“I wanted to see what life as an American high school student looked like. When I first got here I realized that everyone was so nice and that got me excited to make new friends.” Tina explained. The Oakwood School offers an amazing international student program, which places international students with an Oakwood host family for a semester or a whole school year. “Going to school here was an amazing experience. I really stepped out of my comfort zone, and became much more independent.” Tina reminisces.
“My biggest cultural shock was the transportation. You need a car for everything you want to do.” Tina says, astonished, as Frankfurt, Germany has an excellent public transport system, and the center of the city is very walkable. “There really is no part of the US that’s super similar to my home, it’s really different,” She observed.
“Oakwood was much less demanding, and less strict than my school back home.” Tina reflects. “At my school back home, my favorite subjects were literature and chemistry, and unsurprisingly, those subjects have remained my favorites at Oakwood. Something about school here that surprised me were the study halls!” “I enjoyed the sports I got a chance to play at Oakwood, too. I had already played tennis before and enjoyed it, so I joined the team in the fall. I am also playing basketball right now, and it’s going well as well!”
When asked what her favorite memory in America was Tina responded with “Any memory that was made with my friends. The hardest thing for me to leave behind is going to be all my friends that I have made, especially Maria and Katelyn.” Tina admitted. “One memory that sticks out to me was going to New York City, that was super fun!” She exclaims.
Now for Tina’s advice to any future international students. “The hardest part is definitely being away from home for a long time. Just be open and ready to make new friends and SAY YES TO EVERYTHING!!!” She emphasizes. “I’m super sad to be leaving, it feels like I’m leaving a whole life behind. I will miss everything so much”.
With all of this to say, everyone at The Oakwood School wishes you luck on your next adventure, Tina!!
