Beyond the Border

For four weeks over the summer, senior Kylie Johnson and junior Chelsea Griffith spent a month in Germany where they attended school and absorbed German culture through the Friendship Connection student exchange program.

Kylie and Chelsea each stayed with students whom they previously hosted on visits to Chartiers Valley High School. Kylie stayed in Sankt Goarshausen, a small town on the Rhein River, with her host student, Lisa. Chelsea stayed with her host student, Eva, in Limburg, which is located between Cologne and Frankfurt.

Although they were a bit apprehensive about their proficiency in speaking German at the start of the trip, Kylie and Chelsea found that when immersed in the culture, their skills improved rapidly and dramatically.

"I think I improved my German skills a ton," Chelsea said. "The first few days I was nervous and just sat there feeling confused. But at the end of the trip after sitting in classrooms, I got to the point where I was able to understand about 75 percent of what was being said."

"I'm not fluent in German, but I did improve a lot while I was over there," added Kylie. "I spoke German with Lisa a lot, but the problem was she also wanted to practice her English with me. We would end up having these two-language half and half conversations."

The girls also found German schools to be very rigorous. They also noted that the German students with whom they were interacting spent a significant amount of time studying.

“We'd come home from school and Lisa would tell me watch tv for two hours while she did her homework,” said Kylie.

“When Lisa was here she would say to me, ‘Didn't we have some math homework? Shouldn't we do it?'” continued Kylie. “My grades were actually better when Lisa was here because of that."

"I went to all of Eva's classes, which was difficult at first because I didn't understand as much as I would now," Chelsea said. "English was interesting because they were reading English language novels and writing essays in English.”

“Over here, we speak only German in class, but we're mostly learning words and grammar,” continued Chelsea. “In Germany, they also take multiple different languages. Everything seemed to be more advanced over there."

Outside of school, Kylie developed a love for the town's cafes.

"My two favorite things about my trip to Germany (as silly as it sounds) were visiting the cafe near the school and walking along the Rhein River," she said.

Kylie explained that she also really enjoyed everything about Lisa’s home town. The town was small and Lisa lives on the same street as her school. The girls walked all around town, including to school and cafes. Kylie appreciated not having to get in a car to go somewhere.

Chelsea said her entire trip was full of highlights, but one that stands out was a trip to a World War II hospital with her host family.

“It had everything still there. I learned things about history – things that I've studied, but from a different perspective,” explained Chelsea. “You hear about those things in classes here, but not many people have gotten to see it from that side. The weird thing about that memorial is that it's still functioning as a hospital."

Kylie, who is a Leadership Assistant in German 4 this year, said she would like to encourage everyone who has the opportunity to travel abroad to take advantage of it.

"I had the chance to make many new friends and improve my social skills,” Kylie said. "We visited Cologne and went to some big festivals and a bunch of touristy attractions, but my favorite thing in Germany and what I miss most, is leaving Lisa's house and walking 10 steps to the river, just to sit there and watch the sun go down and then walk down the street to get some ice cream. It was the most fun I have ever had and I hope to have the opportunity to visit Germany and other places in the future."

Chelsea relished the opportunity to experience a different culture, school system, and social scene.

"My host family took me to many different castles, large cities, and even France.  I tried many different types of food that I have never tried before.  And I met friends in Germany that I will have forever, especially my host family. I was learning new things every single day about everything,” said Chelsea. “There is no doubt in my mind that I would encourage other students to take this opportunity. You get to see a whole different outlook on life.  It made me look at everything in a different way."