FHSTheFlash The Flash Volume 54, Issue 3 May 2014 | Page 20

Features

12

Life Abroad

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es between the two countries
were.
Flash Staff Reporter
“Scotland’s a very small
country and if you live 30 miles
Imagine one day you are
away from someone in Scotland
uprooted from your safety net,
you feel like you live a long way
your bags must be packed, and
away. Whereas in this country
you suddenly leave your homepeople think nothing of driving
town to a foreign community
you have never seen. In instanc- 100, 200, 400 miles,” Wright
said.
es this can be the situation for
Wright also explained that
many.
“...When it be- back in Scotland the
I had the opportunity to interview came real it was a family did not own a
Ms. Wright, one of little scary leaving car, for they did not
need one because of the
the French teachour family and public transport and
ers at our high
means to walk around
friends...”
school as well as
easily in a small town.
senior Dominika
Leaving one part of her heart
Jarosz who can relate to this
back in Scotland but seeking
experience. When Wright had
new opportunities in the United
first come here on vacation at
States lead Wright to decide to
age ten, Wright described it as
become a French teacher when
a Hollywood like place, saying
she was influenced by one of
it was sunny all the time and
her elder ambitious college
that everything was indeed
bigger than in Scotland. At first, professors.
“I have 24 cousins in Scotland
Wright was excited to move.
and nobody went to college.
“But then when it became
And it wasn’t expected that
real it was a little scary leaving
they do, that was just they go
our family and friends, changing schools, going to a different
country. Even though we had
family here to come to it was
still quite intimidating,” Wright
said.
Furthermore, jumping across
the pond was not as simple as
some may imagine.
“It was exciting when we first
got the information we had
applied four years before we
actually got approved,” Wright
said.
The tedious process of traveling down to London at different
times and meeting with immigration officials did not make it
easy. Good things come to those
who wait, and finally Wright,
her sister and their mom were
able to move to Michigan! With
a fresh start on their shoulders,
the family did not know what
was awaiting them. I had asked
Dominika as a child
Wright what was the differencPhoto Credit: Jarosz Family

Julia Kovacova

and they find a job leaving high
school and that’s what you do.
When I came here it was the expectation my mom said ‘you’re
going to college, we’ll figure
out a way to make it happen,’”
Wright said.
Wright noted that there
was more opportunity here
than back then in Scotland.
Wright had been required to
take French in high school,
and if students in her class
did well, the school would
decide to give students an additional language. German was
Wright’s other language in high
school. Wright ended up spending a summer with her college
professor “the little old lady”
and was taught right outside
of her backyard in France and
took Wright and other students
on adventurous, historical day
trips.
“It was just such a neat experience and she just inspired me
to go on with French and then
combining that with liking to
work with kids...and it inspired
me to become a French teacher,” Wright said.
From a different perspective
is