by Danny Pham
Hi, I am Danny Pham. I am a sophomore in Greenfield School and I have been in the United States since the beginning of August 2022. I would say that life and studying here is new, fun, and today I am going to tell you how Greenfield has changed me.
When I was in 7th grade, my sister Phuong started studying abroad at Greenfield School (10th grade). She was not ready for that at all. At the time, she said that: “I don’t have any friends in Greenfield now, and I am kind of nervous." During the school year, the number of quizzes and tests made her stressed because she could not get used to it. Moreover, she was an introvert at that time which made it difficult for her to make friends and associate with people around. She did not join sports, she got home right after school every day, and spent most of her time on homework. Consequently, those were fears to me. I remembered that I was overthinking and wondering if I could deal with those when I was her age.
Last year, when my application was ready, I was a little bit nervous because I did not know how to communicate with Americans. A few days after I got here, I tried to go to some restaurants and grocery stores to practice talking, but it was so hard. My sister told me that she introduced me as a quiet person to her friends. I said: “New fear unlocked.” The worst thing was I had not known or talked with anyone at school, I had not even known what classes I was about to take, so I was nervous and wished not to go to school anymore.
The first day at school was much better than I thought. Jasmine showed me the location of every building as well she sent me the schedule time for Noon-dismissal and full day. Rickayla and Kel were the ones who talked with me first, they asked where I was from and how I felt about this environment. I was so surprised, and I did not expect that they would be so friendly. This boosted my confidence. As time went on, I got to know more friends like Jordan, Wood, Ollie, Avery, Alex, and Taylor. Mrs. Winstead asked me to move to a better Algebra class that allowed me to make more friends: Henry, Mattie, Darcy, Max, etc. Sports helped me connect with most friends. Although I was bad at either Cross Country or JV Basketball, all my friends and coaches encouraged me to be better. They supported me by showing what I had and trying my best. Particularly during some games with other schools, the way they shouted out my name when I got on the court made me excited and dedicated. I also enjoyed the moment when I could share my experience in Greenfield and my feelings with teachers. I was from a quiet and introverted to a confident, talkative student.
Thank you, Greenfield, teachers and all my friends for helping and supporting me with everything. I am grateful for that, and I will try to do my best in the future.
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