final podcast

Diego Caballero, a 19-year-old college student, introduces his new podcast and discusses the differences between school in the US and Argentina. He interviews two college-age students, Julia and a German exchange student. Julia talks about her experience at Duke University, mentioning the balance between work and social life. She also recalls her time in Argentina, attending a private bilingual school. Diego shares his own experiences of attending school in Puerto Rico and Panama, discussing language barriers and cultural differences. Hello, my name is Diego Caballero. I'm a 19-year-old college student, and welcome to the very first episode of my new podcast, which currently doesn't have a name. Today I'm going to be talking about the difference between school in the U.S. and America, and I'm going to be interviewing two people, two college-age students like myself, who, mind you, I also have experience with this. When I was in Panama for three years, I went to school there. I went there at around the age of nine, and before that I went to school in Puerto Rico for a year. I'm not exactly sure how old I was. I was a little young. I can't really remember off the top of my head. But yeah, so I myself have experiences like that, and you'll see me kind of bring it up every once in a while in the interviews. I will be interviewing, again, as I said, two college-age students. One of them is a freshman at Duke, and her name is Julia Healy-Pereira. And another one is actually a junior German exchange student that is currently in an exchange program here in the school I go to, UConn. And I'll be interviewing them, so I'll get to those interviews now. First, I'll be showing you the interview with Julia Healy-Pereira. So how's your first semester of college been? First semester of college has been pretty good. I think I came here expecting to be very intimidated just because of the reputation that Duke has, but then I was kind of surprised when I found that I, I don't know, had kind of learned at EO, at EO-Smith, at the public regional high school that I went to, how to manage work pretty well. And I think that that also came from being in a position of not as much privilege as my peers, because they had, like, tutors and everything that would just teach them how to do everything. And I kind of grew up, like, learning how to do things on my own with the help of teachers and peers, obviously, but, like, not having my hands really held in the same way as people here. It's been fun, though? Oh, sorry, sorry. Yeah, it has been really fun. The community that I've had has been really great. I think this also features Duke, like, I think people here are, like, dedicated and they work hard, right? And they're kind of, like, try-hards, definitely, but, like, less overtly so than I think in other top-ranked schools, because Duke also has more of, like, a work-hard-play-hard kind of reputation, where people, like, will be, like, studying for hours and hours and hours, but they don't talk about that. They talk about the parties that they go to on the weekends, the, you know, green drinks that they're drinking. I think the social life is definitely a much more, I don't know, a bigger driving factor in higher views compared to how you're doing in your classes or what kind of extracurriculars they're in. But I think that's kind of a layer of respect that's not spoken, but it also is there. The social ones and social presence. Yeah, sounds fun. And plus, you got, like, you got into any football games? Wait, when did those start? I have. You have? They did start, yeah? They already ended. Oh, I don't know when football season is. I just know at UConn it sucks. Our football sucks. I know Duke has good football, right? Oh, they are, right? Okay, so that was, like, the first game of the semester was really good, and then, like, our coach just left, bro. He was like, I'm out of here. Oh, man. I think he went to Texas or something, and our quarterback also, like, left as well, so now we're through. But it's okay. We got the, today I learned that we now have the coach from Penn State, which is also, like, a top football school. Nice. We'll see. So, and you haven't been, obviously, for the most part, you've been in school in, like, the U.S., right? Yes, I have lived in the U.S. my entire life, but I lived in Argentina for one year because of my dad being a sabbatical there. He's a Latin American historian. Nice. What was he studying? He is a historian of Argentina primarily, and I didn't get that. What was he studying at that time? He was, I mean, I was eight years old, so I was never aware of it. Yeah. But he was studying kind of structures and history of Argentina after, actually, now I'm getting, I don't know exactly what he was studying at the time, but his specialization was in Argentina because he also lived in Argentina when he was little. Okay. Because my grandparents also worked there. Yeah. Nice. And do you remember any of your time in Argentina, like, going to school and stuff? Weirdly enough, I remember a lot of it. I feel like you say, like, when I tell people that I lived there for a year when I was seven and I turned eight there, I think it seems, like, very insignificant. It seems like it's a very insignificant portion of your life. Like, you're a little kid. I mean, those are important developmental years, but they're not, like, as important as when you were a teenager and kind of finding your sense of self. But weirdly enough, I remember a lot of it. I remember, you know, the apartment, the walk-up, the school, the teachers, the friends, kind of the general structure. But there were things at the time that not necessarily were hidden from me, but I just wasn't made aware of. Like, I didn't know. I mean, like, in retrospect, it's obvious. But I didn't know at the time that I was going to a private school. I also didn't know that it was actually bilingual. But I think that's also just a feature of, like, growing up, I was not – like, my family is not wealthy to the point where, like, they would even consider a private school an option. And I think that's part of the feature of, like, living in South America, that it's made an option because it's cheaper than it would be in the States. But, yeah, I don't know. Like, I remember a lot of things, but obviously I don't know how much of them are – how many of the things I remember are actually, like, objectively true versus things that I'm imagining and kind of altering in retrospect. Yeah, the eight-year-old mind can be pretty creative. Yeah. But so how was that, like, going to Argentina, how was that for you, like, you know, leaving your friends that you had in school before that and then having to come into, like, a whole new country and meeting, like, all new people? Well, okay, you can probably relate to this. Well, actually, I don't know. But my, like – the weird thing is that I was raised in a bilingual household, right? Yeah. And this is one of the things that I still don't, like, looking back, I don't really understand. But so I originally thought that I, like, knew Spanish when I was little because my mom, like, her first language is Catalan. It's like my mom is Spanish, but Spanish was a spoken between my parents because my parents are both very advanced Spanish speakers. My mom, because she's a native Spanish speaker from Spain, and my dad because he's American, but he, as I mentioned before, lives in Argentina when he was little and also is now a Latin American historian. So I don't really know exactly how. Maybe it was because I pushed it off or maybe I just, like, understood