Daniel Shen, an exchange student from Honcho, a suburb of Shanghai, didn’t hesitate when answering the difficult question, “what’s after high school?” Saying, “I want to go to College in the U.S., but after that, I don’t know.” Although most people aren’t sure what’s after high school, Shen has it more difficult than most.

   Shen, who now lives in Windsor, fondly describes his family to me. He is an only child because of the strict one-child-a-couple policy in China, due to overpopulation. But he has a cousin, who is basically his sister. He lives with his mom, dad, and his grandmother who, he adds, is an excellent cook.

   Coming to the U.S. was a big transition for Shen. When I asked if he missed his family, he paused and with a sheepish grin said no, explaining that he regularly talked with them on Skype and Facebook. He did, however, really miss his friends, because they are at boarding schools, making it very hard to talk to them. Luckily, Shen gets to go back regularly to China for school breaks such as Christmas. When asked what he missed most, Shen said Chinese food, especially his grandmother’s. Although he does like American cuisine, mainly burgers, nothing beats his grandmother’s soups, he says.

   Shen likes Sonoma County a lot because of how rural it is compared to the bustling, polluted Shanghai. To summarize his point, Shen said, “Life here is just more comfortable.” That, however, is not the main reason that Shen decided to come to the U.S. for school. He says that the school system here is more exciting. In China, he says there’s a lot of homework that is not interesting or fun. Unlike most U.S. schools, most high school class grades are formulated solely from one test at the end of the semester.

   College-wise Shen hopes to go to a U.C. school, specifically, Berkeley, because he loves California. The real problem is after college. Does he stay here? Or go back to China? “My parents want to stay in China, and I don’t want to live that far away from them, but the job options here are nicer, and it is a nicer place to live,” Shen explained. However Shen is loving Cardinal Newman, and life, and can’t wait for what the future holds. He will continue to play and watch soccer and live his life the way he wants.