Claire Jiang

Claire Jiang is a sophomore from Beijing, China. She lives in San Mateo and was born on June 20, 1992. She came to California on September 10, 2007.

When asked on the differences between California and Beijing, she first responded with “Don’t ask me that. I don’t know. Its really different.” Then she wouldn’t stop describing what was different between the two places. “In Beijing, you just stay in one class and here you have to move around.” Claire says, “Of course the classes are harder.”

Claire is an only child. “In China, you can’t have more than one child, especially in Beijing unless you’re a twin. It is an unwritten law.” The reason behind this is that China is over populated so they don’t want couples having lots of babies. She lives with her parents and moved because her dad got a job here.

“Also in Beijing, students work very hard. Your high school future depends on one test. You get up at 4:30 a.m. to take the bus to school and usually don’t go home until 6.” Students in Beijing take a test in ninth grade, which is still middle school for them. If they do well on the test, they get to go to a good high school. You can’t retake the test so even if you get nervous and are usually smart but you do poorly on the test, you have to go to a lower quality high school. Claire thinks it is more comfortable to study here. She is the Vice President of San Mateo’s Runway club started by her friend. She does not participate in any sports and states that the biggest difference between Beijing and California is that the main swimming style is the breaststroke while it is freestyle here.

Other differences include not being allowed to have long hair. Girls with long hair have to have it tied back and they are also not allowed to dye it. On relationships, if a teacher sees two people of the opposite sex walking together at school, they notify their parents and tell them that they think their children are dating. Then the parents yell at their kids when they get home and blame their “relationship” as the reason why their grades have gone down. “Here, the teachers don’t care if people date or kiss in the hallways. It is not allowed in Beijing.”

She plays a Chinese instrument that is similar to the guitar. She loves Chinese movies and loosely translates the title of her favorite one, There’s No Faith in the World. She enjoys listening to Korean singers and likes Korean actors very much. She also likes Chinese singer, Jay Chou. In Beijing, it is very popular for girls to go shopping on the weekends and do karaoke which is what Claire spent most of her free time doing.

Claire would like to improve her English first and foremost because it will help her gain more friends and become more social. “Of course I also want to go to a good university after I graduate.”