JOURNALISM ARTICLE ABOUT MY LIFE HERE

My life in Port Richmond High School 

     I chose to leave my life in Belgium to become an exchange student more than one year and a half ago. Living in the US had been my dream for a long time, and visiting New York had fascinated me for years. Before coming to Staten Island, I knew that everything in my new life would be different than what I experienced before. What I discovered here was above any of my thinking, something I could never had expected before skipping the doors of Port Richmond High School on September 9, 2013.

     Already before the first day of school, I heard about Port Richmond, and to be honest, people made me scared. It is not fearless that I went to our school every morning in the beginning of my exchange. The security frightened me, it was totally unknown for me, because in Belgium, I could go where I wanted, when I wanted, and there was no security officers to check if you had a pass, or to push you to go to classes screaming “Let’s go” in the hallways. The other big impression I got was “It’s like in the movies.” Theses halls with red doors, the football team, the cheerleaders, the clubs, SING!, the announcements in the morning, and all the extracurricular activities were a total discovery for me. I had never heard about it, except in Glee or High School Musical. Something I didn't know, and that marked me a lot, was the diversity of our school. Since my very first steps in Port, this big diversity punched me literally in the face. I was not used to see people from all over the world and from a lot of different cultures. I actually think that it makes this school so much stronger; people have so much to learn about each other, everybody is different.

After one or two weeks, when the "first shock" step was over, I was not scared to go to school anymore; I realized that people (and of course, the security) were not that bad, and there was nothing to be scared of. I began to feel comfortable in the school. Nevertheless, finding my way in the halls was still a nightmare; I got lost every single day, and I felt so bad about it. I was always asking people to help me, I felt like I could not do it by myself, and I was never going to be able to do it. Luckily, a few weeks later, I finally understood how the classes number work even if I still get sometimes lost, but I make a joke out of it when it happens.

The school system also surprised me a lot. I wasn't used to have the same schedule every day, to mix people from different grades in the same classroom, or not to have the lunch at the same time as every student of the school. Probably the fact that people changed each period made it harder to make real friends. I think that staying with the same people all day or at least for a few classes would have been easier, but I didn't have any other choice than dealing with it. To meet more people, I joined the SING! Musical that we won on November 16, 2013. This victory will stay one of my best memories here in Port. Regarding the classes, they did not look like what I knew in Europe at all. Here, you have such a big choice of classes, you can pick a lot, and in all the domains you want to. The teachers are also friendlier, I think that it has advantages and disadvantages, because being too close to some teachers is sometimes not good.

     Now, after almost 4 months spent in Port Richmond, I feel like a piece of my life is here. Discovering another country with a different culture, different people, and a different everyday life taught me so much not only about the USA, but also about myself. All the friends I have made will stay in my heart forever, because I spent here some of the nicest moments of my life. Of course, I will be happier than ever to see my family again, but I am leaving our school with a heavy heart and with the hope I will come back soon. I will never forget the four months I spent here, in Port Richmond High School. Thank you.