Though the pandemic has thwarted the possibility of many “normal” occasions, it has offered some students the opportunity of a lifetime: living abroad while attending Aragon online.
Junior Stephanus Yang is currently living in Taipei, Taiwan and has spent the majority of this school year there with his family. Yang has been to Taipei prior, to visit relatives, so that familiarity has helped with his transition to living there for months at a time.
“I think I’ve realized to take all of the chances in life and not waste anything because you might only do it once,” Yang said. “My parents really wanted to come back [to Taiwan], so [my siblings and I] came along with them.”
However, Taiwan is 16 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time in California, which creates some conflict with synchronous Zoom classes. Yang sits down for school at 12-7 a.m. as opposed to the usual 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. After school ends, Yang goes to bed to get his rest for the day and sleeps until the afternoon. Then he enjoys Taipei outside, does his homework or tries to relax before classes start again.
“Sometimes [having to] stay up through the night is tiring, but I wouldn’t say it affects how I’m learning,” Yang said.
Yang returned to California for a couple of months in the fall, but then traveled back to Taiwan.
“I decided to come back [to Taiwan] because my sisters were still [there],” Yang said. “Chinese New Year is also a really big event in Taiwan, so we wanted to be here for it.”
In February, Yang and his family enjoyed the Lunar New Year in Taiwan with his relatives. Throughout his experience, he has learned even more about Taiwanese culture and language.
“Being on vacation … has made me less motivated in school, but I have learned to have days where I don’t go to the beach or go swimming because I have to do homework”
For some students, foreign countries can be safer from the virus than the U.S. According to Johns Hopkins University, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan has only faced 10 deaths and 984 total cases. In comparison, California has lost more than 50,000 lives and experienced an outbreak of 3.62 million cases, according to The New York Times. Most of Taiwan has already reopened, but people still wear masks and have temperature checks.
Junior Danielle Sipes and her family have also travelled to live somewhere else: the low COVID-19 case rate and sunny tourist destination of Kauai, Hawaii. Due to much cabin fever at home and the desire to escape the surge of coronavirus cases in California, Sipes has been experiencing the perks of living in a vacation destination. However, being away from home does leave some challenges.
“I haven’t been able to do the cross country season since I haven’t been home,” Sipes said. “Being on vacation … has made me less motivated in school, but I have learned to have days where I don’t go to the beach or go swimming because I have to do homework.”
With the aura of vacation and relaxation which Hawaii embodies, Sipes finds that she is also given the opportunity to have time to relax and reaps the positive mental well-being benefits.
“I used to go to school, go to practice, do homework,” Sipes said. “I used to always have something lined up in my day and no time for myself. Being in the pandemic, and Hawaii especially, I’ve had a lot more time to sit back and relax. I think that’s really important for mental health ”
Sipes plans to come back to California at some point for her drivers test, but in the meantime is enrolled to take the SAT in Hawaii in March. According to The New York Times, in Kauai County, there have been a total of 188 cases and one death in the past year.
“There are still restrictions like social distancing and wearing masks, but they’re just not canceling things like California is,” Sipes said.
According to the SMUHSD’s Office of Student Services, such students are being provided a courtesy this year for being out of Aragon’s regional area, granted they retain good attendance and grades. Next year, however, the courtesy may not be provided, and decisions will be allowed on a case-by-case basis.
Senior Eduarda Lopes and her family have returned to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where they lived prior to moving to the U.S. While there, she visited her relatives.
“I share a house with family members now, so sometimes it is a little more noisy and crowded so that can be difficult,” Lopes said. “I really missed my family while I was in the U.S. [I’m] still adapting to the time; school is from 2 p.m. to 7 or 8 [p.m.].”
While Lopes has returned for in-person school, she enjoyed taking advantage of her time to travel to Brazil.
