April 13, 2016: Welcoming the Finns

The Visting Finns!

Today I got the pleasure of eating lunch with students visiting from Finland and took one of them to my F period class, AP Biology. Over a tasty Pad Thai, the Finnish students and my peers talked about everything from politics to hobbies. I was pleasantly surprised by their kindness and well-refined English skills. I learned that the school structure in Finland is very similar to America but the main difference is that they take courses like Biology and Calculus but instead of spending a year in the class like we do they learn about it throughout all the years they spend in high school.  I also learned that Americans aren't the only one concerned about the future of our country, the Finnish students showed a lot of knowledge in American politics and were asking us who we wanted to see as the future president. After a delicious lunch, I took one of the Finnish students, Nicholas, with me to AP Biology class. He told me he was also studying biology and was really eager to know what we were learning. In AP Biology we were in the middle of a four day lab, so I explained to him about how we were using DNA sequencing to test whether or not a food was a GM organism. He was fascinated and told me that at his school they don't actually do labs, they only read about them hypothetically because they don't have technology to actually do the labs. So to say the least, Nicholas was very excited to sit in our biology class. He insisted on seeing my textbook and oogled at the equipment and posters throughout the classroom. At last class was over and we had to say our goodbyes. I was so glad to have the opportunity to meet with Nicholas and the other Finnish students and hope they have safe travels back home!

April 8, 2016: Arn Chorn Pond's Story

Arn Chorn Pond © Boston Globe

This past Friday, our school had the wonderful opportunity to listen to Arn Chorn Pond share his stories, experiences, and words of wisdom to the future generations. Arn Chorn Pond was a child imprisoned by the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia in the 1970's. His eloquent speech told of the adversities he faced while in the camp and how music literally saved his life. Arn's story of his childhood experiences are very touching and he amazed me with his strength and persistence even in the face of danger. Yet despite all the incredible hardships and unimaginable circumstances Arn faced one of the most memorable experiences he described was when he first came to America. Arn had a hard time fitting into the community of exclusive American high school students. They didn't understand his experiences and what he had been through and so the students constantly taunted and teased Arn. This caused Arn to feel suicidal thoughts and only recovered at the rediscovery of music, which his adopted father encouraged him to revive his musical passion. I found this really eye opening since it is comparable to immigrants from many other countries experiences in America. In my English III Contemporary American Cultures class, we have read many experiences of immigrants coming to America and they all share one common element. This common element is that no one knows their story and no one really cares enough to find out either. Arn warns us of this and encouraged us as the future generation to learn people's stories, to ask, and to share our own stories. I was inspired by Arn's words and will definitely carry them with me as I continue on my Global Studies journey.