ease of the American educational system.

"School here has been pretty easy, even with my English skills. In Belgium we have many more difficult tests and no electives, so it is academically intense," she said.

To compound matters, sports are played separately from school, and schools have little tolerance for any late work caused by participation in athletics. Consequently, few students play sports in Belgium. Because American schools accommodate and promote both sports and academics, Marine is delighted to participate in both here in Sisters.

Tresnie began by capitalizing on electives such as Mock Trial, Yearbook and We the People, and as an outdoor school counselor.

Yearbook advisor Mary Thomas found Tresnie to be a joy to work with.

"It quickly became apparent that Marine is really very bright," Thomas said. "I enjoy working with her because she takes initiative and follows through, which is huge for a student. Her relationship-building with teachers is great to see. She has taken full advantage of programs, unlike many of the other foreign exchange students."

Thomas also commented that "it is impressive for her to be able to transcend her background and develop relationships with her teachers."

According to Tresnie, there are few one-on-one relationships between students and teachers in Belgium.

The Mock Trial team also benefitted from her participation. According to Thomas, also the Mock Trial advisor, she was viewed as a leader on the team. She played a great role in organizing the JV team, which placed third in their district competition.

Tresnie applied for a position as a sixth grade outdoor school counselor.

"For Marine to do that shows that she is a mature student and knows what she wants. She has the intelligence and the drive. You don't see that in many foreign exchange students," noted Thomas.

Tresnie's five years of experience playing club tennis in Belgium show in her performance on the high school tennis team. As the No. 1 singles player for Sisters, she has proven invaluable to both her teammates and coach Marti Dale.

"Because of her skills and her personality, she has raised the bar for the entire team and taken us to the next level," the coach told The Nugget.

According to Dale, the team has the greatest respect for her not only because of her tennis skills, but for her personality as well.

"How she acts, how she plays, and how she wins makes it clear that she has lots of experience and maturity. She's very grateful to be living her dream of playing tennis in America, and is a delight to coach," said Dale.

Beyond the school custom of separating sports from academia, Marine reports there are other social customs in the U.S. that took some adjusting to:

"The culture here is really different, especially how people interact with each other. In Belgium, people shake hands or kiss, but don't hug. So, when I arrived in the U.S. and received so many hugs at the high school, it was very odd. In America, people hug to say hello. I have grown comfortable with it now."

As most know, Belgium is famous for its chocolate. Although Marine is in the U.S. now, she has not adjusted to American chocolate - so much so that the Simmonses have arranged for authentic Belgian chocolate to be delivered for Marine every six weeks.

When it is time to step back on that plane for Belgium, Tresnie can say that between hugs, deliveries of chocolate and good tennis, she has thoroughly enjoyed her time in Sisters.