The German Exchange Program and the Feedback From the Hosts Themselves. By Caroline Keating

From October 11-27, twenty-two German exchange students came to visit the United States. All of the girls had a host who attends Daniel Hand. Here is some of the feedback the hosts gave us when they were asked about the experience:

Felix Sherman, a sophomore, said that she enjoyed the experience and that the best part was getting to know someone from a different country. Sherman said that the most difficult part of hosting was “Not immediately clicking with the girl that was staying with me.” She said it was stressful to be thinking of fun things to do with her. Sherman said that if she could have done anything differently, she would have tried to schedule more time for fun things.”

Emma Malec, a sophomore, said that the best part of the experience was getting to know her German exchange student. She said, “The hardest part was making her feel like family.” Malec said that if she could have done something differently she would have tried to spend more time with her. Malec said she was very busy with sports and school so it was difficult to balance sports, studying, and fun activities with her exchange student.

Catie Schneider, a sophomore, said the hardest part of hosting was the preparation and trying to communicate with her online and not in person before she came. Schneider said, “It was a lot of work to have to do something with her every day after school instead of doing my homework and relaxing.” Schneider said that she would not do anything differently and that she got very lucky with the exchange student she hosted. She said the best part of the experience was making new friends with some of the other exchange students and having someone come to all of her classes. “It was a nice change,” she said. “The experience made me see my life and America in general from a different view.” She said she would recommend this experience to others and thinks it is worth it.

The girls said the experience was quite enjoyable and they are excited to be traveling to Germany at some point to experience Germany with their new friends.