Gobbla2001
03-28-2005, 09:13 PM
Saw this article in the Victoria Advocate today...
http://www.thevictoriaadvocate.com/ips_rich_content/GERMAN_EXCHANGE_05_sm.jpg
Discovering something most teens have in common, La Grange High student Heather Bage, left, lounges in the sun with Jenny Doellz, Listan Durr and Feineb Hamdi, members of a group of students from Cologne, Germany, visiting Texas this month. In June, some of the students from La Grange who serve as host families to the Germans will travel to Germany for the second half of the German-American Partners Program.
(Which one has LaGrange been hitting on? ;) )
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Program brings La Grange, German high schoolers together
March 28, 2005
BARRY HALVORSON
Victoria Advocate
LA GRANGE - It's one thing to learn about another culture through magazines, lectures and television, but live in a foreign country - that's firsthand experience.
For the past month, a group of 19 German students from the city of Cologne have been doing just that in La Grange.
In June, several students from La Grange will reciprocate by traveling to Cologne.
The exchange is part of the German-American Partners Program, sponsored by both the United States and German governments.
La Grange is one of 27 schools in the state to participate in the program, which is designed to foster closer ties between the two countries by giving students the opportunity to meet and form their own opinions.
The La Grange sponsor, German teacher LeeAnn Hartmann, said it also offers high school-aged students a chance to reflect on their own culture.
"In many ways, there isn't much difference between the students here and the students there because kids are kids," she said. "They seem to have the same basic needs and have a lot in common in terms of movies, music and entertainment that forms a basis for them to become friends. They also have the chance to learn about the differences between the two cultures, as well as learn to appreciate what they have themselves."
One of the first things the visiting students noticed about La Grange is the open and welcoming nature of Texan culture.
"The people are so friendly," Henning Host said. "In Germany, you can't just go over to someone's house, particularly if you've never been introduced. Here, I go with my exchange student to visit his friends and family and no one thinks anything about it or asks any questions about me. You just don't do that in Germany."
The German students also admit to being surprised by the community involvement in church and school.
German sponsor Michael Kage prepared his students by pointing out that in communities like La Grange most activities center around school and church. In Germany, most extracurricular activities involve membership in social clubs dedicated to different interests, such as sports.
The church activities in particular surprised the German students who explained that most of them rarely attend services other than for the major church holidays. And at least one admits to being essentially agnostic.
Several commented that they found the American system better because it seemed that people throughout the community knew each other rather than just their immediate friends and family.
Hartmann said that was one of the benefits of visiting a smaller American city.
"They come from a larger city and there are certain similarities between big cities regardless of where you travel," she said. "So everyday things in La Grange, like just going fishing, are going to be different for them. And they get a feel for what living in a smaller community is like. It will be the same for my students when we visit Germany in that they will get an opportunity to spend more time in a very different environment than they are used to in La Grange."
What surprised the German students was that America's reputation for free speech didn't extend to the classroom.
"I thought in America you can have more of your own opinion," Feineb Hamdi said. "We seem to have more freedom in Germany."
Hamdi said that in Europe and the Middle East ethnic groups make an effort to retain their cultural identity. In American, he said, the cultures are integrated.
Other students said school dress codes is another way U.S. students are denied freedom of expression.
During their stay, the German students spoke to different classes about their homeland. In several of those sessions, the presentations turned into a question and answer session with the local students quizzing their guests on their favorite American foods, movies and music.
Living with exchange families offers the students a chance to broaden their horizons.
"We talk about a lot of different things," Lusisa Krein said. "Nearly everything from traffic and politics to clubs. And we have different conversations with the parents and the students. The parents want to talk about the cities and politics while the students prefer talking about friends, shopping and discos."
And they learned that, in America, everyone drives. Just the number of cars and trucks baffled them because, in Cologne, the residents get around by mass transit, bicycles and walking. Travel between cities is frequently done by train.
"My exchange student wanted to introduce me to his grandparents, who live six houses away from him," Henning said. "And he wanted to drive there, but I said I'd rather walk. We just don't think that way. We're used to walking everywhere."