it but didn't seek to learn how to, like, speak back. But I wasn't – I didn't speak Spanish when I was seven years old. I don't really – I don't really know how that came to be. But, okay, regardless, I – when I went to Argentina, I didn't – I had a very, like, low level of Spanish. And so when I first got there, I felt really isolated because even though it was a private bilingual school, the students there didn't really speak English. I remember them – I remember, like, my best friend, whose name was Julia, weirdly enough. What a coincidence. Our first conversation was, like, super, super, super, super superficial because neither of us could really articulate ourselves. So even though it was a bilingual school, I think my parents probably, like, chose that because they wanted me to find kind of friends. But they didn't speak English, so it doesn't really matter in the end. But, however, going to a bilingual school did give me access to a tutor. One of the Spanish – one of the English teachers was able to kind of hold my hand as I, like, plainly met, like, once a week, maybe twice a week. And she would help me with learning Spanish. Nice. I would say I had a similar-ish experience. By the time I went to – so I know you know that I went to school in Panama, right? Yeah. But before that, I had actually gone to school in Puerto Rico for a year, probably. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Around the same age as you. I can't really remember. I was a lot – like, I remember, like, stuff that happened, but my age itself, I can't remember that well. Mm-hmm. It was, you know, it was pretty wild. It was a pretty wild time. Did a lot of crazy things. But I remember I wasn't as good at Spanish. I think one thing was that I – like, I knew Spanish to, like, a point, but, like, the words that they use – like, they use different words than I would, I guess. Because obviously, like, colloquial language is a thing. Oh, yeah. Yeah. And then also, like – That was also definitely something that affected me. Yeah. And, like, my vocabulary wasn't as wide because, like, I haven't – like, a lot of the words that they were using, I didn't, like, have to use, like, just in my house. Mm-hmm. So it was a lot – it was a lot different learning – having to learn new words and stuff. But it was pretty – like, I enjoyed it. I think, like, the most – like, the best my Spanish has ever been was obviously when I was living in Panama and I was, like – Yeah. You know, actually speaking it, like, daily. And on, like – on the private school front, I would say from, like, what I know of, like, different – like, I don't know as much about Argentina, but I know a lot of, like, Latin American countries, private school is, like, the norm there, like, for schooling. Because I know Argentina, like, tends to be a lot better in terms of economics, but, like, in places like Panama or, like – and, like, the economics is pretty bad. Like, it's a pretty corrupt country. Yeah. And the public school has, like, no funding, so if you don't go to private school, you might as well just, you know, not really be going to school. At least that was the case in Panama, so that's – that's why I kind of – I can relate to, like, the whole private school thing. It's a lot – it's a lot different. I might be – yeah. I might be wrong about this, but I'm pretty sure that my dad, when he was living in Argentina, I think that he went to public school. Because, like, I know my grandparents were working – were in Argentina as missionaries, and that salary is not – that salary was not enough. They'd be paying for private school even at, like, a lower level, but me, I just remember my dad talking about our contrasting experiences, and I think one of the key things was that he went to a public school instead of a private school, and that forced him to learn Spanish at a much greater rate. Right. And I think it kind of forced him to keep with him in the way that it did for me. Right. But I will say that coming back from Argentina was really odd, because initially I was really sad, right, because I had, like, I'll talk this whole life there, and I knew, like, chances of me going back to that were next to zero. It wasn't going to happen. Yeah. But, like, coming back to the States, I think maybe this was, like, a way of coping with those emotions and, like, wanting to keep them from ever coming back again. I kind of, like, rejected the notion of knowing Spanish, being Spanish, living somewhere other than the United States. And, like, I refused to speak Spanish. My parents would try and keep the language alive by, like, forcing me to only speak Spanish at dinner, and I would just, like, not talk. Like, I'd be like, no, I'm not doing that. And then I forgot all of my Spanish. And then I went back to visit family in Spain a year, no, wait, I don't know, a number of years later, and I realized that I had lost my ability to communicate with my family members. And in middle school, probably also sort of a byproduct of this, I chose to study Latin instead of, like, improve my Spanish. And, like, then I went to Spain, and I didn't know Spanish. So I just started, like, speaking Latin at my family members, and they were like, what the hell? Like, who are you? That was, like, a moment that kind of forced me to, like, open my eyes that I had kind of chosen to lose my culture and my connection to literally, like, over half my family. And then in high school, as a way of trying to gain that back, I chose to study Spanish, even though at a certain level, like, I knew that I wouldn't be improving as much from the class as a student that wasn't a heritage speaker, just because I would already have a leg up in, like, understanding. But I didn't lose, like, at this point, I didn't know Spanish, but I was losing, like, really key integral components. Like, grammar was awful. Grammar was awful. I had no idea there were different tenses. Like, I didn't know what the imperfect was. I didn't know preterite. I didn't know any of that. And so even though I knew I wasn't going to, like, improve as much as the other kids, and I was also frustrated because, A, I would feel like, like, I was, like, letting go of my identity by, like, being in a Spanish class with a bunch of white kids, like, American kids. It's like, I don't know. I was in a lot of crisis with that because I felt like, like, I know more than this. I should be more than this. Like, I put myself in the situation, you know? Yeah. Well, I think one difference between, like, heritage Spanish and, like, learning it in, like, class is that, like, we don't really have to focus as much on, like, tenses as, like, I feel like, especially if, like, it's just, like, speaking. Because, like, most of the time, like, with the tenses, like, I didn't know, like, the rules for it, but, like, it would just kind of come to me, like, oh, yeah, I know. Like, this just makes sense to say this here versus, like, there because it just sounds right. Well, one of the byproducts is actually it's, like, as you were saying, I was most fluent in Spanish when I was going to school in Spanish, right? And at that point, I have kind of that, like, intuitive sense of, okay, this is where I use it perfect. This is where I use it perfect. I didn't know, but they were, but, like, I do. And but then I lost that because I lost that intuitive sense of being able to, like, assign the sense here, the sense here, and just talk without speaking. When I went to, like, actual Spanish class in the States, and I was doing, like, totally sense tenses, and I realized that, like, my foundational knowledge