[quote=Jorick]
Your school year starts in January? Huh. It makes tons of sense and all, but I'm used to the American system of the school year starting in the fall due to our education system being an antiquated piece of shit. 
[/quote]

It has little to do with your opinion of the American education system and more to do with the hemispheres. Most countries on the northern half of the planet have similar yearly schedules as the U.S.