On March 17, 2024, students and teachers from Germany visited the United States for two weeks and were hosted by HAHS families. One of the hosts was a 9th grader, Kaylum Riegel.
Prior to meeting Helene, they were talking via WhatsApp. They had several conversations about what they would do in America and what his school day was like. The students and teachers arrived on March 17 and met their hosts on the same day. All were excited as it was an opportunity to meet people from a different country and learn about a new culture. Kaylum was very excited to meet his exchange student in person. He said that she was very nice and easy to talk to. They hit it off right away, sharing some of the same interests. One thing that both enjoyed was their love for memes. They would exchange means throughout the day and laugh at them. Another thing that they both enjoy is learning about different cultures and their customs. Both shared customs from their cultures, Kaylum said “It was cool to hear about the things they do differently in Germany compared to here.” During their stay, the students and teachers would go with their hosts and experience an American school day. One thing that really stuck out to Kaylum was the difference between German and American schools. The teaching styles were different, same with how they went about their days. Helene took note that the lunches were very different compared to back at home.
Kaylum said that the whole experience was amazing. He really liked showing Helene around and talking about the United States and some of its locations. Kaylum said, “Me and my mother loved it. It was nice being able to learn about a new culture.” Both Kaylum and his mother loved her so much, they offered to fly her back out sometime in the future. On March 28, the students and teachers had to return home. Kaylum said the hardest part about the whole experience was saying goodbye to his new friend. He said that he would definitely do it again as it was fun and entertaining.