was so useless at this point because I had lost that, like, intuition that I had to start from zero as if I were not a heritage speaker. And then when my, like, intuition as a heritage speaker came back to me as I started speaking again, I didn't trust it anymore because now, like, I had been taught to fall back on the grammar, the actual grammar, the actual tenses, and the actual rules. Right. And, like, even now, I kind of second-guess myself all the time. I think one thing as well is that in school, like, they kind of teach you, like, a formal form of, like, Spanish, which, like, not a lot of people necessarily use, especially, like, if you go to, like, a town. Like, if you were to go to, like, just, like, a small town in some, like, Spanish-speaking country, they might not, like, speak as formally as, like, what they teach you, which I think is very interesting as well. Yeah. But speaking of which, how, like, how would you say you're, the difference between, like, like, then being in Argentina and then coming back to, like, the U.S.? How do you think, like, schooling felt different for you? I think, I think the world definitely, okay, this is one of the things that is, like, kind of odd. Ever since also coming to Duke, I think coming back from Argentina, I felt that I couldn't relate with the kids, or I kind of struggled to relate with the white kids who didn't have immigrants as parents or didn't, hadn't, like, lived elsewhere in the world, because I just felt that, like, Mansfield was so small, you know? And I kind of felt constricted by it and the fact that there's so much world out there and these people that I'm talking to, so I'm trying to censor that. Like, is that the fault of the kids? No, it's not. Is it my fault? Probably, in some sense, because I have, like, placing judgment upon them. But also, I was, like, eight years old, so I wasn't really conscious of it. But I think because of that, I, like, started to trend away from, like, being friends with the, like, white kids' parents of, like, the two generations. And I started to relate more with the kids who were children of immigrants. And I think that also kind of – also, not only because of Argentina, but also because of my mom. My mom came to the States when she was 30 years old, so she was not – she didn't come here when she was young at all. Like, she didn't speak English for a long time. She only learned English when she was four or three because my brother's first language was Catalan. And then when he went to preschool, not being able to speak English, she realized that, like, she had to stop speaking it. Another language does. Right. And that was the point where she was speaking – she learned English. And I think because of that, like, coming back, I felt kind of – but obviously, like, all these things I'm able to, like, make more clear in retrospect because I have the judgment of an 18-year-old now. Another eight-year-old, I don't know. I think I just felt kind of frustrated. I think that's also part of why I, like, refused to speak English because I think it was, like, my way of putting down all the frustration of, like, feeling kind of isolated because I couldn't relate to the kids that had just stayed here another year. And also I had, like, missed a whole year of friendship that they had had, right? So I think I kind of lost a lot of that in that sense. Yeah, I would say that was a big thing for me, too, was that, like, I kind of came – I came in – I went to MMS, came, like, sixth grade, and, like, it was, like, kind of hard to, like, be friends with a lot of people who had already been friends since, like, elementary school. Yeah, for sure. Which was – which, like, has been – like, has happened to me before, but it was kind of, like, difficult to make friends at first, I think. But, like, this was – it was a case for me, but it was really intense for my brother. Like, he came back, and he was entering sixth grade when he came back. I was entering – wait, no, that's not right. He was entering sixth grade, and I was entering fourth grade. And what that meant is that he had missed a year where everyone had transitioned into getting – coming into middle school and, like, making those first-year admissions. And so he was, like, kind of discombobulated coming back, and also because the, like, math system was different here. Also, like, one of the key things is that because Argentina is on the – in the lower hemisphere of the Earth, the southern hemisphere of the Earth, like, the school year is offset. So when I had gotten – when I got to Argentina, like, I left August of 2011. No, wait, what? Oh, I don't know. Maybe 2014. I left in August before my third grade, and then when I got there, there were, like, there was, like, a week-adjustment period or something. And then I started school again, but, like, midway through third grade in Argentina because it was, like, fast, right? Yeah. So I only – I, like, repeated half of third grade, and then I did half of – no, wait. No, wait, sorry, second grade. I repeated half of second grade, and then I did half of third grade. But that meant that I had to go home and, like, do an IXL, like, that online learning platform to keep up with math and things. But it also meant that I learned a lot of tasks from the other kids, too. Like, they told us how to do cursive, and, you know, we had to write cursive. Everything was written out in cursive on the blackboard. Yeah, in South America. In South America, there's a big emphasis on cursive. I know in my school in Panama, cursive was, like, a big thing. I didn't learn it because I just didn't want to, and it was, like, a whole thing. But I learned how to read it fine. And my teachers were fine with it. They didn't force me to learn it. I'm in long division right here, and then I never learned – like, I never actually learned long division until I think high school. Right. I think it was actually, I think, kind of the opposite for me, where I had skipped – I had actually skipped most of sixth grade. I think I was only in sixth grade for two months, so I really didn't do sixth grade. Oh, wow. The thing was that when you're in Panama, like, if you go to school, you go to private school. Otherwise, you go to public school, and you're just – it's more like a babysitter's. So your parents can go work for the day. But where, like, in school in Panama, they're, like – the education system in Panama, like, the private education system is very good. Like, it's very, like, rigorous. It's very, like – like, I was advanced, basically. Like, I think schooling hadn't caught up to me until, like, freshman year of high school. So for, like, seventh and eighth grade, it was all kind of stuff that I already knew. But coming back from Panama, because I technically didn't do sixth grade for them – although I, like, I had already learned everything that they were going to teach at sixth grade. They didn't let me take, like, the courses that I would have normally been taking, like, if I had, like, stayed in Panama. So I was, like – I was actually – yeah, I was forced to be, like, behind. So I think I would have been, like, two years advanced in terms of, like, math and sciences. Although in MMS, they didn't do, like, advanced sciences, did they? They didn't, right? But I would have been two years advanced in math, but that didn't end up happening. And then I just didn't care anymore. So I just didn't – I didn't try to be two years advanced in math. That happened to my brother, actually. Because he came back sixth grade, and then they tested him for what math he should be in. And he did – oh, wait, did