Junior Tselmeg Tsogtsaikhan is from Ulaabator, Mongolia. She arrived in the United States on Sep. 7 and will be spending the school year in Milton.
“The people are very friendly and kind here,” Tselmeg said. She added that she is happy that she gets to be an exchange student and learn English, but she was also sad to leave home.
She came to the U.S. through the program Cetusa. According to its website, “Cetusa is a non- for- profit international student exchange organization coordinating exchange experiences for high school students.”
“School is different in Mongolia; usually teachers come to you, and you stay in the same room all day,” she said. “We also learn 21 lessons a week. We learn English and history and other Mongolian classes.” They don’t have any special classes like music and art, she added.
Tselmeg is participating in wrestling for the first time this year. She said that she doesn’t play any other sports back home. “I really like wrestling, and I’m getting good at it,” she said.
“The clothing and holidays are very different here,” she said. Mongolians celebrate the Naadam Festival, a national sports celebration in July, and also the Lunar New Year, she added.
This will be Tselmeg’s first Christmas celebration. “I am very excited,” she said.
“This was my first time visiting the U.S.,” she said. Her first impression was that she was very nervous because she had trouble understanding what people were saying to her.
Tselmeg said one of the differences between here and Mongolia is that in Mongolia people aren’t as welcoming and friendly.
“Something that shocked me when I came to the U.S. was that people are very kind, and even if they don’t know you, will come up and talk to you like they know you,” she said.
Tselmeg said that she likes the food here, especially pizza, but misses her Mongolian food. She said she misses the beef and dumplings the most.
“My hobbies are watching movies and listening to music,” she said.
She is staying with English Teacher Mr. Wesley Cromley and his family.
“Having an exchange student has been great because it is an opportunity to learn about other cultures,” Mr. Cromley said. For example, they have learned that in Mongolia, they use a different alphabet, the Cyrillic alphabet like the Russians do.
Mr. Cromley also added that Tselmeg always has the quality of being ready to go and explore new things whenever opportunities arise.
When Tselmeg graduates, she said that she wants to become a psychologist. “When I was young, I liked learning about how people talk, act and work,” she said.
Tselmeg will be returning to Mongolia in June. “When I get back, I will probably visit all my relatives and start studying for 12th grade,” she added.
