They came a long distance with the same motive: better education.

According to the Newcomer teacher, Marsha Manning, many of the new enrolled students from various countries of Africa don’t speak, understand or write in English at all. These are the kind of students that are placed in her classroom, and she is faced with the challenge to teach them.

“I always feel like I’m making a difference in their lives because I’m usually the first person that they see,” Manning said. “It’s a good experience for me as well.”

The newcomers are determined to study hard for that being the main reason they moved. Their agenda is to learn as much as they can and to take their knowledge back with them to their home country.

One of these newcomers is freshman Kalenga Juma, from Tanzania. He has a hard time communicating in America because the predominant language spoken where he came from is French.

According to Juma, the main difference between his new home and his old home is the schooling system. Back where he came from, school started at 8 a.m. and ended at 12:45 p.m. They had three students to a seat and were not given any breakfast or lunch. They said that the teachers switch classes while the students remain seated in their classroom in Africa, but it’s the total opposite here.

Juma says he is getting used to the food and likes what is served in the school cafeteria except for pizza. He would like to avoid that because he believes it’ll make him gain weight.

“There’s nothing to hate for now in Indiana,” Juma said. “I will know what I like and dislike in two years time.”

Unlike Juma, brothers freshman Samuel and junior Jonathan Kile speak better English. According to the Kiles, their English is good because they communicated with their American friends where they came from, Kampala, Uganda.

The Kiles and Juma became acquaintances in Indiana because they are neighbors. When they lived in Africa, only the countries were neighbors, but in Indiana, their houses are nearby.

The younger Kile, Samuel, was excited for the move because they were going to live in a totally different country. However, the elder, Jonathan, wasn’t as excited since they had to leave their friends and families behind.

According to the Kiles, there’s nothing too exciting this school year except for the technology.

“People don’t like America for the beauty but because of their advanced technology,” Jonathan Kile said.

Both of their journeys took a while, stopping by one country to another to finally get to their desired destination, Indiana. Their reason for moving to Indiana was because the American friends they met at their first home were from America.

The Kiles say there are many distinctions between the two locations. They have seen that houses in Indiana were bigger and that some were made of wood while the homes they were used to seeing were made of brick and typically smaller in size. The weather is also unfamiliar to them since they arrived here during fall season. They are used to warmer climates and have no experience with season changing.

“We’ve only seen snow on TV,” Samuel said. “We’ve never actually felt it so we’re excited for this winter.”

The newcomers hope to learn as much as they can even with the communication barrier. They aim to not let their parents’ decision of moving to a foreign country to have a negative impact on them but to take it as an open door for their future.