As she entered the school with her handbag clutched to the side of her body, she felt various pairs of eyes crawling on her back throughout the hallways. That was when it struck her. Everyone in the hallways was carrying backpacks instead. 

Junior Anna Dombek is a French exchange student who is enjoying her experience at Heritage so far. Despite the drastic changes in school curriculum, social customs, and general lifestyle, the shift in her life has taught her many things about America, all throughout her time here at Heritage.  

“I like Heritage so far because there’s always something to do,” Dombek said. “There [are] a lot of events… in France, it’s not fun. Like you don’t have the choir who will sing in the hallways, you don’t have a spirit week, you don’t have homecoming.”

However, Dombek’s first encounter with American school culture all began with her handbag. In France, it is common for students to own handbags rather than backpacks. 

“I had a handbag and the first week everyone was looking at me weirdly,” Dombek said. “I couldn’t notice this so I just bought a backpack because it’s weird.”

Although it seemed like a mere experience, this experience set the stage for many other differences she would slowly start to notice in her classrooms. 

Dombek began to notice how her classmates would dress and their behavior in class which shocked her. 

“So [the] main thing I noticed is that American people come to school in pajamas,” Dombek said. “For example, in France, it’s really important to be well dressed and it’s like everyday [is] almost Fashion Week in France.”

Whether it is through something as simple as accessorizing or wearing jeans while her peers are wearing pajama pants, Dombek still tries to incorporate her personal style regardless of the different fashion styles amongst American students. 

“[The] main thing I noticed is that American people come to school in pajamas.”

As for academically, the French schooling system does not use GPAs or a ranking system and the grading system is out of 20 points. Dombek, who is a junior here, would be a senior in France due to the fact that French high school’s begin at tenth grade rather than ninth.

“No, we don’t have [GPAs].You can just guess if you know the average of other people,” Dombek said. “You can say, ‘Oh, I’m better than you,’ but we absolutely don’t rank people.”

Dombek has little to no issues with the classwork itself, but she does find the language barrier a minor struggle. 

“Understanding everything in English was challenging,” Dombek said. “I think that was because I don’t think the classes are really hard for me, it was just the language. If you don’t understand, you can’t do it, so I had to translate at first. [Thankfully] I have some teachers such as Mr. Kasinitz who helped me and allowed me to use it.

Homework, class duration, lunch timings, and even the time high school begins were all adjustments that came along with Dombek’s big move from France to Frisco. In France, Dombek would start her school day bright and early at eight in the morning, have a full hour to herself for lunch, which would later be accompanied by hours of endless homework. 

Now, she is able to sleep-in and enjoy her free-time due to opportunities such as tutorials to finish her schoolwork rather than saving it to do at home. 

“When I discovered how to live here in the United States, what [it is like] to have time to do what you want to do [and] spend time with your family, I could imagine friends in France who come back to school, do [their] homework, eat, and go to sleep,” Dombek said. “Here you have time to live [and] to do activities.”