Lessons learned from hosting an exchange student

Author: Leon Toursarkissian ’21

During my hosting of a German exchange student, I learned many valuable lessons. The first was that the true colors of a person do not emerge immediately. It took my partner about a week to truly settle in with my family, and it was not until after that that she really began to feel comfortable communicating with us. The second lesson I learned is that despite a multitude of cultural differences between people, there are always things that connect us. While my German partner and I had many differences, we were able to bond over things such as sports and popular culture. The final lesson that this experience taught me was that patience is key when trying to develop friendships. While there were several instances in which I felt myself growing impatient with the odd habits or communication difficulties of my partner, I had to adjust and remain patient due to my knowledge of the varying cultures between us.

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My time with Leonie Dietel

Author: Chloe Harthan ’21

As soon as there was an announcement for the German American Partnership Program (GAPP), my interest was peaked. It sounded like an amazing idea to be able to have a German student stay with me and vice versa. My mind was already set. I chose to be a part of the GAPP program because I wanted to be able to share the daily life of an American teen with a student from Germany and I wanted to experience their culture as well. It would expand my horizons and get me out of my comfort zone, which is a challenge I wanted to take.