South Whidbey High School’s 2002 crop of foreign exchange students agree on one point: School in the United States is a lot easier and more fun than back home.

This observation comes from five students from three different countries who have spent the last six months as exchange students. Though they come from widely-spaced spots on the globe — Brazil, New Zealand and Switzerland — they are in agreement about American high school academics and culture.

These five are good students. All five speak fluent English, their native languages, and at least one other.

But they are not complaining about the differences between school and life at home and on South Whidbey. In fact they are reveling in it. They are having a great time experiencing life as a high school student in America and relishing the culture of South Whidbey.

Brazilian Daniele Balsamo said her life here is less frenetic.

“At home I have 10 required subjects and no opportunity to take any artistic classes at school,” she said. “And each day is a different schedule.”

For instance, she said, she has two history classes in the same year, one on world history and another about the history of Brazil.

Dani, as she is known to her friends, is lively, with a passion for dancing. She has studied ballet since she was 6 years old and has broadened her training here to include modern and jazz dance. She performed in Whidbey Dance Theater’s “Nutcracker” in December and the high school’s spring musical “Damn Yankees.”

These are things she could never fit into her schedule in Brazil.

Going to school on South Whidbey has opened up opportunities for all the foreign students. In comparison to their regular schools, the students say they take fewer classes on South Whidbey and are able to participate in more social activities and sports.

Benno Haydl, a German exchange student, is enthusiastic about school spirit at South Whidbey High School.

“School spirit is nonexistent at home,” he said. “It sucks.”

For instance, he said, back home “dress up” days at school were a reason to skip class. No one wanted to participate. This is not true on South Whidbey.

“I think the extra activities like sports, assemblies, and dances are great,”

said Haydl, who is on the school’s soccer team.

He said the academics in Germany may be better, but the other activities and the general atmosphere make up for any differences. Going to school here also gives him time to build friendships with his teachers.

“They are interested in your lives outside of school,” Haydl said.

South Whidbey’s other German exchange student, Soon-Ho Kwon, is a fan of the 90-minute classes at the high school. The 45-minute classes he has in Germany are not long enough, he said.

“We are expected to learn a lot very fast.”

Kwon, who was born in Korea, said one of the best aspects of the year he is spending in the United States is having the opportunity to get used to the culture and language.

“I like American culture and language, especially the slang,” he said.

Student life in the United States bears little resemblance to what Kwon is used to. Freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors mix in classes, something that doesn’t happen in German schools. Like his countryman Haydl, Kwon is also enjoying getting to know his teachers for the first time in his school career.

“Relationships with teachers are very friendly here,” he said. “They talk to their students about what’s going on in their lives.”

Kwon’s only complaint is the lack of good public transportation on South Whidbey.

“We have trains and buses available all the time. Also, it is very common for people to walk or use bicycles at home. I wouldn’t ride a bike to the high school here.”

One of the exchange students, Switzerland’s Denise Fluckiger, likes to move around in other ways. Coming from a small village in Switzerland, Fluckiger loves animals and running. On rural South Whidbey she is able to pursue some of her interests from home. She has found a friend who owns horses, so she gets to do some riding in her free time. She is also on the high school track team.

Being with horses helps with homesickness.

“I love running and enjoy being around horses, so it’s like home in that way,” Fluckiger said.

School here has given her a new notion about the purpose of homework. She said homework at South Whidbey High School is assigned for the benefit of the student.

“No one checks to see if we’ve done it,” she said. “Teachers find out if you’ve learned the subject when you take the test.”

Homework in Switzerland just adds to school days that are already long. Fluckiger takes 13 different subjects. On Fridays, she attends school from 7:40 a.m. to 6 p.m.

New Zealander Michelle Lacey said she had the fewest adjustments to make to the American way of learning. But she said she was still amazed when she got extra credit for “just bringing a book back to school.”

Lacey, whose main interest is in writing, is enjoying a different culture and being out of her “comfort zone.”

“This will be a chance to learn about a new culture and to teach others about New Zealand,” Lacey said.

That comfort zone was rudely violated on Sept. 11. New to the United States at that point, the students and their families back home worried about the events of that day.

“I had only been here a couple days before Sept. 11, said Daniele Balsamo.

“When it happened, my family called. They were very worried and my mom thought I should come home.”

But her host family helped her through the worry. While on South Whidbey the students stay with several host families. All of them are assigned to one family for the year, except Haydl. A Rotary exchange student, he will stay with several families.

The students are all the equivalent of high school seniors and will be graduating with the class of 2002.