A Colombian Exchange Student Finds a Home on Platt Lane

Richard {Reggie} Smith
Jul 10
3 min read

By Richard "Reggie" Smith

Cheshire Ct Phoenix News – Cheshire Memories Series

In September 1973, Cheshire High School welcomed an international visitor who transitioned from the high-altitude urban environment of South America to the distinct seasonal climate of small-town New England.

Eighteen-year-old Claudia Uribe arrived from Medellín, Colombia—a metropolitan city with a population of over one million people—to spend ten months in the town of Cheshire. Sponsored by the American Field Service (AFS) student exchange program, Claudia resided at 250 Platt Lane with the family of State Representative Richard Dice, his wife, and her American host sisters, Dee and Shelley Dice.

The transition marked a significant shift from her educational background in Colombia, where she attended a private, all-girls school with a uniform curriculum that offered students minimal elective options. At Cheshire High School, she experienced a co-educational environment and took advantage of the opportunity to choose her own courses. Her senior-year academic schedule included Calculus (which she attended with her host sister Dee), American History, English, Home Economics, and Personal Typing.

Arrival and Adaptation to Small-Town Life

Claudia’s journey to Connecticut began on September 3, 1973, when she landed in New York. The Dice

family met her the following day, and she attended the opening day of classes at Cheshire High School on September 5.

Adjusting to local customs involved experiencing regional recreation, landmarks, and community activities. In an interview published in the October 4, 1973, edition of The Cheshire Herald, Claudia noted that the smaller population made it easier to establish social connections compared to a large metropolis.

During her first autumn in town, she engaged in several local activities:

She hiked portions of the Blue Trail and visited Sleeping Giant State Park.
She spent time at the Mixville Recreation Area.
She assisted classmates by painting promotional posters for the Senior Class Dance.
She experienced an American-style birthday celebration, which followed a surprise 18th birthday party and traditional window serenade thrown by her friends and family before she left Colombia.
She utilized Saturday morning cartoons as a tool to help refine her English language skills.
She dedicated time to learning and understanding the rules of American football.

Dietary differences also required some adjustment. Claudia observed that local meals featured far fewer dishes containing rice and beans than she was accustomed to in Colombia. Conversely, she found fresh Connecticut peaches from local orchards to be a novelty. Because Medellín's year-round spring climate averages 65 to 70 degrees, it lacks the sustained cold weather required to grow cold-weather fruits like peaches and apples, requiring Colombia to import them.

Cultural Exchange and Preparations for Winter

To share her heritage with her host family, Claudia brought several traditional gifts from Colombia. She presented State Representative Richard Dice with a regional black leather and fur bag. For her host sister Dee, she brought a silver orchid pin embedded with a raw Colombian emerald, representing both the native wildflower and the country's prominent emerald mining industry.

As the autumn weather turned cold, preparations were made for Claudia's first New England winter, which included tentative plans for a skiing trip to Vermont. To help stay warm, she utilized a long, traditional Colombian poncho she had brought with her.

Despite the geographic and cultural differences, the underlying similarities between the two households were notable. In her interview with The Cheshire Herald, Mrs. Dice remarked, "One of the things we have found is there are so many likenesses. Very few things are really different between the two ways of life."