The First Image of America
①Patricia Jose moved from the Philippines to America with her parents when she was a child. They didn’t know many people in California when they first arrived that summer.
②At the end of the summer, school began. Patricia was in eighth grade. She had her schoolbag on one shoulder, with notebooks, a ruler, a pencil box and her lunch in it. She still remembers what she had for lunch on the first day of school—rice and tilapia（罗非鱼）.Her mom placed everything in a big lunch box, knowing she had a good appetite.
③When she walked into the classroom, everyone became quiet and looked at her. She was the only Filipino in that room. Everyone was white. They began the day by introducing themselves. When it was her turn to speak, everyone began to laugh. But she knew it had nothing to do with the language. It was her accent.
④Some students tried to be nice, especially during lunch. But it didn’t last long. She followed a group of students to the can and sat down at an empty table. Some girls joined her. As she opened her lunch box, she saw their heads turn away. They didn’t like the smell of fish and left In the Philippines, the only way to eat fish and rice is with your hands. But that manner was strange here in America. She felt ashamed of the way she ate.
⑤When she got home, she lied to her parents. She told them school was great and that she was excited to go back. But deep down, she wanted to go back to the Philippines.
She attracted the attention of the whole class because_____.