Welcome to the USA!!!

Last summer, I came to the US as a one-year exchange student, which meant I had to start looking for ways to make friends, get along with people who hosted me, as well as with my teachers; and do it not just in a new environment (which is not easy in itself) but in the country I've never been to before and which I found to be so much different from my own. It took me a lot of effort and determination to get accepted, but it still was not as hard as it could be. It was pretty sad though, to start going to school here and find out close friends are pretty hard to make and the word 'friends" often means 'acquaintances". However, I also got to meet some really nice people (my peers as well as adults) who were friendly and willing to show me around. In my opinion, it was easier for me to adapt to the new life style than for some immigrants who had just arrived. Living in an American family made it easier to understand the "American ways", helped me to make fewer mistakes making friends at school, and , of course, it was a great opportunity to practice my English. It did mot take me long to realize you can't make friends by just saying "I'm a Russian exchange student"( we were instructed to do that at our pre-departure orientation). What I learned was, that people are not going to be interested in you unless you reveal your personality and make them understand you are to be treated well. To summarize, If you are to live in a foreign country you got to forget all your "old ways" and start from scratch learning as you go on. You can't afford to be shy or too frank and no matter what, from time to time you will feel desperate and out -of -place. However, it is not something

impossible to get through-we are all humans sharing some common values and ideas that do mot depend on citizenship. The best advice I could give people trying to adjust to (still)an alien culture and get accepted

there is to keep in mind that "The one who is brave is free", and you can always fake being brave-"for no-one can see the difference".

From: "Anna Voronova"

<kotenok30@hotmail.com>

10th Grade, English School

# 130, Novosibirsk, Russia