Ray Song

New to the United States, freshman Ray Song left his family in China to receive a better education here at the Upper School and broaden his perspective of the world.

“[Classes] are more flexible and you can pick what you want and your school life is not all about academics, it’s about a lot of things like sports and community service,” he said.

He is currently living with a Harker Middle School B.E.S.T staff named Randy Le Gris. Being away from home as a teenager, Ray is aware of his parents’ worries and therefore, intentionally acts strong for them.

“You don’t want anybody to worry about you so you pretend to be strong,” he said. “I think it’s reciprocal. I don’t want them to have pressure and they don’t want me to have pressure.”

Ray took this big step in his life on his own and, at the same time, manages to keep in touch with his family overseas by video chatting through an application called QQ once a week.

Even though it was his choice to come here, Ray understands that this is a step into his new life.

“It’s kind of harsh to think about it. I’m going to live my whole life starting now and living on my own without my parents,” he said. “It’s always good to have family with you because you’ll get lonely.”

Ray will reunite with his family this coming summer after being away from them for a school year.

Arben Gutierrez-Bujari and Jeton Gutierrez-Bujari

Brothers Jeton Gutierrez-Bujari (11) and Arben Gutierrez-Bujari (9) have relatives from both Mexico and Albania.

Whereas Jeton and Arben are able to visit Mexico once or twice a year, they generally visit Albania every other year for a longer stay each trip.

“You don’t get to see [your family] as often as other people do when they have them near them, so it’s definitely awesome to go see your grandparents and aunts and uncles when you get to travel,” Arben said.

As for the countries Mexico and Albania, Jeton noted that the two countries are “different experiences,” also mentioning the contrast in language.

“Mexico has the biggest family, so when you go to [Mexico], it’s a huge family affair,” he said. “Albania is a much smaller family because most of that family has come over to the United States.”

The traditions experienced by their family are the same within the household, but vary with environment and surroundings.

The boys’ family members from Albania also meet them in the middle in New York for family reunions.

Jordan Goheen

Similar to Jeton and Arben, Jordan Goheen (9) has parents from two very different parts of the world, Taiwan and Missouri.

Ramzi Jahshan and Dr. Shaun Jahshan

Mandarin teacher Dr. Shaun Jahshan and her son Ramzi Jahshan (11) have family not only in the United States, but also on the other side of the world in Lebanon.

Ramzi and his parents visit Lebanon every two years and usually stay for three weeks. Half-American and half-Lebanese, Ramzi makes sure to stay connected with his relatives in Lebanon.

“I just like staying in touch with them because I enjoy talking to them and it is important to remember their background,” he said.

Dr. Jahshan enjoys spending quality time with the relatives she does not see often, and she and her family manage to keep in touch with them.

Both acknowledge the importance of family and enjoy the tight-knit community in Lebanon.

“People seem closer [in Lebanon]. They visit often, they do a lot more things together, and that’s very different from a lot of American families,” she said.

Reuniting with relatives in Lebanon is the Jahshan family’s main goal in visiting; even though it is far away, they make the effort to travel there and spend time with their Lebanese relatives.