My first time in America was two years ago. My trip was only ten days, but I made the most important decision of my life after that trip. I decided to come to America for high school. Before this trip, my parents were asking me, “Do you want to go to highschool in America?”

Then I asked them, “Will you come to America with me?”
They answered, “No, you will be on your own.”
I was amazed and I told them, “I could not do that because I think I would feel
homesick.”
They then asked me, “Why? You have been to a Canadian summer camp on your
own.”
“But that was only two weeks,” I said.
They said, “Why don’t you make the decision after you visit there?”
“That is a good idea. But, when will it happen?”
“You have a whole month for your winter break, I want you to spend ten days over there.”
I was so happy because I got something to do for my break, so I answered them, “Awesome!”
On January 10th I started my trip. I was with my dad’s friend and his family. After we arrived there, another one of my dad’s friend came to pick us up. We spent a whole week at his house in Piedmont, California, near San Francisco. I made friends with his son, Edwin, who was born in America. He is 5 years older than me. I asked him about school in America.
“Do you like to go to school?”
“Yes, I do like my school. I have lots of fun when I am at school.”
“Do you have much homework after school like me?” I asked. I did not like to go to
school before I came here, the homework and pressure I got from school were driving me crazy.
“We do not get lots of homework. But I heard about students getting a lot of homework after school.” He said.
“Oh! That’s so cool. By the way, what do you usually do after school?” I asked.
He told me, “We always go to play sports and go to the clubs in our school.”
I said, “That’s awesome! You know our school ends at 6:00p.m.” I also told him, “After
that, I had to spend a long time on my homework; I didn’t have time for sports at all.”
He said, “That’s crazy, my head would explode if I was you. You are in middle school
right now, so, why don’t you come here for high school?”

“Oh! Yes, that’s a good idea. I really don’t want to keep suffering from the huge pressure and all the homework, and I would also like to try the clubs and play the sports.”Then I began to think about coming here to San Francisco for high school. After I left Piedmont, I went to Los Angeles with my parent’s friend to go sightseeing. I went to many famous places such as Disneyland and Hollywood, but instead of having fun, the whole time I was thinking about whether I should go to school in San Francisco. I wanted to be with my family in China, but the life here seemed very awesome. I really had a hard time choosing one path.

Back in China, when I was in ninth grade (ninth grade is the first year of high school here, but is the last year of middle school in China), my school life became much busier. The numerous homework assignments and huge pressure really drove me crazy. Meanwhile, one of my friends was in the ninth grade in America; his family is close to my family. A month after he left China I talked to his mom. We talked about his life in school in America. I wanted some advice for my decision about whether to stay in China or to go to America.

His mom said, “He is very happy over there, he likes school there. He’s made lots of friend with the local students, they always play sports together and always hang out together on the weekend.”

I asked, “Do they get a lot of homework like us?”
She replied, “They definitely get less homework than you guys, that’s why he always has time to play sports after school.”
I asked her about whether my friend ever felt homesick.

She answered, “The first week he called me almost every day. After that the frequency of his calling was decreased. He made lots of friends there, he probably didn’t have time for me. Actually, based on your lifestyle, I would say that you will enjoy your time if you go there for high school. I know you are very independent, and you are good at communicating with others. You won’t have trouble solving problems by yourself, and you will make many friends there.”

I felt so confident with myself after I heard that, so I said, “I think you are right, high school in America would probably be better for me.”

I told my parents what I was thinking about on the way home. My parents had heard about high school in America as well. So, we began to plan getting me in an American high school. I thought San Francisco would be the best option for high school, because my dad has a friend who lives there. There is a Chinese saying, “You can rely on parents when you are at home, but you can only rely on friends when you are away from home”. They agreed with my idea, and we told agency that we wanted a high school in San Francisco. The agency recommended I apply to an catholic high school, because that school is at the city center of San Francisco.

Last January, I had an interview with the admission officer. After the thirty minute conversation with him, I felt a little bit nervous. I liked this school very much, and I didn’t want my application to be refused. On the following day, I heard good news after I woke up. My mom told me the agency called and that I had made it in. After I heard that, I was as happy as a clam, because the dream I was having every night was coming true. Seven months later, I attended my first day at an American high school. I did not feel homesick at all. I made many friends at school, some of them are not even my classmates. And the teachers are very nice here, they always give me help whenever I need it. Therefore, how could I not like going to school in America?