Half a world away from their homes, two Elgin Public High School students are preparing to observe Christmas with their host family.
Kao Takaya and Nadja Jakupovic are two foreign exchange students staying in the home of Kurt and Peggy Hanlin. Each has become very active in school including extra curricular activities such as being cheerleaders for Wolfpack sports teams.
Arriving in Elgin before school started last fall, Kao (from Tokyo, Japan) and Nadja (from Nuremburg, Germany) have grown to become a part of the Elgin Community in the short time they have been here.
In the Hanlin home, decorated for the holidays, the two girls have shared their appreciation for how big a holiday Christmas is here in Elgin. It differs a great deal from how the holiday is celebrated in their homeland.
For the complete story, subscribe to The Elgin Review.
