Austria, the homeland of the Hohenwerfen Castle, the Alkaline Battery, Gustav Klimt, and Constantin Zodl. Born on December 10th, 2001, Constantin was born in Vienna, Austria. He lived there until he was eight years old, and then his family relocated to Hong Kong, China. For five years, Constantin lived in Hong Kong, before making his final journey to America. At thirteen years old, moving from what he called home, to Florida, was more difficult than what he imagined. However, shortly after that, his family packed their bags again and headed up North to North Carolina.
But when he first came to the United States, he was no stranger to moving, because it was something that he had done in the past. He says that moving to the United States was the most difficult move he had done because he had to adapt to American society, something he had not experienced before. He was forced to say goodbye to all his friends in Hong Kong, some of which he had spent almost half of a decade with. Constantin had been learning English in Hong Kong, but after moving to the U.S. his skills were really put to the test. He was forced to quickly learn the language, and juggle the stress of meeting new people, and to learn the ins and outs of American society, and the implicit social expectations that are woven into it.
He was fortunate to have tons of support to help him adjust to his new home and ease the transition. The world in which he knew was turned upside down and often found himself looking for things that he knew from Hong Kong, but ended up finding very different things here in America, like playing cricket or rugby. Finding yourself in a new country takes time, and it took Constantin two years to adapt to his new home. In the short amount of time that he has lived here, he has managed to find himself in the Cary Academy community. He has made many friendships, and found good, caring people. Constantin’s unique exposure to many cultures at an early age has shaped him into being the person he is today.
