By KANDACE MCCOY
kandace.mccoy@register-news.com
MT. VERNON — When Martin Damasek came to the United States as a foreign exchange student in 1998, it only made sense for him to enroll in the same school as his hosts’ son.
Nearly a dozen years since his graduation from Mt. Vernon Christian School, he has returned to the area he once considered home to again share his experiences and educate others about his country and the European Union.
Damasek, who is from the Czech Republic, was once a guest of Larry and Beth Rodgers, and attended the Christian school with their son David.
“The practical reason for Europeans to come to the United States as students is to learn the (English) language,” he said. “David attended the school and it was only natural for me to attend as well.”
He said when he arrived in the States, he did not experience a culture shock as some might think, but did notice differences between the cultures, primarily public transportation.
“I noticed the essential need to use your own vehicle here,” he explained. “In Europe, public transportation is prevalent with buses and trains — some trains go as fast as 200 miles per hour.”
“The culture is similar, but things like food and transportation are a lot different,” said David Rodgers. “Transportation is a lot easier over there and there’s less pollution. It’s also a lot cheaper to travel on public transportation than a personal car. The gas is very expensive — as much as $8 a gallon — that’s another reason they use public transportation.”
Damasek said though it “felt strange” coming back to his former school, he has been able to utilize what he learned in the King City as he continued his university education.
“To an average European my age, there is an extensive knowledge of American government and history that was very beneficial to me when I went to university,” he said. “My bachelor’s is in the humanities which has been influenced by philosophy. Just the fact that I read the Constitution and other major cornerstone texts were good.”
This isn’t the first time the Mt. Vernon Christian School has enrolled a foreign exchange student, Principal Tim Reynolds said. The school has enrolled a student about every four to five years, a trend that has been beneficial to those who attend, he said.
“We’ve had one from Jamaica, South Korea and Russia,” he said. “Our kids get to know about their culture, and the exchange students fit in well,” he said. “It’s good for our kids and theirs as well.”
But Damasek didn’t only gain knowledge while he attended Mt. Vernon Christian School, he also gained a very good friend.
“After he left, I followed him to the Czech Republic and stayed with him for a week,” said Rodgers. “I got to see their culture and it was a good experience for both of us, especially for an American 16-year-old kid to go to another country. I was very lucky.”
Rodgers eventually went back to the Czech Republic after he graduated and lived over there eight months, he said.
“We developed a brothership,” Rodgers added. “Martin came back to America as my best man three years ago when I got married. When you help someone get by with language, you develop that friendship. He had some language before he came here, but I didn’t when I went over there. He would help me around. So you develop a bond and trust because you have to trust someone in a country where you cannot speak their language at all.”
Damasek said he hoped students at the school realized from his visit that opportunities abroad are possible.
“I hope to open the horizons of kids, to look beyond the borders of Illinois or the United States,” he said. “I want to show them there are substantial changes in Europe since 1989 like the European Union, show them what things are going on in case they do decide to come to Europe. I want to show them that the United States is as well-challenged as Europe in a good way.”
