by Divya Kumar
News Editor

Waking up in the morning, going to all required classes and then coming home to be greeted by hoards of homework can be seen as overwhelming to many students. Now imagine having to do all this on top of balancing the adjustment to a new language, a new family and a new location.

Such are the difficulties faced by Coppell High School’s foreign exchange students, though many can agree that these obstacles are trivial in light of the benefits from the experience they gain.

The foreign exchange program has brought four new faces to Coppell High School this year. YeZhenzi “Carrie” Kuang from China, Elin Lundin from Sweden, Laura Schramm from Germany and Angie Wiedmer from Switzerland have all been chosen as part of this program, where they travel to America to live with a host family for one year while continuing their education in a local school. Though this situation requires these students to remain away from their family and friends for an entire year on top of learning to speak English fluently, the program offers them a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that few can boast about.

While this  year at Coppell High School has the ability to impart a great deal of knowledge on these four students in terms of not only American culture, but also customs specific to Texas,  the backgrounds that each of these girls have from their home country can serve as an invaluable resource to add to the diversity of the school.

Elin Lundin

These last few weeks have not been Lundin’s first time in America. With previous visits to Myrtle Beach and the northeast to visit the family who hosted her father when he was a foreign exchange student, Lundin has ties to both the country and the foreign exchange program.

“My dad was a foreign exchange student, and he really enjoyed it,” Lundin said. “He’s still in touch with his host mother, and we’ve come down to America to visit her and she’s come to Sweden, as well. His good experiences were what made me want to experience [the program] for myself.”

After thoroughly investigating the program, Lundin was instructed to write down certain facts about herself for the application. She was then chosen by a host family based off of these requirements. Lundin’s chosen host family has a son who graduated last year, a 10-year-old daughter and a 2-year-old son.

“I have a 15-year-old brother back home,” Lundin said. “I do like having new siblings. I’m so used to having someone my age around me. It’s a little weird to be with siblings other than my own, but it’s better than being completely alone.”

Arriving on Aug. 30, the first day of the second week of school, Elin was forced right into American life. While Coppell High School can seem overpopulated and crowded to even those who have attended since their freshman year, to Lundin, who comes from a much smaller school in Sweden, the sheer size serves to make the transition all the more complex.

In Lundin’s school in Sweden, rather than students switching classrooms between periods, all students are placed in certain classes that they remain in throughout the entire day. The teachers, based off of the subjects which they specialize in, move from class-to-class instead. Similarly, school is much more of an educational hub in Sweden, where school spirit is not as highly emphasized.

“We don’t have school athletic teams, so there isn’t an event like Homecoming,” Lundin said. “Wearing school colors and pep rallies and decorating the hallway in support [of a team] aren’t things that we do [at my old school]. I really like the way Coppell is united.”

Despite having arrived so recently, Lundin appears to be settling in well at Coppell High School. Even though several aspects of the school differ vastly from what she is used to at home, she hopes to slowly become more accustomed over time.

“What they say is really true,” Lundin said. “Everything really is bigger in Texas. But I know soon I’ll get used to it. I hope this experience will help me become more independent, improve my language and get used to this hugely different culture.”

Carrie Kuang

As is typical for several Asian-Americans to adopt a new “American” name to be used in school, YeZhenzi did just so as part of her transformation from a Chinese student to one living in the United States. Kuang chose the name “Carrie” because it sounded like a Chinese word meaning “melody” or “song”, as singing one of her many interests.

“I really enjoy music and singing, but I never had time for it in China,” Kuang said. “That’s why it was so exciting for me to be able to join the choir at the high school and at the church.”

In addition to choir, Kuang has had the opportunity to choose a greater variety of classes than those which were available to her back home.

“[In China] we don’t get to choose what we want to learn,” Kuang said. “We always have to take math, and we take all three sciences – biology, physics and chemistry – every year. There aren’t these other choices to take instead.”

This variety of choice is one of the many facets of American schooling that Kuang finds appealing. Another striking difference is the textbook, which is unfailingly followed through in Chinese schoolrooms, yet less emphasized in America. This more practical rather than theoretical approach to teaching is refreshing to Kuang.

Similarly, the more relaxed environment of American schoolrooms is something that is appealing to Kuang. While in China she often is forced to study from the yawns of the morning to the depths of the night, the homework she is assigned here provides her with more time to unwind.

“I really do enjoy the way of study here,” Kuang said. “It’s much more relaxing and there’s not as much homework as I had back home. It gives me more time to get used to American life, rather than just study all the time.”

Kuang’s tie to Coppell High School extends beyond just her education, however. Barbara Corry, CHS special education teacher and Interact Club sponsor, is the host parent who took her in.

“I chose Carrie as an exchange student because my daughter, Anna, was adopted from China,” Corry said. “I wanted her to have exposure to her native culture and language, and to have a “JeJe”, or big sister. Life with Carrie has been wonderful.  It has been quite funny to see how quickly Carrie and Anna settled into a big sister-little sister relationship, and how quickly Carrie has become woven into the fabric of our lives.”

Though it will take a bit more time to make this adjustment from life in China to life in America, Kuang looks forward to the experience.

“I want to meet different people and experience more differences in thought,” Kuang said. “This experience will help me improve my English, gain more opportunities for college, get used to a different culture and improve my communication skills. I think it will be a great life experience.”

Laura Schramm

Despite the fact that leaving Germany to come here was among one of the sadder days of Schramm’s life, the realization that the day she had been waiting for over a year – the day she would finally reach America and begin her American life – cheered her up immediately. The desire to learn a new culture and debunk European stereotypes about schools in the United States propelled her to sign up for the program.

“I decided to do the foreign exchange program because I wanted to get to know the American way of life,” Schramm said. “In Europe, American schools are famous for being very spirited, and I wanted to see for myself if this was actually true.”

Though  Schramm has been in America for little over a month, she appears to have already acclimated to the culture. Securing a position on the CHS Round-Up Yearbook staff and plans for the Homecoming game and dance, Schramm has slowly begun blending in with the American way of life.

“I really admire the school spirit that people have here,” Schramm said. “It’s not like that with my school in Germany. Everyone at Coppell is more spirited about their school teams and sports.”

There are multiple differences between Coppell High School and Schramm’s high school in Berlin. At home, Schramm has to attend 17 different classes a week, compared to the seven that are required at Coppell High School.

“School in Germany is much harder,” Schramm said. “I only have seven different subjects at Coppell, and I like it much better. I get more free time to do things other than homework this way. In Germany, it takes a lot more studying to get higher marks.”

Some of this newfound free time is spent with her host family, who Schramm says make her feel as though she is their own daughter. In addition to this, Schramm is able to enhance her photography skills, through means of her yearbook class. She hopes that it will make her not only a better photographer, but also allow her to also meet new people and gain insight into yet another aspect of American schooling.

Schramm hopes to improve her English during her stay here, so that upon her return to Berlin and completion of her studies she will have an easier time getting a job. Here until the beginning of June, Schramm has a hopeful outlook on the duration of her stay.

“I’m glad that the people in Texas are so friendly and open,” Schramm said. “I will really enjoy this year.”