As the first semester ended and the second began, Miramonte welcomed a number of new students from places around the world. Among these students is Erik Sonnenberg-Westeson, who decided to travel from his home in Berlin and stay in Orinda, apart from an exchange program like the CIEE High School Study Abroad program or the Go Overseas program, instead of opting for the more common route of an exchange program while he spends the semester at Miramonte.
A semester abroad can be a daunting experience for many, but for Sonnenberg-Westeson, it was a valuable opportunity for more reasons than one. One of the main reasons he came to the U.S. was to learn how to drive. “Taking your car to school is not really a thing, since you can’t get your license until 18,” Sonnenberg-Westeson said. Students would instead use the public transport system (nicknamed the U-Bahn, for the subway that runs throughout Berlin) to get around the city. Since getting a driver’s license in Germany is a much more complicated experience than it is in the U.S., Sonnenberg-Westeson hopes to get through Driver’s Ed, and eventually earn a driver’s license before he returns to Berlin in August.
Coming from Berlin, California is a very different environment. Although Sonnenberg-Westeson spends much of his time at school, the many cultural variations between the two places make his stay in California a valuable experience. Mitte, a borough within Berlin and just a small train ride away from his home in Berlin, Spandau, has a population of around 400,000, considerably larger than the 19,000 in Orinda. Culturally, Berlin also has more to it than Orinda. The 170 museums alone — with topics ranging from the alphabet to archaeology — ensure hours of entertainment for anyone, whether a tourist or a city native.
This difference was made clear after he left the bustling-city atmosphere and close presence of historical attractions such as the Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag, and the Berlin Zoo, and entered the small city of Orinda, with the arguably less interesting attractions of the Orinda Theater, Sharetea, and Safeway.
Apart from the historical side of things, Sonnenberg-Westeson was sad to leave behind the cuisine. “Döner is something I’m already missing,” Sonnenberg-Westeson said.
Döner, a dish largely inspired by the döner kebab in Turkey, is a very popular pita bread sandwich filled with thin slices of spiced meat along with fresh vegetable toppings and a garlic sauce.
Sonnenberg-Westeson found differences in the class times, the school spirit, and the content of the classes between his school in Berlin and Miramonte. At his school in Berlin, Sonnenberg-Westeson’s day typically started earlier than Miramonte, at 8, but this was sometimes not the case. His teachers would not always be available and would cancel their classes. “There were days where I would go to school at 10, and leave at 11:30,” Sonnenberg-Westeson said. However, a full day of classes could end as late as 5:40 PM.
With more flexible class times also came more freedom. Instead of Miramonte’s closed-campus policy, students at his school in Berlin are free to leave campus as long as they made it to their next classes on time. “You are actually outside of the school’s jurisdiction in between classes. The moment the bell rings after class, you’re free to do whatever you want,” Sonnenberg-Westeson said.
The school spirit at his school in Berlin was just as different from Miramonte as his class schedule. His school did not have sports or any other after-school activities, so school slogans such as “Go Mats!” or school mascots weren’t necessary. “It was kind of sad…You just go to school for the education part, and the rest you do outside the school,” Sonnenberg-Westeson said.
Along with class times and school spirit, the content of his school’s classes is also different than at Miramonte. Instead of having specific options to choose from, his classes were much more general; for example, instead of having the options of Crafts, Photography, and AP Drawing, the class for all disciplines of art would be called just that: art. “[The courses] are much more specific here, which is nice. You have more time to go into detail,” Sonnenberg-Westeson said.
Since arriving in California, Sonnenberg-Westeson enjoys visiting places around the Bay Area; notably, he appreciates the proximity to San Francisco. “I can tell my friends that I’m in the San Francisco area,” Sonnenberg-Westeson said. He would eventually also like to visit Yosemite and San Diego, as they are relatively close by and are places he has not found the time to visit yet.
Sonnenberg-Westeson is just one of many international students who come to Miramonte, building skills in a foreign language, personal growth, and independence. Although he is leaving California in a number of months, he is already enjoying his time here. “It’s a great school,” Sonnenberg-Westeson said.
