Students born and raised in other countries adapt to the culture when they move to the United States. A significant amount of work goes into changing the way a person lives. At school, there are students who have to adapt. They have to learn American ways and traditions differentiating with their home country. A small group of students moved to the United States, they experience the changes and challenges.

“There was a lot of small differences between the countries,” junior and German native Charlotta Lueth said.

Most high schools in the United States, including Stillwater Area High School, have a traditional order with how school is organized. The only breaks high schools have within the school day are passing time. There are larger class sizes here, differentiating from other schools. The way students learn can depend on the atmosphere, such as, the class size. Moving here from another country with different school structures is difficult, the students have to acclimate to a new school structure.

“We have more breaks that are half an hour between classes in Germany, which makes it easier going to class,” Lueth explained.

Changes in food acts is a big divide between cultures. Food can represent which culture certain people belong too and often offer a way to show pride in ones ethnicity. Many carry on their traditional cuisine to retain their culture. However the United States has its own culture of food, in which, affects traditional food values of those from other countries. This could turn to a troublesome adjusting period.

Junior Philippines native Gian Sabling believes food was the most difficult part.

Language becomes one of the hardest parts of moving into a country like America. English becomes a challenging factor and a difficult language to learn. Within the English language, there tends to be a large amount of grammatical patterns, to some it feels confusing to someone switching to the language.

“The English language has been the most difficult about moving here,” Sabling said.

Furthermore, the diversity within sports and activities creates positive aspects about moving to the United States’culture. Sports develop passions for people and create more positivity. It helps to adapt by doing something new that one can love. It also develops into a way to create relationships and learn cultural differences. Sports create a long lasting impact on a person and is a loving aspect in some people’s lives.

“Gian definitely loves sports like American football and baseball,” junior Austin Johnson said.

In most countries, people do not have as many rights compared to America. For that reason, many do not have the chance to live the “American Dream”. In America, the fortunate ways of living draws people from other countries. Wanting to adapt to this culture could make people open-minded and have an easier transition.

“We got it so much better than most people because Gian is essentially living the American dream right now,” Johnson explained, through observing being friends with Sabling.

“At first it was kind of easy for me, and I didn’t know a lot coming here,” Lueth said, “but now I am used to America a lot.”