For the average LPHS student the United States and all it has to offer is hardly taken into account, but for exchange student Sam Wirz 11 America is quite a large place filled with opportunities, and more fast food than he could’ve ever imagined.

Wirz’s home country Switzerland is small. So small, that according to Wirz, it’s one eighth the size of Colorado. Switzerland revolves around the large Alps glaring down on it, the diverse languages, and their love for all things football (aka soccer). For Wirz, traveling to America was quite an experience, “I was never here before, I mean I’m just living with strangers actually. I’m living with a host family, and I just didn’t know anybody when I came here and yea that was pretty difficult.”

Customs in Switzerland are just as casual as those in America, Wirz responds that when greeting someone they “just say hi”. Switzerland has tons of appreciation for Swiss cheese, chocolate, beer, yodeling and the famous Swiss Army Knife. Additionally, the country of Switzerland is famous for the legend of William Tell, a folktale depicting an archer who was forced to shoot an apple off his son’s head as punishment for government opposition.

If Wirz could choose to either stay here in America or charming Switzerland, at the moment he would stay in his home country. Though he cannot yet tell he says, “Switzerland is just where I’m from.” When asked about America Wirz said, “I’ve only been here for one month now. I mean there are good things about here and bad things, I mean I cannot tell.”

Though America may be overwhelmingly exciting according to Wirz, Switzerland is “just tiny and that’s charming.”

In Solothurn, Wirz’s hometown, he is just an average junior in a typical high school. He has a sister and says he misses his family from time to time. “I have an older sister, she’s eighteen, and she just started to study psychology in a university,” Wirz said.

Wirz chose to come to America, for just one simple reason, “I just wanted to learn a language of course and learn another culture.” Despite America being so large and overwhelming, Wirz is still unsure of things he would like to experience during his one year here. Since he is located here in Colorado, he doesn’t know what there is do or see.

Though America may not be small or charming, or even have a famous folklore like Switzerland, Wirz states, “America is a really big influence in Switzerland and all Europe and probably the whole world, we have the clothes that you have, we have the food that you have, so we actually know America pretty well, because all the things come from America, so it’s kind of interesting.”

“Maybe when I’m older I’ll move here, because you have so many opportunities here, so much stuff to do,” Wirz’s plans after high school are not clear yet, which leaves a wide variety of options to choose from either here in America, or in Switzerland.