By Shifan (Sissi) Fei, ’15, LifeStyle Editor and Torayye Waite ’15, Contributor

Some of the interviews in this article were conducted in Chinese and translated by Shifan Fei.

Country Day has welcomed six international students this school year: juniors Yerin (Lynn) Im and Rongqing (Riva) Jia, sophmores Yiting (Monica) Ma and Liwei (Luke) Tan , and freshmen Yingtong (Adam) Peng and Youmin(Ming) Zhou. Here some of their stories:

Born and raised in South Korea, Junior Lynn Im attended a Korean school with traditional and strict dress codes: skirts had to meet the knee; blouses and blazers had to be accompanied by a necktie. When describing her country, Im mentioned the famous Korean entertainer, Psy, whose song and dance “Gangnam Style” became a global phenomenon. “‘Gangam Style’ represents my country very well,” said Im. “It is a place with pop culture and new ideas.” Moving with her family to the States three years ago, she first attended the School for Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA), focusing on playing the piano. Looking back to her first few months in the States, Im says learning in English was frustrating at first: “Learning another language is totally different from taking course in another language,” she said. “But things got better gradually as time passed by.” Planning to focus more on academics, Im and her parents began looking for academically rigorous schools in Cincinnati. Im visited Country Day and immediately fell in love with it, “I didn’t even know that a place like this existed,” she said. “Everything is perfect at Country Day.” She fell in love with the 62 acre campus, describing it as “a peaceful place in the middle of nowhere”. Im respects the understanding that Country Day students have for their value of education. “They are hard-working, willing to pay effort,” she observed. “Teachers are also very friendly; they are willing to help us out at all times.” Im has already become involved in the Country Day community, running 5K’s on the Cross Country team and landing a role in the fall play, Moon Over Buffalo. She plans to graduate from Country Day in 2015 and attend a university here in the States.

After one year of study in Perry, Georgia, Riva Jia joins Country Day as a junior. Her actual Chinese name is Jia, RongQing (???). Born and raised in Beijing, China, Jia grew up in a family with warmth and understanding. “My parents are very open-minded,” said Jia. “They always encourage me to try new things.” Unlike Im, Jia came to the States by herself and is now living with a host family. While talking about her study in the States, Jia said, “I’m always fond of new ideas and new environments. Studying in the States has been my dream since sixth grade.” The idea of self-study appeals to her very much, “Teachers here teach differently; they emphasize more our own ideas and understandings.” After finishing her first year of high school in China, Jia headed to the States last year as part of an exchange study program (AYUSA) to Georgia and attended a local private day school. There, she first experienced American high school. “When people around you all started to talk in another language,” said Jia, “it was quite shocking at first.” Jia enjoyed swimming at her previous school and she is planning to join the CCDS swimming team in winter. When talking about Country Day, Jia said the first challenge she encountered was Spanish. “Sra. Suarez teaches in a very different way than my previous teacher in Georgia did,” she said. “My teacher taught in English.” Jia enjoys playing the violin and she plans on joining band next year. After her studies at Country Day, she wants to pursue further studies in the medical field. Jia plans on graduating from Country Day in 2015 and attending university in the States.

One of the new faces in the sophomore class is Monica (Yiting Ma???). Coming from Shanghai, China, she is experiencing American high school life for the first year. “Homesickness gets me sometimes,” she said. “It feels so different when my parents are not around me. I have to handle most things on my own now.” Born in Guangzhou, China, Yiting was raised in Shanghai. After finishing her first year of high school, she headed to the States and began her journey at Country Day with the encouragement of her aunt and uncle. “Independent thinking and freedom in academics have always been what I wanted,” said Yiting. “My aunt recommended Country Day to my parents and we really liked it.” The first challenge she encountered here is language. “It is giving me a hard time,”she said. “It is sometimes hard to catch the teachers’ key points in class.” Interested in science and math, Yiting wants to pursue further studies in chemistry or the medical field. When talking about her home country, she mentioned Shanghai, the coastal city in Southern China. “It is a place where Chinese culture

encounters Western cultures,” she said, “a place where international business and new ideas take place.” Yiting enjoys art very much, and she is a great fan of rock music. “Music gives me more individual space and time,” she said. “It helps me express myself.” She is planning on graduating from Country Day in 2016 and attending university in the States.