SHELBY — Maria José Roldan Centrón sprinted across the lawn on Monday, smartphone in hand, recording a video of the row of cars. Friends held colorful homemade signs or waved from their windows.
Roldan Centrón, a 16-year-old from Asunción, Paraguay, has lived in Shelby for eight months as part of a student-exchange program.
Her return date was moved up from mid-June due to the coronavirus outbreak, so her host parents, Tom and Char Yetzer, arranged the procession so she could say her goodbyes.
“We wanted to do something as a special surprise for her since she can’t have an official going away party. She’s going to miss prom and graduation so wanted her to feel special,” explained Char. “Of course we are very sad, but happy she gets to see her family and dogs soon. Her family is very worried that she is not home through this pandemic.”
After running past almost a dozen cars, Roldan Centrón returned to the end of the driveway to greet each car full of well wishers one by one. Friends brought cards, gifts, a small tub of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream and one of her favorite American indulgences.
“Ooooooh, Reese’s!” she said, bouncing with excitement after one friend handed her a value pack of peanut butter cups.
Roldan Centrón said she was disappointed that her time in the United States was cut short.
“It’s so sad. I don’t want to leave,” said Roldan Centrón. “I was having so much fun with friends and then this came up.”
The teen attended Shelby High School during her stay and played on both the volleyball and basketball teams. Although she was hesitant at first, her host family and friends encouraged her to play to get the full American experience.
She ended up making her first 3-pointer.
“I was so happy. Everyone was screaming and I felt so special,” she recalled. “Everyone were hugging me.”
Sports allowed Roldan Centrón the chance to make lots of new friends.
“I love them. I will miss them so much,” she said of her teammates.
Roldan Centrón said one of the most fun things about her time in the States was attending high school football games. She’s also proud of her language improvement.
“That was the best feeling that I could talk to someone in another language,” she said.
When she returns to Paraguay, Roldan Centrón and other foreign exchange students will spend two weeks in quarantine at a military base before returning home to their families.
The small Latin American nation has a relatively low rate of COVID-19, with just 208 reported cases. The government implemented strict measures to curtail the spread.
“Everyone is freaking out. Everyone stays at home. You can’t meet friends, do anything,” said Roldan Centrón.
She added that people are allowed to go and buy groceries, but there is a curfew.
Even though her time was cut short, Roldan Centrón said she’s thankful for the time she spent here. She plans to come back for a visit next year with her mother and stay in touch with friends from Shelby.
“I’m very very grateful and just so happy that I met everyone from here,” she said. “Thank you for the patience when I didn’t know English. My family was so nice to me. I was always very welcome. I will miss them.”
