ABROAD

New country, new culture, and new experiences come with being a foreign exchange student

by Ivy Davidson design by Sylvia Sasse photos by Jocelyn Aguilar

Making the long haul car ride of nearly three hours from Weimar, Germany, to Frankfurt airport is exactly what German exchange student junior Johann Peters did to get to start the lengthy process of coming to America on a foreign exchange scholarship. Peters’ started his application about one year before arriving in the US, and the process lengthened even longer because of COVID-19.

“The deadline, because of corona, was extended, so it was Sept. 13 last year (2021). My program was a government scholarship, and so for me it was roughly one year,” Peters said.

From applying to the program, to arriving here in the US for the first day of school, there are many parts of the process.

“For me it was the question of if I really want to do it or if I want to bail. From my experience, half the time was getting this scholarship, and the other half of the time was preparing for it. Keeping those deadlines and handing things in although you have another life, it’s not insanely much but it took some time,” Peters said.

Every step in the exchange process is very important, but some aspects are more thorough than others.

“The interview with the people who decide if I get into the next round was very important to give a good impression and deliver a good performance,” Peters said.

Peters is hosted by band director Bryan Muñoz. He has hosted in the past and decided to welcome Peters to his home.

“It’s exciting to see someone visit America for the first time and notice things that we take for granted daily, getting to know someone from another country to show them all the best parts of America,” Muñoz said.

Muñoz finds this program valuable because it gives both the student and the host an experience.

“The experience is very similar to having a typical teenager in school. What is a bit more unique is working to show the student all the parts of our town, culture, and America that seem “normal” to me,” Muñoz said.

Adjusting to life in the US hasn’t been too big of a change for Peters. “I’m pretty good because Germany and America aren’t the biggest differences. People told me I would have a big culture shock when I got here and for me, not really,” Peters said.

Peters is finding comfort by making friends, such as senior Riley England.

“After the first few weeks of him getting comfortable and finding his place, it feels as if he’s just another one of us. He’s fun to be around,” England said.

Peters and England are not finding it too difficult to find common ground in their friendship.

‘It’s cool to have a friend from another country to see different cultures and it’s fun to see the similarities. I took German for the past 3 years, and it’s really fun to have a bit of insight on the language and culture before talking to the person,” England said.

That doesn’t mean that Johann doesn’t miss his home country at all.

“I thought I would miss it more, but I’m pretty happy here, and it’s going good so far. Some things I just relied on having. Like my friends, I can hang out somewhere with them where I know I can hang out,” Peters said.

Though he still has roughly eight months left, Peters is already reflecting on his experience in the United States. “It’s just a great experience, especially living in a new country and getting to see everything that you take as normal, but is it not normal to me. Also to learn a language better. The easiest way to get better in a language is just living there,” Peters said.

Through all the twists and turns of the exchange process, Peters is grateful for every opportunity he is given.

“I’m very lucky with my host family right now and just the imagination of having a second home somewhere in the world,” Peters said. “It feels pretty amazing to think about where I am right now, that I’m 7000 kilometers away from my home and I still can form a connection here.”