Outsiders, Intelligent, Multi-Cultural, Cultured
It's hard for foreign students to assimilate into the school mainstream, especially with culture shock and language being issues. That's not to say they aren't welcome at the school, but with many schools hosting an International Friends club, it's easy for these students to cluster together. They may or may not share the same culture or language, but they do share the same experience and, often, the same traditional family ties and values. That's enough of a binding agent. They marvel at the relative independence of North American students and at their familial relations. They also bear distinct pressures that none of their North American peers will ever really understand. These students have been moved away from everything they knew, often for education related experiences or by their families who hoped to give their children a better life. That means there's an increased pressure to perform and conform, more so with traditionally conservative or religious households. That doesn't mean, however, that foreign students aren't just like all other teens out there; they're equally capable of doing stupid things and annoying the hell out of their parents.
