By Jolene Farley
Hills-Beaver Creek High School welcomed two exchange students this fall, both from Germany, through International Cultural Exchange Services.
Esther Oehlschlaegel, 16, from Hildesheim, Germany, is staying with Matt and Cindy Larson, Beaver Creek. She arrived in the United States Aug. 19.
"I like it here," she said. "It's very small and more rural than my town, but it has the advantage that everybody is very friendly. They all are very interested and very helpful."
Oehlschlaegel decided a long time ago she wanted to become an exchange student. She was always interested in other countries, learning a new language and about a new culture.
"I was always very interested in trying to see how America really was... we know so much from television, newspapers and radio," she said. "I wanted to check if it was the way we thought."
Oehlschlaegel said she isn't very homesick. "I miss my friends and family, but it's not so bad because I'm happy here."
Oehlschlaegel's father, Thomas, works for a computer science company and her mother, Christine, is a teacher. She has a brother, Gunnar, 20.
Oehlschlaegel said Germans were shocked when they heard about the events of Sept. 11. "We never expected something like this could happen."
Her government class in Germany spent many days discussing the background of the countries involved and possible reasons for the attack.
She thinks United States citizens are more loyal to their country than German citizens are. "They (Americans) are so proud of themselves, everyone feels like a patriot, is proud of their country," she said. "In Germany, we are not so proud of our country, of our history."
Corrina Braun, 17, from Berlin, Germany, arrived in the United States on Aug. 26. She is staying with Merle and Shelley Knobloch, Hills.
Braun said she wanted to vacation in the United States her entire life, so when she discovered she could spend an entire year in the States, she signed up.
"I couldn't decide if I wanted to go to a big town or a small town," she said. "I said if I want to go to the USA I try to live in a small town." Her hometown, Berlin, is a large city.
Braun wanted to learn more about American culture and learn better English.
She said students in Berlin study English for six years.
"Sometimes, it is not so hard as I thought it would be," she said. "If many people are together and talk with each other really fast I don't understand them."
She said she appreciates their patience as she learns.
"The American people are friendly," she said. "You can ask three times the same question and they are always friendly."
Braun said there is a difference between German and United States meals. "They (Americans) go often out for eating," she said. "Many people eat sweet things for breakfast."
She said in Germany people eat less fast food. Braun's mother cooks the family's meals or they eat out maybe once or twice a month.
Braun's father, Ralf, works with computers, and her mother, Monika, is a dental assistant. She has a younger sister, Celia, 11.
Oehlschlaegel and Braun will return to Germany next summer.