German-American student exchange fosters friendships

Sep. 29—CLOQUET — The German American Partnership Program is an international organization that has been creating friendships and understanding between two cultures — Cloquet High School and Gymnasium am Hoptbühl, a high school in Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany — since 1996.

Students from each school sign up for the program and are matched with a host family to live with during exchanges, explained Cara Jago, Cloquet's program coordinator and German language teacher.

Jago and Cloquet High School students traveled in June to Germany to meet their host families. In September, the American students were reunited with their German counterparts, but this time, in Cloquet.

For the last three weeks, 17 German students have been living with their Minnesota hosts, going to school and learning more about the U.S. firsthand.

Jago called the exchange "mutually beneficial" for the students and the schools as a whole participating in the exchange program.

"(Hosting German students at Cloquet) extends our school's perception of other cultures beyond just my classroom ... these students from Germany will be shadowing their American hosts throughout their day," Jago said. "So, they'll be in science class with a new group of people, and social studies class and more people will benefit from meeting these kids from another culture than they would have if it had been a one way exchange."

In addition to experiencing a typical Minnesotan life with their families, the group also partakes in various outings, including "Cloquet Day," which featured a visit to the Fond Du Lac Cultural Center and Museum and the fire hall, and "Duluth Day," when they explored Canal Park and rode the Vista Fleet.

This is all of the German students' first time in the U.S. and many of them were eager to share their recent experiences.

"I always wanted to come to U.S.A. because I think we've all watched the movies of like, high school, teenager life in the U.S.," said Noemi Simon, a sophomore from Germany. She added that she also wanted to "improve (her) English, learn something about the culture and the food."

Simon's German peers reiterated her reasoning for partaking in the exchange program, as well her thoughts about American food being sweeter, saltier and greasier than what they are used to in Germany.

Multiple German students said they were surprised to find how spread out everything is in the U.S., and that Americans are more dependent on cars than they were expecting.

One stereotype that they've discovered to be true is "Minnesota nice."

"(The Americans) told us people from Minnesota are really nice, and it's so true. Like, compared to Germany, Germans are rude. I mean, German's aren't rude, but people from Minnesota are so nice!" Simon said.

The students also noted some differences in American high school that they preferred over German high school, and vice versa.

"In Germany, you don't have six to eight classes every day ... the schedule is per week and switching every day. I personally find the German's better, but it's kinda cool to have the same ones every day," said German sophomore Sebastian Moessle.

His classmate, sophomore Valerie Peez, added that German classes are never combined with other grades like some high school classes are in America.

While Moessle and his German peers preferred German school schedules, they found American high school sports more entertaining and fun.

"The games are better. They have cheerleaders, a band, a dance group, the student section — it's so much better!" Moessle said.

Cloquet senior Makenna Horvat said that instead of doing sports through schools, Germany has club sports that students can switch between.

Something that every German student, and every American student agreed on, though, was how meaningful their exchange experience has been.

German sophomore Lene Wagner summed up the exchange's impact: "I'm so lucky to do this exchange because I find so much new friends, and in general that I'm here, that I can go here to school, and I'm in another country to visit. I know I will come back because I feel so at home here."