THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 19, 1995 TAG: 9501170129
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Teens At Large
SOURCE: BY GINA GINN, HIGH SCHOOL CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines
The night is young and a bonfire is crackling on a stretch of Mediterranean beach. Teenagers migrate to the shore from Burger Kings and bowling alleys. Most are dark-haired and denim-clad. The minority group is American.
Two Norfolk teens attended this beach party that took place an ocean away in the coastal country of Israel. They found that no matter where teenagers are they all still enjoy a good party, but they discovered some differences as well.
Five Norfolk high school students were selected as Norfolk Youth Ambassadors and spent most of November in the coastal country of Israel in a multicultural exchange program. The students were Vaughn E. Bell, 16, from Granby; Angela M. Riedel, 16, from Lake Taylor; Thomas R. Smigiel Jr., 16, from Norview; and Amie Weisberg, 16, and Ravyn B. Patterson, 15, both from Maury. They joined a group of 66 Americans who toured Tel Aviv, Haifa and Netanya.
Strangely enough the ambassadors encountered Levi-wearing, pool-playing, burger-eating teenagers who were jamming to everything from Madonna to Warren G. Essentially the ambassadors found Israeli teenagers to be their Middle East counterparts.
But the schedule the Americans lived by while in Israel suggests a slightly different lifestyle. The difference, as Ravyn pointed out, was ``the freedom that they had.'' The fun just started at 11 p.m., and even in war-torn Israel, the ambassadors said that they felt safe on the streets, even after midnight.
``The parents have no fear when the kids go out,'' Tommy said.
Safety, the students said, was provided by undercover military personnel who mingle with the teenagers and are generally friendly protectors.
One similarity the students found was mandatory schooling. Students said that high schools in Israel seem to be modeled after American colleges. The flexible schedule allows students to arrive at school at different times according to the day's classes. The teens are also responsible for their own transportation. The majority of them take city buses everywhere and have their own bus passes.
Very few problems were encountered by the Norfolk students; language wasn't one of them. Amie spoke French in one of her host's homes, and Ravyn spoke Spanish in one of hers. All of the teen hosts spoke English. Their parents spoke French, Spanish and other languages, including Hebrew, the native language in Israel.
Yet there were adjustments to make. Angela encountered a mathematical puzzle while making a cake. She had forgotten that only America has yet to master the metric system, and she tried to learn it quickly as she gathered ingredients.
This also hampered a speech made by Thomas and Amie who declared Norfolk to be 40 degrees Celsius, which is about 104 degrees Fahrenheit. The Israeli students in the audience were relieved to discover the mistake.
To be an ambassador one must have a 3.0 grade-point average, have perfect or near-perfect attendance and be nominated by a teacher. Students are then interviewed by a panel of judges who select the ambassadors. The process starts in the fall. Upon returning, students give numerous school presentations to share what they have learned with others.
Because of the number of school days the ambassadors missed during their trip, all of them worked throughout winter break to catch up. But they agreed the cultural exchange was worth it.
``The more you travel, the more you broaden your horizons,'' Amie said. ILLUSTRATION: ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gina Ginn is junior at Norview High School.
by CNB