New Students Receive Icy Welcome
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December 1, 2009
Filed under Feature
New members of the FAHS sophomore class, Clara and Rosa Garcia, from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, moved to cold Fort Atkinson just in time to feel the chill of winter. However, this isn’t the only chill they have encountered here in Fort Atkinson.
The arrival for these two sisters came with the many challenges. Moving to a new school can be hard, but to make it even more difficult, they moved to a new country and have witnessed major changes to key parts of their lives. While Clara and
Rosa had to face many challenges, from language to just meeting new friends, they have reported receiving a rather brisk welcoming from their new classmates.
“The first day was fun. Not a lot of people said hi, but it was okay,” Clara said. The first day seemed to be a little hard for the girls, but through their classes they have met some friends who have things in common.
First impressions play a major role in today’s society; it is the deciding factor to if one will go out of their way and say hello, or just look away and keep walking. The opinion of the girls on their first day is their impression of school for the years to come.
“My first day of school was not bad. A pretty hard part of the first day was finding our classes. We found all our classes by ourselves,” Rosa said.
With the help of few new friends, Rosa and Clara have begun to be getting warmer in FAHS. According to the girls, students have not been overly eager to welcome them. However, the few friends they have met have made a big difference.
“A lot of people said, ‘Hi how are you? ” but none really said anything else. I don’t have a lot of friends here, but the ones I have are nice and help with my English,” Clara said.
Despite the new culture, there are still some things that stay the same. For example, Rosa and Clara were both teammates for their old school’s softball team. They are planning on continuing to play and cannot wait for the softball season to come.
“Me and my sister play softball. We have played for a very long time and are trying out this year,” Clara said.
Yet, many things from the Dominican are not available in Fort, and the girls found themselves trying their hardest to adapt.
“It was difficult for me because I had to learn a new language, and here the culture is so different,” Rosa said.
Fighting through difficult times works better with a family to back you up, but for these girls their whole family did not get to come along.
“My father couldn’t come with. He stayed in Santo Domingo. Me and my sister live with my mother and brother,” Rosa said.
Times are hard for people in the Dominican, nearly impossible to move, but Rosa and Clara managed.
“It wasn’t hard for me to leave, but it can be hard for a lot of people in the Dominican to move. Some people just don’t have enough money,” Rosa said.
Experience can be a significant help, and Rosa and Clara were lucky enough to have that. They also think that moving to Fort will be a good exp
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