Fairfield High School foreign exchange student Glaucia Lie Terasaka thought she just might be crazy to hop on a plane and leave behind her family, her friends and the comforts of her home for an entire year.

But now that she is here, she said it is an experience everyone should try.

"It has been really cool for me and a new experience," she said. "I enjoy it a lot, because I have a lot of friends here. It's a crazy thing, because you miss a lot, but you are happy you are here."

Although her family is from Sao Paulo, Brazil, the 17-year-old is of Asian decent. Her grandparents emigrated from Japan.

Glaucia said her family works to promote Japanese culture in her city to keep it alive for the second- and third-generation Japanese-Brazilians.

When she arrived in Fairfield, Glaucia said there were some major differences. Not only did students have more manners and respect for teachers, she said the city also was much larger than she imagined.

"I like this school," she said. "All the activities — everybody groups together. It's really cool."

One thing that has baffled her is how much American culture revolves around food and how many Americans eat in their cars. On top of that, she said they text while driving.

"It's really confusing," she said. "It's really funny. You go to church and the people eat."

While her family had a strong religious background, she said church here is a new experience. She attends several times a week, attending youth group and Young Life activities.

"I like it here, because it has a lot of things to do," she said.

As chairwoman of the Fairfield Rotary Club's foreign exchange student program, Superintendent Cathy Milligan said she encourages students to apply for a study-exchange program.

Applications for the 2009-10 school year exchange program are now being accepted by the Fairfield Rotary Club. Requirements are: rank in the upper third of the class; possess good character; possess an outgoing and pleasant personality; able to accept discipline; capable of adjusting to new and sometimes challenging conditions; possess a desire to learn about other countries and cultures; able to appreciate and accept difference in cultures; and must be at least 15½ years old at the time school begins overseas, usually in late August or early September in the Northern Hemisphere.

Submission of a preliminary application and a brief interview are the first steps.

Students approved to move forward complete a full application, including school permission, recommendations, certifications, a physical, photos and $150 refundable fee due Nov. 14. Interviews are held Dec. 7. If selected, an $850 fee is required, $150 of which is submitted with the application.

For more information, call Ute Papke at (513) 451-3083.

Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5067 or lhilty@coxohio.com.