The travel differences were most evident when the group took a week to tour parts of Texas that included stops in Houston, Port Aransas and San Antonio. They also visited Texas A&M University.
While in Europe it takes a limited amount of travel to move from one country to the next, the students quickly realized things are different in Texas.
"Everything is bigger in Texas," Luisa said. "And it takes a long time to get anywhere traveling by car. I don't see why people use them so much."
But their travels also gave them a brief taste of their home in Cologne, which traces its history to ancient Rome.
"I really enjoyed visiting San Antonio," Charlotte Sielicki said. "Some of the architecture is like that you'd find in Europe and they do more walking in the downtown. And the Riverwalk is beautiful."
They also learned what many other visitors to the Alamo City discover. While Kage gave them a background on Texas history and was sure they were prepared, the students said they expected the Alamo to be much bigger.
Other differences include school scheduling and social customs, such as drinking ages and driver's licenses.
German secondary schools use a block scheduling system similar to those used by colleges and universities rather than the daily schedule used by most U.S. schools. Also, the German students stay together as a single class with teachers moving from class to class rather than the students. The German students study a wider variety of subjects and finish considerably earlier than their American counterparts.
On the topic of age limit for drinking alcohol and driving, the Germans decided their system is better.
"I think that learning to handle drinking before you start driving works," Hamdi said. "And I understand there are people here that drink and then drive, which is hard to believe. But that really doesn't happen in Germany because no one drives that much anyway. They just walk or take the bus."
The Germans also agreed they eat a healthier diet, including more fruits, vegetables and grains in their meals. They weren't impressed with American fast food but were surprised at how little of it Americans actually eat.
While English is a second language for the Germans, they find some words spoken by Texans to be fun.
"I'm interested in the new words, the informal words," Henning said.
"And the special Texas words," Charlotte added. "Like 'Howdy.'"
In a couple of months she will likely be greeting her new Texas friends in that manner as the exchange of knowledge, and friendship, adds another chapter.
http://www.thevictoriaadvocate.com/ips_rich_content/GERMAN_EXCHANGE_05_sm.jpg
Discovering something most teens have in common, La Grange High student Heather Bage, left, lounges in the sun with Jenny Doellz, Listan Durr and Feineb Hamdi, members of a group of students from Cologne, Germany, visiting Texas this month. In June, some of the students from La Grange who serve as host families to the Germans will travel to Germany for the second half of the German-American Partners Program.
(Which one has LaGrange been hitting on? ;) )
----
Program brings La Grange, German high schoolers together
March 28, 2005
BARRY HALVORSON
Victoria Advocate
LA GRANGE - It's one thing to learn about another culture through magazines, lectures and television, but live in a foreign country - that's firsthand experience.
For the past month, a group of 19 German students from the city of Cologne have been doing just that in La Grange.
In June, several students from La Grange will reciprocate by traveling to Cologne.
The exchange is part of the German-American Partners Program, sponsored by both the United States and German governments.
La Grange is one of 27 schools in the state to participate in the program, which is designed to foster closer ties between the two countries by giving students the opportunity to meet and form their own opinions.
The La Grange sponsor, German teacher LeeAnn Hartmann, said it also offers high school-aged students a chance to reflect on their own culture.
"In many ways, there isn't much difference between the students here and the students there because kids are kids," she said. "They seem to have the same basic needs and have a lot in common in terms of movies, music and entertainment that forms a basis for them to become friends. They also have the chance to learn about the differences between the two cultures, as well as learn to appreciate what they have themselves."
One of the first things the visiting students noticed about La Grange is the open and welcoming nature of Texan culture.
"The people are so friendly," Henning Host said. "In Germany, you can't just go over to someone's house, particularly if you've never been introduced. Here, I go with my exchange student to visit his friends and family and no one thinks anything about it or asks any questions about me. You just don't do that in Germany."
The German students also admit to being surprised by the community involvement in church and school.
