This past school year, the Wetzel family sponsored a high school student from Germany named Lissi. Read about her experiences and her valuable advice for future exchange students!

What was the setup for your exchange?
I came on the 6th of August to America to spend one school year. All that was organized by me and my parents with the help of my father's work friends. For that I also found my host family who hosted me for the whole year. In April 2007, I had the opportunity to know the host family in advance because I spent Easter break in America. The wish to spend one year in America started when I went with my family to Boston and Washington in 2005. I was impressed with the American atmosphere and cities and the thought to be able to speak English very well. After that Easter vacation I started getting information about an exchange. During the whole time I got the help from my father who was glad I was able to take the opportunity to go to America. He thought it was a one time experience. My mom was more worried than glad, but she never worked against it but supported me the whole time.

What did you do for school and how was that experience for you?
I went in the 11th grade at CCES and made a lot of experiences there. It was really interesting to me to get to know the American school system because there are alot of differences from the German system. Unlike Germany where I had school until 1 PM, less homework and free time in the afternoon, I had school here until 3:30 PM, lots of homework and tests. But in America the school was easier here than in Germany. One reason may be that in Germany we share a desk with another student. Here you can sit by yourself which hindered me from talking so much and made me pay a little bit more attention. Another reason is that I had much more homework here which was checked more regularly. It caused me to study while I did more homework. Another thing I liked here is that there was close connection between students and teachers. By this I mean that you could always come to the teacher for help and thought they wanted to help you do better. Even though my experience at CCES was good, I would have liked to have made some experiences public schools where there would not have been so many Germans. I would have been forced to meet more typical American families and get to know more the diversity of American life.

How much do you think your language level has changed during the year? What was the greatest factor, if there was an improvement?
I think my English level has improved a lot and I feel more confident to talk in English. I think I really improved since I first arrived. For example during my first month or so, I sometimes only communicated with hand signals - like a thumbs up or down thing. I nearly can understand everything even if I don't understand every word. But I think my English would have been better if I did not have the possibility to talk so much German every day. The greatest factor to learn English was that I was living in an American host family and had to talk only in English. I also think that it helped me understand English from my teachers who only spoke English.

What activities outside of school have you gotten involved in during your stay?
Outside of school I did not do too much because school took the most time of my day. After school I had to do my homework and I often went to the fitness center. And then my day was over. Over the weekend I also had homework to do, but also had time to meet my friends (like, to watch a movie, go out for dinner or just spend time hanging out). Next to my everyday life, I took part in some events from the youth group from church - like a weekend to go snowboarding or to go to the mountain for rope climbing. For spring break I went with my host family to Daytona Beach so I was able to see a different part of America.

What were some of the best experiences you have had during this past year?
I have had a lot of great experiences over the whole year. One of my best ones was definitely prom! I will never forget this evening where the girls are dressed up in beautiful dresses, the guys are real gentlemen, and everybody has a great time in their groups. Other really nice experiences were family events like Thanksgiving where the whole family comes together. I also had the opportunity to drive by myself since I am 16 years old, to go to the Florida Keys, and have enjoyed the American friendliness. Furthermore I had really good grades in school which was different than Germany.

What did you learn about yourself during this time?
I think that I learned a lot about myself. When time passed I realized my strong points and weak points. I learned that I am able to fight against my weak parts. I learned how to handle difficult situations and people. I definitely learned who I am and what my goals are. I think I really improved because now I know what I can do, what I want to do, and how I have to work in order to reach my goal.

Besides being away from your family, what was the most difficult part or time of the exchange?
For me, the time at the beginning was not that easy because it was a new situation and there was nobody there to tell me how to handle the situation the best. I came in a family that I did not know that well and I just needed time to get used to it. I also had no friends at the beginning and it just took some time. The second hard time was after around three months when all the new and exciting stuff turned to everyday life. Furthermore my German friends were talking about that they would go to Germany over Christmas and I was the only person who was not going to spend Christmas with my family. After that I talked with my host family and my parents and we booked a flight to Germany so that I could spend Christmas with my family too. After that I felt much better and I would say that around Thanksgiving my homesickness was gone and I really enjoyed being in America.

What advice would you have for other students considering this type of experience?
I can just tell what I would have done differently. Everyone should try to make the best out of the year because it’s a great experience. You are not just learning something about yourself but also about other people. Everybody should enjoy right from the beginning each day because the time goes by faster than you are thinking - even if it is not looking like it at the beginning. I think it is important to talk English as much as possible. That is why you should try to get rid of your shyness as soon as possible. That's not only talking about using English but also for getting to meet people. You should always think that you will probably never see most of these people ever again.

What will you miss the most after returning to Germany?
I will miss my host family and friends the most because I built up a really close relationship with them and it's going to be weird when I won't have them every day around me anymore. I will also miss the car driving. In America I was allowed to drive by myself but in Germany I won't be allowed to drive until my 17th birthday. After that I will need to drive with my parents next to me until I am 18. Also I will miss the inexpensive clothes and especially talking English. All in all I will miss my whole American life, because I leave my second life behind me which I built up all by myself.

Any embarrassing stories or experiences you would like to share?
There were not too many embarrassing experiences. However, one time we were invited to our neighbor’s house for dinner and Paul called me to bring a coat for Valerie and instead I arrived with a Coke! They enjoyed laughing at me. Paul also still makes fun of me by imitating my "thumbs up" and "thumbs down" way of talking during the first months.

What things have you learned by being with a host family that you could not have learned in Germany?
I learned to be responsible for myself and to do stuff like doing my own laundry and cleaning a bathroom. In addition, I was able to get to know a whole different culture, to have the experience of living with an American family, and to get to know the American lifestyle. Furthermore, I was able to celebrate holidays like Thanksgiving, Valentines Day, Mother's Day and birthdays and to get to know the differences between Germany and America.