they test him? I think they just put him on, like, a regular level. And at this point – I don't know. Maybe because he was in high school, he was advanced, and he was struggling so much on the homework because he was, like, overthinking it and thinking that it was going to be harder than it was. And I remember my mom telling me this story of, like, she's, like – she saw him crying on the homework, and she goes over to him, like, what's the matter with you? And he's, like, I don't understand how to do it. And she's looking at the paper, and she's, like, I thought you did this, like, years ago. Like, you're overthinking it. It's so much easier than you think it is. And then they tried to move him up, but they could only move him up to one year advanced. So I think they weren't allowed to, like, just give it to him. And then I think at one year advanced, something else happened. I don't know. But this is still a situation where, like, he was in a big lock for a couple months. Yeah. And would you say, like, in terms of, like, the education itself, what did you prefer, like, in the U.S. or, like, in Argentina? In – what do you think? I would say my – okay, my, like, life in Argentina was really different because since it was a bilingual school, they had school in Spanish in the mornings and then they had school in English in the afternoons, which meant that, like, schools – I remember I think I had to get there at 7, and then I would leave by maybe 1, 1230. And then I would have nothing the whole afternoon. And what that allowed me to do was join a choral group in the city center and do swim lessons and do tennis and, you know, do all these things that otherwise I wouldn't have been able to do. Right. And then I think in the States, school went from 9.30 to 3.30. But I think also something that I don't, like – that definitely affected me was in Argentina, maybe you – I don't know if you want to – I don't know if you have the same experience because I think one of the differentiating factors for me was that, like, I came speaking English – like, being proud of speaking English and also appearing physically different from some of the kids that had, like, indigenous heritage in Argentina. Even though there is a lot – there are a lot of, like, white people in Argentina because of the Italian immigrant population. But, like, I became – like, when I first came, and then this was the state itself where basically the whole time I was there, I was kind of, like, idolized by the other kids because I was American, because I spoke English, especially because it was a bilingual school. The fact that I spoke English made me kind of, like, go into them, you know? And they all wanted to be my friend. I was, like, the popular girl and et cetera. Well, so wait, how big was your – like, did you, like, know, like, everyone in your, like, year? Or was it, like, a decently big school that you went to? I, like, I could not tell you. I think it was a decently big school, but I don't actually know because, like, as an 8-year-old, everything seems big, right? Like, I thought something big would be where I was, and, like, in retrospect, it was definitely not. So I'm not really sure. Right. Well, when I went to – I think there were definitely – there were multiple classes. Okay. In my – like, when I went to school in Panama, it was one class. And there was maybe, like, 20 kids in the whole class, maybe even less. And I think one thing is that I – well, I'm Panamanian, right? Like, I'm half Panamanian, at least, and I look like I'm Panamanian. And, like, I look mostly like a Native American, I guess, or a Native Panamanian, I guess. And so when I went, they didn't – like, I didn't really look different, I would say. Like, the thing is that Panama also has, like, a ton of immigrants, right? It's, like, right at the center of, like, the world. Like, a lot of immigrants go through Panama. So there's a lot of Venezuelans. There's a lot of Cubans. There was a lot of, like, Spanish people. There was a lot of, like, Indian people. There was, like, a lot of everyone. So I would say, like, my appearance didn't really change anything. And I would say also, like, me speaking English, no one really cared, I guess, because I guess in Panama, they – like, if you go to a private school, most schools will make you, like, learn English, right? And by then, I think everyone kind of – like, I was definitely – obviously, I was definitely, like, way better than everyone else at English, like, by miles. Like – but they were still, like, good enough that I could speak to them and I could understand them in English if they were talking to me in English. But I would say they were – sometimes they were a little, like, mean to me because I spoke English, though. Or, like, because I was American. Like, outsider. Yeah. Yeah. Even though, like, you know, realistically, like, it's funny because, like, it's – like, there's, like, Venezuelan people, like, saying, like, oh, you're an American and, like, I'm, like, not from here. And I'm, like, well, I'm actually Panamanian and you're not, so you're not from here, but, you know, it's whatever. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But that was, like – that was something that, like, you know, that wasn't – that didn't last very long. By the, like – by the second half of, like, school year, I was friends with everyone in my class. That was, like – like, I don't even know how many people. There was probably less than – there was, like, maybe 15 people in my class. I can't even remember everyone. But it was very small. But you, like – was school, like – and for me, school was harder. Like, it was more intense. Like, we had a lot of homework and – Yeah, I don't have homework. Yeah. Would you say you had more homework over there than you did in the U.S.? Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. But also, like, people don't think about having, like – people don't remember me. I don't know if the homework – I think the homework would be, like, being in greater quantity or being harder because it was actually – that was actually the case. Or just because I was Spanish and I was, like – Oh, I think also – wait, but also something that might be confounding in my response to this is the fact that I had, like, homework from school, but I also did ISL on my career. Right. To catch up. So that may also be something that I, like, associate with school even if it's not. Right. So is that, like, when you came back to the U.S.? No, when I was – yeah, like, it was – I did it in Argentina in preparation for going back to the U.S. because my parents knew that I would be missing, like, half a year. Right. And so they forced me to do – they had me do reading and writing and math. Right, right. And so – and Argentina, was it, like, generally, like, similar tracks to, like, how – like, what people would be learning in the U.S.? Do you think? I think so. The only, like, reason that I don't really know is because of the off-rate year. So I don't know, like, what they were covering in that last half of third grade that I, like – but I had a gap in my memory. No, I had a gap in knowledge, and I'm not sure how much that was because they were actually teaching different material versus I just missed that half a year. Right. So, like, I remember the core thing was that I didn't – like, I finished that. That's just a hole in my memory. That's just a hole in my memory. I never learned how to do all that. Right. And I think – I think that's actually what I was going to do on that. I'm not sure. But in Argentina, the core thing, I think, was we did a lot of, like, copying down. So I think that wasn't – like, the teacher would write stuff on the blackboard and we would copy it down, right? Yeah. So I think that's – yeah. That's pretty similar. Yeah, that's pretty similar to, like, my experience where it was, like – the lecture was just, like, you were there, like, all class, just, like, copying stuff down in your notebooks. Versus in the U.S., they kind of just have you do, like, activities and stuff. