“I hope I can get involved in the culture,” explained Yi Bao, one of Moorestown Friends’ two foreign exchange students new this year.  Bao arrived from China a month ago;  while this is not her first time in the states, it is her first at MFS.  Leon Pfeiffer is the second newest foreign exchange student this year. Unlike Bao, Pfeiffer is coming to America from Germany for the first time ever in his life.

Because Bao has relatives living in America and has already been to the country, she has reacted primarily to the school environment at MFS. She spoke about the largest difference between China and America saying, “America doesn’t have a lot of people.” She mentioned a Chinese tradition that often attracts many people, saying, “In China you can go to an antique place and give wishes to someone.” Bao is working hard to “improve [her] english.”

Pfeiffer has also taken on his fair share of work. Because of the difference between the German and American school systems, Pfeiffer, a junior, is taking mostly senior classes such as calculus. Regardless of the countless hours Pfeiffer spends on school work, he is “looking forward to really understanding chemistry, physics and math.” He explained that compared to Moorestown Friends, “German schools are very big, so it’s not very personal.”

During Pfeiffer’s first couple of days in America, he discovered breadsticks and fast food while exploring Philadelphia. He also saw the constitution center, which he mentioned, multiple times, as he spoke about “the American dream.”

Both Pfeiffer and Bao spoke fondly of the freedom in America. Pfeiffer pointed out the absence of fast food in Germany, and Bao was pleased to say, “[MFS] pays more respect to the students and their characteristics.”