Adela Suchankova Brings Color and Joy to MBHS
Adela Suchankova, better known as “Ada” to her peers who describe her as, “intuitive, colorful, and generous,” is a foreign exchange student from the Czech Republic and began her two-semester long exchange in America in Aug. 2024. She currently lives with her host family in Los Osos, which is very different from her hometown, Prague. With Prague being the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic, small, friendly, and local-oriented Los Osos can seem restricting at times.
Suchankova recognizes that the compact community comes with both positive and negative aspects. However, she chooses to focus on the positives, “Compared to home, I feel like this is more good-neighbor… everybody knows everybody… like the football games, even though we really weren’t very good, people still came every Friday and supported [the team],” said Suchankova.
Suchankova has enhanced her experience in the States by making friends, participating in classes, and joining extracurriculars. She joined the leadership class and has adored the opportunity to participate in ASB. Suchankova said, “I’m really glad I got to be part of ASB because it brings me closer to people and I can do my leadership.”
Blaire Brinkman, Suchankova’s English and sociology teacher, shared a favorite memory of her, “During class she got the hiccups and all of a sudden she stood up and she started jumping on one foot and spinning in a circle… All of my class froze and we were all just kind of staring at her, because it was in the middle of a lecture. She freezes, kind of like a deer in the headlights, and she asked us if we’ve ever done that to get rid of our hiccups… It was so sweet and innocent, I loved it.”
MBHS’ Drama Club has also been a positive outlet for Suchankova. She said, “I feel like the people there are really cool and I feel like it’s okay for me to express myself.” Self expression is a huge part of what Suchankova values in the States, as she feels that there are lots of judgements and absence in the regard of the unfamiliar.
Lack of interest in Czech culture by her peers was Suchankova’s most disheartening part of her exchange. She felt that if the roles were reversed and there was an American exchange student in her country, she’d try to learn all about their culture to make their stay special and comfortable. She also wished more for the opportunity to teach other people about her culture. Suchankova said that the holidays were the most difficult, but she dedicated time to herself to celebrate in ways that reminded her of home.
While in America, Suchankova chose to focus on the important and joyful aspects of home to incorporate into each day. This unforgettable adventure is something she will hold close for the rest of her life. When she returns to the Czech Republic, she plans to incorporate some American traditions into her everyday life as well.
