The student body is full of diverse individuals who have had many unique opportunities and experiences. For this edition of Humans of Hinsdale Central, we wanted to put the spotlight on just a few of these interesting people. We talked to six students who have each lived in a different country to find out what it was like and how those countries may differ from ours.

What is Ukraine like?

“Ukraine is like a big farm land. In big cities it’s really cool because it’s really modernized. When you go to villages, it’s a lot more fun because there are not as many laws to follow. It’s more fun because you can do your own thing like walking on pipelines and swimming in rivers.”

What’s a key difference between the US and Ukraine? 

“Ukraine has a lot of corruption, so if you ever get in trouble in Ukraine you can just bribe a cop with some dollars, and you’re done. While in America, if you try to slip $100 to a cop, you will get in more trouble.”

Can you speak Ukrainian? Are you fluent? 

“Yes I can. I am fluent. I can read, write, understand, and speak it at home.”

-Val Mykulyn, senior

Do you like America or Brazil better? Why? 

“I prefer Brazil because the culture is a lot more wholesome, the food is clean, and everyone is a lot sweeter and kinder there.”

What is Brazil like? 

“Brazil is obviously pretty huge. The North, near the Amazon area, is a tribalistic society, and there’s not a lot of people there. In the middle of Brazil is Brasília and Minas Gerais which are like mining towns that don’t have a lot of Western input. The South, like Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, is really crowded and really dangerous. That area is very polluted, so it’s super hard to live there and see those things.  There’s a ton of people living under bridges and [many] riots because the government is basically failing.”

What’s your favorite thing about Brazil?

“My favorite thing about Brazil is how open the people are.”

-Madison Helm, senior

What is something you like about Ecuador? What is it like?

“Something that I really like there was riding in the back of a truck. That sounds really redneck, but I did it because there are no laws. There were like 10 people in the back of that truck which was fun. Also, there are a ton of beaches, and the weather is really warm. Coconuts are everywhere. Food is very cheap. You can get food for about $1.50 which is amazing. Instead of dollars, they use quarters.”

What’s your favorite thing about Ecuador? America?

“In Ecuador, I felt very welcomed there in a sense that I’m Ecuadorian. I don’t really stand out there. In America, I like the school education.”

What’s a key difference between the US and Ecuador? 

“In Ecuador, food is way better, and the culture is amazing. Everyone would be dancing. Here in the US, people are dabbing which is not even funny. Additionally, [Americans] cook fried chicken, and that’s not even good at times.”

-Ana Snyder, senior

Would you ever move back to Thailand? 

“I probably would move back to Thailand because it’s so beautiful there and everybody is so laid back.”

Do you like America or Thailand better? Why? 

“I like America better just because it’s a lot safer and cleaner. I lived in the city in Bangkok, so it was really polluted. Thailand is really laid back and everything is really cheap.”

What is your favorite thing about Thailand? America?

“My favorite thing about Thailand is the beach and the tropical area. It’s so pretty, and the food is so good. My favorite thing about America is that there is so much more freedom and that it’s much safer.”

-Grace Corcoran, junior

Would you ever move back to Germany?

“Yes I would. In fact, I am moving back to Germany next year to go to college over there. I am going to [a university] in Western Germany and doing environmental engineering there.”

Do you like America or Germany better? Why?

“I would say I like Germany just because I know the language fluently and my entire family lives there. I also grew up in Germany, so I am very used to German life.”

How did you learn German? 

“My parents are German, so I speak it at home. I went to school in Germany also, which is why I am able to speak fluently.”

-Elias Ostertag, senior

Tell us your favorite stories from living in Indonesia.

“When I lived in Jakarta, Indonesia, things were really different there. When I was in middle school, there was an anti-Islamic video that was sent out by some guy in Florida. People protested at the American Embassy, and they were throwing cocktails. They had to get out an armored car in front of the Embassy, and there was a bunch of barbed wire and a guy with a machine gun. That was pretty crazy, especially because both of my parents worked there at the time. People also protested in front of the school, demanding that all Americans be deported. There were also a lot of times where it would flood really bad, and they didn’t have proper sewage systems. I was heading back home on the bus and it was flooding so much that the bus couldn’t keep driving. So, I had to walk a mile back to my house in flood water.”

-Tara Kinney, senior