When I first moved to America, I quickly realized that people had a lot of assumptions about me. Some thought I came from a tribe, others assumed I was British or Australian, and a few even believed that South Africa was somewhere in Asia. It was both funny and surprising to see how easily people form ideas about a place or person they don’t really know.

Before coming here, I had my own assumptions too. I had always dreamed of going to a big theme park with huge, terrifying rides, something we don’t really have in South Africa. I imagined the experience would feel exactly like the movies, especially “National Lampoon’s Vacation”. I also couldn’t wait to try food from an American school cafeteria like greasy pizza and questionable hamburgers . I had never even been in a cafeteria before because in South Africa we don’t have cafeterias, rather we just eat outside by the sports fields and we bring our own lunches that really consist of anything and everything. Sometimes it is just sandwiches and energade, which is like a gatorade, and other times it’ll just be left overs. In almost every movie, like “Napoleon Dynamite”, the food always looked disgusting, so I was shocked when it was actually semi-good. Although sometimes the burgers do look a little questionable and the pizza is almost always greasy, I really enjoy it. Then there is snow, I have seen it only in pictures and movies but when I finally get to experience a full snow, it’ll be one of the best days of my life. I always thought a “White Christmas” was what happened everywhere in America but since moving here I have been unpleasantly surprised that that is in fact not the case and it will most likely not snow here. I pictured American high school the way movies and social media show it: lockers, sports games with crowds of students, and a loud, buzzing cafeteria filled with people laughing and shouting across tables. In some ways, it really is like that, Friday night lights and all. But in other ways, it’s completely different from what I expected, the schoolwork is actually a lot more challenging than what is perceived.  One of the biggest adjustments has been the pace of school. In South Africa, teachers teach a lot slower, step by step. Here, it sometimes feels like you’re expected to already know everything the moment you walk in. Certain things I miss about my old school and South Africa in general is the fact that my grade always felt like 1 group instead of different groups based on popularity and how long you have been at this school. I feel  you really have to put yourself out there to make friends, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Another thing is the spirit. Although Latin’s spirit is good, South African schools are unmatched. When you do war cries, spirit chants, the atmosphere is insane, the school really becomes one and everyone wants to participate.

For people outside of America, the “American high school experience” feels almost mythical, something you see on screen but never imagine living yourself. Now that I’m actually here, it still feels strange at times. It’s exciting, overwhelming, and eye-opening all at once. I’ve learned that the little things; how people talk, the rhythm of classes, even how lunch works, are all pieces of a much bigger cultural puzzle that I’m still figuring out.

What a normal day looks like for the average South African student; first you wake up, I usually woke up at 5, and get ready for school, most schools, private or public, wear uniforms. Once you have breakfast, one of your parents will drive you to school because you can’t get your license until you are 18. You then get to school, most people arrived around 7:00am so that you could finish the work your teacher gave you yesterday with your friends. It was always my architecture class that no one ever did their work. School starts at 7:25 and you have two hours worth of classes, each class is an hour, and then you have first break(which is like Latins AM break). You then have another 2 hours of classes and then second break. Both breaks are 30 minutes and you’ll either bring lunch from home or you will each lunch from the school shop. After second break you have your last two hours worth of classes and end school at 2:30pm. School sports are only on 2 times a week and everyone has to participate in a sport throughout the whole year, for all of high school.  Some differences between Latin and my school in South Africa are that high school starts in 8th grade, my old school we didn’t have clubs or passing periods but what we did have were some compulsory classes that aren’t in Latin. Accounting, business, and geography are all classes you take until the end of ninth grade where you get to pick what you’d like to do. This excludes math, english and then your second language, which is between Afrikaans and Zulu, because you have to take these all 5 years of high school.

So no, I was not in a tribe. I am not British or Australian, and South Africa is definitely not in Asia. I moved to America at the beginning of August, and I’ve had more than my share of odd, funny, and interesting experiences since then. Each day teaches me something new, not just about America, but about how people see the world, and how important it is to look beyond assumptions.