By MARIA DE LA TORRE

Last 13 of July in my home in Ecuador, while in the middle of my birthday party, I received a phone call from the A.F.S. sponsor that I was accepted as a foreign exchange student for a scholarship of studies and experiences in the United States.

When I entered Maine, I was scared; there was nobody I knew; and since I had a language barrier, I could understand neither teachers nor students, or be understood. To be an A.F.S. student has many pleasures and the experience itself of being able to know people is greatly valuable for any person's life; but in some cases it can be very, very rough.

Last semester I was taking five subjects and my central thought was to get good grades as I did in Ecuador, but I've found out that it is more important for me to join joint projects than making the "A" honor roll.

During the second semester I'll be a permanent member of Student Council. This will be a learning experience for me, since in my school in Guayauil we don't have anybody who can express our wishes for improvements.

Everything is ruled by the administration there. About Maine West people, I can honestly say that students and teachers have been understanding with me. They have given me friendship and confidence in myself, and I'll never be grateful enough for it. Even though our customs are different-since we come from extremely opposite backgrounds-I think that people are basically that-people.

With our love and hatred, with hopes and misunderstandings, sometimes we hurt and sometimes our words can fulfill the emptiness of a soul. We always work for the right to be equal and pursue happiness for us and those we love. That's perhaps why I feel about Maine and its people as I do. I love it as my own school and I am always proud to say to everybody here or anywhere, now or when talking to my grandchildren as the time passes by, that once I was a member of a school that knew how to give me all the tenderness I needed when I was lonely, when I needed a place to be and people to talk to. Now you know what I think about Maine. Perhaps this is not the best written story you've ever seen, and I'm sure that in many cases is not grammatically correct. but be sure that it was written with an honest heart trying to put in words the intangible world of my feelings.