By Claire Conrad
Staff Writer

Most students arrive for their first day at school having already established a group of friends in feeder junior high schools like Egan or Blach and having been immersed in American culture for several years. But what is high school like for students whose first steps onto campus are one of their first experiences in the country? Many students were not born in the United States. While some have emigrated from a foreign country at a young age, several come at the beginning of or during high school. After being raised in a different culture, the transition to a California public school in the suburbs is often a difficult experience.

School structure
Christine Hsu, a freshman who moved from Tainan, Taiwan this August, found a significant difference between the school systems in Taiwan and the United States.

At Christine’s school in Taiwan, Shan Kong, there were 55 students in a classroom and students stayed in the classroom as a group. Although a permanent counselor stayed with the classroom, the teachers for the various subjects came to them.

“But after the first bell rings, the first teacher [came] and [the counselor left] and [went] to her office,” Christine said.

Shan Kong had three buildings and no field for football, soccer or track. As in every other school in Taiwan, the students were required to wear uniforms, and the school was not coeducational. Such a concept stems from the high quality of work expected from the students by parents and teachers. Teachers, principals and parents don’t want us to have boyfriends or girlfriends too early because they want us to concentrate on our studies,” Christine said.

These were just a few of the differences that Christine noticed between this school and her old school.

Junior Lorna Maupile also dealt with a culture change. She moved last August from Wiesbaden, Germany. She attended schools in France, England, Cyprus and Germany. The school structure in America is very different from that in her previous European schools.

Lorna received most of her education in Paris, France at public school called Las Case.

Learning the French language is a very large part of French education. Students continue learning the complicated grammar rules through senior year.

“There’s so many tenses you have to learn and so many irregular verbs…. The only way to know them is mostly to memorize them,” Lorna said.

Athletics
Unlike in the United States, in Taiwan, there is very little emphasis on athletics. Christine said that in Taiwan, the only opportunity the students have to play sports is a physical education class that the school does not consider important.

At LAHS, however, she has the opportunity to play a variety of sports outside of PE, which receives as much time as every other class period.

For Lorna, sports were not emphasized as much at the schools she went to as they are here either.

“Most people don’t take sports during their high school.... Most students finish [their classes] around 6 at night. They come back home and they have hours worth of homework,” Lorna said.

Social
Both girls said that they experienced different social climates in the two countries.

“Friends are closer here,” said Christine.

Such tight bonds are not present in Taiwan. According to Christine, this is because in Taiwan close friendships are sacrificed to make room for the intense academic competition. The students are very focused on receiving higher grades than everyone else.

Lorna said that she found LAHS to be much more exclusive than her previous schools, which was at first slightly awkward for her. Lorna also said that she received a label upon first arriving at the school.

“I was the new French girl,” Lorna said.

The language barrier
Christine’s primary difficulty in America was the language. Even though she did take an English course in Taiwan, the students did not practice conversational speaking.

“I didn’t talk very much, we just wrote and practiced grammar,” Christine said.
Lorna did not have any difficulties in adjusting to the English language. Because English is so common in Europe and she went to school in England, she became fluent in the language.

Transportation
The girls both said that they found methods of transportation to be different in Los Altos than in their previous cities.

Christine said in Taiwan “we can walk to go to other houses or the store.” Her residence in Los Altos Hills often forces her to drive.

Similarly for Lorna, public transportation was much more accessible in Europe. Living in an American suburb, however, means that she needs to get in a car to reach her desired destination, whether it is to buy a fresh baguette and croissant for breakfast or attend her ballet class.

Overall, though, Christine and Lorna and other foreign students find the challenges of coming to a foreign country surmountable and worth the price.