There are two Highland Park juniors that are studying abroad this school year. One student is studying in Finland, and the other is in Japan. I’m sure they both have different thoughts and experiences on being in a different country. In order to better understand their thoughts, I decided to interview them. The questions I asked them are:

1. How are your schools different from highland?
2. What things do they teach or do differently?
3. What are some experiences that you enjoyed most/ least?
4. What made you want to study abroad?
5. What fun and exciting things you’ve done so far?
6. What advice would you give to someone who’s thinking of studying abroad?

Emma Mulhern

1. My school in Finland is much smaller than Highland. We only have three grades (10th, 11th, and 12th) and in all of that there are about 130 students and 15 teachers who teach them.

2. At my school we have six grading periods (there are four at Highland) and we take six classes per grading period. After each grading period we take new classes and we only take six classes per grading period. At the end of each grading period, we have exam week where we take tests for each subject (in other words we only have one test per class after six weeks of study). Also, at my school, classes are not always at the same time. I may have history in the morning on Mondays but have it be in the afternoon on Thursdays.

They teach a lot of similar things like literature, math, social studies, and science classes. However, in Finland, they are required to take English and Swedish foreign language classes and they deem English to be very important for them to learn and they must learn Swedish because it is Finland’s second national language as a minority of the population speaks it as a first language. They can take German, French, Spanish, and Russian for foreign languages.

3. I have really enjoyed just being a normal student here in Finlan and making Finnish friends. I have done many fun and interesting things here (look at #5) but I have also had hardships. My main hardship was learning Finnish. Of course at the beginning of my exchange I spoke English with my friends as I did not speak Finnish. I am still learning but now I speak it with everyone, but I of course still have a lot to learn. I never really got homesick, but I do know of many exchange students who got really homesick while on exchange during the first few months.

4. I’ve wanted to study abroad ever since my brother was an exchange student in Turkey and loved it. My family has also told me many stories from when they were exchange students. In my family, my mother was an exchange student in Sweden, my dad was an exchange student in Argentina, my brother was an exchange student in Turkey, one of my aunts was an exchange student in Japan and another one of my aunts was an exchange student in Brazil. This year, my cousin is also an exchange student in Spain. Anyways, hearing all of these stories from them made me want to have a great experience like that just like they did. They always told me that nothing will ever compare to being an exchange student. I completely agree.

5. I have done so many fun things in Finland. I have visited Tampere, one of Finland’s biggest cities, as well as gone to Lapland (Nothern Finland) where I got to go on reindeer and huskie pulled sleigh rides as well as meet Santa Claus. I have been taking a Finnish course here and I have also been playing hockey on the local hockey team. I have played hockey in America for quite a few years now and it is fun to play with the boys in Finland (as my town does not have enough people for an only girls team). At the start of the year all Rotary exchange students that come to Finland participate in a camp where we meet all the other exchange students and get Finnish (or Swedish lessons) for a week before we are sent to our new host families. Also, living with three different host families in Finland has been great as I have been able to learn about the Finnish way of life through different perspectives.

6. I would say to anyone who wants to study abroad that they should go for it. Look at different organizations that run exchange programs (such as Rotary, the program I am on exchange with) and see which one would be best for them and their needs. Then, they need to talk to their parents and convince them. This may be the hardest for most people as their parents might not want them to go because they don’t know much about it or aren’t sure if they can afford it. If they can convince their parents, then they need to find the money for the exchange. Some may be discouraged by this, but I know of an student from St. Paul who went on exchange student last year whose family had no money to pay for it. He managed to raise money to go on exchange and he had the year of his life. If he can do it, then anyone can.

In short: to anyone who is considering being an exchange student, just know that know it is one of the best experiences of your life. You make so many friends from other sides of the world and you learn about another culture and possibly another language. You get to try so many things you never would have tried in America. All of these experiences and new friends make you really appreciate the diverse world around you.

