After numerous weeks and even months of anticipation, the wait is finally over. The German students met their host families after a long day of flights and train rides and, despite the jet-lag, everyone was excited for the few weeks ahead.
This school year, the German American Partnership Program (GAPP) introduced 17 students from Germany to America. Over the course of two weeks, they engage in various activities such as visiting San Antonio, Austin, Houston, and much more.
“I think it’s an amazing opportunity,” student Nico Grossophoff said. “I’ve never been here before, [but] I feel very comfortable and everyone’s so nice.”
After the welcoming breakfast during the first period, the Student Council provided a tour around campus for the exchange students, showing what it looks like to be an Eagle.
“At first I was really nervous about being here because it’s so different from our country, so to come here it was a big change and a whole new experience,” student Mara Sausen said.
This trip is a first-time experience in America for many of the exchange students, including Sausen and her sister.
“It’s my first time being this far away from my home, and while a 12 hour flight is very long, I didn’t fully [process] that I was in a whole different country when we arrived,” student Naemi Sausen said.
While here, the students went to class with their host or co-partner depending on their schedule. In each class, they got to experience what an average day in an American high school was like.
“Class is way more chill here,” Grossophoff said. “There are also school buses, which we don’t have in Germany, and the classrooms are decorated.”
The opportunity to be in Texas is an eye-opening experience for both German students and their advisors.
“Seeing how different class is from here to Germany has been hard to get familiar with because in our [school] system, from 5th to 10th grade we have the same classes and people,” Sausen said. “There’s no 11th and 12th grade mixed classes.”
More than just a change of scenery, studying abroad offers students many benefits, such as meeting new people, improving in a language, and learning about different cultures.
“[Foreign] exchanges in general bring many cultures together when you participate in one,” student Kiara Rendler said. “There are also many other things you learn, and you get to meet new friends.”
