Germany

This past February, fifteen Scotia-Glenville students had the opportunity to spend two weeks in Germany with German exchange partners. We got to know our pen pals through letters, emails, and their two week stay in the US. Our partners stayed with our families in October and we stayed with their families when we went to Germany. In the two weeks that they spent here, and our two week stay in Germany, we formed close bonds and friendships with the German students.

Germany was full of learning experiences for all students who traveled. Students attended school with their partners. The Robert-Schuman Gymnasium is our sister school and is located in the city of Saarlouis in the Saarland in southwestern Germany. The Americans all learned how different the German school system is from ours. We also saw how many languages many of the students learned. They had very full course loads, and still many of them knew three foreign languages. They also all seemed much more informed about political and world events.

We visited Trier, an Ancient Roman city and the oldest city in Germany. There we were able to see the Porta Nigra (The Black Gate) which is about 1600 years old, built by the Romans. We also traveled to Freiburg, a city in the Black Forest and ate the famous Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (a chocolate and cherry cake). We took a tour of Saarlouis, and learned about the city’s history as well.

Saarlouis is right near the border of France. Many students traveled to France and Paris with their host families one weekend. The students who were 16 were able to go to discos and make new friends. The group got to spend time with each other at parties hosted by the Germans, a school disco, and hanging out in Cafés.

All students got used to public transportation. We relied on public buses to transport us to and from school, to the city, and almost anywhere else we wanted to go. We also learned many new German words and phrases. Being constantly surrounded by the language helped us learn.

It was also interesting to see the influence of American culture in Germany. We noticed English words, American music, and even McDonalds. Many students went home with a new fondness for some German music as well.

Learning more of the German language is great, but the best part was learning about the culture. Young people in Germany speak a different language, eat different foods, and even do some different things for fun. Despite these differences, whether American or German, the teens in the exchange program were the same in so many ways. We all got to be very close and formed lifelong friendships with our partners and other friends we made in Germany.

After two weeks in Germany all of the students learned more about German culture, teens in Germany, and themselves. Traveling to a foreign country as teens is a wonderful opportunity, and we are all very grateful. I know that I will carry the memories and friendships from Germany with me forever.

Scotia-Glenville German Exchange participants at Albany airport

The students going on the trip were: Stephanie Baldwin, Melanie Brewer, Corey Carnevale, Brittney Center, Desirae Clark, Holly Furman, Ryan Glass, Richard Hall, Ericka Hanson, Sarah Helm, Austin Kephart, Kristen Kukan, Elisabeth Preisinger, Jessica Wade and Dan Wawrzynia

A scene from Trier, the oldest city in Germany

The Porta Nigra in Trier

The German and American exchange participants in the school cafeteria in Germany.
(Notice the I Love New York posters in the background)