Every school year, West gets a new load of foreign exchange students. A few weeks before the new school year, teens from different countries are packing their bags and getting ready to travel, live and go to school in the United States. Upon arrival, the new students live with their host families and start making new friendships. Through these friendships, the American students can help the new ones get an understanding of American schools and culture because it can be very different from the culture and dynamics that the exchange students may be used to. However, the exchange students can also teach the Americans a thing or two about their own culture and what their values are.
“I like being a foreign exchange student. It’s a bit weird sometimes because I think [about how] everybody that you know is from your home country, so it is quite an experience to make new friends and meet new people and experience the new school,” German exchange student Leni Goetz said.
Since exchange students come from different cultures, the American schooling system and society can be very different. One big value in American schools is the dedication to athletics. American athletes take their athletics very seriously, training year-round to perform the best they can.
“We don’t have school sports in Germany, so there is no team spirit and no activities. You just go there for the learning part, and you leave after school, and everybody does their own thing,” Goetz said.
Not only are athletics taken very seriously, but the daily school routine for students is a little different. American high school students travel from class to class, and in each class, there are different people and teachers. However, this might seem a little odd to the exchange students.
“It is different because we have classes that we stay with all day, so we don’t switch between classes and we are with the same people the whole time, and [American schools] have a changing schedule every day,” German exchange student Julia Ott said.
For some, it may not be the routine of American schools that are different, but the whole foundation and dynamic. Even in the United States, there are schools that are all girls or all boys schools, and there are also schools based on religious beliefs. In many countries around the world, religion plays a big part in what school students attend. However, in the United States, most American students choose to keep religion as a personal value and go to whatever school is in their district.
“If you’re talking about Mexican schools, there are a lot of differences. [At] my school, I go to an only girls school, and it’s so small. My school is elementary school, middle school and high school all in the same place, and here it’s a big high school with both boys and girls, so it is different. The classrooms are different too,” Mexican exchange student Isabela Camara said.
Not only is the school adaptation different for the exchange students, but also the American society as a whole. All exchange students have their host families there to help guide them through American society, but it can still be a scary yet exciting feeling for newcomers.
“Seeing the way you talk and adapting to that is interesting. What I have noticed is that you do have a more relaxed society, so more spontaneous and more easy to make decisions. In Germany, you have to plan ahead,“ Ott said.
Many of the differences come from how Americans interact with each other, how Americans live their daily lives and how dependent people are on modern technology.
“It’s not that different. The big difference is that Germans go everywhere by bike or walk, and I feel like you guys go everywhere by car,“ Goetz said.
For many, first impressions mean a lot. From the moment exchange students step out of the airplanes and see American society, many are stunned. They may hear a language that they are not that familiar with, and for others, they may see actions they are not familiar with. The way American people treat others makes up American society.
“I do not feel like it is so much different. Here people are super nice and here people are super open, but in Mexico where I live, people are more open to new people,” Camara said.
One of the saddest parts of the exchange is when all the exchange students go back home. All of the fun memories, friendships and hard work have to come to an end. The exchange students and American students have to say their goodbyes and part ways. After one year of a lesson of American school and culture, the exchange students leave with not only long lasting memories, but an understanding on how American life is.
“I will remember the football games because they were my highlights every Friday,” Goetz said.
Football is a key point of American society. Especially here at West, the students, athletes and rest of the community take pride in the Friday night football games. The friendships created between the American and the exchange students can be long-lasting.
“The school first of all, and how you put everything into sports and you’re so dedicated to your sports, and the people and I will forever remember my friends here,” Camara said.
The daily lives and routines of Americans will be implanted in the memories of the exchange students.
“[I will remember] The Pledge of Allegiance and saying that at the beginning of every day,“ Ott said.
