Local Nashua and Hudson NH families host exchange students

After traveling overseas to Germany earlier this year, a group of Nashua and Hudson high school students got their chance to play host in their home country.

“Now we get to show them what our lifestyle is like,” said Kyle Wood, a Nashua High School South student, one of several students involved in an exchange program with a high school in Germany.

Thirty-two students hailing from Bavaria, a state in the southeast corner of Germany, arrived in New Hampshire two weeks ago and have spent their days immersing themselves in American culture with the help of host families. The students from the Carl Orff school in Unterschleissheim will return home Friday.

They were scheduled to spend time whale watching off Hampton Beach, tour the mill buildings in Lowell, Mass., and take a trip to New York City. They spent part of last week camping in the White Mountains, including a hike through the Flume Gorge.

“They get a taste of everything,” said Lori McIntosh, a Nashua High School North teacher who helps organize the program with a group of other local educators.

Felix Freiberger, 16, one of the exchange students from Germany, is most looking forward to making his first trip to New York City.

“The culture, seeing the sights,” Freiberger said.

The students had to adjust from leaving rainy, 60-degree weather to flying into New England in the middle of a severe heat wave. Teachers joked how the students got off the plane wearing sweaters and jeans and were warned they might want to change.

On their second day in New Hampshire, the group gathered at Greeley Park in Nashua, visited City Hall and had a meeting with Mayor Donnalee Lozeau.

Local high school students who went to Germany earlier this year said it was an amazing experience.

“It allows you to make lifelong friendships immediately,” said Sydney Ramirez, a senior at Nashua High School South.

McIntosh said the students find ways to stay in touch, making use of social networking sites and communicating tools such as Skype.

Students in Germany take six years of English, starting in the fifth grade, so this is a great opportunity for them to use their language skills in a real-world setting, said teachers Daniela Schneider and Helga Schrey, who are traveling with the group of students.

“They get to experience the differences between the two countries,” Schneider said. “The family life, the food.”

Unlike their American counterparts, the German students are in school during the summer. Before the students made the trip, they had to complete a report on a certain aspect of American life.

This is an exchange partnership that dates back 15 years. The program began in 1996 when Dan Wells, now a guidance counselor at Alvirne High School, started the connection as a teacher at Manchester West High School. He brought it with him when he moved to Alvirne and partnered with the Nashua high schools because of its German program.

Students in Alvirne’s jazz band will be trekking to Germany in February.

For Debbie Bartol, of Nashua, this was her third time hosting exchange students. She hosted two German students this summer. She also had hosted students from Morocco. Bartol enjoys hosting because of the experience her three children get from it, as well as the culture the exchange students bring to her home.

“They’re just a lot of fun,” Bartol said. “My kids really enjoy being with them.”

Bartol said she gives the exchange students a taste of what typical life is like in New England. They go to the beach, hike Pack Monadnock, hold a barbecue or make a day trip to Boston.

Later this year, Bartol’s 15-year-old daughter will be on an extended exchange program, living in Luna, Germany, for 10 months.

Article Courtesy Nashua Telegraph

Michael Brindley can be reached at 594-6426 or mbrindley@nashuatelegraph.com.

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