Coming to America, to foreigners, is a big thing. Some come to just visit family, while others come for opportunities. HueyRu Strauss came to America at the age of 22, looking for opportunities and a bachelor’s degree..

“I was born and raised in Taichung. I was on the western side of Taiwan. When I came to America, I was staying in Warrensburg Missouri,” said teacher HueyRu Strauss.

There are definitely culture shocks that come with moving to another country. In Asian countries, people generally take off their shoes and put on house slippers, before entering a house. Americans do not do that. Americans walk in and take our shoes off anywhere.

“The schools in Taiwan are definitely different from America’s. In Taiwan, school hours were 6 A.M. to 5 P.M.. We also had things going on before and after school. Everything was less intricate

in America,” said Strauss.

Asian countries also require for their students to learn English, so it did not take Strauss long to learn and understand. When younger, the the children of foreigners are fluent in their parent’s mother language. Gradually, the children start to lose their ability to speak that language. Sophomore Megan Strauss, Strauss’s daughter, was a victim of this.

“When I was younger I was fluent in Mandarin, but then I went to school. Now I don’t know any Mandarin,” said Megan

The Japanese writing system derives from Chinese/Mandarin, so there are very similar characters. Since they are so similar, people often mistake the two languages for the other. Occasionally students, like sophomore Colby Zellers, will occasionally bring in a title of an Asian show, specifically from China, Taiwan, or Japan, to see if Strauss can translate it for them.

“A while back, I brought in the symbols for a Japanese show called Attack On Titan, and she explained each symbol to me,” said Zellers.

People often think about what they might have done if they did not do something.

“If I did not come to America, I would have been a reporter or a travel writer,” said Strauss.

People tend to dream about going to another country, but they do not want to learn the language.

“If I could say one thing it would be, visit Taiwan. It is a beautiful island and breathtaking views. Big cities such as Taipei, have a good amount of people who do speak english. The traffic is hectic, so just walk around and take in the views,” said Strauss.

At the end of the day, if a person wants to achieve something, that person does whatever they can to achieve it. Differences aside, if a person wants to go to another country, just go.