Each year, LHS hosts a variety of exchange students from across the globe.

This past month, the school welcomed six exchange students for the annual Eutin Exchange Program.

This year’s exchange began June 15 when six LHS students traveled to Germany for their three and a half week portion of the exchange program.

“It was really fun, we went all over Germany,” senior Kat Sterbenz said. “We went to Berlin and Hamburg and Neuburg, and we spoke German almost the entire time.”

Three months after their return, these six LHS students welcomed their host students to America for their portion of the exchange program.

“It’s really cool to get to show [the exchange students] America,” Sterbenz said. “It’s their first time being here for all of them, so it’s really cool.”

The idea of spending three and a half weeks in a completely different country was slightly nerve wracking for German exchange student Lisa Holstein.

“I’ve got a fear of flying, that’s the first problem,” Holstein said. “I was also [worried] if I would like it [in America].”

Despite the beginning worries, the exchange students have been able to enjoy and learn from their visit to America.

For their stay, the exchange students became members of the LHS community, and noticed several differences from their school back in Germany.

“[LHS] looks like it is in ‘High School Musical,’ ” Holstein said. “I never thought that it would be like this. It is exactly as it is in the movies.”

Another change the exchange students had to adjust to was the different schedules.

“The biggest difference [between German and American schools] is that we can’t choose our subjects [in Germany],” exchange student Lena Preuss said. “We also always finish at about 1 o’clock and don’t eat lunch at school.”

The German students noticed cultural differences as well, one of them being our diet.

“The food here is a little bit [weird],” Preuss said. “I think I would get really fat if I stayed longer.”

Although there are major differences, the exchange students have been able to adjust to, and enjoy LHS.

“I think [LHS] is very cool,” Preuss said. “The people are really nice.”

Both the host and exchange students involved in this program agree that it is beneficial for learning a foreign language.

“I learned a lot of German,” senior Dalen Reed said. “I learned about another culture and the differences [between Germany and America].”

The students involved will also take away new relationships from this exchange program.

“The nice part [about the exchange program] has been just been meeting new people and getting friends that are from another country and from Free State,” junior Ian Hierl said. “Places that you wouldn’t have [friends from] otherwise.”