Belgian exchange students Laurence Lambert, left, and Kevin De Kock attend a business class at Dalton State College.

DALTON, Ga. -- It didn't take long for a group of four Belgian exchange students to adapt to life in Dalton.

Their first outing straight from the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Feb. 5 was to a local Applebee's restaurant, where football fans closely were following the Super Bowl.

"It was quite an experience that evening," said Kelly Vermeiren, a marketing student from the Hogeschool Universiteit Brussel in Brussels, Belgium and one of the first students to study abroad at Dalton State College.

And because Vermeiren, 25, studies marketing, she was more interested in watching the commercials than the game itself, she said.

Last spring, a delegation from Brussels visited Dalton State to talk about an exchange program between the two schools as an extension of Dalton's Sister City relationship with Dilbeek, Belgium, near Brussels.

And last May, Dalton State officials visited the Western European country to sign a memorandum of understanding and interview program candidates.

The four students, three women and one man, room with other Dalton State students at the college's Wood Valley apartment complex, take classes in the School of Business and intern with local companies -- including Balta Group and Beaulieu of America, two of a handful of Belgium-affiliated companies in the area.

Kevin De Kock, 24, applied for the program because he wanted to experience America "for more than just a holiday trip," he said.

"And this was the opportune moment to do that, because this is our last year," he added.

The four students graduate this summer.

They even made local friends from their second day of arrival, the group of students said on a recent afternoon as they walked to their dorm, switching from English to Dutch even as they spoke amongst themselves.

"People are extremely friendly," said Vermeiren, who is doing her internship at Dalton State.

She didn't know anything about the North Georgia city before she came. The only thing she had heard was that it was not very big, but she has been pleasantly surprised.

She loves to mountain bike and go on hikes, something she can't do in her home country because it's flat, she said.

She's even made a trip to Florida for spring break.

"When I go back to Belgium, I'm going to recommend it," she said.

And the students haven't been shy about trying all different kind of foods from Mexican to Italian. But their favorite place so far is Cracker Barrel.

"I like Southern food," said De Kock, especially the chocolate Coca-Cola cake, he added.

In less than two months, the students have adjusted pretty well, they said.

"We know our way around Dalton, we know where everything is," said De Kock, who even is playing soccer with a local league.

Donna Mayo, dean of the School of Business at Dalton State, said exchange programs such as this are important because students live in a global world.

"The world is global, all business is international," she said. "Students can see and experience a different culture."

For her part, Vermeiren said she likes to be open minded.

"It's important to learn about different cultures and improve your language and social skills," she said.