Caylin Weiland

Questions 1 and 2: Schools here in Japan are very different from the schools in America. First off, all of the high schools in Japan require you to wear a school uniform. Many uniform rules are that your skirt must cover your knees, you have to wear you hair up if it touches your collar, your eyebrows must be showing, and you cannot have any piercings not even your earlobes. I’m currently enrolled at Kwassui high school, which is an all girls Protestant school. At my school in Japan, we attend a morning mass everyday in our schools chapel, and have a closing ceremony in our classrooms. At the end of the day the students from each classroom clean their own room, and clean another area in the school. For example my class we clean our own room and we clean one of the stairways. While the classroom next to mine cleans their classroom and the bathroom.  In Japan, you don’t get to choose which classes you want to take. For example you wouldn’t get to choose if you wanted to take volleyball class or choir. But, you can decide which high school course you want to take. Meaning, at most schools in Japan you can choose to join a general course, english course, or often a math/science course. These courses focus mainly on the courses subject(s), although you are still taught general required classes like math, science, Japanese, and history. Many students here, after school are in a club of their interest. I am currently in the dance club. I also used to be in the Japanese tea ceremony club called “sadou” and the Japanese archery club “kyudo”. Some students go to after school study classes, where they study and often prepare for their college entrance exam. The college entrance exam in Japan is what basically determines peoples futures, because if you don’t get a good score on the test you cannot go to a good university and, in turn you won’t be hired by a good company. So many students focus on studying for this entrance exam that basically, determines their future.

Question 3: Some of my most memorable experiences I’ve had so far were when I went to an Onsen, a Japanese hot spring, with about 20 other exchange students. There we all got buried in hot sand and then we went into the public bath house together. Although I was with just girls it was really interesting to bath with strangers whom you’ve never met, but we all got to bond and became very close after that experience. Another one of my most memorable experiences was when all of the other Rotary exchange students and myself went to a festival in October. There were big floats in the shape of dragons and fish, that men pulled in the streets. They rang bells and often lit fireworks. During that trip we went and ate at 5 different peoples houses. At one of the houses we ate “Name basashi” which means raw horse meat, which indeed it was. It was actually very good! I’ve also been able to eat shark fin soup, and many other things I had never ate before. Another one of my favorite experiences was during New years celebrations, where I got to wear a traditional Japanese Kimono, got my hair done, and ate a traditional Japanese style multi-course meal with Geisha at a Shrine.
One experience I didn’t like so much was when I first arrived and I got a heat rash, because it was so hot and humid. I also wasn’t so fond of having to use a squat toilet for the first time, in a port-o-potty. Squat toilets are gross enough indoors, but having to use one when it was 90% humidity and super hot during the summer for the first time, was not fun.

Question 4: What made me want to study abroad was my interests in other cultures. I’ve always loved to learn about other cultures, and I love to learn new languages. At Highland I took Chinese for 4 years, and really loved learning it. It was my favorite class, partially because I loved Mrs. Miao, and partially because it was just fun and exciting to get to learn the new language! I also wanted to study abroad because I knew it would benefit my future, when applying to colleges, getting jobs, and overall just growing and maturing into being my own and independent person. Being abroad you learn to adapt to the new environment, culture and language. I’ve learned so much about the people around me, the new culture, language, and mostly about myself. I’ve realized that I neglected and should be more grateful for every opportunity that comes my way, because when you’re an exchange student sometimes you’re not given a choice you just have to do everything your host family tells you to do or what your counselor or others plan for you to do. So, you really learn to love and just live with the outcome of every situation and enjoy every opportunity you’re given.

