Sophomore foreign exchange student Anna Luise Zott was overwhelmed by the number of students and the sheer size of Gunn on her first day of school. A native of Austria, Zott decided to come to the U.S. to improve her English and gain new experiences.

Originally, Zott planned to live in Alabama but transferred to Palo Alto at the last minute. “It was pretty confusing,” she said. Even after studying English for five years, there were certain words Zott had never heard of. The first week was difficult, she said, but things have recently gotten much easier.

During her first day in the U.S., Zott immediately noticed the attitudes of people in America. “The people are more open-minded, at least sometimes, and very friendly,” Zott said. She enjoys people’s attention to courtesy and she finds the people here more helpful than in Austria. Especially remarkable for her are the store clerks at the supermarket who ask, “Did you find everything all right?”

Homecoming was another completely new experience for Zott. She never had the chance to wear costumes at her school in Austria, which made dressing up particularly exciting. “It will stay in my mind forever,” Zott said. “The school spirit at Gunn is amazing.”

Overall, she finds Gunn to be more well-rounded in terms of clubs, sports and extracurricular activities than her more academically-focused school back in Austria.

–Amy Yu

Senior Scarlett Yiang has moved here permanently from Taipei, Taiwan to attend her final year of high school at Gunn. Yiang was born in the U.S. but moved to Asia when she was only one month old. "My parents were on vacation, and [my birth] was an accident," she said with a laugh.

Despite her new student status, she is already closely tied to Gunn–class of '07 graduates Theresa and Jennifer Lee are her relatives. "I came to Gunn because my cousins came here," she said. "I think I will probably attend a university here."

While Yiang enjoys Gunn's atmosphere, she misses certain aspects of her hometown. "I really miss the food," she said. "Hopefully I'l go back to visit during the summer and breaks."

–Jocelyn Ma

Junior foreign exchange student Marisol Ortiz hails all the way from Chihuahua, a large northern Mexican state. Ortiz left her two brothers and her parents back home to live with her aunt and uncle, who are Palo Alto residents. "I'm just here for a year of experiencing an American school, but I'm definitely returning home next year," she said.

Ortiz has noticed many differences between her new and old homes. "We had dances in Mexico, but we didn't have anything like Gunn's Homecoming," she said. "Also, my old school organized the students into [homeroom] classes that stayed together in all their courses, but here, everyone changes classes so you get to meet more people."

However, not all changes were positive. "I could drive in Mexico, and not here," Ortiz said. "And even though the age limit for driving there and here are the same, there are a fewer rules restricting teenage driving in Mexico." In addition, Ortiz finds American food mediocre compared to the cuisine in Mexico. "Taco Bell is the fakest Mexican food!" she laughed. "They only use one kind of yellow cheese and their hot sauce isn't even spicy enough."

Despite her new location and new school, Ortiz is continuing to dance ballet in the U.S., which she has been doing for over 11 years. Ortiz currently takes weekly classes at Dance Connection in Palo Alto. "I love ballet, and I'm glad I'm still doing it here," she said. "It keeps me grounded."

–Tenny Zhang

Senior Spanish exchange student Jaume Balust moved to American from Barcelona this fall after his father found a job at Stanford University for the year. Now Balust and his sister, sophomore Clara Balust, attend Gunn.

One of the main things Balust noticed about Gunn is the students' amiability. "People [at Gunn] are friendlier," Balust said. "In Spain when I go visit a friend, all we do is say hi and then part ways with a bye, but in here the people give you cookies when you visit."

The variety of sports and extracurricular activities also impressed Balust. "There are [very] little sports in my [previous] school, and to play sports you have to join a club," Balust said. "In America I can watch American football and baseball, but not in Spain where there's only soccer and basketball." Balust is also part of the cross country team. "I like cross country, it's a part of the day that I use to meditate," Balust said. "I am going to try out for soccer [in] winter and probably track."

Because of all his new friends and activities, Balust does not feel homesick. Balust hopes to travel all around America during his year here. "There are many places I've traveled to and will travel to like Santa Clara, Hawaii, Yosemite and Lake Tahoe," he said.

–Bauer Wann