American high schools

It's a beautiful day in Pamplico, South Carolina. The skies are clear and the air is fresh. I can hear the birds chirping on trees aaaaand.....

IT'S FREEZING!!!

My brother called the shot gun and I was left at the back of the car chilling to my bones because there's no butt warmers at the back of the car seats.
* There's this high school culture or American culture where people wake up early in the morning and then prod another person and yell SHOTGUN!! The person who yells it first get to sit in the front. The annoying part of it is that CJ wins it all the time.

I'm enrolled in Hannah-Pamplico High School (HPHS) or also known as Florence High district two. My new American high school is relatively small compare to the others but it's still BIGGER than my old Malaysian high school. ( no picture provided, sorry :( )

                                                           This is my high school emblem.

The school is only one floor, unlike many typical Malaysian high schools( the higher the better). It's super clean and the toilet will all flush automatically ( ain't it amazing?! ). The classrooms are well equipped with heaters for the winter, smart-boards, white boards, LCDs, you name it. It's so high tech here and all students are required to wear a student tag around their necks which distinguished them according to their grades.

I am placed in Senior year which is AWESOME! Here in this school, we only take 4 classes, and that's the maximum. I'm dropping all Science classes, I have enough of them back in Malaysia!! Therefore, I took English 4( seniors only). US History ( mandatory), Masonry and 3D Art.

School starts from 8am to 3pm. Each schooling day consists of four blocks and a block lasts for 90 minutes. Unlike the schooling system in Malaysia, it's the students that move classes, not the teachers. We only have 3 minutes between each classes so there's quite a massive traffic jam in the hallways whenever the bell rings.

I have Ms. Cusack for first block which is English 4, Ms Cornwell for second block which is US History, Mr Shird for third block which is Masonry and Ms Calcutt for fourth block which is 3D Art.

What is amazing about American high schools is that you get to wear anything to school and even eat and drink in class! My masonry teacher, Mr Shird has a small grocery in his workshop where he sells us drinks like Dr. Pepper and stuff for 50 pence per item. That gave me a culture shock.

The Americans in high school are very bright and friendly. The first friend I made is Ashley Poston from English 4. She's real nuts about OCs and anime characters and her English is real good. Other friends made eventually throughout my first day are Maurice, Nadia, Lisa Whaley, Justin, Blake Calcutt and many more. They're all like "Hey! It's the new girl!! HI!!!'

I can also see many couples holding hands in public and even in class. I got culture shock for a couple of time in school and I got confused about which bus I was supposed to be boarding to get home.

Let me make a list about the differences between Malaysian and American high schools

MALAYSIA :

1. Clothes : Pinnaform
2. Classes : Restricted to Science subjects
3. Hair : No more than 5 cm below the ears.
4. Nails : Whatever you like


AMERICA :

1. Clothes : Anything, as long as its not too short.
2. Classes : Each to their own aptitude.
3. Hair : Anything
4. Nails : Anything

However, no matter how different the school systems may be in these two countries, I still heart MALAYSIA.

#Proud to be Malaysian#

I AM IN AMERICA!!!

Okie, here we go. This is going to be a LONG post.

Previously I have mentioned that I applied for the Kennedy-Lugar YES scholarship which allows us to go abroad to the USA for half a year on an academic exchange program which is totally FOC and a rare chance that many students will kill for right?

Here's the deal. I got the scholarship.

And I am in America now.

Sometimes I stare around at my host family's house and wonder whether all of these are real, and wonder whether I am still dreaming. I am actually in South Carolina surrounded by thousands of Americans and tens of other exchange students. I am actually in an American high school and enjoying senior year ( yep, like what you see in High School Musical ).

And my host brother will strangle me every time I ask if he's real.

So this is real.

The plane flight from KLIA Malaysia to Heathrow London was brutal. B R U T A L I tell you, but it's worth it. I was stashed in the the window seat and every time I want to go out and pee, I have to scramble through a very sleepy Karen and an absolutely expressionless Saktesh so I tried to hold my pee in as long as I could. It didn't actually work out.

The flight was approximately 13 hours and it was freezing by the time we reached Heathrow. It was 10 degrees below zero and we actually breathed smoke whenever we go outside! London is awesome, but the currency is a pain in the arse! One pound is actually 10 ringgit ( sweating bullets even thinking of it )!!!

It was then another 6 hours of checking in and baggage scanning at the airport before we board United Airlines to Dulles International Airport USA.

By time we reached the Youth Conference in Washington D.C USA, we're all nearly half dead from exhaustion and jet lag with fatigue.

We had an orientation for two days in the Youth Conference and we had quite a lot of snowball fights there. The freshly fallen snow was destroyed by all 43 of us in a wink and we practically destroyed the lobby with our snow prints and flakes of ice ( guilty look ). Lovin' every moment in USA!!

But it is COLD!!!!! But I made 3 snow angels all the same. :p

                                Group photo at Youth Conference USA lobby!! Love YES 14!!

After the orientation, we were divided into three separate group with different plane and bus boarding time to our respective host states and families. I was arranged into the bus "Crackle" in which it's boarding time was 5:30am in the morning. I was in the group with Sakti, Saktesh,Karen, Ashie, Bella, Suzanne, Priscilla, Kat and a couple others. Kat and I were strayed from the group earlier because we are going to the same state and our flight is the same. There were lots of hugs and well wishes and soon we're off!!

There are butterflies in my stomach when we landed in Florence Airport. The flight was brief ( thank god, the plane is TINY!!! ). I saw three golden headed people inside the airport and my local coordinator waiting for me. OH MY GOD.

Mama, Keri and CJ was waiting for me!! Oh my gosh!!

                                    Here's the happy picture of my new American family!

                                                 From the right : Keri, me, Mama and CJ!

                                                                   This is my  room.

                                                         I know, I know, it's pretty right? :p

Okay, I'll stop here for the moment, more to follow up as I'm so tired now!!!  LOVE AMERICA!!!!