When senior Hya Tawatao first moved to the U.S. from the Philippines in July of 2023, she was initially nervous about adjusting to the new environment at school.
“My first language is Tagalog, so I first thought, ‘Oh my God, what would I do? How would I communicate with my teachers?’” Tawatao said. “My cousin helped me a lot because we speak both English and Tagalog. Over time, I learned more about communicating with others and interacting more.”
Students who immigrated to the U.S. have an array of personal experiences and struggles while adapting to new environments, cultures and languages. Through their journeys, they are grateful for the support they have received all the way through from friends, family and teachers.
Similar to Tawatao, junior Didem Tokuz initially struggled while learning English when she moved from Turkey during middle school. She is grateful for her friends who helped her feel comfortable while practicing and communicating.
“I think my teachers helped, but the people that helped me the most were definitely my friends because I just had a lot of practice with it,” Tokuz said. “You can’t just open up a book and try to learn a language. It’s really hard that way. Try to meet a lot of people and talk to a lot of people.”
Tokuz recalled experiencing culture shock initially, especially at school. She noticed the emphasis on school spirit, extracurriculars and activities beyond the classroom, whereas Turkish schools solely focus on education.
“In the U.S., there is more room for sports clubs, activities, just personal development in general,” Tokuz said. “I kind of had to learn it through my friends and other people I knew.”
Tawatao had similar experiences during her first few weeks of school, the most notable difference being dress codes.
“I also noticed that there was a huge difference with dress codes and what was appropriate to wear to school,” Tawatao said. “In the Philippines, it was a lot stricter, especially since we wore uniforms. Over here, we get the freedom to wear whatever we want.”
While interacting with peers and teachers, Tawatao also had to get used to the casual nature of most conversations and exchanges between students of different grades, as well as teachers.
“There is definitely a huge difference between how people address and respect each other. People talk a lot more casually and informally, which is a lot different from what I am used to,” Tawatao said. “For example, to address people who are older than you, you use certain words in the Philippines.”
Freshman Eva Zuberek was born in Ireland and moved to the U.S. when she was two years old. During the pandemic, her family moved back to Ireland and after two years, they returned to Santa Clara. When she moved back to Santa Clara, she was excited to go back to what was familiar to her.
“When I was going back, I was excited. I was not focused on the fact that I’d be leaving my friends and people that I know really well here,” Zuberek said. “I kind of forgot about that. That was probably the hardest part, just starting off without knowing anybody or any girls in the school.”
In Ireland, Zuberek attended an all girls school with uniforms. As people learned about her background, she was met with an array of questions about her experiences as a student in America.
“When they found out I lived in America from my childhood, they were amazed,” Zuberek said. “They just had so many questions. They’re like, ‘Oh, my God, would you like to go to a mixed school? You didn’t have to wear uniforms?’”
Tokuz visits her family in Turkey every summer and occasionally during winter. Her family continues to maintain a connection with their culture through things like food, though she misses her family in Turkey.
“The hardest thing about transitioning and moving here was that I have a lot of people back home. They really cared about me,” Tokuz said. “I still wanted to eat the food that I used to eat, or do the things that I used to do back when I was living in Turkey. And my parents helped with that.”
Similarly, Tawatao also misses her extended family and the memories she made with them, such as going to beaches in the Philippines.
“I definitely miss my old friends. Even though the Philippines’ temperature and weather is not that good, I definitely miss the beaches and islands because we were near and visited them so often,” Tawatao said. “I also really miss my extended family, as someone who is so family oriented.”
Over the past few months, Tawatao is proud of her journey and the confidence she has built while making new friends, memories and stepping out of her comfort zone.
“Over time, I learned more about communicating with others and interacting more,” Tawatao said. “With my friends, I’ve really gotten to discover new things I’ve never done in the Philippines. Everyone really supported and guided me.”
As Tokuz looks back at her journey, she is grateful for the people she met and what she has learned through adapting to new environments. For students who just moved here, she advises them to put themselves out there and make meaningful friendships and memories.
“I think my biggest advice would be to try to find people that you relate to and that you can share your experiences with so you guys can learn it together,” Tokuz said.