TOWAMENCIN – Mr. Baker, a well known German teacher at North Penn, came into my AP French class in October and asked us to consider hosting a German exchange student. I thought it was an interesting idea, but figured it was unlikely to work out in my household. That night, I asked my parents what they thought about hosting an exchange student, and they had the same reaction as I did: that it was a cool idea, but all the logistics of it seemed a little too much to handle.

I’m sure it’s pretty clear where this story is going; it took me about three more days after the initial proposition to fully convince my parents to welcome a German student into our house for nearly two weeks. The exchange student program was still looking for hosts a week before the students were supposed to come. By this point, the need for host families was pressing as the date of exchange student arrival grew imminent, evidenced by the appeal to other language classes, like my French class.

Once my parents agreed, having enough room to house my future exchange student was not a problem — my older brother was away at college, leaving us with a perfect spare room. Larissa wasn’t with us long before we realized she would fit right into our household. She was kind, polite, and friendly. Some sixteen year olds might be overwhelmed just coming to America for the first time, but even when we took her to a large family gathering, she was outgoing and approachable. In response to the attention at the family event, she commented “Everyone had questions about Germany, but I really like the friendly way everyone is. Americans have a different lifestyle, but I love it.”

One of the reasons my parents hesitated to host an exchange student was because we had family visiting during the two weeks as well. Larissa got to experience what it would be like to be a big sister with my little cousins following her around the house. She is an only child so this was a unique experience for her.

Not only did she fit in with my family, she also hit it off with my friends. We took her and another exchange student to a flea market to do some shopping. This wasn’t her only experience shopping in the US, and each trip she took resulted in lots of purchases and bags to fit in her suitcase. She was very excited about her bargains, exclaiming, “Everything is so much cheaper here! It’s crazy how much more the same thing would cost me at home.”

My friends loved having her around so much that they invited her in on one of our traditions, spending a Saturday baking unique and fun recipes. We also went to the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, a school club activity.

With some help from technology, she was able to show us using Google maps her small village, including her school and the farm house where she lives. She is located just ten minutes from Aalen, a decently sized town in Germany. While talking to us about Aalen, she commented that “everything is bigger here than in my town.”

At the end of the two weeks, there was a farewell dinner where all of the exchange students and host families got to share their experiences. Looking back on her time in America, Larissa declared, “It was a wonderful time, and I loved the time staying with you.”

Although it was a hectic two weeks, the overall experience was fantastic and both she and I learned a great deal about each other and our cultures. When asked if she would come back, she said “Yes, of course! I really want to come back.”

As much as my family and I would love to have her back, I can’t help but think that my own trip to Germany is in order – after watching Larissa’s experience in a new culture, it would hard not to be drawn to the appeal of the exchange student program.