January, 2013
Roman Derco is from Slovakia and has also lived in Hungary and the Czech Republic. Currently, he lives in Champaign, Illinois. Roman has been in the US for two months as an exchange visitor. He interns with Wolfram Research Inc. and he will complete his internship in December 2012.In our conversation with December’s Exchange Visitor of the Month, we learned that Roman is benefiting enormously from the internship program. Not only has being in the US provided him with the opportunity to work with people from different countries, but his experience in Chicago is his first taste of life in a big city. To experience even more of big city life in the US, he plans to visit New York City before he leaves the US.
He said Americans are polite and friendly. He was excited to tell us about his experience taking public buses in Champaign. He told us how he had once taken a wrong bus, but he did not realize until the last stop when everyone else had got off the bus. The bus driver was kind enough to drop Roman off at his place, even though it was not on the way of the bus route.
During his time here in the US, Roman has noticed some differences between Europe and America. He said Americans are better at selling or marketing themselves than Europeans. He also mentioned that US cars are bigger than European cars.
“Participating in an exchange visitor program is a great way to experience life in the US and also improve English,” Roman says. Remembering the challenges he faced converting euros to dollars, he also recommends changing your currency to dollars before arriving in the US for an exchange program.