In January, the high schools of Alhambra Unified School District held a foreign exchange program, in which students came from South Korea. These Korean students stayed at the homes of students who had attended schools here in the US. Some students of Mark Keppel hosted their homes with a few students from Korea during their stay. During their stay, they got to experience what schools in the US offer, which were new and different environments compared to what they’d been accustomed to back in Korea.
“In Korea, normally school was from early in the morning and lasted until six o’clock at night. Usually, once we finished learning and had our time with the teachers we’d have study hours until then.” Kevin, one of the male Korean exchange students said. He mentions how he noticed that students would walk to their next class after the bell rang but in Korea, the teachers would move classrooms after their lessons. In between class sessions, they had more breaks due to long class periods. He also got to examine how teachers were in the US and mentioned in Korea that there are more rules and expectations with teachers being more stringent.
Although there was a language barrier, it made it easier to understand each other since Kevin knew the basics of English. In Korea, they taught the essentials of the English language to the students and they even had tests. Those tests and exams were what got the selected students to come on a fully paid trip here. “My classmates and I had to take an exam and whoever got the highest scores was picked to come visit the US,” he adds.
The school food that was offered was a lot more different from what he was accustomed to. In Korea, they were given freshly cooked food made by the lunch staff. They were given freshly made hot rice, soups, vegetables, fruits, and proteins. They all had equal amounts so each student was satisfied and energized for more studies. Compared to what America offers, frozen foods are warmed up and given with small cartons of milk and packaged fruits and vegetables. “I did enjoy the chicken sandwich and pizza,” he comments. “I’ve enjoyed most of the American food here,”
Mark Keppel’s first year engaging in an exchange between American and Korean students has already boasted success through the completion of the first part of the program. Promising to share cultural values and create memorable experiences for both parties involved, this program introduced several Korean students to our school over the past couple of weeks as they were placed with hosts in this community.
Ms. Candace Wu, an English teacher at Mark Keppel, who is currently overseeing this process, remains hopeful not just for the second portion, where our students will be visiting Korea, but about the future of the program in the coming years. Already she has noticed several similarities between the two groups as the Korean exchange students seamlessly assimilated themselves into social life here at Keppel. “Really, they’re just teenagers like all the students here at Keppel,” she notes. Although proud to see the similarities were much more than expected, she also recalls that the students exhibited a deep sense of appreciation and gratitude for their participation in this program.
Students like Abby Yip in 11th grade, and Elizabeth Vuong in 12th, got to know these students much more personally as they hosted them in their households for a week and a half. Yip reminisces over the memories she made while showing the students around, especially as they participated in late-night hangouts everywhere from parks, houses, or walks, even comparing it to the late-night life in Korea. Hearing about it from her friends, her interest was sparked, something that she continues to have as she prepares for her departure to Korea in 2 months. Although the period and distance between her and the students she formerly hosted is great she mentions how she continues to keep in contact with them. “They really liked this experience and told me their plans to come back for vacation, school, etc.” Yip recites the students’ intentions.
Similarly, Elizabeth Vuong would also highlight the experience of late-night ventures with the students and the excitement before each school day. Her reason for joining lies in her passion to, as she says, “shed light on our small community and to make new connections with people from around the world.” Taking notice of the differences between the two cultures she cites the main as being leeway which teenagers in the San Gabriel Valley have more freedom to explore compared to the teenage lives of those in South Korea. Currently, she is also preparing to reunite with the students she hosted and acquaint herself with new students, excited to visit both Soeul and Yeoncheon.
Although the conclusion of the first part of the program has culminated with the departure of the Korean students, there is still another journey to be had as we await the venture of Keppel students in two months.
