It was a bit of a culture shock. Rome is a city of approximately 2.8 million, while Stockholm has a population of more than 965,000. Neither had ever heard of Teutopolis, Illinois, but both Alessio and Linus have not only adapted, but are enjoying themselves in small town America.

“I was excited about the fact that I was coming to a small town,” Linus admitted. “That way, it was something different from Stockholm, plus small towns are the real America.”

Alessio will be here for one semester through the Christmas holidays, while Linus will be a student at THS the entire school year.

Here is a closer look at both young men.

 

Alessio Bucciarelli

He is the 16-year-old son of Elisa and Pietro Bucciarelli. He has one younger brother, Simone, who is 12. His mother is a housewife, while his father is a banker.

Kent and Connie Deters, along with their children -- Alex, Derek, Justin and Kyle -- are the host family for Alessio. Alex and Derek are also on the soccer team.

“I really like my host family,” Alessio admitted. “They’ve been great.”

Alessio would be in the fourth year of a five-year high school program in Rome and is considered a junior at THS. His classes here include Foods, English, Physics, Math, World History and P.E.

“School is more organized here,” Alessio said. “You have time to do homework at school, which I like. We don’t have that kind of time in Rome. I will study several hours every night at home. I don’t miss that at all.”

English is a required subject in Rome, but there was a little trouble communicating the first couple weeks.

“I’ve spoken English more here than ever before,” Alessio noted. “Now I’m used to it. I’m even teaching my host family a little Italian.”

Since arriving, Alessio has been to Holiday World, a concert in St. Louis to hear Dan & Shay and Florida Georgia Line, and a St. Louis Blues hockey game.

Differences?

“People are different,” Alessio quickly responded. “Everyone knows everyone here. It’s not like that at all in Rome.”

And what about the food?

“I thought it might be a problem because we have good food in Italy,” Alessio said. “But the food is good here. Hamburgers are a lot better here, plus I really like Mt. Dew. We don’t have that in Italy. And my host family has cooked some Italian food for me. It’s been good.”

Alessio is uncertain about his future. After high school, he plans to attend college, but doesn’t know what he will study. He likes math and science. When it comes to selecting a college, he expressed interest in going somewhere other than Italy and considers the United States an option.

 

Linus Tanneryd

He is the 17-year-old son of Mans and Angelica Tanneryd. He has twin six-year-old brothers – Viktor and Arvid. His mother is a photographer, while his father is an IT programmer.

Tom and Maria Kingery, along with their children -- Sam, Lauren, Carly and Katherine -- are the host family for Linus.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better family,” Linus said. “They’ve been really good.”

High school is three years in Sweden, where Linus would be in his second year. At THS, he is considered to be a junior. His classes here include Foods, Geography, Current Events, English, U.S. History and CAD.

“Here you can choose exactly what classes you want to take,” he explained. “In Sweden, you choose a program and get the classes that come with that program. Plus, we don’t have the same classes at the same time every day. In Sweden, you have different classes each day.”

Other differences?

“Everybody knows everybody and everybody seems to be involved in the school and community,” Linus said. “Plus, the teachers know the students and the students’ parents. In Sweden, I don’t really know the teachers. Things are more personal here.”

And what about the food?

“I want to try as many fast food restaurants as possible. That’s high on my list,” Linus quickly answered. “I’ve tried corn dogs and really like them and Panda Express is amazing. But in general, the food is similar to back home.”

Except for Swedish meatballs.

“It’s hard to top what we have at home,” Linus said with a big smile. “I have a recipe with me. It’s my dad’s and it’s really good. I’m not much of a chef, but I’ll try making them sometime.”

Linus plans to stay in Sweden to attend college. He hasn’t decided on a career path yet, but said he’s considering politics or civil engineering.

Linus flew into New York City when he first arrived and had the opportunity to see some of the sites there. After flying into St. Louis, he visited The Arch, Busch Stadium and also went to a Blues hockey game. Before heading back to Sweden, he would like to visit Springfield and see anything associated with President Lincoln, plus see Chicago and go to an NBA game.

 

Soccer

Both Alessio and Linus have enjoyed being part of the Wooden Shoes soccer team.

Alessio used to play in Italy, but said studying takes so much time, he only plays with friends occasionally.

“I missed it,” he said. “I’m glad I had the opportunity to play here. It’s my favorite sport, plus we’re doing pretty good.”

As of early October, Alessio had scored 12 goals for the Shoes.

“The guys have all been nice,” he noted. “They accepted me from the beginning. We have good chemistry on this team.”

Linus has played soccer with a club team in Sweden.

“We don’t really have sports at school,” he explained. “I’m very happy to be on the THS team. I thought about trying basketball and baseball, but I realized I would be very bad at them. It was best I was on the soccer team here.”

Linus has also scored several goals for the Shoes, including four in one regular-season game.

“The biggest difference here is playing on real grass,” Linus noted. “I’ve played a couple tournaments on real grass, but almost everything in Sweden is on artificial grass. Because of that, the game is a little slower here, plus you need to really be focused because the ball bounces different. You get a more natural bounce on artificial grass.”

Coach Wendt said both Alessio and Linus have been positive additions to the squad.

“They have added to our skill and technical ability,” the coach added. “They have a high soccer IQ and know how to play the game. They have also taught us a couple new drills to run in practice, plus they have been willing to try new things as well.

“It’s been a great experience for all of us,” Coach Wendt admitted. “It’s the first time we’ve had two exchange students on the team at the same time. But that was good for them. They responded well by not being alone. And our kids responded well to them.”

The Shoes are hosting a Class 1A Regional. They are scheduled to play St. Anthony at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday in a semifinal match. The championship is set for 6:30 p.m. Friday.