MILWAUKEE - Ersin Ates, foreign exchange student from Turkey, has a very sports-centered mind. He plays four sports and plays them well. Ates swims and plays ping-pong, soccer and tennis on the junior varsity tennis team.

Ates, a senior, came from Eskisehir Fatih Anadolu Lisesi in Eskisehir. The climate here has not bothered him; central Turkey has similar weather. Ates misses his mother and Turkish cuisine, but he likes the variety of food in restaurants in Wisconsin.

“I also like the diversity of the school because in Turkey we [do not] have that. Everyone is Turkish there,” Ates said.

Ates finds U.S. history and American authors most challenging, but his other classes are much easier for him. In Turkey, he studied French, German and English, which he began learning four years ago. Classes there are much harder than here he said.

“On my first day [in the U.S.], I was very confused. I thought [life] was going to get worse. But as time passes…you get used to it. Now life is wonderful in the U.S.,” Ates said.

Ates has learned many new things about American culture and finds his exchange program very rewarding. With only two months left, Ates hopes time slows down, so his stay in the U.S. will not end. His time here has helped him grow.

“The exchange program gives you a chance to be free. First of all, you are on your own. You have to make decisions for yourself. It is a good thing. [It] makes you feel grown up. I feel ready for college now.”