Clarion-Goldfield-Dows students are back from an international trip to Kosovo in March, marking another step forward in the community’s sister-city partnership with Junik.
The relationship between Clarion and Junik was established in 2022, with the goal of creating cultural exchanges and building long-term connections between the two communities.
Eight members of the C-G-D FFA chapter made the trip over spring break, accompanied by three adult chaperones and Ag advisor Angie Charlson. For many of the students, it was their first time traveling outside the United States, and their first experience in a country where English is not the primary language.
Adult chaperone Lynn Seaba tells RadioOnTheGo News the purpose of the trip goes beyond travel, it’s about forming relationships and learning directly from another culture.
“The sister-city relationship was something that was set up between the city of Clarion and the city of Junik. In the initial trip when they signed the agreement to become sister cities, we had the mayor and some other community leaders that went,” Seaba says. “So once they set that up, it’s meant to give us cultural exchanges and get us connections and actually go and meet the people that live in our sister-city, spend time with them, invite them back to Clarion so that we can develop a relationship with another country and we can learn about their culture they can learn about our culture.”
While in Junik, students immersed themselves in daily life—visiting schools, touring farms, and exploring historic sites. The group also brought along donated books to help local students build their English language skills, something that has become a meaningful part of the exchange.
Seaba describes the community in Junik as slower-paced and deeply family-oriented, offering a contrast to life in rural Iowa. Meals and conversations often stretched well beyond what students are used to back home, giving them time to connect and reflect.
The trip also included time exploring the region’s landscape, including a visit into the mountains, while back in Iowa, students kept tabs on a late-winter blizzard through their phones—highlighting the differences between the two regions.
The trip was made possible through nearly a year of planning and fundraising, with support from the community and local businesses helping bring the opportunity within reach for students.
Seaba says one of the most impactful aspects of the visit was the welcoming nature of the people in Kosovo and the emphasis on slowing down and spending time together.
“They love to visit with the Americans and I mean that’s an event. You sit down for coffee. You know it’s not like a grab-and-go that we do here in the United States where you’re doing the drive through the coffee window. No, you sit down at a table and you can sit for coffee for 30, 40 minutes, sometimes an hour and it’s just relaxing and you can exchange ideas and have good conversation,” Seaba says. “All of our meals were that way and I think the students really did adapt, you know, and they got accustomed to sitting down and sharing. And I hope that they come back and, you know, we take a little bit more time at our tables so that we aren’t rushed as much as we normally are.”
Seaba says the experience was one she believes students will carry with them for years to come.
Photo of FFA students with Kosovo’s Minister of Agriculture, front left to right: Samantha Seaba, Adelynn Howell, Armando Melendez , Kosovo’s Minister of Agriculture-Mr. Armend Muja, Damon Fouts, Lydia Langfitt, Mrs. Angie Charlson. Back left to right: Lea Charlson, Logan Legleiter, Audrey Egland.
Photo provided by Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Superintendent Joe Nelson.
Full interview below
