During my Junior year, I met Jolie Lei, a current John Dewey High School senior. We have been friends for half a year and I never knew much about her life until recently. I learned that she moved from Seattle, Washington her junior year and it was a very different experience for her.
Speaking about her initial experiences moving to New York City, Lei said ” When I first moved to New York City, I was a little nervous but not to much since I lived here before and only been gone for two years. It was my first time starting high school in New York and I wasn’t really sure what was gonna happen since the school systems are very different throughout the country. I was shocked by the attitudes the teachers gave us because I was used to the tone they gave us back in Washington which is very soft and kind. When I came back to New York it was so aggressive, they would yell in my face and I would ask ” why are you yelling ” but I got used to it real quick. ”
Lei shares the differences between schools in Washington vs schools in New York. Lei said ” School back home is very different from schools here in New York. The school systems aren’t that strict like New York but one example is that in Washington they let the students go off campus for lunch. Everyone had the same lunch schedule so when lunch came, everyone walked off campus or went to the lunchroom for lunch. The thing is they trusted us to come back when lunch ends and they let you roam the halls, eat lunch wherever you want like in a classroom, hallway, under the stairs in the stairs they didn’t care. But in New York, schools they’re very strict- lunch has to be inside the cafeteria where you’re in one place. You cant walk around and it kind of feels a little like a prison. ”
While sharing her school experiences, Lei speaks about why New York is better overall than Washington. Lei said “If I had to choose between New York or Washington, I’d choose New York. Mainly because everything is convenient and right there for you like supermarkets, shopping stores, etc. Meanwhile in Washington you have to take public transportation or you have to drive where you want to go because of the large amount of roads and land there is. Sidewalks aren’t convenient because it takes such a long time to get from one place to another but overall I think if you want to live in a place with more nature and less noise, I’d prefer Washington.”
Lei speaks about her happiness here in New York City compared to Washington. Lei said ” The people back in Washington are very nice but I think I found more happiness in new york because I love to go out with friends, and the most convenient way to hangout is somewhere in Brooklyn or the city [Manhattan]. In Washington you have to really plan everything out because you had to take a car everywhere and it was very hard sometimes, especially when some people don’t have their permit or license yet. You’d have to ask your parents or someone to drive you around so for me its more convenient to be in New York since we have everything right there ”
Jolie’s experience can help other people has been or is currently in her shoes, feel more understood with their experience of moving across the country to a new environment.
