Colette Crooks, a freshman here at Triton high school has lived two different lifestyles in two different countries at such a young age.

When Crooks moved to Massachusetts, although it was a completely different lifestyle around completely different people, it did not take her long to make a lot of new, great friends. She is a friendly, approachable young girl and instantly made impressions on everyone she came across.

Here are some of her opinions and knowledge on her two different experiences in these two different countries.

-Why did you choose to move here out of all places?
“Moving to Rowley was never really a choice that I made, it was my parents. We had lived in West Newbury before moving to Austria, so we knew the area and the people pretty well. The only reason we did not move back to West Newbury, was because we found the perfect house, at the perfect price, in the perfect location, which was ultimately Rowley.”

-What is different here than in Austria?
“There are way more differences than just language and location, some include the people, the lifestyle, and the political system. The people in Austria I have found to be way more caring and understanding than here and I prefer the European lifestyle since it is closer to nature and not as rushed. The political system is way too confusing though, I still don’t quite understand it.”

-Are you fluent in German?

“I am fluent in German and sometimes I randomly and involuntarily start speaking German while I’m talking English.”

-What year did you move here?

“I moved back to the U.S. in August 2013, living in Austria for around four years and America five years before that.”

-Do you like it better here? Why or why not?

“I don’t have a definite answer to that. I really think it depends on what categories. For example, I like the people in Austria a little better, but I like English better than German.”

-Is the school system any different? What’s an example?

“The school system is pretty different but they have some similar aspects. One difference is that sports and art related after-school activities were not part of the Austrian school system. Sports and arts had to be scheduled as a part-time daily thing. While here in America, schools are huge when it comes to sports. GO VIKINGS!”