In a 12 months that’s been difficult for travel, foreign exchange scholar Nina Steiner, 17, built the vacation of a life time that could adjust her lifestyle endlessly.
Steiner, who attends faculty at Bertha-von-Suttner Gesamtschule in Germany, used the spring semester at Grovetown Higher University.
In the course of her time in the U.S., Steiner experienced the prospect to check out the Augusta place and show up at the Columbia County Truthful with her new very best mate, Sam Lewis, who also attends Grovetown. The pair also took a vacation to Tennessee.
Steiner has been trying American foodstuff and dining establishments which includes two of her new favorites – Bitter Patch Young ones and Taco Bell.
“We never have people in Germany,” she said with a chortle.
She also explained faculty composition is various from her university in Germany exactly where students just take 12 courses for every yr rather of seven, despite the fact that the program alternates throughout the 7 days so she does not show up at 12 lessons in 1 day. Each individual course is 67½ minutes long and students do not have the solution of electives. German schools, she said, also do not have sports but college students do enjoy in club athletics comparable to a parks and recreation league. While attending Grovetown, Steiner played on the soccer staff.
Those ordeals reflect the aim of the application, which is to give students the probability to check out American life and its substantial faculty practical experience, according to Associate Superintendent Penny Jackson.
“It is just definitely great for the pupils and the faculties to have that partnership,” she mentioned.
Normally, international trade college students show up at the overall university calendar year, but thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, Steiner and other trade students were not able to show up at Columbia County universities until the spring semester.
This calendar year, only a few students attended partly owing to COVID, according to Jackson. Final 12 months, the district hosted 12 and the preceding yr, 16.
So considerably, there are fewer than 5 applications for future year, but that range is anticipated to maximize in the subsequent thirty day period. The district has space for 30 pupils – six for every higher university – but usually does not achieve that variety for a range of explanations together with the deficiency of host households eager to take a scholar for the comprehensive faculty 12 months. Jackson claimed she is unaware of any Columbia County college students who are researching overseas.
College students and host family members across the world use to take part in foreign exchange programs through companies these kinds of as Ayusa, which is what Steiner utilised.
Aisha Manus and her family served as the host house for Steiner even though this is not the first overseas exchange pupil they have welcomed. Their guests have bundled pupils from South Korea, Nigeria and France, and they are planning to host a scholar from Chile upcoming university calendar year. Other people to the district have bundled people of Spain, Italy and Ukraine.
“It can be like obtaining a new loved ones member,” Manus reported. “You have practically nothing to shed if you do it.”
Jackson explained the college district sees people host 12 months immediately after 12 months and various instructors also open their houses to pupils.
As for Steiner, this would have been her previous yr of superior university, but she will have to repeat her senior yr when she returns to Germany in get to receive all the credits she requires to graduate. When she does, she plans to return to the U.S. to perform in authentic estate.