This is an article about a student’s experiences of being a foreign exchange student at WHHS. 

At one point or another, everyone experiences high school for the first time. However, Wayne Hills is especially new to me because there is nothing like it in Germany, where I’m from. It is difficult to compare the US and German school systems because they are both so different. In Germany, school meets for the same thirty people everyday for 8 hours and people attend the same school for 12 years.

I used to watch high school movies and imagine what it would be like to live in America and meet new people, seeing the football games and cheerleaders. It’s hard to believe that I’m really here in Wayne Hills.

And to be honest, high school is nothing like it does in the movies.

Here in America, I can really experience the “real” high school life. I can choose classes that you could never take in Germany, where they have no classes for marketing or food.

On my first day, I was really nervous because I didn’t know what to expect. I had so many questions before coming into the school. Would there be people who are interested in foreign exchange students?
Or would nobody care? Would people even notice that a new student transferred?

But actually, everything turned out well. People were showing me how to get to the classrooms, and people were asking me questions. Most of them were really friendly.

Some things were quite new to me. For instance, the lockers, the amount of homework everyday, and how quiet it is in the classes (most of the time) was foreign to me. And having my courses in the English language wasn’t easy for the first couple of days either.

However, I have the feeling that I fit in now, somehow.

What I really like about WHHS is the spirit, somehow, you really feel like you are a part of this community. Almost every American I’ve met seemed so open-minded, which made me feel so welcomed.

Now that I’ve been here for over a month, things have settled down. I have friends, I have a daily routine, and although there are some things that I haven’t figured out yet, I’m here to do so.

However, I enjoy being an exchange student at Wayne Hills, because everyday you figure some new things out and I’m really happy to have the possibility to experience this year.