Junior Danis Smajic is a foreign exchange student from Bosnia and Herzegovina at Elmira High School.
Smajic landed in Eugene on Aug. 7. Since he has arrived, the junior has visited many new places, including the sand dunes in Florence, which have been his favorite so far.
The exchange student has not traveled much and this is his first time out of Europe.
Smajic is an outgoing person and likes to experience new things, which is why he chose the foreign exchange program.
“I wanted a new adventure,” Smajic said.
Back home in Bosnia and Herzegovina, he has 14 classes which are divided across multiple days.
In his opinion, American classes here are more thought out and classrooms are more welcoming. He has not been here long enough to decide the academic difference between Elmira High School and his school back home, but so far it seems easier.
“In Bosnia, we just have one math class,” Smajic said. “Junior year you can only take Pre-Cal while here we have more options.”
The exchange student is trying out a new sport this year by playing football. Back home he likes to play basketball, so he is thinking about trying out for the EHS team this year.
In Bosnia, Smajic also plays soccer, but he claims it differs from the sport in America.
“In Europe, soccer is a more aggressive sport and people get yellow cards often,” he told Falcon News.
Smajic is a very family oriented person. He has a younger brother and a small parrot.
Smajic is staying with host Tressa Miller, along with other foreign exchange student Lukas Korsten. He enjoys traveling with Korsten to new places around Oregon.
“I love to smile and laugh and am excited for my new experiences while I am here,” Smajic said.