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Which one would you say you preferred? I'm not sure. Like, I think because I had that experience at such a young age, like, it's really bothering me now. There are people that – like, for example, I took this class this semester, which was a seminar. But it wasn't a seminar class. It was a small group class, but there were 12 people in it. I thought it was lecture-based, but it was a lecture-based class. And, like, pretty much every other student in the class said that, like, this is a horrible teacher and they couldn't learn and it wasn't interactive. But, like, I learned super well. And I think because I had that different, like – I had those different experiences in different learning techniques and methods, I think it prepared me for being able to adapt later in life. Right. In a subconscious manner. But, I mean, maybe I'm, like, taking this too far. It's possible to, but I'm not exactly. Yeah, I think that's, like, kind of part of, like, just, like, being able to learn just from listening. Like, I think a lot of people, I would say, like, even here, like, they don't like taking notes. And they can't really learn well from, like, people talking and just listening to that in a lecture. I would say, for me, I don't like taking notes either, but I feel like I can also very easily, like, learn. Like, if someone is telling me that this is how you do something, I'll just do it. I'll just – I feel like I'll be able to just remember that and, like, be able to use it later as long as I practice with it a little bit. Yeah. Yeah. I don't take any notes in college. Does that work out well for you? Actually, yeah, pretty well. I do. I do a decent bit better than people who do take notes a lot of times, so. Okay. Yeah. But, so, yeah, is there any, like, anything else that you remember from your experience in Argentina that, like, really stuck out for you as different from, like, school in the U.S.? Well, we had to wear uniforms, and they didn't have a playground, so they would have, like, this kind of retreat classes where they would just let us out, and we would just, like, go in a field. And I think that forced creativity was good. I remember – I'm pretty sure there was, like, a snack store where we could bring money and buy snacks. Also, I remember that lunch wasn't – like, lunch was something you had to pay extra for, but you could choose to just leave, right? Like, most kids would go to the English portion in the afternoon, but since I didn't do that, like, my school day ended, and I would just go home and eat lunch at home. But then, like, I got mad at my mom because I was like, like, some of my friends would just stay there, right? Or some of my friends would just stay there because, like, their parents are at work, and they can't pick up their kids. So they would pay for the kids to, like, stay there, and before lunch, there would be, like, a study hall. Right. And they wouldn't be allowed to talk, and we wouldn't have to work. It wouldn't work. And sometimes I would stay for that, and I would just eat lunch with my friends and then go home afterwards. So you didn't have to go to the afternoon portion of the – I didn't ask you. I think some of the feel that my parents got, because maybe that made it cheaper. I don't know. Yeah. But since the afternoon portion was basically just an English class. It was, like, average English class. It was, like, four-hour English class. I think I'm pretty sure that the kids – oh, shoot. My earphones are on. I'm pretty sure that the kids who went to the afternoon portion got out at, like, four, and then I got out at, like, 12.30. All right. For me, our English – because my school was also bilingual. But how they did it was that some of the class – like, the normal classes we would take would just be in English. Like, we had a Spanish class, and then we had, like – well, a Spanish class would just be, like, an English class in the U.S., right? It's just, like, grammar and stuff. But then we had an English class, like, specifically, like, it taught, like, English vocabulary. And then we had a history class, and the history class, like – and it wasn't, like, specifically, like – it was in English. The history class was in English. It taught us in English. And then also our science class, like, whatever science we were taking, like, we were taking bio or, like, chemistry, it was also in English. And then everything else, like, the math, art, and our French class was in Spanish. So everything else was in Spanish, and that's how we did our whole, like, bilingual stuff. But I think it kind of also depended on the private school. Because my private school was, like, relatively small. And I know that there was, like, next – like, literally, like, less than a mile away was a massive, like, private school that was, like – had a huge campus and stuff. And I don't know how they ran stuff there. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I'm sure it's different. Because, like, private schools can kind of do a lot more of whatever they want since it's kind of more of, like, an independent body versus if it was, like, a public school. Yeah, yeah. It would probably be more, like, dictated by whatever, like, region you're in. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Absolutely. Is there anything else you wanted to talk about? I think I – I think I – I think my expressions are poor. Loki – I think Loki has to go because I have, like, a big break, right? Okay. All right. Well, thank you. Thank you for talking to me. I hope you have a good day. As mentioned before, the person you just heard me interview was Julia Healy-Pereira, a freshman at Duke. Someone who actually went to high school with me. I'm not sure if you guys caught that in the interview. And, yeah. Next up, we have Meike, a German exchange student from, well, Germany, who is a junior. Okay. So, obviously, you're from Germany, right? Yes. What part of Germany are you from? Southwest Germany. Southwest Germany. Yeah, Baden-Württemberg is the state. And so you're here – are you just, like – obviously, you're in Connecticut right now. Is that for, like, an exchange program, or are you here? Yeah, it's an exchange program. Like, I'm at the university in, like, Germany. I'm studying physics, and I've been studying there for two years now. I'm doing my third year of physics here at UConn now, and then I'll go back and finish my bachelor's there. Okay. So you're here for another semester after this, right? Yeah, I'm here for a whole year. And how has that been? This first semester? Yeah. It was great. I like it. Like, it takes some time to, like, get into it, to get to know the people. Right, yeah. But, yeah, I'm enjoying myself, and I'm looking forward to the second semester. And is this the first time you've been to the United States? Yes, it's my third time. Like, arriving here on August 23rd, I think, was, like, my first time arriving in the U.S., yeah. And you came to Connecticut. I came here, yeah. I'm here now. Unlucky state. If it was my first time coming to the United States, I probably would have picked somewhere a little warmer. Yeah, yeah. I