Sophomore Gabrielle Geli, has lived in France her whole life, that is up until recently.
“I moved here for my father’s job and with my whole family,” Geli said. “It was a big change.”
Moving schools is a hard transition, and moving countries is even harder. Leaving behind friends and family, the transition can be hard.
“I was a bit scared because the schooling here is very different than in France,” Geli said. “I also fought with my parents a bit on leaving my friends behind.”
For a teenager, leaving behind friends that they’ve known for their entire lives is a very big thing to ask of them. Some might even try to convince their parents on letting them stay.
“I did want to stay with my friends and in France, but after I learned that it could be a great experience, I was happy,” said Geli. Learning about a country and actually going to that country are two very different things, and although Geli had learned about America in school, she was still very surprised at how different it was from America. After Geli and her family members got to America, Geli says the first thing she noticed were the people.
“The people here are very nice,” Geli said. Whenever you need help, they help you very kindly. I think “that’s very nice of them, they don’t know me, but they still help.”
Country to country, people’s personalities are what stand out the most. Geli noticed this when she came to America.
“The people are nice but they are very loud,” Geli said. “The people in France, they don’t talk this loudly, but I don’t mind. I think it’s funny”.
Apart from the people, food is also a major part of a culture. The different spices and recipes, can make one’s country stand out. In America, French fries are devoured and many consider them a must have. However, Geli would disagree.
“I am very confused on why, Americans call it a “French” fry,” Geli said. “In France we think that fries come from Belgium, so I don’t know about that… I definitely don’t eat it here.”
Adding on to French fries, fast food is also very huge in America, the greasy and unhealthy food appeals Americans all over the country. Not Geli though.
“I don’t ever eat fast food. I don’t like the taste of it. I think food in France is better and the bread, is way better. America doesn’t have good bread”, Geli said.
Besides the food, Geli experiences a totally other issue living in America.
“The school is very hard for me….my parents think school is better here then France, but I don’t know because I have to do my French homework on top of my American homework so it’s very hard for me to do all of it,” Geli said.
Many students at Parkway Central struggle with completing their never-ending piles of homework, and could sympathize with Geli. In addition, Geli’s first language was French, though she learned English at school, she says it still is a problem.
“Sometimes I don’t understand my friends, and the accent in which my friend talk in English is a different accent than in France,” Geli said. “It gets hard.”
Even though Geli misses her homeland, she was still glad to come to America, and experience the American dream.