By LISA KACZKE,
Staff Writer
Regi Salataj could have changed his mind about coming to International Falls from Durres, Albania, last August. But when the plane took off, the reality set in that there was no turning back.
He said he looked at his sister next to him on the plane and said, “Wow, I think I’m going to America.”
Salataj, who leaves the Falls today, has spent the school year living with Evan and Rachel Amdahl as an exchange student.
After making his plans, he needed U.S. government approval. Getting a visa was difficult, Salataj said, noting that Americans should appreciate their passports.
On the day he went to get his visa at the U.S. Embassy in Albania, there were about 25 people in line in front of him. Only three of them got visas. Feeling lucky about his visa, he said he had to follow his plans through.
His only knowledge about International Falls before arriving was that it would get cold in winter. Although he had visited the U.S. twice before becoming an exchange student, he really didn’t know about the culture beyond what he had seen in movies, he said.
He said he had concerns about what his host family would be like. If an exchange student doesn’t feel comfortable with the host family, it could ruin the experience, he said. Feeling comfortable in a host’s home allows a student to be who they are, he said. He said there isn’t a better option for an exchange student than the Amdahl family. They made the year easier, he said, adding that he has appreciated all that they’ve done for him.
His experience as an exchange student allowed him to exercise his love of travel and to consider things from a different perspective, he said. He said he was unsure whether he would be accepted, but found that the differences in his background didn’t matter much.
Salataj comes from a city of 200,000 people, a huge contrast to Borderland. He said that people in International Falls were open minded, allaying some of his fears about coming here.
Starting his senior year at Falls High School was the “biggest shock,” he said, comparing it to school in Albania. On the first day of school, Salataj experienced lockers נand found he had trouble getting his open. In Albania, students stay in the same classroom for the day, while the teachers move from classroom to classroom.
Fellow student Raphy Gelo, who had a locker next to him, was frequently asked to open Salataj’s locker for him, he said. Salataj laughed as he recalled later days in the school year when Gelo would automatically open his locker for him between classes.
Salataj found that he fit in at the high school. He was a member of the Bronco swim team, was crowned prom king, and was named the Elk’s student of the year.
And while FHS agreed with him, he said Borderland’s weather took some getting used to. The fall was beautiful, but the winter was tough with weeks of freezing cold weather, he said. In Albania, 28 degrees is “freezing for us,” he said, and the summers reach 120 degrees.
Rainy Lake, he noted, substituted for the sea for Salataj, whose Albanian home is just 150 yards from the sea.
Salataj leaves today for Tennessee, where he plans to attend a college near where his sister lives, he said. He changed his mind about returning to Albania because education in the United States is better than it is around the world, he said.
He couldn’t pinpoint one thing about Borderland that he would miss after he leaves. Everything was a new experience for him, so he said he will miss everything. And he said he plans to return for a visit.
“Absolutely. No doubt about that,” he said.
He recommends other people learn about other places and cultures as an exchange student.
“Don’t think twice about it,” he said.
