Not everyone gets an opportunity to travel outside their home country. Some students get the opportunity to come from all over the world as exchange students, taking part in the American educational system. Runlai (a.k.a. Eric) Jiang ’18 is one of these students. After joining our community this year, Jiang has already managed to become a superstar here at Wilmington Friends. Whether it is his funny jokes in class, his friendly and outgoing attitude, or his competitiveness in sports, the rest of us should definitely consider taking notes. Jiang’s experience so far in America has been interesting to say the least, and he’s answered a few questions about his life at Friends.

     An aspect of Jiang’s identity that could cause confusion is how to address him. His actual name is Runlai; however, people often refer to him as Eric. We asked him which he prefered, and why. Jiang shared, “A foreign teacher gave me this name [Eric] when I was five years old. Compared to the name Runlai, I am more familiar with Eric, because Runlai is a new name that my Dad changed two years ago.” However, there is more to Jiang than what he likes to be called, such as his experience with widely different cultures.

    The differences between America and China are clearly vast. When someone leaves one culture for one that is near-opposite, it can be pretty daunting. Eric seems to enjoy American culture, but when asked about what he misses about China, he replied, “In China, there are a lot of people, just like New York City, and it is quieter here. In China, people always invite people to eat in restaurants, but here people go to each other’s houses.”  Jiang also talked about the aspects of American culture he enjoys, “There are many surprises; for example, I was shocked when I saw students got out of their seats without asking for permission. When I saw people under 18 drive a car, I was surprised too.” Jiang also discussed what it took to end up at WFS, “Actually, I did not come to WFS through the foreign exchange program, so I am not an exchange student technically. I applied to WFS just like other students would through the interview process.” Jiang is one of several foreign students that we have at Friends who might stay here for all of high school.

       Jiang gave us his honest opinion about the Friends student body, “I like Friends a lot. It is a good school with many interesting people. I have learned a lot since I came here, and I would like to stay at Friends. I like the WFS community. It’s fun; teachers and students are all nice here. I like to fight with my buddies in the sports game, and I like to learn with my classmates. Compared to the school community in China, here I know people in different grades and ages, because there are many people in one grade in China.” Jiang also talked about his interactions with Americans in general, “As for the American community, I feel the adults in America talk about sports very often, but adults in China always talk about politics.”

    The WFS community has welcomed Jiang with open arms. While we appreciate all of the foreign students who attend our school, not much thought revolves around the incredible circumstances of their situations. Learning about these students will help one to develop a better understanding of what it’s like to attend a school in an entirely different country. Jiang is a fantastic contribution to our community, and if you haven’t gotten to know him yet, it is recommended that you do!