When I lived in China, Shanghai, I attended Shanghai American school. Although this school is in China, it adopts the American education. So its teachers, students mainly speak in English, and the subjects are all about the American educaton curriculums, teaching students American history, American literature, and math that follows the course of American education. The students, however, were international, their nationalities varied, including American-Chinese, Koreans, Dutch, Japanese, and even Swedish. The class curiculums mainly focused on developing student's creativity, thus arranging homework with the projects and presentations. However, when I first came to Korea's elementary school, I felt alienated among the Korean students' different sense of thoughts and cultures. The most shocking difference was the education curriculums.

   The first difference is the exams. In Korea, there are four main tests, which are mid-term and final-term exams in each of the first and second semester. However, in American schools, there are no such thing as already arranged tests. Rather, tests are abruptly taken, not exactly abrupt, but the students are usually informed one or two weeks before, and the crucial tests are informed about one month before. The tests aren't already fixed, and the subjects, unlike in Korea, are not on the same day, they vary.  This difference was adaptable for me. But the problem was the time limit. In American schools, there was no time limit, and students could always come back and work on the tests the day after. This is because of the free minds of the Americans; their sense of freedom and highlighting the importance on the students' display of full abilities instead of their limited demonstrationthat are precluded by time limits. It took me a awful lot of time to get used to the time limits.

   The second difference is the relationship between boys and girls. Back in America, boys and girls hungout together, talking freely and casully with each other. We even sat together at lunch times, and enjoyed companionship. Girls and boys hanging out of school was also a natural thing, and nobody thought it as weird. However, on my first time at Korean school, I was surprised at the literal division between girls and boys. They didn't talk together at break times, let alone sitting together at lunch. It was akward for me, for it was something I couldn't experience before while in the free minds of the Americans.

   The last difference is the relatioship between teachers. In Korea, it is natural to bow our heads to teachers, as an acknowledgement of authority, I suppose. Maybe this hierarchy between teachers and students is why it is so hard to become close and friendly with our teachers. However in my American school back in China, whenever I met a teacher, I always bumped my fist aganist my teachers'. It was natural to say high and wave our hands to our teacher. When I tried to shake hands with my new Korean teacher at my new school, she literally stared at me like, "What the hell is this girl thinking?". 

   To sum up, I really miss my liberate life back in that school where everything was so easygoing and where everyone was so friedly despite of thier status. Maybe this style and feature of American schools is why they are one of the most successful countries in the world.