Elena Polloshka is a tenth grade student at Hickman. She came to America four years ago from Albania and she speaks Albanian and English. When she talked about her culture, she said Albanian culture values families and their ethnic heritage. Elena also said, “Because we value our ethnic heritage, I think the most different thing is the cultural traditional thing. My country is very old so we have a lot of traditions, but America doesn’t.”  She thinks the unique thing about her culture is the food. She said there are a lot of traditional foods such as Pite, baklava, Trileqe, and Pasul in Albania and she really likes those. However, her favorite thing about culture was not the food, it was the flag. She said, “My favorite thing is the flag. I feel it is iconic and very special”. Since her culture and American culture is really different, she had a hard time adjusting. Elena said, when she first came to America, it was very hard to get used to the new country. Everything was different like the schools, people, cultures, and language but, then it started getting better because she got used to it.  Lastly, she said, “I love my country and culture. I am living in America now, but I will try not to forget and lose my culture.”

Mathilda Hohmann is a junior at Hickman. She is an exchange student from Germany. She speaks German fluently, and she is learning English and French at Hickman. Germany has a rich variety of literature, art, philosophy and a love of beer and sausages. Most German people love structure and punctuality. They tend to strive for perfectionism. Mathilda said she believes they have a good sense of community and social conscience.  She said her favorite thing about her culture is that everyone is straight forward. “People don’t try to be mean but they’re very honest. That can obviously be uncomfortable sometimes but I really appreciate it”. What’s unique about German culture? She said Germans are always on time. No matter how important an appointment or meeting is, they will always be on time. If you’re not, that’s considered rude. She thinks the difference from other cultures is what Germany is mostly known for is its love for structure and organization. It’s said Germans are efficient and practical. She said, “Germany and America are different in many ways. But what I like most is the amazing school spirit.” 

Jun-woo Lee is a freshman at Hickman. He is Korean. He came to America to learn English and experience various cultures. He speaks both Korean and English. In his culture, most people value courtesy and they have honorifics to respect elders because they are influenced by the old religion called Confucianism. He said Korea tends to be more conservative than other countries and it is probably because of Confucianism. He said, in Korea, there is only one race and there aren’t really many foreigners so when he came to America, he was surprised by the diverse races. He said, “Also, Korea values their history and tradition a lot. There is a Cultural Heritage Administration to preserve Korean culture, and at school, teachers teach traditional games(which are from Squid Game), ceremonies, etc”. His favorite thing about his culture is Korean food. Korean culture and American culture are very different but Jun-woo said, “It was a little difficult at first because of the different cultures, but over time, as I accepted American culture and understood the differences, I naturally adapted.” 

Salma Sulaiman is a freshman so this is her first year at Hickman. She came to America six months ago. She is from Afghanistan. The schools here have more opportunities than the schools in Afghanistan. Salma had a hard time adjusting to the difference because everything was different. She was worried about how they could help in school. Salma said “here we have more freedom on something and in Afghanistan you don’t”. Her favorite thing about her culture is the Afghani dresses. They are colorful and have lots of things on them. Salma speaks three languages: English, Persia, and Pashto. Her culture is Islmic. They have lots of holidays and celebrations. Salmas favorite holiday is when they eat. The Eat celebration is where they wear new clothes and go out with friends and family. Her culture is important to her because it shows her nation and where she’s from. Her favorite tradition is when she gets to wear the culture clothes. During her holidays she gets to meet new people and see friends.