Rachel Cheung – Hong Kong

Q. What has been your favorite experience in America so far?

I think it’s probably going out with my host family every weekend. In Hong Kong, we don’t usually go out that much. We have a lot of shopping malls, but besides shopping and going to the movies, there’s not too much more to do. Here I could go to car races, and the county fair, things that I wouldn’t have been able to do in Hong Kong.

Q. Your least favorite experience?

Everything has been really good so far… But the first two days I got lost a lot. We don’t have schools this big in Hong Kong. Anyway, now I’ve got used to it, and I don’t get lost anymore.

Q. How does America compare to your country?

Hong Kong is really crowded and mostly urban areas, and you don’t get to see trees or animals. Here in Nebraska there’s a lot of animals. In Hong Kong you wouldn’t be able to see squirrels, or any other animal running in the middle of the city.

Q. What has been the most culturally shocking experience you’ve had?

I feel people here sre more friendly. For example, in Hong Kong, people wouldn’t greet you when shopping, in fact they wouldn’t talk to you anything at all. Even on school, in Hong Kong if you are a new student, people would just ignore you, but here people always seem happy to help you.

Q. How could you define your culture in one word or short phrase?

I think it would be “Big CIties”,   because in Hong Kong people don’t get along with each other. I didn’t even know my neighbor in Hong Kong.

Q. What would you say is your favorite word in your language?

I think that would be “Faith” (信仰). Sometimes you have to believe in something, even if it seems impossible to do, but if you don’t believe and try to do it, you are definitely not going to do it

Q. How is school different in your country?

I feel that school here is less strict than in Hong Kong. There you aren’t able to use your cellphone in school, and you also have to wear uniforms everyday.

We also don’t have so much classes to choose from in Hong Kong, like cooking classes, or technology.

Q. How do you cope with homesickness?

I don’t usually get homesick, but whenever I miss something, I just try to ignore it, and shake it off.

Q. Have you traveled to other countries before? Where?

Yeah, I’ve been to Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and Maldives.

Johan Nielsen – Norway

Q. What has been your favorite experience in America so far?

I’ve really liked the school, and the classes because there are so many things to do.

Q.  Your least favorite experience?

That people keeps asking me how to spell my name, it get’s kind of annoying.

Q. How does America compare to your country?

People in my country is more shy, people don’t like to talk to each other that much.

Q. What has been the most culturally shocking experience you’ve had?

People here is really open and friendly, and everybody talks to you, which is the total opposite from home.

Q. How could you define your culture in one word or short phrase?

I would say “Quiet”. Nobody speaks to you, and even if you try to speak to other people, they wouldn’t answer back.

Q. What would you say is your favorite word in your language?

That’s a hard question. I would say it’s “Havet”, which means the Ocean.

Q. How is school different in your country?

I think lunch time, because here you have lots of food in lunch, and it’s really good.

Q. What is the thing you miss the most from your country?

My family. And I kind of miss the fish because here most of the fish is usually frozen, and I am used to get fresh fish.

Q. How do you cope with homesickness?

I dont think it through. I just try to concentrate and put it behind me, act normal.

Q. Have you traveled to other countries before? Where?

It’s a long list, but the countries that come to my mind right now are Vietnam, France, Canada, Germany, and Denmark. I liked specially Denmark, because it’s really similar to my country, but better, it has better weather, it’s warmer.

Nadya Dicky – Indonesia

Q. What has been your favorite experience in America so far?

The teachers are really energetic and warm, and they are always willing to help students. I also passed the audition for the school play.

Q. Your least favorite experience?

I guess homesickness, missing my friends back in Indonesia, my family and the food.

Q. How does America compare to your country?

It’s really different. We have a mall that’s as big as this school in Indonesia, and I kept getting lost the first days, but I meet new people every day, which is awesome.

Q. What has been the most culturally shocking experience you’ve had?

How the students act towards the teachers; it’s a more informal relationship.

Q. How could you define your culture in one word or short phrase?

Diverse. Tradition is really important in Indonesia, and we keep it, in dances and music.

Q. What would you say is your favorite word in your language?

In Indonesia we have new words and slangs almost every day. But I like the words “Cinta”, and “Anjir”. “Cinta” means “love”, and “Anjir” is like a slang that we use a lot, but I don’t think it has an English translation.

Q. How is school different in your country?

We don’t have moving classes. There’s only one class, and every teacher goes to your class in every period instead of you having to go from class to class. We also have to use uniforms.

Q. What is the thing you miss the most from your country?

I think there’s a special attachment with the people, and the food of the place you were born in. Also, I really miss the beach because in Bali, I had it really close to home, and here there is no beach.

Q. How do you cope with homesickness?

I try to focus in other things like studying, doing homework, or going out with my host family.

Q. Have you traveled to other countries before? Where?

No, this is my first time.

Lorin Voight – Germany

Q. What has been your favorite experience in America so far?

I like that the school and mostly everything here is bigger.

Q. Your least favorite experience?

I tried this thing called “float”, which is root beer mixed with ice cream. I didn’t like it at all.

Q. How does America compare to your country?

Well, like I said, everything here is bigger, and school is different from my country too. Also, people here are friendlier than in Germany.

Q. What has been the most culturally shocking experience you’ve had?

The most shocking thing here is the amount of food you get everywhere. In restaurants and even at home I get a lot of food.

Q. How could you define your culture in one word or short phrase?

I would say “Good in Soccer”.

Q. What would you say is your favorite word in your language?

“Scheise”, and it means “crap”.

Q. How is school different in your country?

In my country school is smaller; in my school there were only about 500 students. Also, we didn’t get the chance to be part of sports teams, like right now I can play tennis in the school. I wouldn’t have been able to do that back in Germany.

Q. What is the thing you miss the most from your country?

I miss my family. And the food. German food is really good.

Q. How do you cope with homesickness?

I really hadn’t been homesick, but I think if I start missing my family too much, I would just do something else to get my head off of it.

Q. Have you traveled to other countries before? Where?

I’ve been in Italy, France, Poland, and the Netherlands.

Carol Sampao – Brazil

Q. What has been your favorite experience in America so far?

The thing I liked the most from here is my host family. They are really nice and supportive with me. I’ve also enjoyed being part of the volleyball team.

Q. Your least favorite experience?

My first day of school. I kept getting lost trying to get to every class.

Q. How does America compare to your country?

I think here is a little bit safer. Where I am from it’s more dangerous to walk in the street, but I feel that in Brazil people are warmer.

Q. What has been the most culturally shocking experience you’ve had?

How people trust on each other. Like the self-checkouts in walmart, that’s something that wouldn’t have worked in Brazil.

Q. How could you define your culture in one word or short phrase?

“Happy” everyone is always happy, and joking all the time.

Q. What would you say is your favorite word in your language?

“Cafune”, there’s no literal translation to it, but it kind of means the act of stroking other person’s hair, it’s a sign of affection.

Q. How is school different in your country?

The biggest difference is sports. We didn’t have big sports teams back in Brazil. Also the school was smaller, and we didn’t have to go from class to class.

Q. What is the thing you miss the most from your country?

My friends and family.

Q. How do you cope with homesickness?

I try to get company, and get busy because if I am alone I would go and talk to my friends back in Brazil, and that is not really helpful.

Q. Have you traveled to other countries before? Where?

I’ve been to a bunch of other countries, but the one that I liked the most was Singapore because it’s a small country, but at the time it’s a very modern one.