I moved from South Korea to the United States when I was 12 years old.
I was old enough to clearly remember school in Korea, but young enough that almost everything about American school felt new. More than 20 years later, I still remember some of the smallest differences.
A quick note before I start: my memories of school in Korea are from around 2003, and I later graduated from high school in the U.S. as part of the Class of 2009. Schools in both countries have changed since then, and experiences can vary by school and location.
These are simply the things that stood out to me as a 12-year-old moving from Korea to America.
And yes, one of them involves a donut.
1. Students Moved From Classroom to Classroom
In Korea, I was used to staying in the same classroom with the same group of classmates while different subject teachers came to us.
In the U.S., it was the opposite.
When one class ended, I had to pack up my things, walk through the hallways, and find the classroom for my next subject.
For a 12-year-old who barely understood English, remembering my schedule and finding the right classroom before the bell rang took some getting used to.
2. Lunch Was in a Cafeteria
Lunch was completely different too.
At my school in Korea, I remember having rotating lunch-duty students. When the lunch cart arrived, the students assigned that day helped serve the food to everyone in the classroom.
In the U.S., we went to the cafeteria. You could bring a packed lunch from home or get lunch there.
It sounds simple now, but when I first arrived, even figuring out where to get food and where to sit was part of learning my new school routine.
3. We Brought Our Own Gym Clothes
At my school in Korea, we had designated school P.E. uniforms that we changed into for physical education.
In the U.S., I remember students bringing their own gym clothes instead.
P.E. itself wasn\’t necessarily that different. It was little routines like this that constantly reminded me that I was in a new school system.
4. The Yellow School Bus Was Actually Real
Before moving to America, those big yellow school buses were something I associated with American TV.
Then suddenly they were everywhere.
When I was in elementary school in Korea, I remember kids walking to school or being taken by their parents. Seeing American students regularly riding those yellow buses was surprisingly memorable to me.
Eventually they became completely ordinary, but they definitely weren\’t ordinary to 12-year-old me.
5. Nobody Changed Into Indoor Shoes
In my Korean elementary school, we changed out of our outdoor shoes and wore indoor shoes inside the school.
I even remember carrying a separate little bag for my indoor shoes.
Then I started school in America and realized everyone just kept the same shoes on.
Such a tiny thing, but I remember thinking, Wait… we don\’t change our shoes?
6. Lockers Were a New Responsibility
In Korea, I remember our personal storage being inside our classroom.
In America, I suddenly had a locker in the hallway. Depending on the school, I remember either bringing a lock or being given a combination.
And yes, I forgot my combination more than once.
Trying to remember a locker combination while also figuring out my class schedule and navigating unfamiliar hallways was more challenging than it sounds.
7. I Had to Learn How to Address My Teachers
In Korea, I was used to simply calling my teachers seonsaengnim (선생님), which means “teacher.”
In America, I suddenly had to remember Mr., Mrs., or Ms. followed by each teacher\’s last name.
It feels completely normal to me now, but back then it was another small part of American school culture I had to learn.
8. There Seemed to Be an Event for Everything
When I think about elementary school in Korea, the big school event I remember most is our annual sports day.
It was a huge deal. The whole school participated in games and activities, and it was something we really looked forward to.
After moving to the U.S., I remember feeling like there were many more events and special activities throughout the school year.
American school life just seemed to have something going on all the time.
9. I Missed Decorating My New Textbooks
This is one of my favorite little memories from Korea.
At the beginning of every new school year, I remember getting my own set of textbooks. I\’d write my name in big letters, draw little pictures, and decorate them.
There was something fun about making those brand-new books feel like mine.
My memory of how textbooks were handled when I first arrived in America is a little fuzzy after all these years. I mainly remember the system feeling different, especially since we moved from classroom to classroom for different subjects.
But I still remember the excitement of getting those new Korean textbooks.
It\’s funny which memories stick with you.
10. I Didn\’t Even Know What “Eat” Meant
This might be my favorite memory from my first days at an American school.
One morning before classes started, we were sitting in homeroom. Everyone was talking and hanging out when someone brought donuts for a student\’s birthday.
A donut was passed to me.
And I had absolutely no idea what I was supposed to do.
I just sat there looking around while everyone else seemed to know exactly what was happening.
The student sitting in front of me looked at me and said:
“Eat.”
There was only one problem.
I didn\’t know what eat meant.
So I just stared at him.
Finally, he made an eating motion to show me what he meant.
Ohhh.
Eat.
So I ate the donut.
More than 20 years later, I still remember that moment. “Eat” is such a basic English word now that it\’s funny to imagine not knowing it.
But back then, I was 12 years old, in a new country, at a new school, surrounded by a language I barely understood.
Even being handed a donut could become an entirely new experience.
Looking Back More Than 20 Years Later
Those unfamiliar routines eventually became completely normal.
I learned how to find my classrooms, use my locker, navigate the cafeteria, address my teachers, and understand the language around me.
Eventually, the kid who didn\’t even understand the word “eat” graduated from an American high school as part of the Class of 2009.
Looking back, moving to another country as a kid wasn\’t only about learning English. I had to learn hundreds of little things that nobody thinks to explain because they\’re already normal to everyone else.
Where to go. What to wear. How to open a locker. Where to eat lunch.
And apparently, what to do when someone hands you a donut.
More than 20 years later, those are some of the memories that still make me smile.
These are my personal memories of attending school in South Korea and the United States in the 2000s. School systems and individual experiences vary and may have changed significantly since then.