Rowland High School - Saga Yearbook (Rowland Heights, CA)

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Frouke Moebius West Germany Rowlond is Q greor school! There ore quire o lor of differences berween Wesr Germany and rhe United Stores. Where I come from, we hove school from 8 AM to 1 PM., bur no lunch break. We also hove o short school day on Saturdays. Somerimes, in rhe upper grades, dosses ore in rhe cfrer- noon. Porricipotion in class counts o lot. We hove on average of thirteen dosses, some only two periods a week. I think rhot gives a broader field of srudy A second big difference is the di- mote. Everything is green except the streets and buildings of course. In the winter we normally hove up to ten inches of snow, which I go cross-coun- try skiing in. Here ' s another interesting foo; In Germany you hove to be eighreen ro drive o cor, bur you con drink beer when ; ou are sixreen (no whiskey or high alcohol, rhough) ' I like school here a lor, though I don ' t prefer eirher Americo or Ger many over rhe other. Tomoko Yono Japan Americans ore more open and honest thon people in Jopon. They ore also more open about their feel- ings When my friend wos upser, I osked her how she was feeling, ex- pecting her to say she was alright. To my surprise, she replied, I ' m so rired, I don ' t wont to stay here If she wos Joponese, even rhough she feir bad, she would hove said rhor she wos O K in order not to hurr my feelings, I am glad ro be oble to go to a public school just like on American srudenr In Jopon on American stu- dent would hove to go to o school where reochers speak English. My host family is really nice. They rreot me just like a member of their own I wonr ro rerurn here some doy ro visit ogoin. April, 1982, when I first heard that I could come to Colifornio as a foreign exchange student, I tried to imogine what my year here would be like. Until I finally arrived in August, I hod no ideo how much the United States would be different from Finlond. My first impressions obout the Americans ore only posirive People ore very friendly, ond rhey rreor me as o friend, nor only o visitor There is olwoys someone ro help me if I need advice Rowland High is much lorger rhon my school bock home in Finland, ond ir required fewer ocodemic subjects Forrunorely, I did not have any diffi- culty settling into a new school Living here in Rowland Heights, 6ne of many rhings I imagined in April, hos become dear ond familiar ro me. Finding our new rhings oboof ■ your counrry hos been o pleosonr experience When I leove in July, I will rake o port of Colifornio with me. ond it will olwoys remain in my heart. 46 Foreign Exdxmge Siudenis

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r 1 Henry Colistro diicusses Q point wirh VICA odvisor Mr Arr Hidolgo 2 Cement pouring and smoothing begins for the first shed 3 VICA. [Xow 1 f oberr Agrovonte, Jin Won, Chris Alvorez, Jerry Di Pierro fXow 2 Henry Colistro, Elios Gonsolves, Cioudio Mercodo, Lizo Dimoronon, n,ichord Allmon, Arthur Soen z, Monico [ uess, Icelo Hemer, Art Hildogo r ow 3 Timmothy Cummings, Dovid Chobolla, Morl Honlon, Dryon IXowell, Eugene Ton, Eddie Kosoreff 4 Two VICA srudenrs put the finishing touches on the froming for the shed 5 Oowling Club. Row 1 Liso Viguerio, Luello Correre Row 2 Lorry Goroo, Monlyn Fletcher, Scort Row 3 Donald Truox, Deon Smith, Ernie Zorzo, Jon Frompron Dewing 45

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1 hod ren monrhs ro spend In Coli- you have rhe some classes every fornia before 1 hod ro rerurn ro Fin day and you con choose whor you land. 1 hove leorned o lor during rhe wonr ro srudy. In Finland we hove rime 1 have been here 1 changed differenr dosses every day, ond we school and hosr family in December con ' r choose rhe subjecrs ond 1 come here ro Rowland High 1 love rhe wearher here in Colifor School 1 rhink rhor is rhe besr rhing nio! Ir is summer olmosr all yeor long, rhor has happened to me here in LA. Ir is summer ro me becouse winrer in 1 like Rowlond High o lor People Finlond is reolly cold, snow all over, here are friendly ond easy ro ger bur here ir is so nice ond warm, along wirh. Also, rhe reochers are so 1 rhink rhis year is going ro be a helpful and nice. good and exciring experience for Schools here in LA ore bigger rhan me, ond I ' m glad rhor 1 wonted ro be Pirjo Ikonen Finland schools in Finland. And rhe whole on exchange srudenr. school sysrem is differenr roo. Here The firsr month in Americo was very hard, bur my feelings chonged when I serried down in o new fomily, I ' ve mer a lot of differenr people who ore all so nice, maybe nor rhat deep, bur interesting. The rown in Belgium where I come from is so much differ- enr rhon Rowland Heights oreo, bur now I am adopted School is fun, but I wos surprised obour all rhe rules. The reochers here communicate more wirh rhe sru- denrs, ond there is an open relotion ship between rhe rwo. The Rowland compus seems olive from early in the morning until the ofrernoon. What I Connor really ger used ro is rhe most Americans go ro work or school so early in rhe morningi Whor I am also surprised obour is the fantastic way of Americon life, especiolly in religion. I really didn ' r ex- pect rhor there were so many believ- ers ond so many kinds of beliefs. American people ore so open to foreigners. For me, it wos a big change because in Europe we ore more conservative and bourgeois. The conrinenr, rhe people, ond rhe customs ore differenr from Belgium It is for rhor reason rhor borh hove their own chorm Isabelle Chrisfioens Belgium Poivi Ulmonen, Finland , y1il ' d ' lf -Uw l t t , 7 Foreign Excl onge Studenrs 47