Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Feb 15/02) - Laura Maniga was all smiles after learning Italian cross country skier, Stefania Belmondo, had won the first gold medal of the Olympics for her home country Saturday morning.

International group AFS (American Field Service) was started by a group of North American volunteer ambulance corps on the battlefields of Europe in 1914. In 1947, it became a student exchange organization, sending 50 youths from 10 different countries in Europe across the Atlantic to study for a year in North America. Today, AFS is active in 54 countries. There have been 300,000 participants since the program began. A grant from the Donner Foundation in 1978 enabled Canada to join forces with the AFS international network. Last year 42 exchange students were sent to English Canada. Eight went to Yellowknife. None of the eight students this year knew where Yellowknife was before their arrival to Canada. Laura Maniga knew where the NWT was from playing a game of Risk. Five of the eight thought they would see iglus here when they arrived.

"I think if I was back in Italy I wouldn't care very much," admits Maniga. "But now that I'm here I feel more patriotic."

Maniga was not the only one out of her group feeling a heightened sense of national pride. She is one of eight AFS exchange students from across the world taking in a year of studies at Sir John Franklin high school.

All of them, even the three South American teens, were keenly interested in this year's Winter Olympics.

The parallels that could be drawn between the athletes gathered at Salt Lake City and the students gathered at Norm and Sue Glowach's house -- they are hosting two this year -- seemed to impress upon them even more that they are not just here to learn, but represent their respective countries as well. As Maniga points out, perhaps being this far away from home only draws one closer.

"The (Canadian) culture is very different," says Karla Duque from Venezuela. "In my country, the culture is warm. We hug each other and kiss. Here there's more space between people."

Despite our more reserved nature, all the students felt their experiences at school and with their host families have been good ones thus far. Some suggested they have had an easier time at Sir John than they normally would at their schools.

"I think it's easier," says Julien Vilaine, noting students at his school in France attend classes until 5:30 pm. "We finish (class) really early compared to France."

They, particularly the European students, also find that students here have greater academic freedom.

"I think here it is more organized," says Maniga who, like every other student in Italy, must choose a field of study upon entering high school. "The students can think what they want to do after."

Between the eight exchange students, every stereotype that could fall under the category of Canadian identity seemed to be confirmed.

We are distant, cold, and envious of our U.S. counterparts to the south.

"I think you're sort of in U.S.A.'s shadow," says Swede, Karin Hattne. "People in Sweden don't know much about Canada. They think Canada is a bunch of wannabees."