The Foreign Service Journal, December 2004

D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 4 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 79 S CHOOLS S UPPLEMENT was to fly back to Kabul (even though I lived with an American family that hosted me), I would take a cab to the Air India office and buy my ticket myself. Then I would take a cab to the battered multi-story visa office at the edge of Old Delhi to get my exit and entry visas for Afghanistan. I had to do this on every trip. I got to be such a pro, I knew exactly which offi- cials to visit to get my multiple forms duly stamped and signed in record time. I always bypassed the long lines of clueless tourists and ‘WTs’ (world travelers of the opium/hashish gener- ation). And I managed to visit the cor- rect clerks and get my visa — all with- out bribing a single person. I also used to get myself to the airport. Thank God for the cheap cabs in India; as a kid you could go any- where!” According to another student, who went to high school in the Marshall Islands, the best thing about school was “running for a dip at the beach between classes and wearing flip-flops.” For many, the best part of interna- tional schools was their relatively small size and cultural diversity. “People were in similar shoes,” said one. “It was a small, radical, experi- mental school and the teachers and even the principal knew who you were. The teachers were enthusiastic and loving.” Another advantage to a small school is that one can be involved in everything. “We not only had people from Italy and the U.S., but many kids whose parents were working more far afield. The teachers were dedicated to where they were and what they were doing,” recalled another. “Perhaps because of this the school body — teachers and students — were very open to people from all walks of life. We had and were friends with druggies, punks, prep- pies, hippies, you name it.” For many the best experience was “the feeling of total acceptance as the premise.” Others explained that the experi- ence taught them to read people and understand multicultural body lan- guage. According to one FS child, what she liked best about going to school overseas was the mix of people Continued from page 76 Continued on page 81 It is hard for children who have been raised overseas to return to high school in America.