Olá, Hallo!
DT Welcomes Two Foreign Exchange Students
By: Taylor McDole
Most people couldn’t imagine spending a year thousands of miles away from their families, but two brave students at DT have taken on the challenge of the foreign exchange program. This year DT has two foreign exchange students, Sabrina Soares and Lynn Mesmar. These two young ladies have taken the trip from their homes to the U.S. to experience American life through academics, extracurriculars, and friendships. Their courageous journey has struggles, but it is an experience that they will never forget.
São Paulo, Brazil is home for Soares, who is an active member of the dance team and was a runner on the girls cross country team in the fall, as well as a wrestler. It has been a long-time dream of hers to come to the U.S. because of how she’s seen American life portrayed in the movies.
“To come to the U.S. was like coming to a movie,” Soares stated.
Something Soares has found in America that she could not find in Brazil are elective classes, such as Foods. Mesmar and Soares are both enrolled in the Foods class at DT, where they learn culinary skills. Of course, there are things at home that Soares misses, she said the two things she missed most were how friendly people were in Brazil, and the food, particularly Brazilian rice and beans.
“In Brazil, we always eat rice and beans with every meal, and when I was in Brazil it was so boring, but here I miss my rice and beans every day,” said Soares.
Along with her rice and beans, she misses her friends and family, like anyone would. Soares said her main means of communication is WhatsApp and sometimes Instagram, noting that technology makes communicating much easier.
Missing things from home isn’t the only challenge she faces, Soares explained that having a day that is centered mostly around school is an adjustment for her, as well as the constant routine that goes with extracurricular activities. In Brazil, her classes don’t take up the majority of her day, and sports and other activities are things for your free time, not something that goes with school.
Mesmar originates from Hamburg, Germany, in the fall she helped the volleyball team and was also a wrestler; she participates in journalism, and like Soares, she is also a member of DT dance team.
Her curiosity about how school works in a different country drove her to go into the exchange program. She chose the U.S. because she thinks it is one of the countries where school is more fun, especially compared to Europe, where they do not have school-sanctioned sports and activities.
“School is not just school here because in Germany we only have school. There are not fun activities; it's all about grades. Here school is your entire day; you also have your sports and activities, and your friendships, and I think that’s the most different,” said Mesmar when asked about the key differences between school in the U.S. and Germany
A difference between the two countries that Mesmar does not like is the food; she said she misses how healthy food was in Germany, noting that she especially misses the feeling of walking into a bakery and smelling freshly baked bread. At first, she did enjoy the fast food, but after eating it for quite a while, she does not enjoy it as much.
She also noticed how some German laws are opposite from some American laws. Mesmar explained how in America, you can drive at fourteen and drink alcohol at 21, but in Germany, you can drink at fourteen and drive when you’re 18. Seeing teenagers drive was a large cultural shock for her.
Communicating with her family has been a challenge for Mesmar, because of the time difference, she and her family have a 7-hour time difference, so communication can be difficult, especially with her busy days from school and extracurriculars.
“During the week I don’t really have time to talk with family or friends, so I try to find time on weekends for a video call. When I wake up, they’ve already gone to bed again, so we have to find a time to talk. I’m really busy here, and sometimes they ask if they can call me, and I tell them I am busy. They understand that but it’s just kind of hard,” said Mesmar
Despite the challenges of the journey, these two adventurous young ladies are learning about things beyond their borders and gaining new experiences every day. Sabrina and Lynn have spent every day adapting to a new place and making friends along the way. Through their experiences, they are building lasting memories that will stay with them forever when they return home in May.