Taking the opportunity to live in another country for a whole year to learn new cultures, experience new things, and meet new people can be a once in a lifetime experience. Junior Kim Mai, a German Exchange student, took up the invitation from her mom to go overseas and spend a whole year in Indiana. Kim is thankful she took up this chance and encourages students to do it if they get the choice.
“The thought of spending a school year in another country has always been in the back of my mind. Although in the end it was my mom who urged me to go, which I am very thankful for. It’s an experience I can only recommend to other students,” Kim said.
Taking an exchange year can be a scary experience, but more so a learning experience. There are many similarities and differences students can come upon, one being the school system. Roncalli has a more laid back school system with there being fewer hard core hours of school and more free time throughout school hours. On the other hand German school systems are way more stern when it comes to curriculum and have very few elective type classes according to Kim.
“When being asked about my exchange, I always mention the differences between the German and American school systems! Unlike here, I’m not able to pick any classes for myself up until 12th grade in Germany. In addition, Roncalli offers such a wide variety of them. I was honestly amazed when I first came to the US. In general, I think that school is a much bigger part of daily life for American students in comparison to German ones, especially with all the afternoon clubs and sports games,” Kim said.
Kim is not the only one learning this year, German teacher Frau Hibner also learned different things from Kim, specifically about southern Germany. She is learning about the culture and traditional customs that were popular for that part as well as learning about Kim’s personal experience.
“Kim Mai is from the southern German state of Bavaria, where I have visited but not lived. It was very interesting to hear her personal experience when we had culture days in German and to see how customs and traditions differ based on northern vs. southern Germany or Germany vs. Austria, Hibner said.
