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Sometimes one needs only to look at the big picture through an outsider's eyes in order to see just how fortunate we really are.
Sure, it's easy to get bogged down in the negativity of life -- and school. It sure wouldn't be the first time I heard complaints from young people in my life (i.e., my sons) about things like "stupid school" or teachers who give "way, way too much homework." And you can only imagine the comments I was hearing last week from my oldest son, a junior at Youngstown State University, who was enduring … let's just call it a "challenging" week of final exams.
And out of school, there's always the old standby about there being "absolutely nothin' to do around here!" And of course, it's always easy to complain about the miserable weather in northeast Ohio.
But the five foreign exchange students who have been spending this semester at Mineral Ridge High School offered a whole different outlook on mostly everything (other than maybe the weather), according to the wonderful story written by Tribune Chronicle Features Editor Burton Cole that we published on the front page Monday.
These young world travelers chatted comfortably about classes, scheduling, American culture and, of course, the weather.
Eftelya Simsek, 16, a junior from Turkey, described the small local school district as "more strict here, but the schedule is better." She said at her school, she rarely got home before 10 p.m.
Granted, I've always heard school in some European nations is much tougher than in America, but 10 p.m.? Really?
Likewise, Fimja Brunow, 16, of Germany, said back home she takes 11 to 13 classes per semester. She complained that because the teachers there teach so many classes, they often aren't as polished on the topics as they should be. That didn't seem to be a problem here.
By contrast, however, Brazilian school days run only from 7 a.m. to about 12:30 p.m., said Eduardo Silveira, 16, a sophomore. That makes me wonder how students there can successfully accomplish any extensive lesson plans.
Alberto Santiago, 18, of Spain, and Anass Chariraa, 18, of France, rounded out five international visitors.
Each of the five was very articulate in the English language -- which should serve as another not-so-subtle reminder of how admired and respected America still is to the rest of the world. Travel abroad always drives home the point of how much others still want to emulate America, despite the fact that sadly, so many of us often take our culture, freedoms and other blessings for granted.
The foreign students also said their experiences here for the last several months have truly just whetted their appetites for more American life, saying they desired to return to the U.S. someday, for college or beyond.
Of course, there is the weather. That topic did manage to put at least three of the teens into what writer Burt aptly described as "climate shock."
"How do you guys live here?" Silveira demanded. "(At home in Brazil,) it was never lower than 65."
"It's just too cold," agreed Simsek from Turkey.
And as far as new experiences go, apparently snow was a big one for Chariraa. The coldest weather he had ever experienced in Nantes, near the west coast of France, was 40 degrees.
OK, I get it. Not everyone can be positive about everything.
Overall, though, the story should serve as a strong reminder of how blessed we are to be here in America and in northeast Ohio full-time. If you have kids or grandkids, you might consider showing them the story.
I was so moved by the positive words these kids said about studying in the Mahoning Valley and in America in general that I even got a little shiver as I read it. And that wasn't caused by the freezing temperatures.