HHS students say “Guten tag” to Germany

by Jordan Virgil, News Editor

With their English-German dictionaries and a sense of adventure in their suitcases, HHS students enrolled in German language courses ventured to the distant country they had been studying all year as part of the annual German Exchange Trip.  From June 20 to July 6, the students were able to experience the culture they had read about firsthand. 

According to rising senior Kevin Risch, the idea of traveling to a foreign country made him a bit nervous.

“In a way I felt kind of lost,” Risch said.  “I was leaving my family and friends in my home country. But on the other hand I was really excited to learn [about] a new culture and see new sights.”

As part of the trip, HHS students were paired up with German students with whom they would be for the next two weeks.  Although from different continents, Risch and his exchange student formed an immediate connection.

“My exchange partner Julian and I both play ice hockey, and that made our bond strong right from the start,” Risch said. “That was all we talked about at first: our experiences on the ice, our favorite players, and our favorite moves. It made me so comfortable with him.”

Aside from spending time and exploring German towns with their exchange students, HHS students also visited historical landmarks.  Along with Risch, rising junior Gabrielle Wickizer remembers the East Side Gallery in Berlin, Germany as one of her favorite moments on the trip.

“It is a stretch of the Berlin Wall that was left standing and it features art focused on peace and world issues,” Wickizer said.  “I love history, and visiting the East Side Gallery was a way of experiencing a darker era during history in the form of the wall while also realizing the beauty and hope that came from the art.”

According to Risch, his favorite piece of architecture was the Rathaus of Hannover.

“A Rathaus is basically the government building in a city,” Risch said.  “It’s similar to a town hall, but more extravagant.  It might have been the coolest building that I have ever seen in my life.”

Although she had been learning how to speak and write in German all year, rising junior Kaitlynn Ely could not have been prepared for the cultural differences between America and Germany.

“In Germany, you have to pay for condiments on your food, trips to the bathroom, and even water,” Ely said.  “In America, it’s all free!  It was so annoying to have to pay for the bathroom because the machines only took exact change, and, of course, I never had the right amount of Euros.”   

By staying at the home of her exchange student, Sophie, Ely was also able to experience the life of a typical German teenager. 

“I loved how all the kids had more freedom,” Ely said. “They didn’t have to worry about staying out too late and telling their parents where they were going every second of the day.  In America, you can’t have that freedom because everyone is so paranoid about crime. Germans just don’t understand the mentality that Americans have.”

Risch identified means of transportation as the biggest difference between America and Germany.

“In Germany, almost everyone uses [either] the train, the subway, the bus, or a bike whereas in America, we almost always use our cars,” Risch said.  “We don’t even think about riding a bike somewhere.”

Remembering her time in Germany, Ely agrees she will definitely miss the variety of foods she was able to taste while there.

“The food was amazing,” Ely said. “Every night I had currywurst and French fries.  I’m positive I gained about eight pounds because the only food I ate was bread, ice cream, and fried food.”

Along with Ely, Risch concurred that currywurst was his favorite food as well. 

“It is basically a hot dog with curry powder sprinkled on it that is then smothered in sort of a special ketchup,” Risch said.

Looking forward to September when the German students come to America, Wickizer considers the places she will bring her exchange student.

“[They] arrive here on September 4,” Wickizer said. “I really want to show Liza around New York City and Princeton and have her experience true suburban life. Having lived with her family for two weeks and loving it, I hope she can come here for two weeks and also love it.”

Also waiting in anticipation, Ely hopes to immerse her exchange student completely into American culture. 

“I already have so many plans to take her shopping and to Six Flags,” Ely said.

Even after September has come and gone, Wickizer vows to stay in touch with her exchange student.

“I hope to stay in contact with her over Facebook and [through sending] postcards here and there,” Wickizer said. “I would love to go back and stay with her in the future if possible and I hope to have made a lifetime friendship.”

With dreams of currywurst and memories of a historical Germany, HHS students look forward to September when they will be reunited with their German pals, excited to open their friends’ eyes to life in America.