If you think high school is hard for you, try imagining the challenges associated with passing difficult classes in a foreign country, in a different language, and surrounded by students with a totally different mindset than yours. North Atlanta foreign exchange students Kim Foronda of Germany and Luis Vilella of Brazil are having this exact experience during this school year.

Both are juniors and 16-year-olds. The pair is two of several foreign exchange students at North Atlanta. A place in our learning community of 1,600-plus students is giving each a fascinating front-row seat perspective of American culture. “The year so far has been good. I’ve learned a lot of stuff about the culture here and I’ve become more open minded,” said Foronda.

She hails from Frankfort, Germany. Her much smaller public school in her home city has around 400 students. The classes there are harder classes and there are far fewer rules. “In Germany, I have a lot more freedom both in and out of school,” she said.

Her large home city is more compact and there is more public transportation than Atlanta has. “Here, I have to ask my host parents to take me places if I want to go anywhere,” she said.

Foronda said teenagers in Germany live much freer than their American counterparts. At her school, there’s more free time during the day, students can leave campus and go home for lunch if they want to, and there are liberties that American teens cannot yet exercise. “In Germany, any teenager can buy beer and smoke from the age of 16,” she said. “Sometimes I would drink if my parents let me, but it wasn’t that often. The family I’m staying with now let me try wine but I don’t like it.”

Foronda is having fun meeting people and making friends here at North Atlanta but she is not necessarily thrilled with how the school is ran. “There are too many rules and no freedom,” she said, ”I think that if there were fewer rules then people wouldn’t try to act out so much. That’s the way we think in Germany.”

Vilella is from Sao Paulo, his country’s largest city. He said he’s enjoying the experience of studying at an American high school. In Sao Paulo, he attends a small private school which has no more than 300 students. He said the adjustment in attending an 11-story high school with more than five times the number of people has been considerable. “When I first saw the building from the outside I thought it looked as big as a college,” said Vilella.

Growing up, he was always a fan of American culture, so much so that he jumped at the opportunity to live and study in a country that intrigued him. But the experience has been different than he expected and different than the images he’s seen on TV. While day-to-day has been nothing like “High School Musical” he did say the academic hurdles have been gentler. “I’ve always been into American rock music and hip-hop. Maybe that’s what I thought life was going to be like in a school setting but the reality is different,” he said.

Vilella said his studies at North Atlanta have been very manageable, so much so that this GPA has gone up. “It’s actually much easier here than it is at my private school,” he said.

After high school, Vilella wants to attend college in Brazil to study medicine. For his career, he wants to become an oncologist and work with cancer patients. Foronda intends to attend an art school in Germany where she plans on specializing in art, film and photography.

Both students say they miss their respective homes countries but they are grateful that they get to experience American culture. Being a foreign exchange student is a lot of work and takes a lot of guts and perseverance. “I’ve learned I can be more and do more,” Vilella said. “At this point, because of all this, I know a lot more now about who I am. The whole experience has made me more mature.”

Foronda echoed the personal growth theme. “I’ve been able to come here without my parents and without knowing anyone. I’ve been able to grow and make new friends and this has helped a lot,” she said.

Their futures will take them wherever they will. No matter where they go, they’ll always remember their time among the Warriors of North Atlanta High School.