MILWAUKEE - At first glance, senior Rashidatu Abdul-Samed resembles any other student. She wears stylish clothing, loves to eat spicy food and practices soccer after school. Only a slight accent hints at her origins.

Rashidatu, a foreign exchange student from Accra, Ghana, lives with senior Naomi David until graduation.

She adds a fresh perspective to the diverse Rufus King community, which she shared in an interview.

Q: Why did you choose to come to the United States?

A: I chose to come here because I wanted to come and also, I heard a lot of stuff about this country and I really thought that it would be fun, so why not?

Q: How do you like the weather here?

A: I hate the weather. [In Ghana] it’s not too cold and it’s not too warm.

Q: How do you like the food in America?

A: Okay, when I came for two weeks, I couldn’t eat American food because it was so hard for me – the plane and the adjustment and everything was so hard. So I think I couldn’t really eat that much, [but little by] little I got used to the food.

Q: Can you tell me a little bit about the food in Ghana?

A: Okay, the food from my country is like – it’s very – it’s spicy. And it’s really good – healthy and spicy.

Q: What did you do for hobbies after school in your country?

A: I used to hang out with my friends. You know, in Ghana, when you get to secondary school, it’s a boarding school, so I was in a boarding school…There was this dance group we had in my school. I used to [dance with the group], and at times, I just hung [out] with my friends, and we walked together to the dormitory.

Q: So what do you do now in America for hobbies?

A: After school, I play soccer…I just like to hang out with my friends and have fun and watch movies that make me laugh.

Q: How are you adjusting to the differences between schools and the schedules?

A: In my country, when you get to secondary school, we have something like courses…If you want to study something like pre-med, in secondary school you have to study courses that you are assigned, which includes some subjects…like IB biology, IB chemistry [and] IB math…Then in college, you can use that to study medicine. Here, you have to choose your own subjects, but in my country, it’s already laid down. This is the course. If it applies to what you want to study in college, then you pick that course.

Q: What have you learned from living abroad?

A: When I came here, I learned…and matured a lot. I was able to learn how to be responsible and independent…It made me learn that people are different in every way.