South parent Sophie Guillaume was excited to introduce bread to the Chinese exchange student Miles Zhang she is hosting. "There is never bread served in Chinese restaurants," Guillaume said, assuming he had never tried bread before. Zhang was quick to inform his host mother that many people in China enjoy bread.
Zhang is already serving his purpose here: to teach South about the world power Guillaume feels “we barely know anything about.” Although he is also hoping to learn and experience American culture, Zhang said that is not his only priority.
Through this program, Guillaume feels that Zhang has been adjusting to American culture "extremely well." Guillaume feels the motivation for joining the foreign exchange program is to gain an understanding of another society and offer a joining of cultures in which "everyone learns [and] both sides benefit."
Zhang joined indoor track to experience a different side of South, "instead of just studying all the time." Zhang joined not to compete, but for the exercise that can take some stress out of the long day at school in a new country.
"I don't do track in China, so the whole track thing is new to me … I've never touched the field in China," Zhang said.
Although he has met many friends through the team, no one in particular has affected Zhang. Instead, Zhang looks at his experience on the team as a way of learning about America. "Everybody around me gives me an idea of what America is like," he said.
Aside from after school activities, Zhang puts his effort into his schoolwork.
Zhang' English teacher Alexander Kaplan says that Zhang speaks English well and participates in class often. Zhang does find his time in the classroom more difficult than informal conversations with friends.
"The slang is easy to understand because I have watched [American] movies," he said, "but the academic terms can be hard to understand."
Reflecting on his time in America so far, Zhang has changed his view of American schooling.
"To most Chinese students, American students are really lucky. The things they learn are easy and they don't work much," Zhang said. "Now, I know it's not true. There is actually much pressure from school."
These misconceptions come from differences in teaching style and work ethic. Zhang said the typical classroom is more lenient than one in China, giving students the freedom to stand up and even leave the classroom to use the bathroom without asking. At Zhang' school, there are clubs and after school activities similar to South, but there are no counselors to help students in need and students do not have the opportunity to elect student representatives.
Additionally, Zhang' may possibly experience more pressure at his school in China than the highly criticized stressful environment of South.
"Here, you are more concerned about [individual] test scores," he said. "In China, there is more competition with your classmates … the whole grade takes the same tests at the same time."
Zhang has decided to use his English name while he's at South as opposed to his Chinese name, Zhang Xiaohui. His choice of the name "Miles" did not take much though, as it was entirely random.
"I like the letter M," Zhang said, "so I wanted a name that started with M. I randomly opened a [English names] book, careful to open to a page on the letter M. The first name for boys was Miles."
This is the second American name Zhang has adopted. When he was learning English in China in 7th or 8th grade and needed to choose an English name, he chose John because it sounded most like Zhang.
Many who are new to America will choose an American name to easily integrate into society. But Zhang does not think having an American name affects how people perceive him.
"There's a girl in our group at North. Her [American] name is Kris. She doesn't like her English name, so ever since she came here, she gave everyone her Chinese name, Wang Shengman. I think it doesn't really matter," Zhang said.
Even though his time in America has already proven to be a "great opportunity" for Zhang, he is still in contact with his life in China and looks forward to returning. When it comes to missing America, Zhang is unsure.
"Although I like America very much, I don't know if I'm going to miss anything. When I recall everything I've done in America, it's wonderful, but not missing," Zhang said.
He will most miss the atmosphere of South classes. “The students are given more freedom. The atmosphere is lighter."
Most of all, “I will definitely miss living with my host family," he said.
Zhang is considering returning to America for college in a few years. But for now, he is focused on the present. "Right now, I'm in America."