German sponsor Michael Kage prepared his students by pointing out that in communities like La Grange most activities center around school and church. In Germany, most extracurricular activities involve membership in social clubs dedicated to different interests, such as sports.
The church activities in particular surprised the German students who explained that most of them rarely attend services other than for the major church holidays. And at least one admits to being essentially agnostic.
Several commented that they found the American system better because it seemed that people throughout the community knew each other rather than just their immediate friends and family.
Hartmann said that was one of the benefits of visiting a smaller American city.
"They come from a larger city and there are certain similarities between big cities regardless of where you travel," she said. "So everyday things in La Grange, like just going fishing, are going to be different for them. And they get a feel for what living in a smaller community is like. It will be the same for my students when we visit Germany in that they will get an opportunity to spend more time in a very different environment than they are used to in La Grange."
What surprised the German students was that America's reputation for free speech didn't extend to the classroom.
"I thought in America you can have more of your own opinion," Feineb Hamdi said. "We seem to have more freedom in Germany."
Hamdi said that in Europe and the Middle East ethnic groups make an effort to retain their cultural identity. In American, he said, the cultures are integrated.
Other students said school dress codes is another way U.S. students are denied freedom of expression.
During their stay, the German students spoke to different classes about their homeland. In several of those sessions, the presentations turned into a question and answer session with the local students quizzing their guests on their favorite American foods, movies and music.
Living with exchange families offers the students a chance to broaden their horizons.
"We talk about a lot of different things," Lusisa Krein said. "Nearly everything from traffic and politics to clubs. And we have different conversations with the parents and the students. The parents want to talk about the cities and politics while the students prefer talking about friends, shopping and discos."
And they learned that, in America, everyone drives. Just the number of cars and trucks baffled them because, in Cologne, the residents get around by mass transit, bicycles and walking. Travel between cities is frequently done by train.
"My exchange student wanted to introduce me to his grandparents, who live six houses away from him," Henning said. "And he wanted to drive there, but I said I'd rather walk. We just don't think that way. We're used to walking everywhere."
The travel differences were most evident when the group took a week to tour parts of Texas that included stops in Houston, Port Aransas and San Antonio. They also visited Texas A&M University.
While in Europe it takes a limited amount of travel to move from one country to the next, the students quickly realized things are different in Texas.
"Everything is bigger in Texas," Luisa said. "And it takes a long time to get anywhere traveling by car. I don't see why people use them so much."
But their travels also gave them a brief taste of their home in Cologne, which traces its history to ancient Rome.
"I really enjoyed visiting San Antonio," Charlotte Sielicki said. "Some of the architecture is like that you'd find in Europe and they do more walking in the downtown. And the Riverwalk is beautiful."
They also learned what many other visitors to the Alamo City discover. While Kage gave them a background on Texas history and was sure they were prepared, the students said they expected the Alamo to be much bigger.
Other differences include school scheduling and social customs, such as drinking ages and driver's licenses.
German secondary schools use a block scheduling system similar to those used by colleges and universities rather than the daily schedule used by most U.S. schools. Also, the German students stay together as a single class with teachers moving from class to class rather than the students. The German students study a wider variety of subjects and finish considerably earlier than their American counterparts.
On the topic of age limit for drinking alcohol and driving, the Germans decided their system is better.
"I think that learning to handle drinking before you start driving works," Hamdi said. "And I understand there are people here that drink and then drive, which is hard to believe. But that really doesn't happen in Germany because no one drives that much anyway. They just walk or take the bus."
The Germans also agreed they eat a healthier diet, including more fruits, vegetables and grains in their meals. They weren't impressed with American fast food but were surprised at how little of it Americans actually eat.
While English is a second language for the Germans, they find some words spoken by Texans to be fun.
"I'm interested in the new words, the informal words," Henning said.
"And the special Texas words," Charlotte added. "Like 'Howdy.'"
In a couple of months she will likely be greeting her new Texas friends in that manner as the exchange of knowledge, and friendship, adds another chapter.