mean, I like it. You like it? Yeah. I didn't expect it to be that cold, to be honest, but, yeah. How cold does it get where you're from in Germany? Honestly, I think it's not too different. It's just, like, I'm not used to winter here. If it was summer, oh, I don't know. Yeah. I don't know. Because sometimes it gets, like, negative 20 over here. In Fahrenheit or Celsius? Fahrenheit, Celsius. I used to use Celsius. Actually, I used to live in Panama. Oh, okay. I'm not from the United States. Oh, okay. I get it. So, when did you move here? So, I moved around a lot. So, like, I was here when I was little, and then I moved to Panama, and I came back when I was, I'd like to say, so, like, the beginning of primary school. I don't know how, like, they say it there. And over here, it's, like, sixth grade is when I moved over. You moved back? Back, yeah. Okay, okay. So, I don't know how old you are. I don't remember how old I was. Maybe, like, 12, 11. Okay. Or 12 or 13, actually, yeah. Okay. So, you enjoy, like, the United States? Yeah, I enjoy it so far. I mean, it's different. I'm not sure if I would study my whole, like, study year, but I'm really enjoying it. Like, I think it's a really good experience being here for one year. And how do you think the difference, like, is there a big difference between school here and school in Germany, would you say? Yeah, I feel like college is very different. Like, here, I feel college is more, like, high school. Yeah, yeah. High school, because, like, everyone has, like, general classes, and, like, I don't know, everyone takes their math, some, like, English. And, like, I, in Germany, at my university, I just study physics. Like, some math, but just math to, like, understand physics. And, like, it's more. Yeah. It's way more specialized and a bit more deeper within the topic. Yeah. Yeah. That's interesting. I didn't know that. So you guys go straight into it. Yeah. I mean, I can, like, for example, here, I also take some general classes, and I can make them count. But in general, it's, like, I really study physics. Yeah. Like, most of my major, I'm just doing, yeah. And is that, like, in high school, do you guys have just a lot of general classes? Yeah, in high school, I have general classes. I mean, I have some classes where I can have more hours in. Like, I can select some classes where I take my final exams, and then there I have, like, five hours instead of three. But it's, like, not that different. I have all the subjects in high school. Right. Yeah. And obviously, all you know about, like, high school in Germany, right? How is that? Like, how would you say, like, do you know anything about high school in the United States? Well, we watch a lot of movies about high school in the United States. A lot of movies. So, yeah, I don't know. What would you say? How would you describe high school in the United States? Well, I've only been to high school in the United States, but I would say, for one, it's a lot more, like, I'd say there's a lot of cliques, I guess. Like, a lot of times, you'll, like, there's people, like, you'll be in school with, and you'll, like, never know, like, half the school. Yeah. And, like, it's very interesting because they put, like, a lot of the people, like, in separate groups. Like, you will, like, sometimes, like, I'll, like, have, I was, like, in freshman year, right? There were some people I would know. And then by senior year, I hadn't seen them for, like, three years because you end up in different classes and stuff, and you just never see them again. Yeah, probably. I think it means that, I mean, it depends on the size of the college. Like, I was in a pretty, like, high school. I was in a pretty small high school, so I knew everyone, like, in my grade. But, like, yeah, it depends. I think what's a big difference is, like, in the United States, they have way more, like, clubs. Like, everyone I talked to here, they were, like, in a track and field team during high school or, like, in a, I don't know, soccer team during high school. And they did it, like, they put so much time into, like, a specific hobby, which is not, like, the same in Germany. Like, it was running a lot, but, like, more private, not within a school club or something. So, is there, like, a lot of, is there, like, clubs in Germany? There are clubs within a school, but they're not that hyped here in the United States. It's just, like, I don't know, you can play soccer with some people there, but it's not, like, competitive. It's not, like, a team where you have a coach and you practice every day. So, is it more of, like, a club and not, like, a school team? Yeah. Okay. Yeah. And then, so, if you want to do, like, actual, like, stuff, you would have to, like, go, like, to an outside, like, thing? Yeah. They're big outside clubs. Like, all the people who can actually play soccer, they do it in a private club and not within, like, a school team. Yeah. Okay. That is very different, I guess. Yeah. Because over here, it's, like, very, like, very important to people, like, if you're, like, in a sport and stuff. Yeah. Yeah, I feel that. You know? Yeah. It's a very part of your high school experience in the U.S., I think. Yeah, it's, like, in the movies, you have, like, the jock character, I guess. There's a lot of those over here. Yeah. Yeah, which is very, very interesting. Do you like soccer, by the way? I think it's a bit boring. You think it's a bit boring, huh? But, like, that's not very German because, like, a lot of Germans like soccer a lot. Yeah, I was going to say. Yeah. Yeah, they won, what, how many World Cup, three World Cups ago? They won the World Cup against Brazil? Yeah. Yeah. It was 2014, I think. Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah, they're, they're, like, soccer, of course. Yeah. It's nice, but, like, I end up, like, watching it every weekend. Yeah. And so how would you think, like, how do you think that would, like, affect your high school, like, if sports were more important to you? I mean, I love sports. I would have loved to have a team there. I think it's a nice bonding experience if you have, like, a team. I just practiced on my own and, like, with a friend. So you just, like, went running? Yeah, I went running. Yeah. Okay. I went running with a friend, but, like, having a coach who, like, I don't know, helps you and whom, like, the team feeling kind of is missing, I feel. But it's maybe, yeah, I don't know. I think you can have that within private clubs. It's just, like, where I grew up, it was, like, not that. Yeah. Not a big thing. So there wasn't, like, a lot of private clubs for, like, cross-country track and field near you? Yeah. Yeah, there are. But still, I feel it's not that a huge deal. Like, there are, but, like, I feel here in the U.S., everyone is a part of some club. Yeah. And, like, in Germany, it's, I wouldn't say it's like this. Yeah. And one question I had is how is the grading system in Germany? Well, in high school, it's, like, you have assignments, but the assignments don't count into the grade. Sometimes they are, but, like, most times your grade is just made out of exams. And you have, like, either four exams or two exams per subject a year. And these exams are your grade. And you have, like, in high school, you also have oral grades, which means, like, how your participating class gives you grades. So it's, like, mainly, like, half-half or, like, 60-40, something like that. But, like, in college, it's totally different. No, yeah, it's just, like, there are no oral grades. It's just, like, one final exam at the end of the semester, and