Students get lesson in border culture

For most of Brownsville, Charro Days is a familiar tradition, a celebration of two cultures that local residents know well. But for six participants in Friday night's parade, the festival was far from familiar. They're from China, Brazil and Germany - students who enrolled in a foreign exchange program and landed at the very tip of the United States.

They arrived just in time to don sombreros de charro, to ride on floats through the streets of downtown Brownsville waving at thousands of parade goers.

"We're so lucky to be here," said Chu Wang, 17, from China. "We get to learn about two cultures at the same time."

This year, 13 students from all over the world were placed in Brownsville by the American Institute for Foreign Studies, which hosts Academic Year in America. The foreign exchange program has placed students in the city for more than 15 years. They attend high school in Brownsville for either a semester or a year and live with local families before returning home.

"It's really a wonderful place for these kids," said Cindy Martinez, the program's local director. "The people are friendly; the weather is nice. They all love it here."

Word has traveled quickly about the perks of life on the border, Martinez said. Program alumni say that being placed in Brownsville is akin to winning the lottery.

During Charro Days, the group was particularly pleased with their experiences in South Texas, despite being thousands of miles from home.

"I was walking down the street with a taco, Mexican music was playing, the sun was shining. And I just thought to myself, ‘This is amazing!' " said Janine Kox, 17, of Germany.

In their traditional costumes, the students prepared themselves for the Illuminated Night Parade. They tied green and red ribbons in their hair. They practiced waving to the crowd.

"I saw myself in the mirror and I thought, ‘I look really Mexican!' " Kox said.

Of course, the transition to life in South Texas has its rocky moments. Weeks ago, Wang tried to explain some of the cultural differences to her family back home.

"I realized that we have no word for "rodeo" in Chinese," she said. "My mother had no idea what I was talking about."

Other quintessentially Texas experiences - rabbit hunting, for one - also required some adjustment.

But atop a glittering Charro Days float, the students were in their element. Each wore a sash bearing the name of her host country and waved gracefully to the crowd.