5. So far I have tried many new exotic foods! I’ve had shark fin, raw horse meat, salmon eggs, jelly fish, and a whole lot more! I’ve been able to experience many different festivals held in my city such as Obon- a day where they honor the dead by lighting fireworks and having floats that are pulled by friends and family in the streets, and Nagasaki Kunchi and Karatsu Kunchi are both festivals for different cities. I’ve also been to a “love festival”, Lantern festival, and I will have many more to go to! I’ve been to the Onsen, done Japanese Tea Ceremony, Japanese traditional dancing, played Japanese/Chinese Niko- a 2 stringed instrument, and I’ve done Japanese Archery. Some of my favorite things to do with my friends is to go sing Karaoke, or to do Purikura (a Japanese picture booth that makes your eyes big and you can design the pictures it takes). I’ve been to Hiroshima, where I went to the Atomic bomb peace park and museum. I live in Nagasaki, where the second atomic bomb was dropped. I’ve been to Saga where they had a big castle, and Fukuoka where I went to a concert and I went shopping. This is just to name a general few things I’ve done and that I really enjoyed. Soon, I’ll be going to Hokkaido (the top island of Japan) to go skiing. With my current host family they may take me to the famous island of Okinawa which is south of Japan, to go snorkeling and swimming!  I will have 2 more trips with my Family when they come in March, and with Rotary- my exchange program. Both of which I will get to go to Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and with my family Hiroshima again.

6. The Advice I would give someone who is wanting to go abroad now, in high school, or in college. I would say, do it! It’s honestly life changing! You meet so many people, you’re immersed in a new language and culture. It just completely opens your eyes to the world, and for me it has made me realize all of the thing I took for granted back in America. You learn to appreciate the littler things in life and to take life 1 day at a time because time goes by so fast. I have 4 more months left here, and I swear it was just New Years.

Get to know your counsellors at Highland Park Senior High School. I interviewed the counsellors about their job, and about themselves.

First, I interviewed Andrea Dickinson, she is the counsellor for students with last names from A to He.

Andrea Dickinson was born on December 1st, the year is unknown as she doesn’t want that information to be let out. Before counseling, she was a teacher. Her parents were educators like she is now. Her father was a principal, and her mother was a teacher. She decided to take a different role in education so she chose counseling. Andrea first started counseling for North St. Paul at John Glenn. Then she started counseling for St. Paul in 1997.

Andrea likes how everyday is different when she’s counseling. Another thing she likes about counseling is that she can actually help students with what they need. Andrea really dislikes the amount of paperwork she has to do. An easy thing for her when counseling is she’s available to help people. But as that can be easy for her, it is really hard for her also because, she isn’t able to help everybody as much as she likes.

People go to Andrea for all kinds of things they need help on. The most common thing people (most likely students) go to her for is to get their schedules changed. People also go to her when they have personal concerns about anything. Andrea Dickinson is really easy to talk to. People also go to her when they want to complain. Though most complaints are about their schedules.

Here are some things about Andrea Dickinson apart from her job. She has one child, a daughter, and she has one puppy. On her free time, she likes to watch The Real House Wives. Her favorite color is black (she thinks her soul is black). “Black, like my soul” is what she replied during the interview.

Then, I interviewed Jason Schlukebier; he is the counselor for students last names starting with the letters R to Z. Jason decided to be a counselor because he wanted to connect with students at a different level than teachers do. Before counseling, Jason was a teacher at Humboldt Senior High School. Jason not only taught there but he also first started counseling there. For 11 years he has been counseling; it’s his 5th year counseling at Highland Park Senior High.

Jason likes how counseling everyday is different. During the interview, he said counseling is more flexible than teaching. He could have lunch whenever, he can have snacks when he wants, and he can go to the restroom anytime he wants to. Whereas teachers have to wait for passing time to be able to go to the restroom. He likes the freedom of counseling. Though he wants to connect with students on a different level than teachers do, he doesn’t like how he isn’t able to connect with as many students as a teacher. Teaching, he gets to see around 150 students and connect with them, but counseling is a bit harder because, he has to wait for a student to come to him.

Teaching: he was a math teacher for nine years. Jason misses the daily interactions with students when he was teaching. An easy thing for him when counseling is connecting with kids and building relationships with them. Jason finds it frustrating when there isn’t enough staff to help a student for free. An example he used was if a student needs tutoring, they don’t have enough staff to help that kid. Meaning the student will have to pay for a tutor. Jason finds that part about school frustrating.

People mostly go to Jason when they have schedule issues. Students whose last names are from R to Z goes to Jason to talk about wanting to change their schedule. Jason also gets people to come and talk to him about their academic issues. Students (mostly seniors) goes to Jason and talk about college. They ask him for college information. These are the things people usually go to Jason for.

