Deka Ali by Charlotte Gardner
Meet Deka, who is an exchange student here at Saugatuck High School this year. She is from Somalia, which is in East Africa. She is currently a 12th grader and is staying at Saugatuck High School until the end of the year. Deka was randomly assigned to Michigan and likes it here. She has enjoyed the school for the past trimester and is looking forward to the rest of her year.
To get to know Deka better, she was asked some questions about what she has been enjoying and looking forward to. She has enjoyed her classes a lot and has been able to learn a lot of new things. Last trimester she took Math, English, and Science, and when asked what class she likes the most she said, “I really enjoy science.” She also commented that some classes are similar to those she takes in Somalia, but classes like history are completely different.
She has been enjoying learning about our culture and hopes to learn more. She loves Saugatuck because of the people and their welcomeness and kindness. When asked about why she wanted to be a part of the exchange program, she said, “I wanted to learn about the culture in America and be able to learn more English.” This is her main goal for the whole year, and she seems to be accomplishing it quickly.
In her free time, she is mainly trying to learn more English and get better at speaking fluently. She is doing this by speaking to new and more people to help with her speaking. Her English is wonderful and continues to get better every day. She also mentioned that she had been thinking about playing a sport. However, the way sports work in America is much different than in Somalia. She says that in Somalia if it's a girl's sport only girls can participate, so maybe she can join a new sport for a new experience and also be able to meet new people.
She has enjoyed her experience here so far and there is much more to come. With all of this being said, if you see Deka in the hallways, make sure you give her a warm welcome and have a conversation with her!
To get to know Deka better, she was asked some questions about what she has been enjoying and looking forward to. She has enjoyed her classes a lot and has been able to learn a lot of new things. Last trimester she took Math, English, and Science, and when asked what class she likes the most she said, “I really enjoy science.” She also commented that some classes are similar to those she takes in Somalia, but classes like history are completely different.
She has been enjoying learning about our culture and hopes to learn more. She loves Saugatuck because of the people and their welcomeness and kindness. When asked about why she wanted to be a part of the exchange program, she said, “I wanted to learn about the culture in America and be able to learn more English.” This is her main goal for the whole year, and she seems to be accomplishing it quickly.
In her free time, she is mainly trying to learn more English and get better at speaking fluently. She is doing this by speaking to new and more people to help with her speaking. Her English is wonderful and continues to get better every day. She also mentioned that she had been thinking about playing a sport. However, the way sports work in America is much different than in Somalia. She says that in Somalia if it's a girl's sport only girls can participate, so maybe she can join a new sport for a new experience and also be able to meet new people.
She has enjoyed her experience here so far and there is much more to come. With all of this being said, if you see Deka in the hallways, make sure you give her a warm welcome and have a conversation with her!