that's your whole grade. That's your whole grade? Yeah. Really? Yeah. How is, so how is that final, like, grade, like, if you get 50 percent on the final? Here? Or, like, in Germany? In Germany? Yeah, well, it depends. Like, I think it depends on what you study. Like, it depends on if you study political science or physics. But I can just speak for physics. And in physics, it's, like, yeah, you do your final exams at 100 percent of your grade. And usually they look how good the people are doing. And then it depends on, like, how good the average is. And if you're better than the average, the grade is better. If you have a good grade, if your grade is worse than the average, you have a bad grade. And, like, usually they decide the grade after they see the results. But it's just because physics is so difficult. And sometimes the exams are so difficult that, like, they have to put down an F. So is there sometimes, like, you'll get, like, a 30 on the final? Yeah. And then you'll still be, like, I got an A in the class? Yeah. Or, like, a B? Well, yeah, yeah. It could be like that. Yeah. Yeah. That's happening. Or, for example, sometimes you could pass the exam with, like, 20 percent because, like, people are so bad. And do you prefer that to, like, how grading works over here? Or do you prefer grading over here? I mean, I think grading over here with, like, all the assignments. Like, I have finals at the moment, but I don't really care about the finals because they're, like, 20 or 10 percent of the grades sometimes. Yeah. Or 25. It's, like, if it's – I think it's, like, nice because it's easier to have good grades. And if you're hardworking here, it's easier to have good grades. Right. But it's kind of – I don't know. I think people are not that – it makes you more – what's the word – more working on your own. Like, here it's more like high school and not really grown up. Like, in Germany, you just have to, like, decide on your own how you study. Yeah. And just in the end, you have to have it. I feel like – I like – I enjoy the system here for a year, but I feel in general I prefer the German system. You prefer the German. Because, like, you're more grown up. You just more decide on your own on which place you're learning. Yeah. That sounds – I feel like that maybe would be, like, less, like, stressful, right? Because then – or would you say no? Yeah. It's, like – yeah. I feel it's, like, less workload during the semester, but the final exams are hard, hard. So, like, I'm studying there for, like, six weeks. Yeah. I'm using the library all the time for, like, my final exams in Germany. Yeah. Yeah. Versus here, you could probably, like, just study, like, a day or two before. Yeah. Like, two days. It's hard, like, three days or maybe a week, but, like, that's it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And so, can you tell me about any interesting, like, experiences in, like, about high school in Germany? Like, did you – was, like – was high school just generally, like, a fun, like, good time for you or – I liked high school. I – I don't know. I loved having good grades in high school. It was good to – easier to have good grades for me. And, like, I don't know. I feel I didn't spend – I just – I knew – I only went to high school for, like, classes, and I didn't really live there, I feel, because, like, I had my, like, my hobbies, my passions were, like, outside of high school, like, running and, like – Yeah. I didn't have private things. So, I don't know. I – yeah. I didn't spend that much time in school, therefore. Yeah. And what else to say about it? I don't know. Like, I think I – like, in total, I enjoyed my high school education. That's true. I think I learned a lot, but I mainly learned academically. And, yeah. So, you guys don't do, like, a – is German – is that, like – do you think that's, like, a – just, like, to your specific high school, like, a German thing where, like, you don't spend as much time at your high school? Yeah. I don't know. Like, how much time would you say spends you in your high school? It would depend. Like, I know a lot of times, like, when I had, like, friends at high school, sometimes we would stay, like, on campus for, like, hours after, like, hanging out or doing homework together. Yeah. Like, you know, with soccer and stuff. Yeah, I think that could happen. It's just, like – I think you're more me in private, I would say. Yeah, more me in private. Yeah. Would you – do you prefer that, would you say, or do you think you would enjoy, like – I think what would have been nice is the school put more effort in, like, I don't know, making people grow together. Like, events and stuff. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I think so. Yeah. Did you – did your school teach you, like – your English is very good. Did your school teach you English, or – Yeah, I started learning English from my first grade. From first grade. Okay, yeah. But, yeah, maybe since fifth grade. I had, like, five hours of English each week, I would say. Each week? Yeah, and I could also select to have history, geography, and biology in English. Right. So that even accumulated my English classes even more. Oh, so you had those classes in English. That's nice. Yeah. So we just, yeah, got these classes all in English. But I was voluntarily. Yeah. But, like, a mandatory is four or five hours of English a week. Is that, like, your school specifically, or do you – No, it's, like – and in Germany, it's, like, every school has the same rules within a state. Like, we have 16 states, and within a state they decide what school has to teach their kids. Yeah. So, like, within my state it's the same. It can vary within different states, but I think in every state you're – it's mandatory to have a good English – good English. Do they do, like – is it specifically English, or do they do other languages? I mean, there is an emphasis on English, of course, because, like, it's more important. Yeah. But, yeah, so you start learning English from first grade, and then in sixth grade I had the option to learn French or Latin. Yeah. And then in eighth grade I had the option to learn Spanish. And then from eleventh – in eleventh and twelfth grade I could decide where I want to make an emphasis on, and I decided to make an emphasis on Spanish. So, actually, I – graduating from school I would say my Spanish was even better than my English. But that was just – Really? That was just because I decided to, like, stress more. How about now? Have an emphasis on Spanish. But, yeah, my English was pretty decent. I think everyone who graduates from school in Germany has a decent English. Yeah. But it also depends, because, like, in Germany – I don't know, does everyone here go to the same high school? Like at college? No, like high school. Because in Germany after first grade you have to decide on which high school you go, and they're, like – they decide on which level you are, and then you go to a different high school. Well, it depends. So it depends – so if you're in a public school, right, so, like, if you're, like, in the public school system, it kind of just depends on where you live. So, like, if you live in, like, in a certain area, you go to this high school. And if you live in another area, you go to this high school. And you can go to a different high school, but sometimes the other high school will make you pay to go if you're, like – if you live outside the area. Okay. Or you have to do, like, a certain, like, system. I went to high school on – you know E.O. Smith? The high school on campus? No. Yeah, I think I've heard about it. Yeah. So