Thousands of English words swirl around your head as you listen to groups of American students chatting and laughing excitedly with their friends.
You search down corridors that all look the same and try to remember landmarks that you previously saw so that you would not make a habit of arriving late to class. You experience a rush of relief when the number above a doorframe reads 145, as it matches your crinkled up schedule. As you enter you are greeted by a few unfamiliar stares and your teacher brusquely points at a desk and says, “Okay you can sit there.” Thus the lesson begins.
This was the reality for Malaika Esslinger during the first few days of attending Eleanor Roosevelt High School, and for other exchange students like her. To most students, the first day of school is already nerve-racking enough, but for junior Malaika, this is the first day of a school that is 4000 miles away from her hometown in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
“Roosevelt is such a big school! When I looked at my schedule and I saw I had to go from room 019-145, I just thought ‘oh my gosh my journey starts here’ and I started walking,” Malaika recalled.
“I thought it was weird that some of the teachers didn’t introduce me. A lot of the teachers were very nice and helpful, but others weren’t really. I don’t want to be treated specially, but it’s just easier to make friends when they know your story. When they know why I am quieter, or why my grammar isn’t as good as theirs,” Malaika said.
In Germany, parents enroll their children in kindergarten at the age of three until the age of six. Elementary school follows from first grade through fourth grade. Once fourth grade is over at the age of ten, students have the chance to follow different routes and obtain their middle/high school education at one of three general schools based on their academic capabilities and education goals.
“I think this is a very big decision for little children to make,” Malaika said with a concerned look. “I don’t really agree with the fact that there is so much pressure put on at such a young age to decide what you want to do with your life. For the parents who make this decision for their child, they must know that even though they want the best education for their child, they have to do what is best for their child’s abilities too, and see what they want,” she stated.
Once this decision is made, students may enter one of the schools of their choice: Hauptschule (5th-10th grade), Realschule (5th-9th), and Gymnasium (5th-12th), the last of which is a very academically rigorous school where students may attend if they plan to continue with higher education. After their high school is completed, students may attend another school that gears them to be CEOs or managers of a company, doctors, or technical workers during the grades 11-13.
Malaika attended Hauptschule, then transferred to Realschule. She plans to attend 11th-13th grade to train in a Health and Social Studies school to become a sports physical therapist.
But before she enters this new chapter of her life, Malaika wanted to experience America.
With a radiant smile, Malaika recalled the first day that she realized that she would get an “amazing opportunity to study in America” through the Youth for Understanding Intercultural Program.
“I had just gone on a graduation trip to the Netherlands with my class, when I found out I had been placed with a host family, and I would be able to go to the US! It was so perfect. It had been my dream since the 9th grade,” she said.
Malaika had the support of her family through her decision to study abroad. “My dad was behind me, and really liked that I wanted to go,” Malaika said. “He helped me to be bold and positive about this one year experience. I am so thankful for the support my family gave me. When we skyped with my host family for the first time my dad knew better English than me so he was talking with them more than me! It was very funny,” she recalled.
Malaika skyped her host family about seven times before she met them in person. “They are so nice. I am really lucky that I have [my host sister] Suzi here. We are so close to the same age, and we have gotten to be like sisters.”
The phrase “lost in translation” never had a more real meaning for Malaika until she first heard someone exclaim “Omg that is so OC!” and “LOL.” “I just laughed along with my friends even though I had no clue and was just thinking… ‘what?’ When I got home I asked my host sister Suzi what that even meant and she taught me all about American slang,”she said, laughing.
When one steps inside of Eleanor Roosevelt High, it is not difficult to notice the abounding diversity in every classroom. It is a cultural mecca, one where different races, beliefs, and personalities blend together. Malaika mentioned that she noticed this diversity when she entered the building. “It was cool that there are a lot of different races here. I’m mixed, so it was nice being around people that were my race as well,” she said.
This step to study abroad in America is just the beginning for her. When Malaika finishes her education, she wants to embrace her love for traveling to new places, and combine this with her interest in helping people. “I would love to go to Africa to teach and build houses and shelters for underprivileged people there,” she said.