GNHS and Domgymnasium Verden are partner schools, and a choir of 30 students came from Germany to perform and learn the culture of the United States.

“This is the first time a group from Germany has come to GNHS. As the German program is only in its second year, it is a great opportunity to have native German speakers in the classes and staying with our families,” said German teacher Lisa Palaian.

Students hosted the choir, and the German students followed their host as they went to all their classes and any extracurricular activities their host may have had.

“My German student was really nice, accepting, and enthusiastic about trying new things,” said host freshman Castor Basa.

For the German students, it was a new experience to follow the students to their classes, and many were sad to leave.

“I really wish I could’ve stayed longer, so I wasn’t quite keen to go back. Even though it felt nice going back to my actual home, I feel like I haven’t done everything I wanted,” said Tessa Heinevetter. “I also got attached to a lot of people, and I didn’t really want to leave them behind. Going back was both, really sad and really happy.”

America and Germany have many differences including their education systems, but have more in common than some people may think.

“As far as I’m concerned, it’s quite similar actually. The biggest difference I could make out was the stuff that happens before school starts. People in Germany get to school like two minutes before school starts, while in America half of the club activities start at around seven,” Heinevetter said. “Another thing that’s definitely different is overeating. Germans don’t overeat as much as Americans do.”