I went to that high school, and if people from outside of our district wanted to go to school with us, they had to take an ag program, which is basically, like, farming. Like, you have to learn how to farm. Whoa, okay. Yeah. And they had to do that. So, like, I had friends who were from outside the district who had to go to ag. And it's, like, a – they had to spend hours on, like, you know, learning how to, like, drive a tractor, like, how to, like, feed horses and stuff. Okay. I didn't know that. Yeah. Yeah. But with private school, it's different. In private school, just, you know, as long as you pay money, you can go to the school wherever it is. Okay. Yeah, that's different. I would say private schools are not that a thing in Germany. It's more like – in my state, there are three different kinds of levels, and you decide after your first grade which level you want to go to. Okay, that's very interesting. So you kind of just – so when you go to high school, you kind of spend, like – like, you're around people who are at, like, I guess your academic level. Yeah. But the system is criticized a lot at the recent years, and, like, a lot of people are going to the highest level of school because it's, like, not mandatory. You can just choose on your own. Oh, okay. The level is kind of, like, sinking a bit. And also people are discussing if it's, like, a good idea to, like, separate people. Yeah. Because then, I don't know, maybe it's better to, like, put everyone together and, like – I don't know. But I think I like the system. It's, like, nice having a bit more demanding classes. Yeah. I don't know. I would say high school here has a – it's similar, but instead of sending you to a different high school, you go to, like, the same high school. Like, if you look at – like, a lot of high schools here in the United States are usually, like, pretty big. Like, there's, like, 2,000 – like, over 2,000 people per class. Well, not 2,000. I don't know. There's a lot of people. I don't know. Probably not 2,000. Like, 200 or something. I don't know how many people are, like, in your classes usually. In my classes? Yeah. Like, every year. A year? I think there were 60 people in my year. Sixty. Yeah. So that's a lot. Like, I think there was, like, almost 300 people in my year. Wow. Okay. Yeah. But that's because I live in a rural area. Oh, okay. Yeah. But in our high school – so instead of, like, sending, like, people who would want to be, like, a lower academic level to, like, a different, like, high school, they just had to take, like, different classes. Oh, okay. Right? So you had – so say you're taking English or you're taking math. So there's, like – if I'm taking, like, Calculus, right, you could take Calc A, right, which is, like, the honors – technical honors. But that's just, like, the normal level. And Calc B is, like, for people who are a little worse at Calc. Oh, okay. It's, like, simpler. It's not as hard. Okay. And they have, like – sometimes they would have AP classes for, like, the people who really wanted to, like, be challenged. And AP classes would count for college credits. Oh, okay. So, like, if you took an AP class, like, Calculus in high school, you wouldn't have to take it in college. Oh, yeah. Because the credit would already be there. Okay, okay. That's good to know. Which is why I say, like, sometimes, like, my friends that were – I was in – like, I was in middle school. I had friends, right? And then – but when you get to high school and then they start separating out those classes with my friends that, you know, maybe weren't as academically inclined, you know, I didn't see them in any – I never had any classes with them. Oh, okay. Because they were always in lower classes. So that's kind of how it works over here. Okay, so they lived within the school. Yeah. Okay. Which sometimes that can be a little, like – I feel like it can be pretty criticized depending on the school and how they do it. Because a lot of times, if you end up in the lower, like, lower class just because you didn't try a lot, a lot of times, like, you'll be fine in those classes, but you can, like, do more. And some high schools, it's harder to, like, to move up. Or, like, sometimes, like, kids get discouraged from going up. Okay. Like, so even if they – So if you want to try the lower level, you won't lower level? You won't rise again? You can, but, like, I think people tend to be scared, too. Oh, okay. Right? Like, for my first year, right, for my freshman year, I took, like, a B, like, science class. Right? I like science. Like, I'm an engineer. I'm a civil engineer. Science is, like, a good thing – a thing that I'm good at. But my teacher in middle school had convinced me that I was bad at it. And so she made, like – so she, like – so in middle school, they'll usually, like, recommend you to, like, a certain level. And my teacher recommended me a B level. So I was like, okay, I guess I'll take a B level. And I took it, and it was easy. It was, like, the easiest class that I had. And then when I got to the class that was supposed to be, like, the A level class, it was also incredibly easy. I was like, I could have taken this last year, and it would have saved me so much time. Yeah. And so a lot of times, teachers will, like – like, they might not always have, like, the best interest, you know? Yeah. Get it. Do you pay for high school here? No. Okay. Do you pay for high school in Germany? No, no. But I also don't pay for college, so I was wondering if you – You don't pay for college? No. Oh. I don't. Like, I pay 200 euros, which is, like, about $200 a semester. Yeah. Which is, like, more like a bureaucracy fee and not, like, actual tuition fee. So much more here. Yeah. If you want to go to school here, you have to be ready to pay. I'm lucky I don't have to pay that much. Like, I still have to pay my tuition right now, $6,000 a semester, which is, like – Yeah. I could buy a car with that. Yeah, that's crazy. But I can't buy a car because I have to pay for college. And I know a lot of people tend to go into more, like – So, like, you know, like, the base tuition here? Do you know that? What is it now? It's, like, $30,000. Oh, yeah. I think about it. Well, it's crazy. Yeah. So, like, that's, like – With the amount of money you pay for college, you could buy, like, a house a lot of times. Yeah, you are. Yeah. You could pay, like, hundreds of thousands. A lot of times, people – There will be, like, 50 by the time they finally finish off their college debt. And I think that kind of sucks. Yeah. That's crazy. But in Germany, you guys are just – No. You get out of college, no more debt. Yeah. I really like this system. Yeah. I really just – Being here, I appreciate it how it is, having free college. Yeah. Free university. Yeah. A lot of people – It sucks here. Yeah. I understand most. Yeah. But it's – It's where we are. It's fine. At least I get to go to school. You know, there's other countries where they don't get to go to school, which kind of sucks. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I get that. Yeah. Do you have anything else you want to say? I don't think so. Do you have any more questions? No. I don't, like – I didn't have a question prepared. I just, like – Okay. It's, like, a podcast. You know, like, you see those podcasts where they just kind of have a conversation. Oh, yeah. Okay. Yeah. So, yeah. Thank you. No problem. Thank you for talking to me. You're welcome. And that was Micah. I hope you had a good time listening, and I hope you have a good rest of your morning, evening, or night whenever you listen to this. Goodbye.