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Richie Nickell, Senior U.S. to Suzhou, China- 7,067 miles from LZ

Richie Nickell, Senior
U.S. to Suzhou, China- 7,067 miles from LZ

Fourteen hours on a plane, and traveling across the Pacific Ocean, senior Richie Nickell and his family were prepared for their move to China.

“My dad’s company got transferred, so we got the opportunity and left.” Nickell said. “We had the [chance to move] in 2010, but we turned it down because we didn’t know what the experience would be like. Then we did some more research and really regretted that decision. When we got another opportunity, we took it right away.”

Nickell’s family left for China in October 2013, and returned for his senior year this past June.

“I had friends from all over the world,” Nickell said. “They all knew what I was going through, so they could give me tips on what to do.”

Nickell lived in a small community and attended an American school with many English-speaking students.

“I really like the city life.” Nickell said. “Living here, I’d have to walk two miles until I reach a store from my home, but in China I could walk 20 meters (less than half a mile) and then I’d be at a store.”

Nickell said he also enjoyed the freedom in China that American teenagers do not get to experience.

“In China there’s no real curfew,” Nickell said. “You could stay out until [whenever] without getting in trouble with the law. There’s no limit on where you can go. You could go into a construction zone and just walk around.”

Though Nickell loved China, he had a hard time keeping in touch with his friends at home.

“There was a 12 hour time difference, so if I wanted to talk to my friends [back home] one of us would have to stay up late, so it was difficult,” Nickell said. “We’d usually text and they would reply when they got the chance, but I lost communication with basically all my friends back home.”

Nickell missed his friends at home, but made friends in the American school. Nickell also missed required classes and has to take health and U.S. history, as a senior, classes that were not required in China, but are required here in order to graduate.

“It was my choice to move back,” Nickell said. “I wanted to graduate with all of my friends here and it would be a lot easier for me to graduate here than there. I was excited, but at the same time I was sad because I was leaving everything that I had built there: relationships, job opportunities, everything was gone; but I got to build new stuff here, so that was exciting too.”

Though Nickell now misses his friends in China, he was glad to be able to take the opportunity to meet new people and experience a new culture.

“If you have the opportunity to have an international experience, take that opportunity.” Nickell said. “It opens up your mind no matter who you are, no matter what you do, if you have the opportunity, take it.”

Agata Piatkowska, Senior
Gdynia, Poland- 4,617 miles from LZ

Piatkowska took the chance to become an exchange student and travel to America for her senior year.

“It was a spontaneous decision,” Piatkowska said. “My mom’s friend has a son who is an exchange student, and she asked me if I wanted to and I said, ‘sure,’ and I filled out the documents and then I was accepted.”

Though Piatkowska is 4,617 miles and a 10 hour plane ride away from home, she said she doesn’t miss her family as much as she thought she would.

“I miss my family, but I decided to move here and it’s my year,” Piatkowska said. “I have to be happy and try to use my time here. People are so nice here and whenever I ask something, people are always helping and everyone is so cheerful.”

According to Piatkowska, Polish students are not given the opportunity to know or speak with their teachers when in class or out of class.

“Each class we have is with the same people all day long,” Piatkowska said. “In Poland we are really formal with our teachers, and the students don’t really talk to our teachers. We don’t have a counselor to talk to, but we have a main teacher (homeroom teacher) who we go to every week for an hour to talk about classes.”

According to Piatkowska, she loves having the opportunity to give America a try, though she does not plan to move to America when she grows up, but is really enjoying her time here.

Carl Ploug, Senior
Copenhagen, Denmark- 4,126 miles from LZ

Ploug prepared to meet his house family after a 9 hour plane ride leaving behind his family and friends.

“I chose to do it for the experience,” Ploug said. “My parents were positive about me leaving, and it’s a good way to grow up because you need learn to take care of yourself.”

According to Ploug, and being 4,126 miles away from family and friends is not exactly what he was expecting.

“I thought it would be easier,” Ploug said. “I expected that this would be a breeze and that I would come over and it would be no big deal, but it is hard leaving everybody behind and knowing that you can’t just call them up because there is a huge time difference.”

Though Ploug had a difficult time leaving behind family and friends in Denmark, he thinks it is going to be harder leaving friends in America.

“I’m going to miss my friends here,” Ploug said. “The difference between leaving America and leaving Denmark is that I might never see these people again, while in Denmark I’m leaving and I know I’m going back in a year.”

According to Ploug, his transition was not too difficult and he joined the football team the first day he arrived. He believes being on the team was a really good way for him to make friends and build relationships while he is here.