Jess Mora As the stress of a new school year settles in and morning routines are established, I sat down with Jenny Park to talk Bulls, Woodstock, and Chopin. Jenny Park is spending the first semester of the year in Chicago as a part of Latin’s exchange program with Woodstock. Next year a brave soul–yet to be determined– will venture into spending their spring semester back in India (Tip from Jenny: “Bring lots of clothes. It’s warm in the morning and chilly at night). During the first few minutes of our interview, I got to know more about Jenny and her life in a Woodstock boarding school. She began by telling me the strict nature of her school. Unlike Latin, which she considers to be “very free,” her school back in India has a lot stricter rules. Some of such rules include the Wi-Fi code (Wi-Fi is turned off at 11pm), eating code (snacks only three times a week), and dress code. Life in America has certainly given Jenny a lot more freedom to eat and surf the web as she pleases. She notes, however, that in Woodstock there is a sisterhood among girls in her dorm. On days in which homework is light she describes having  “movie nights and dance parties” with some of her closest friends. As I talked with Jenny, I was able to get a sense of her life on her days outside of school. During breaks she visits her family in South Korea. Back home, she has a very close relationship with her family. Both Jenny and her sister share a love for playing the piano (Jenny also plays the violin, flute, piccolo, oboe, guitar, and saxophone among other traditional instruments). Her parents have also become one of the main motivators in her life; they encouraged Jenny to pursue an education in India and have even brought up the idea of her going to college in the US, something she is certainly looking forward to. Jenny’s first month in the US has been filled with many new experiences. She is being hosted by the Stoeckel Family and has so far visited North Carolina, Wisconsin, and has been able to spend time at the beach. Before she leaves in December she hopes to be able to go to a Bulls game because she’s “a huge Bulls fan” and can’t wait to go shopping at Water Tower and Magnificent Mile. Though her time in Chicago is short, Jenny is looking forward to all the opportunities she’ll have while she’s here including “Chorus and Precalc”. She has also been quick to join the Upper School Chamber Chorus and Romanettes. In a few words, Jenny Park loves to eat Korean noodles and listen to Chopin. Whether you also love the color black (her favorite color!), are interested in hearing more about Woodstock, or want to go shopping with Jenny, she is open to meeting new people. Act fast; she’s only here until December!]]>