Here are a few things about Jason outside of school. Jason likes the color blue. In the interview, he says that blue brings out his eyes. He has a 10 year old son in fourth grade. During his free time he likes to spend time with his family. He likes to travel, ski, and cook. Jason also enjoys watching and playing soccer.

The next counselor I interviewed was Michael Biermaier. Michael was born on September 23rd. He is the counselor who works with juniors through the Mentoring Excellence Program (MEP), helping them in post-secondary eduacation planning.

Michael went into counseling because he’s very passionate about helping people with the first step out of high school. The first step out of high school is very important to him, he doesn’t want people to make the wrong choices. Michael has been counseling for 22 years. It’s the 11th year he’s been counseling at Highland Park Senior High. He first started counseling at Como Park Senior High School.

What Michael likes about counseling is meeting different kinds of people. Michael really dislikes the amount of paperwork he is given. An easy thing when counseling for him is relating to people and undertstanding them. A hard thing is balancing the demand of paperwork (counsellors get a lot of paperwork).

The most common thing students go to Michael for is about college. Students who are looking for a college, or need any help with college information, usually goes to Michael. Michael helps them decide where they want to go. Michael also helps them with how and where to apply for college. The thing about college is you have to pay, so Michael helps students with how to pay for college.

Here are a few things about Michael outside of school. His favorite color is purple. He likes purple because of the Vikings. Not only because of Vikings but also because of jelly beans and Jolly Ranchers. Michael has an Italian Greyhound. Her name is Belle and she is really old. During his free time Michael likes to fish. He has a cabin for fishing. Michael also likes to watch movies and sports.

The next person I interviewed was Johanna Skaar. Johanna was born on February 9th. Johanna is a counselor mostly for freshman. Johanna has only been counseling for 2 years. She works part time at Capital Hill. She also helps with shadow hosting. The first school she taught at was Best Academy.

Johanna started as a teacher. She really likes building relationships with students, and working one on one with them. At first Johanna considered working for special education. but after looking at the roles, she seemed more suited for counseling. Johanna likes seeing students improve. Especially when a student is going through a hard time and struggling but then they get better and they become more successful.

Johanna, like the other counsellors, dislikes the paperwork she has to do. She also dislikes office work and duties non related to students. Something she finds easy is connecting with students. Though connecting with students can be easy for her, she finds it difficult to help students with problems she can’t control.

The most common thing people go to Johanna for is if they’re having any stress, or if they’re struggling with academics. Students also go to her when they have problems with their social life. She likes helping and connecting with many different students; people usually go to her for those kind of things.

Here are some things about Johanna outside of school. Johanna’s favorite color is pink. She likes pink because of pink tulips, and Valentine’s. Right when she got out of college, she got a Bulldog that is now 10 years old. Johanna has one kid on the way and is due in April. During her free time she likes to relax with her dog. Johanna also enjoys watching TV with her husband watching The Sopranos. Other than relaxing, Johanna likes to walk by river.

The last counselor I interviewed is Kimberly Esso, she is the counselor for students with the last names Hi to Q.

Kimberly was born on September 28. The reason she decided to go into counseling was because she has always wanted to work in a school and also to work with students. What Kimberly likes about counseling is working with students. Kimberly said in the interview that her job changes every day making each day different.

What Kimberly dislikes about counseling is there’s a lot of busy work to do. Most her time is answering emails, phone calls, and doing paperwork. Kimberly finds it easy working with teachers and students. What she finds hard is learning a new school because every school is different. 

This year is her sixth year counseling. She first started counseling at Open World Learning, also known as OWL. The most common thing people go to her for is college applications. People also go to her when they have class difficulties.

Here are somethings about Kimberly outside of school. Kimberly’s favorite color is blue. She doesn’t know why her favorite color is blue but, she included that blue makes her happy. Kimberly has a daughter who’s 3 1/2 years old. Outside, Kimberly likes biking and walks. She likes to be outside.

These are all the counselors at Highland Park Senior High that I interviewed. It was difficult to try and interview them all at one time due to their busy schedules. But luckily, I was able to interview them all.