Letter to the Editor: Student thanks host families

Dear Editor:
My name is Maxime van Dijk, I’ve been one of the foreign exchange students this past school year in MHS. I graduated with the senior class of 2011.
I would like to thank everybody in Meeker for their great hospitality. It’s been an amazing year with lots and lots of new experiences for me.
I’ve been to the Holiday Bowl with my first host-family Halandras/ Morgan. This was my first time seeing an actual football game, which was fun.
Then I spent spring break with the Gerloffs, my second host-family, in Cañon City, where we went bungee jumping from the Royal Gorge Bridge. I had never seen such a big canyon before. As I explained to most people in Meeker, we don’t have any mountains in Holland/ the Netherlands.
As soon as spring really started I had a new experience, I went cow branding with the Fellows family. I have to be honest, being a city girl, this came as a total shock. I never thought they actually branded the calves. It turned out not to be so bad, after all I was just standing around and petting the baby calves.
That next day I went to the Sheridans to do the same thing. I should have known better … When we drove up to the Bar 7 Ranch I got a little scared. I don’t think I’ll see that many cows in my life ever again! I also helped brand a couple calves, how tough I felt after that!
In the meantime I got to experience the real American high school, with homecoming, prom and graduation.
I would like to thank everybody in Meeker for making this a great year for me. With special thanks to the Gerloffs, who I would like to consider family.
I never imagined it would be so hard for me to leave this town but as I’m writing this my last day has arrived.
Once again I would like to thank everybody in Meeker for making this one of the best years.
I hope to see everybody again next summer.
Maxime van Dijk
Holland/the Netherlands