Ivy covered balconies, Roman edifices including an Arena from 30 AD, the town of Romeo and Juliet.

Verona, Italy, was also the home of Lavinia Ferne before she left for a taste of the United States and transplanted herself to Berryville.

At first, it was a major adjustment.

In the beginning, Lavinia said she was positive but lonely. Students at CCHS didn't go out of their way to welcome her.

"Here's a young girl, plopped in where she's never been," said Christina Price her host mother. "They don't know about her [culture] so they don't care."

Acceptance of other cultures is the main reason Christina and her husband, Jim, chose to participate in the foreign exchange program.

They want their children to be exposed to cultures they wouldn't otherwise be subjected to in Berryville.

"I just want my kids to know that growing up here is wonderful but there's another whole world out there," said Christina.

"We as Americans have the attitude that we're the best and there's nothing better out there," she said. "It really cripples our ability to go out there and see and do."

Experiencing a new sense of sight, Price said she is looking at the world through a new set of eyes.

Lavinia has an excitement about American culture that Jim and Christina are now rediscovering.

Simple things such as the design of the dollar bill amaze Lavinia and amuse her host family, giving them a new appreciation of the simple things in life.

"She's a reason for us to do more," said Christina.

Ana Badiola, originally from a much larger city in Spain, had a hard adjustment from city to rural life. She too is acclimating through family time.

"It's different in Spain, I would go out with my friends around town," said Ana. Now she hangs around home more.

She said there aren't as many places to go, and both she and the other exchange students have limited mobility without the ability to drive.

While Ana's growing used to rural life, her host parents, David and Tammy Lanham, are learning teenage life.

"Our adjustment has been becoming a part of the high school community," said Tammy, who has two grade school children.

European curriculum requires students to learn English. Italian curriculum, she said, is more difficult.

"I don't have to study a lot and I have the best grades in my class," she said, pointing out that English isn't her first language.

Both Ana and Lavnia were fluent before arriving.

Gastronomy, on the other hand, is an international subject for the girls and their host families.

Lavinia loves weekend breakfasts with pancakes and waffles. Ana prefers brownies.

Some things, however, are still lost in translation. "knock, knock jokes... I never get them," said Ana.

"When you read those profiles [of the exchange students], you know you're gonna make a dream come true," said Christina Price of her family's decision to host Lavinia.

Christel Tanner from Germany is also a foreign exchange student through PAX for the 2007-2008 year. She was not available for comment.