URBANA — The start of the 2009-10 school year saw the return of several Uni students who spent last year abroad. In this article, we talk to sophomores Elena Bauer and Sarah Yockey along with senior Nick Zukoski, who tell us about their experiences in Germany, Lithuania, and Singapore, respectively. A fourth student, junior Nancy Tang, spent last year in China. Now a reporter for the Gargoyle, she will talk about her experiences in Shanghai in a separate article later.

ELENA BAUER: A year in Germany

From Chicago to Paris, a plane ride takes eight hours. Chicago to London, it’s also eight hours. But last year, a bike trip to France took Elena Bauer just two hours! A train ride to London, six hours. It’s not like she had one of those time-turners like Hermione; Bauer spent the past year living in Europe — in Germany, to be precise.

Elena Bauer with her brother in the Louvre Museum. Photos courtesy Elena Bauer (click to enlarge)

Elena with the Code of Hammurabi, on display at the Louvre.

Where did you go and for how long?

I went to Freiburg, Germany, for 12 months

Why did you go?

My parents were both taking sabbaticals.

Did you like it?

Yeah. It was really fun, and interesting to see how another culture lives and especially being in closer proximity with others and to destinations.

What was the name of the school you attended?

Theodor Heuss Gymnasium Freiburg.

Can you give some basic info about the school?

It was as big as Centennial but starts at fifth grade and goes all the way to 13th grade. To get into the school, you had to have an average grade from all your classes at the end of elementary school of an A and a recommendation.

How was it different from Uni?

It was way bigger, obviously. You have to treat your teacher with more respect in some ways. You have to say "sie," which is the formal way of saying you.

The punishments and rules weren't really followed. You take three science classes starting in seventh grade (chemistry, biology, and physics) and keep them until 12th, when you drop one or two of them and continue the others more in depth.

Did you do anything interesting in that country?

I was part of a swim team in Freiburg. We were a really big team and had different divisions. We traveled together and went to France, North Germany, and other training camps. We also organized an exchange with the swim team that I swim with here [in Champaign-Urbana]. It was pretty cool when the team here came to Germany.

Anything interesting at the school, like sports or clubs?

There are no clubs or sports offered by the school. You always have to do those things with organizations outside of school. Universities don’t have collegiate sports either.

What was it like coming back to Uni?

It was really weird just because I wasn't exactly sure what to expect and how much had changed.

How did you deal with culture shock? Language barriers?

Coming back, I had language barriers because I had started thinking in German across the year so now having to do things and think in English is hard, especially writing without German words mixing with them. Also everything being so big and far apart was an adjustment compared to the closer proximity in Germany.

Anything else you would like to add?

The class I was in went to a water park in France. My family and I also went to Paris. We also went to Italy and skiing in the French Alps.

SARAH YOCKEY: A year in Lithuania

Some students complain about teachers. How would you like to never see them face to face the entire year?! Sarah Yockey had to take online courses and never had to see her teachers in real life. But then again, because she was in Lithuania, she also had to get up at 3 a.m. to take a class.

Sarah Yockey pictured during her year in Lithuania. Photo courtesy Sarah Yockey (click to enlarge)

Where did you go and for how long?

I was in Lithuania for nine months, basically the academic year.

Why did you go?

My parents were teaching at LCC International University. The instruction there is in English, and the students come from all over Eastern Europe. It is actually a North American-style liberal arts university, and two-thirds of the faculty is North American.

Did you like it?

I enjoyed it as a cultural experience; I learned a lot. The history and people of Lithuania are very complex, so I spent a lot of time trying to understand what life is like for the people there.

What was the name of the school you attended?

Unfortunately, there were no English-speaking high schools in Klaipeda, where I lived, and my Lithuanian was nonexistent, so there was no way I could go to school there and stay in sync with my class here. I did many different courses online, worked with teachers at Uni, and did independent study so that I could get credit at Uni instead. I was able to take a year of Lithuanian language, plus a literature class at the university my parents taught at, and those classes were tons of fun!

So what did you do for your “school”?

I took two courses from an online school called K12, actually from the K12 iCademy, which is a virtual, international high school. My courses were actually pretty small with just a handful of students enrolled. We communicated online through discussions, and the lessons came online. There is a real teacher who grades assignments and helps if you have any questions. I had used this school before I came to Uni, so it was somewhat familiar.

How was it different from Uni?

Homeschool or online school is always different from Uni for many reasons. This year, I feel the main differences were in homework and how I communicated with my teachers. I had all "homework," of course, so I didn't feel a big distinction between a "school day" and work to do outside of school. It all kind of merges together. Also, my online teachers were thousands of miles away and an eight-hour time difference, so communicating could be a challenge. There were a few interesting instances when I woke up at 3 a.m. to attend a live review session or something!

Did you do anything interesting in that country?

My family took several trips to visit Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, and other small towns near Klaipeda, the coastal city where we lived. I learned a lot about Lithuania on these trips. Some of the evidence of Soviet rule that still exists is amazing. For example the KGB prison in Vilnius was just
horrific. It was hard to imagine that it was still operating until just a few years before I was born. They left the building as it was when they found it in 1991, and it is sickening the things they did to prisoners. It was a really sobering visit, but it helped me understand more of the history of Lithuania.

Why did you come back to Uni?

I fully intended to come back to Uni. My parents' idea was they would work overseas for a year, and it would also give my brother and I an opportunity to live in another culture. Then I would come back and finish my years at Uni.

What was it like coming back to Uni?

It has been great to be back. I love seeing my friends in the halls and classes! I also enjoy my classes and having the interaction with the teacher and other students while we are learning. It was a little strange the first day when I saw people who had changed so much in just one year!

