Marple Newtown Students Voyage Abroad, Share Their Experiences

NEWTOWN SQUARE–Many foreign language students never get tested on how much they really know outside of exams and papers. 

That's not the case for three incoming freshman and a rising junior at . 

Freshman Ben Kelly, Julia Lynch and Megan Lynch, as well as junior Sam Cook, all got the opportunity to stay with German families and get a taste of the culture for three weeks as students of the now-defunct German-language program.

Following the 2011-12 school year,  for budgetary purposes. 

The local residents joined four other students from Texas, Florida, Connecticut and Indonesia on the voyage to Germany from June 16 to July 7. Two chaperones supervised the trip. 

After flying into Frankfurt, the young ambassadors split up and lodged with German students who all attended school in Ingelheim. 

Culture Shock

The trip to school was much more than a bus ride for many; Julia said she had to take a bus and a train to get to school, which was winding down to its final weeks before summer vacation. 

The ride to school wasn't the only difference the American students noticed. 

"School seemed much more laid back," said Julia's twin sister, Megan. 

In addition to attending their hosts' school, the exchange students went on daily excursions to various destinations around Germany during their two weeks with host families. 

"I tried as much as possible to speak German with my host family rather than English," said Ben. "It was definitely harder to speak (German) than understand for me."

Despite all the fun the kids had, the educationally-inspired vacation did yield positive results for the students, who hoped to improve their German; Ben, Julia and Megan all agreed their listening and speaking comprehension grew during the three-week trip.

"By the end, I could basically understand most conversations people had," Megan said. 

However, the cultural emersion did see some bumps along the way.

"The language barrier was a little bit difficult the first couple of days, as was the six-hour time difference," said Julia. 

Sharing a room for two weeks, Ben said the living accommodations were the toughest adjustment he had to make. 

Even with all the hurdles staying in a different country can spawn, one thing the students didn't seem to mind was the cuisine. Although every household has its own unique cooking identity, the students enjoyed the blend of familiar and foreign foods that they were exposed to. 

Outside of the sausage and bratwurst that ring to mind when considering German dining, meals included Chinese, Italian, and Turkish foods. 

Julia even baked homemade pizza with her host family. 

As their time in Germany expired, the students called a youth hostel home for the last week. 

Some of the major cities they visited include Frankfurt, Cologne and Mainz. Another major highlight on their trip was a boat ride on the Rhine River. 

"I really enjoyed the Rhine River boat tour and seeing all the castles along the water. It was really cool," Megan said. 

Ben's visit to a Nazi concentration camp in Buchenwald resonated most for him when looking back on his time in Germany. 

For Julia, the best parts of her trip were a day trip to Strasbourg, France, and the strong connection she made with her exchange partner.

Making Connections

Another interesting connection made through the exchange involved the . Ben corresponded with his exchange partner, Marcel Zimmer, before traveling to Germany and learned that he was a member of his local junior fire department. 

Upon learning this, the Broomall Fire Co. sent over some memorabilia with Ben to give to the 14-year-old cadet firefighter (view photo gallery). 

These four students were the last to get the chance to visit Germany as part of an exchange program because of the removal of the German program–and they don't take that for granted. 

"Even though we're so far apart, there's a lot of similarities in everything we do," Megan said. "It was a really great experience and I wish other people would be able to do it."