“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”
Mark Twain said in his travelogue Innocence Abroad, published in 1869. Indeed, ignorance of the world can be avoided by travelling, if one has the means to. Learning others’ cultures causes one to realize that there is much more to the world than what we know it to be, and makes us more open-minded and accepting of new concepts and ideas. It was my eagerness to learn about a different culture that led me to volunteer to host two Lithuanian students the week of May 10-17. This year, 2026, marks the inaugural exchange between Bedford High School and our new sister school in Vilnius, Lithuania. It joins three other exchange programs here at BHS: France (running this upcoming 2026-2027 school year and takes place every other year), Spain (just ran this 2025-2026 school year and takes place every other year), and Taiwan (running this upcoming 2026-2027 school year and also takes place every other year). According to Mr. Carnegie, a Global Studies teacher, all of the sister schools BHS partners with are also IB world schools. He explained that prior to the Lithuanian exchange program’s founding, there was a Danish exchange. However, interest in the exchange among both the students in Denmark and the students at BHS “fizzled out”, and our partnership with the Danish school eventually ended. Then, Ms. Grauslys, an English Language Learner teacher, came up with the idea to start a new exchange program with Lithuania. Being Lithuanian herself, it seemed like the perfect idea. BHS located a school in Vilnius that was also an IB school and the school seemed eager to begin this partnership as well. It was just the right fit. Last summer, our former principal Mr. Jozokos and Ms. Grauslys travelled to Lithuania to visit our new sister school. Last fall, Ms. Grauslys shared the exciting opportunity of the new Lithuanian exchange in a presentation to the student body.
Five students from BHS travelled to Lithuania over April break. They visited main landmarks, attractions, and other Lithuanian cities. I had the opportunity to ask one of them about his experience over there. He observed that “everything was much smaller in Vilnius…partly because everything had to be condensed.” Of the few classes he went to at our sister school, the BHS student gained the impression that the classes in Lithuania are much more formal than they are here. He explained that there are “No teachers ranting about a story from twenty years ago, mainly because the classes were only forty-five minutes.” He noted that “The people are much less talkative, as is most of Europe compared to the United States.” Considering this fact, the BHS student was most impressed with “the beauty of the country, both natural and man-made.”
While the Lithuanian exchange students were in Bedford, they took field trips to regular New England attractions nearby. The field trips were led by Mr. Carnegie, Ms. Grauslys, and Mrs. Betsy Doyle, the global coordinator. Students enjoyed the sights of Portsmouth, Maine, and Boston, and also took a trip to the Rockingham Mall in Salem. While here, the students also participated in the “American experience” of prom. Getting ready, taking pictures, and an overall fun night was a nice way to end the week in Bedford.
Hosting exchange students was a very sweet experience. I took one of my students to local spots around town, and the exchange students had a fun and packed schedule. All the students from Lithuania spoke English fluently. One of my exchange students, Vilija, explained that as there are not many Lithuanian movies, young people in Lithuania are accustomed to watching English movies and are exposed to the English language through social media platforms. Coming to our home on the first Sunday of the trip, May 10, my two exchange students immediately asked about Raising Cane’s and Crumbl. Vilija explained that on social media they see mukbangs with American food and “it looks so good.” However, the students did not really finish the new foods they wanted to try, as the portion sizes here, they observed, are much bigger than the sizes in Europe. A regular attraction, I took Vilija to Target and she bought some items that are cheaper here than in Lithuania, and some candy with the food dye that is banned in Lithuania for her friends back home.
At BHS, Vilija and her friends found my classes interesting and Vilija expressed that the teachers here are very enthusiastic, confirming the BHS student’s observation that the classes in Lithuania are more formal. She declared that the school here is very “big and beautiful”, just like in the movies! Of our school lunch, Vilija noted that there is much more sugar and processed food than the school lunch in her school in Lithuania. She thinks that her school “tries too hard”, and does not have almost any sugar in their school food!
Though the exchange programs are short, usually not lasting more than ten days with your host/exchange student, they can be completely worthwhile and rewarding, making lifelong friends and providing a quick snapshot of life in another country.
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