How did you deal with culture shock? Language barriers??

I took some Lithuanian classes, so that by the time I left I could actually function in a grocery store or bus station. I could have a basic conversation if the person went slowly. The main problem was actually that most younger Lithuanians speak English. Only a few million people in the world speak Lithuanian, so it isn't common for people to be learning Lithuanian. So unlike me, since I am used to talking with people who are learning English, most Lithuanians haven't spent time with people who are just learning their language. The result was that they weren't very patient and often just
switched to English for speed or clarity rather than put up with my stumbling Lithuanian. However, by the end I could actually get my basic point across if they would work with me or didn't speak English! I have to say, though, my pointing and sign language also improved!

Anything else you would like to add?

Well, while I was in Lithuania I entered a Girl Scout Global Citizen essay contest. Of all things, I actually won, and the prize was a 10-day trip to Europe (London, Paris, and Switzerland). So about a month after we got back (to C-U) from Lithuania I took off again, this time with a large group of Girl Scouts. It was a lot of fun and very exhausting! I still can't believe that I actually entered a contest and won; it’s even more rare and abstract than finding a prize inside your soda lid!

NICK ZUKOSKI: A year in Singapore

Our senior class president won the election last spring even though he was 9,500 miles away. Nick Zukoski spent the 2008-'09 school year in Singapore. Here is a look at what he did last year. (Note: Starred questions were asked by former Gargoyle reporter Erika Belmont last spring; in some cases the tenses of her questions have been changed to past from the original present.)

Nick Zukoski spent last year attending school in Singapore. He is now Uni's senior class president. Photos courtesy Nick Zukoski (click to enlarge)

The track at Singapore American School.

Police vehicles in Singapore, where security is highly visible, including at the gates of SAS.

Where did you go and for how long?

Singapore for one year.

What school did you go to?

Singapore American School (SAS)

How many kids went to your school?

Three thousand kids go to my school, from K-12. [There are] 1,200 in high school.

How is an American school different from the Singaporean schools?*

American schools use an AP curriculum like we are used to. Singapore schools run a much more British system that’s split up differently, has different breaks, etc. It also has a big test at the end of each level (like the end of middle school you would take a test to see which high school you could get into), and you apply to your schools according to how well you do. The top scorers in each division are also posted in the papers — it’s a pretty big deal

What is the atmosphere of a big school like?*

The atmosphere is kind of hard to describe. It varies with what group your with. If you’re with people who really care about grades, then it's probably a lot more freaking out about assignments and such, that kind of thing. Overall people are generally nice to each other.

How is SAS different from Uni?*

It's better than Uni in that it has tons of money, and so you can do all sorts of crazy classes like robotics. It's worse in that it's really big and fairly cliquey, and so you can get lost in a crowd of people and not know any one of their names. You don't get lost in a crowd at Uni. Also the online grades suck because a lot of people are constantly checking them — like an average of 10 times a day or something … just unhealthy.

Also in SAS there’s a large spread of economic classes. From kids of crazy-rich CEOs of big corporations down to lower-middle-class military kids. It doesn’t come out in school so much except sometimes you hear about someone calling their driver to pick them up or a party at some club that was completely rented out. Like Super Sweet 16 style.

Did you take any classes that you wouldn't have been able to take at Uni?*

Oh yeah. I’ve taken two robotics classes where we build robots and a 3D animation class as well as hypermedia. The school has a ton of money, so there’s a lot more resources available.

What did you do in hypermedia?*

We learned how to use the Flash animating software, so just a computer class.

Anything interesting at the school, like clubs?

The school had a huge number of clubs, one of which was leprosy club, which went to a leper treatment area and had the kids hang out with the lepers (kind of like going to retirement homes), as well as boxing club.

I’ve heard you had security guards or something … is that true?*

Yeah, Gurkhas. By law all schools in Singapore have to have guards, and so the Singaporean government brought in Gurkhas from India, and they do all the guarding, including schools and government officials.

Is that weird at all?*

It can be, but you don't notice them. They are at the gates of the school, but they do have assault rifles.

Weird … do they ever even use them?*

No.

What sports did you participate in Singapore?*

I’ve just done track.

What was that like?*

The sports are different [there] because there’s less competition around and so you don’t have as many meets. So they are competitive to get into, in that there are tryouts (except for track), but there’s not nearly as much interschool play that happens.

Also if you think no one goes to Uni basketball games … literally no one goes to SAS basketball games. And then at the end of each sports season there’s a thing called IASAS, which is where the whole league of South East Asia's American schools get together to have a tournament. Each sport is held at a different school each year, and it's a huge deal to people. The stands are packed, and teachers put off class to go watch the games and such.

So the entire season is geared toward IASAS. People got out of class to see it — the athletes basically didn't have to come to school.

What kinds of sports does your school have?*

Boys and girls volleyball, boys rugby and girls touch rugby, track, cross country, badminton, basketball, soccer, tennis. Then there’s also American football, but that's more of a club sport. They make like four teams from people who join and play each other. There’s also intramural basketball, which I did — which, again, is just a club; it doesn’t play anybody else.

How did you deal with culture shock? Language barriers?

The culture shock was interesting because on one hand I could have surrounded myself with expats and lived inside that bubble but I didn't; I got out a bit and tried to experience Singapore. There was a bit of a language barrier because even though English is the "national" language and all government and signs are in English, a lot of people speak poor or no English. To get around really well, Chinese would be a better language to know.

Did you do anything interesting in that country?

Inside Singapore there's not too much crazy, different stuff to do, but I explored it a lot; the food is great and really cheap.

Why did you come back to Uni?

I just really preferred Uni to SAS and wanted to spend my senior year here; also, how could I not come back if I'm senior class president?