I don't quite understand why the first person to comment on this article has such a negative view towards the wonderful experience these children had. These are local high school children who have been given the opportunity of a lifetime to meet peers from around the world and be immersed into other cultures. Opportunities like that don't come around every day, so it should be embraced instead of being belittled because of unknown reasons. Yes, the economy may not be at its peak, but that is no reason for these children to have to turn down such a wonderful opportunity. From the appearance of the blogs, it seems like these children had the trip of a lifetime. I fail to understand how such an incredible time for our local high school children is NOT news.