GRAND COTEAU — Amaia Batlle and Lucka Sraholova, have developed a new level of courage.
"It was always my dream to visit the US because I was never here before", said Lucka Sraholova. "My teacher back home was like, you can apply for exchange years so I was like yeah that sounds nice. So I applied and didn't know where I was going."
Lucka is from Czech Republic, and Amaia is from Spain. They're wrapping up their first semester of boarding school at the Academy of Sacred Heart in Grand Coteau.
"It is difficult because you're completely alone. My friends are back in Spain", says Batlle. "Here, I've met people that helped me a lot and once you get used to it, it goes so easy."
They are two of 30 international boarding students on campus.
"You're never by yourself. Whatever support system you have back home, you will recreate a new one here. Whenever they leave this place, a piece of their heart is here because they realize that that was another family that was created around them, for them", says Helene Chatelain de Pronville, who serves as an admissions counselor at the school.
And part of that family-- on the court, as the girls compete for the Lady Saints.
"People that are on the team are really, really nice. They're really supportive and I've never played before. Only in like P.E. in school. It's a sport that the school offered so I said basketball sounds nice."
"In Spain, it's something that we've included in our team here, we do a hype circle. We scream and it's really fun. They didn't know what it was here so I explained it one day and now after every single game we huddle up and do the hype circle."
No matter who you are, or where you come from, the bond of adjustment is what brings these young ladies together.
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