Exchange student enjoying Sisters

Ronald Kilian left his home in eastern Germany and traveled halfway around the world to immerse himself in American culture, become part of an American family, and attend an American school.

Kilian hails from Barenstein, a small city on the northern Czech border, and lives with his dad, mom, his dog and cat; and family life is fairly quiet. He attends Eliteschule Des Winter Sports, a specialized school for students that are involved in winter sports.

Kilian told The Nugget the reason he attends that particular school is because he loves to ski. Ronald does not get to choose any of the classes he takes; all are chosen for him by the school and most of the classes are science-related.

It was a huge eye-opener when Ronald got to Sisters High School.

"School here is very different," stated Kilian. "In Germany school is much stricter and there are a lot more rules. We aren't allowed to have cell phones at school and there's no free wi-fi. Here, teachers are friendly and they give you more space to learn and do what you want."

Family life has also been a different experience for Kilian.

"In Germany just family comes over to our home and here it seems that family, friends, kids and different people just come and go all the time."

Cory and Joni Stengel, along with their twin sons, Ethan and Andrew, are Ronald's host family and have taken him in with open arms.

Cory told The Nugget that he and Joni were intrigued with the thought of a foreign exchange student for two reasons: to expose their twins to a different culture and to force them to deal with another individual other than a family member in day-to-day activities.

"Once Ronald arrived and got into the swing of the Sisters lifestyle, he melded in well with the family and the community," said Cory. "Ronald has been accepted as part of our family and participated in every aspect of the family's activities. I feel very fortunate to have Ronald as part of our family; he adds a dimension that would have never been discovered if we stayed with the status quo."

Joni said, "We are thrilled to have Ron with us this year. He is a wonderful young man and has made a great addition to our family."

Ronald is very happy with the Stengels and fits right in.

"I never had brothers close in age to me and I like it," said Kilian. "It's nice to have Ethan and Andrew to talk to and they share my interests. Joni and Cory are nice host parents and I like them both. They do everything they can to make me feel good and they treat me like a real son.

"They've taken me to a lot of places," added Kilian. "Last week we went to a Beavers game and it was a new experience for me. I'd never been in such a big stadium before. It was very good."

Brothers Ethan and Andrew shared what it's been like for them to have Ronald live with them in their home.

Andrew said, "It only took about two weeks and then he was like one of the family."

Ethan said, "He's just like another brother. He does soccer with us and he's going to ski with us and do tennis with us. We all get along and he even helps out with the chores. So far, so good."

Kilian told The Nugget that before he heads back to Germany in June he'd like to see a big city, and it appears that will happen soon.

"I really wanted to see a big American city, like San Francisco," said Kilian. "I found out I get to go in November. The exchange organization is planning a trip to San Francisco for all the foreign exchange students all over Oregon. I'm excited I get to go."