Foreign students share thoughts

Frontiersman

MAT-SU - Alaska schools are loaded with rules but teachers don't yell as much and students are friendlier than in many parts of the world, according to several foreign exchange students at Wasilla High School.

Reflecting on the past year in the Mat-Su, a group of eight foreign exchange students gathered Thursday afternoon to share their impressions of an American high school.

Sitting in a semicircle, students spoke with noticeable accents, while offering observations that differed widely depending on their nationality. The subjects they touched on were far-reaching.

A Mexican and Danish student, for instance, confessed to struggling more with academics in the U.S., while six students from Germany, Japan, Brazil and Thailand agreed that U.S. schooling is &#8220way easier” than in their home counties.

&#8220I was in French three here at Wasilla,” said 11th-grade German student Olaf Kreidler. &#8220The things we did in French three, here, I did in Germany in the seventh- or eighth-grade. America is way behind.”

U.S. history was a different matter, though, as students universally expressed difficulty with their limited background in American society and politics.

&#8220We don't have a base for U.S. history so it is real hard,” said Yukari Higuchi, an 11th-grader from Japan.

Most of the students were impressed by the technology and cleanliness of American schools.

&#8220It is much cleaner and every room has a computer here,” Kreidler said. &#8220Every teacher has a computer. In Germany, no teacher has a computer.”

As far as amiability goes, the foreigners agreed that Mat-Su students are friendly and outgoing.

&#8220I like the people more in American schools,” Kreidler said. &#8220Everyone is trying to talk and be friends and accept people.”

Fellow German Jenny Naujoks seconded the opinion.

&#8220I actually think it is better here,” she said. &#8220I have more friends and I'm on a softball team now. I like it.”

The two Japanese students nodded. There's less formality in America, Yukari said.

&#8220In America a freshman talks to a senior just like friends,” she explained. &#8220It is hard in Japan because a senior is more like respectable. Here I think it is really cool.”

Being foreigners, they agreed, has benefits when it comes to meeting people.

&#8220At first I was not talking that much and no one was talking to me,” Kreidler explained. &#8220Then, I started talking in class and everyone was saying, ‘Hh he's funny, he's from Germany.' You can say whatever you want and everyone laughs about it because it is funny.”

Another perk about matriculating in America is that students aren't expected to clean the school.

In Japan, Germany and Denmark, students take on custodial duties at their schools.

&#8220After school we need to clean our own classroom, bathroom and hallway,” Yukari said of school in Japan.

&#8220In Denmark it is not the teachers that have a room, it is the kids,” explained Danish student Malene Petersen. &#8220The teachers change rooms but we have to sweep the floor before we leave our classroom.”

In addition to no cleaning chores, most of the students said their teachers are nicer in America.

&#8220In Denmark teachers don't write you down for being late, they just freak out,” Petersen said. &#8220Here, there are so many rules that the teachers just stick to the rules and they don't get mad at kids for being late or anything. If you get tardy, there's rules about that.”

The systematic rules, more conservative dress codes and attendance policies impressed German student Naujoks.

&#8220It is really strict here,” she said. &#8220It took a while to get used to the rules.”

Each of the students live with a host family in the Mat-Su but they all said MSN.com was key to staying in contact with blood relative and close friends back home.

&#8220Now days I think it is easier to be a foreign exchange students because of all the technology we have,” said Brazilian student Beatriz Miranda. &#8220On the computer you can talk to all your friends on MSN. It's much easier than 10 years ago when you had to come and talk one at a time on the phone.”

Despite the separation from family and friends, none of the students were eager to get back to their home country - they said they're having too good of a time here.

&#8220I have a lot of friends here and when I think about leaving it is weird,” Yukari.

&#8220It's because we know that everyone will be there when we get back home,” Miranda added. &#8220When I leave here, who knows when I'm coming back.

&#8220If I do come back, all the people I meet are not going to be the same. I'm homesick for Alaska already,” Miranda said.

Contact Joel Davidson at

352-2266 or joel.davidson@

frontiersman.com.