Matt Schierer, a senior, is doing something different for his final year at Lincoln Community High School. Schierer is studying abroad, immersing himself in the German culture with the help of the Ayusa cultural exchange program.
“I got involved with Ayusa after two exchange students, who were at my school at the time, recommended it to me. One … Paul Preuss, is my host brother this year,” wrote Schierer in e-mail.
He lives in Paalzow, Brandenburg, Germany, which is approximately 45 minutes north of Berlin.
“There are only 17 houses in total in Paalzow; it is very rural. Where I live, we have cows, geese, chickens, ducks, a cat, and a dog. However, I go to school in Neuruppin, a city of about 30,000. I ride the bus, take the train, or sometimes ride my bike to school in the mornings,” said Schierer.
Schierer said he was already familiar with his host family, having met them in Lincoln last year.
“It all started last fall when one of my friends told me that there was a German foreign exchange student at the school. I had recently begun studying German again, so I was excited and wanted to meet him. The next day at lunch I walked up to him and we spoke in German. Over the course of the year we became pretty good friends. I had decided around January that I wanted to be a foreign exchange student, so Paul recommended Ayusa to me and said that I could stay with him,” said Schierer.
“At the end of the school year Paul’s parents came to pick him up. While they were in Lincoln, they came to my house and had dinner with my family and I. It was really cool.”
Schierer said things are going well ,and over the past several months he’s learned many things.
“From the start, I decided that I would only speak German and I’ve stuck to that. I read the newspaper everyday, and am currently reading ‘Julians Bruder,’ a book that my host mom gave me. I try to immerse myself completely with the culture because that, I think, is the fastest and best way to learn a language and to benefit from my stay,” said Schierer.
He said his taste buds have also undergone a dramatic international change.
“I love German food, and I’ve experienced many different tastes. For example, for lunch I might stroll downtown to der Marktplatz and buy a bratwurst or go to a nearby Turkish restaurant and eat ‘Döner,’ which is somewhat similar to a gyro — but better. The other night my family and I ate out at an Italian pizza parlor and it was by far the best pizza I’ve ever eaten,” said Schierer.
His experiences with the country as a whole are impressive with two major topics dealing with public transportation and education.
“In Germany, you don’t find as much traffic in the city because Germans in general are more prompt to walking, riding bikes, or taking the bus or train. Everyday as I walk through the city I see bikes tied to trees, statues, or poles because all the spots on the bike racks are taken up. There are two train stations in Neuruppin, with trains coming and going every 30 minutes to the various ‘dorfes,’ or villages throughout the state of Brandenburg. There is also a huge bus station in the center of the city where seven or eight buses come and go,” said Schierer.
He attends the Evangelische Schule Neuruppin school and notes that education is much different than what he was used to in the states.
“There is one other American at my school, a girl from New York. I am in the 11th grade at Evi and my two Leistungskurse (basically like majors) are Math and English. My other courses include: Biology, German, Chemistry, Spanish, Art, History, Geography, and Religion,” wrote Schierer.
“Students in Germany are divided into different schools by performance. I go to a gymnasium, a school for students who will attend the university later. The first thing I noticed about my school was that there were virtually no disciplinary problems. There is no detention at my school. I attribute this to the fact that the German student has more freedom than the American student. For example, there are no restrictions on bathroom usage, students are allowed to eat and drink in school, there is an open campus policy where no signing in or out is needed, there are always at least 15 minute breaks between classes, and there are no cameras around the school.
“All of these things, in my opinion, reduce stress and ultimately create a better learning environment,” said Schierer.
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