Festive, jubilant, Austrian music blares over the PAC speakers as a group of Austrian students and a few SDA students take the stage for a traditional folk dance. Some of the boys clad in lederhosen and  girls dressed in drisdels, they twirl and two-step around the stage. These  long-lived traditions,  give SDA students a taste of different culture. However, in reality, these foreign teenagers aren’t too different from us despite being from across an ocean.

On Oct. , 23 students  arrived in San Diego from Modeling, Austria, a town outside Vienna. For many of them, it was their first time in America. Right away  they began to realize   whether their ideas about the United States were accurate.

“I have to say, we have a typical image of what the United States is like and in many ways it is just like this,” exchange student David Schenk said.

“When we came out of the airport we saw the streets and there was one SUV and then another SUV and then another,” Schenk said, laughing. “The cars are bigger, the streets are bigger, the houses are bigger.”

“Everything is so much bigger in America!” Austrian Daniel Wimmer said.

Friday morning, the Austrian exchange students  were introduced to SDA where they  began a unique American public high school experience. They were shocked by how much it differed from their schooling back in Austria.

“SDA is pretty big for a public school compared to an Austrian school,” said Austrian Valentin Bower .

“You only have four classes here and in Austria we have 15 classes,” Schenk said. “In Austria it is very stressful. There is lots of studying, homework, and tests.”

“I think the teachers here really, really like their jobs. In Austria if you don’t get something, the teachers won’t always help you,” Bower said.

In addition to experiencing school life in America, the Austrian students have lots to look forward to.

Both Schenk and Wimmer are excited for their trip to Los Angeles and Universal Studios, and recall that they spent hours riding every single ride at Six Flags last weekend.

“I’m excited to absorb the culture, speak English, and get to know as many people as possible in the next two weeks,” Bower said.