December 18, 2024

Students from around the world

Bianca Evers-Swindel

By Katie Anderson, Features Editor

From Australia, the land of beautiful beaches, the outback, and Christmas during summer, to New Zealand, the land of mesmerizing waters and hills. And finally, to the sandy coast of California—and more specifically, the halls of Costa—sophomore Bianca Evers-Swindel has landed.

According to Evers-Swindel, one of her favorite memories of Australia is waking up early to drive to the Gold Coast to surf with her parents every Sunday. When moving to New Zealand, she loved going to school with her friends, especially her 6th-grade class.

“Something I have learned is that a lot of the time you have to be out of your comfort zone in order to meet new people but it is worth it every time,” Evers-Swindel said.

Evers-Swindel continues to celebrate the traditions and cultures she learned from both Australia and New Zealand. She loves making Meat Pies, a common food in both countries, and sprinkling a little bit of summer into her Christmas traditions. According to Evers-Swindel, moving abroad multiple times has been challenging yet rewarding.

“I think it has made me grow up more because I’ve had to spend so much time doing things that I wasn’t used to,” Evers-Swindel said.

Ebba Oscarson

By Katie Anderson, Features Editor

From Hong Kong to China to Sweden, senior Ebba Oscarson has seen it all. Oscarson moved to the United States in the summer of 2017 and continues to celebrate aspects of each country’s culture, including Chinese New Year, Chinese food, markets, and Swedish holidays. When living in China, she was able to do all of these, and more.

“Living in China was a very special experience because I got to experience the real side of China,” Oscarson said. “Where I lived there wasn’t a lot of diversity in the towns, so I got completely immersed in Chinese culture.”

In Hong Kong, Oscarson lived in a small fishing village surrounded by jungle. Being surrounded by the outdoors and wild animals made Hong Kong Oscarson’s favorite place to live. Later she moved to a farming town in Sweden before finally transitioning to the U.S.

“Something that I have learned from living in different countries is that you learn and grow the most if you step outside of your comfort zone,” Oscarson said. “Living in these countries has shaped me into a person who is more aware of different cultures as I have experienced traditions and the way of living of people from different backgrounds.”

Natalie Lertsmitivanta

By Kit Humbarger, Managing Editor

Senior Natalie Lertsmitivanta grew up in Bangkok, Thailand, before moving to Manhattan Beach during her freshman year to live with her aunt and uncle. According to Lertsmitivanta, living in Thailand was comforting. While she loves her life in Manhattan Beach, she misses certain traditions back home, one of them being the holiday Songkran.

“During the hottest day in April, the entire country went out to the streets and had a huge water fight,” Lertsmitivanta said.

Moving across the world has made her more aware of different cultures. During her time here, she has learned to combine aspects of Thai and American culture into her daily life.

“The transition was difficult because the little things you don’t think of surprised me, such as using money that was all the same color or ordering my food in English,” Lertsmitivanta said. “It was also exciting because I realized how big the world actually is.”

Lertsmitivanta believes it’s important to say yes to as many experiences as possible and in living life to the fullest.

“Just have fun and be present in the moment,” Lertsmitivanta said. “Things you miss will eventually come around, so explore as much as you can while you can.”

Gia Dionisio

By Kelsey McAvin, Executive Arts Editor

Born in Germany, later moving to Dubai at two, and finally settling down in Manhattan Beach at ten, senior Gia Dionisio has been exposed to cultures from all over the world. Dionisio has grown and lived through different perspectives and ways of life, and although they are all different, she enjoys aspects of all of them.

From riding in cars with pet monkeys in Dubai to surfing in Manhattan Beach, California, Dionisio has immersed herself in different lifestyles, delicious foods, and beaches. According to Dionisio, the move to Manhattan Beach was the hardest since she had to learn a whole new language. Dioniso carried some of her traditions over from Germany to her new home in Southern California, such as celebrating the tradition of receiving presents in her shoes on St. Nicholas Day on December 6th.

Dionisio’s experiences in other countries have encouraged her to branch out, leading to her studying abroad in Italy for 8 months.

“A piece of advice I learned is to be open and adapt to the culture around you. It makes the experience so much more authentic. I feel like living in different countries made me really open to new experiences and explore more,” Dionisio said.

Chloe Saric

By McKinlee Rainey, Theme Editor

Chloe Saric, a Mira Costa senior, experienced a big change moving from Peru to California. Change is never a bad thing, and although she misses Peru, she has enjoyed her time in California so far. When Saric moved to the United States, she started branching out of her comfort zone and began to try new things. Moving can shape a person, and Saric believes she has learned a lot through her exposure to new traditions and a new culture.

“Something I have learned from living in a different country is being open to new adventures and having new perspectives,” said Saric. “I have had the opportunities to be exposed to different cultures and be able to appreciate them.”

Saric says that moving countries isn’t an easy process, because it includes leaving loved ones and comforting traditions behind, and forces a quick adjustment to the customs of the new country. In Saric’s case, moving challenges such as language barriers and the exhausting moving process were also a struggle.

“Moving countries was a challenging transition for me because of the language barrier; over the years it was an advantage to have been able to learn English earlier in my life,” Saric said.

Shanghai, China

By Eric Brodkin, Sports Editor

Senior Allie Lindblad spent ten years living in Shanghai, China, where she immersed herself in a variety of cultures. According to Lindblad, she loved the experience and the traditions that she has learned.

“I think that growing up in China completely shaped me as a person, and has made me a more understanding and giving person because I’ve seen so many differences in people,” said Lindblad.

According to Lindblad, there was a large international community that made her feel comfortable, because she felt that they also understood what it was like to be isolated from the United States. Everybody in the community felt such a strong love for Shanghai.

“No one was ever afraid of the government,” Lindblad said. “There was minimal stress within the community until Covid-19 happened.”

For Lindblad, the cultural diversity available in Shanghai allowed her to become more understanding and socially accepting. According to Lindblad, she has so many memories in Shanghai that she will never forget.

“A piece of advice I have is just be open to everything,” said Lindblad. “Don’t be afraid to try new things or new experiences.”

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*