Most PV High students come back from summer vacation ready for a new school year without too many changes- same friends, same environment, same place. However, for junior Nikolas Walters, not only is this a new school year, it is a new school, new city, new state, new country, and new continent.
As Sea Kings rolled into PV High this year, many were surrounded by classmates and peers whom they have known for years and fell back into old rhythms. However, for one new Sea King this was not the case. Imagine jet setting off around the world to a foreign country where everything is unfamiliar, separated from family, knowing absolutely no one, and having to live with a foreign family. That is how the school year started for junior Nikolas Walters.
As his plane touched down at LAX, the first thing Nikolas remembers is the ocean and how it separated him from his home.
“The ocean is so big”, said Walters
Walters, a German national, is like a typical Sea King taking classes in English, Math, US History, Spanish, and running for the cross country team; but for Nikolas, everything is atypical. As a foreign exchange student, Walters is forced to only speak English, a language that he began learning 6 years ago. Even at home, Nikolas doesn’t have the comfort of speaking in his native tongue, as his host family does not speak German. Yet Nikolas is managing and anticipates that it will only get easier throughout his ten-month stay. He believes his hosts, the Griggs family, will be helpful as they are very understanding of how difficult the transition can be.
“They are very nice and caring” and overall “patient and kind”, said Walters.
The fact that the Griggs’ older daughter, Erica, is on cross country with him has also helped him adjust to the school, meet new people, and feel more comfortable here at PV.
Walters is not the first one in his family to join the Sea King family. Just last yearWalters’ brother, Constantine, was an exchange student at PV High. The Walters family decided their boys should experience new things, as well as tearn English by being fully immersed in the American culture. Nikolas was only able to see Constantine for a few months in the summer and then it was his turn to come and join the Red Tide family. Although he did not talk about the trip too much with his brother, from what they had discussed, Nikolas had been reassured.
“[His] brother had told [him] it was good here and not to be worried [W1] ,” said Walters.
For Nikolas the Red Tide community made a big splash. Although it may seem cliché, he felt that all the students and teachers made a big effort to make him feel welcome.
“The teachers here are really nice,” and they “really do care [about us]”,he said.
In addition to the Sea Kings waves of kindness breaking on the PV High shore, Nikolas was truly amazed with the overwhelming amount of school spirit here. “It’s very different than Germany. School is just school [there]”, explained Walters. In Germany, school focuses purely on academics, while over here he was amazed by all of our pep rallies, sports teams, clubs, and school dances. “ I am excited,” said Walters.
He wants to be a part of all of these activities, and take advantage of the amazing opportunities at PVHS. Walters is looking forward to spending the next year here at PV High and his new family of König des Meeres.