Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, Augut 01, 2002

Clara TERRELL, 17, daughter of Brian TERRELL and Betsy KEENAN of Maloy, recently returned to Ringgold county after spending an exchange study year in Hagen, Germany, a small town in the state of NorthRhein-Westfalia.

TERRELL left for Hagen July 19, 2002 and returned home July 22, 2002. TERRELL is the first Ringgold county student in many years to spend a year abroad in an exchange program.

Arrangements concerning her trip were made through Youth For Understanding, an exchange organization. TERRELL received the Congress-Bundestag Scholarship, which funded her travel and organizational fees. TERRELL was responsible only for her spending money during the trip.

TERRELL was housed in Germany by Beatrix and Norbert TOUPS-MUTHER, their daughter Elean, 16, and son Timo, 19.

TERRELL attended school at Waldorf, a private school where the curriculum placed heavy emphasis on music and art. TERRELL was in the tenth grade at Waldorf.

TERRELL felt that Waldorf was much different than Mount Ayr Community high school. The schedule at Waldorf was more like block scheduling, with some classes lasting an hour and 45 minutes while others only lasted 45 minutes. Students at Waldorf attend school from 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., making their school day much shorter than that of Americans. Waldorf gave students varied breaks, two weeks each fall, spring and Christmas with only six weeks off for the summer.

In Germany, music and sports are separate from school, thus allowing German students to get to know many teenagers outside of their school. TERRELL participated in orchestra and rowing club.

TERRELL felt that the hardest thing to get used to in Germany was the language. She had taken two years of German at Mount Ayr Community under the instruction of Jim UHLENKAMP, but said that it is much different to actually speak it. TERRELL said that it took her a lot of practice and use of the language to become more familiar and better able to speak German.

TERRELL had the opportunity to engage in some travel while in Hagen. She visited Berlin twice, traveled through some great cities in Italy including Rome and Pisa, and took a trip to Majorca, a Spanish island in the Mediterranean where many Germans visit.

Through all of her travels, Hagen remains TERRELL'S favorite town merely because of all the great family and friends she came to know there.

The way of life in Germany is different than that of Ringgold countians, according to TERRELL. Visiting other places is much easier in Germany due to the vast train system. "It is absolutely no problem if you can't drive in Germany because there will be a train stopping near you and going every direction every five minutes," remarked TERRELL. Also, laws are different in Germany, allowing teenagers many adult privileges yet no driving rights.

TERRELL said that Germans celebrate most of the same holidays and traditions that Americans do. Birthdays and Christmas are very important to Germans and are celebrated in much the same way that they are in America. Germans celebrate Carnival around the time that Mardi Gras occurs in America. During Carnival there are many elaborate parades and much celebration.

The stereotype of German people is that they are cold and distant, but TERRELL said that she never experienced that. She feels that because she was part of a great host family, the German people were very open and caring towards her, making her experience a positive one.

Food in Germany is similar to American food, according to TERRELL. She said that the bread in Germany is much better than in America, most of it being whole wheat. Food in Germany is more fresh than food in America, with very few things being prepackaged. TERRELL said that most people buy their fruits and vegetables as well as their meats in markets instead of in a grocery store.

TERRELL said that her saddest times in Germany were at the time of September 11 and around Christmas time. Her German family was very supportive during this time, as was her family at home who really wanted TERRELL to have the opportunity to gain such a precious experience.

TERRELL will be a senior at Mount Ayr Community high school this fall, with a busy schedule due to her junior class requirements which she must catch up in time to graduate in May of 2003.

At the present time, TERRELL is debating about whether to attend college and major in language and music or to return to Germany and finish her senior year there with her class at Waldorf.

TERRELL would encourage anyone who is fortunate enough to have the opportunity to become and exchange student. TERRELL felt it was hard to be away from her family, especially her brother Elijah, but had great benefits from the experience.

TERRELL will miss her family and friends from Germany the most, although one German family member will be quite close.

TERRELL'S host sister, Elena, will be staying with a family in Des Moines starting August 8, for a year. And, another German student, of which TERRELL has not met, will be staying with the TERRELL family in Maloy, also starting August 8 for a year.

TERRELL said that she will definitely consider living in Germany or another part of Europe. She has a strong interest in learning another language and studying many languages. TERRELL said, "It is very important to take learning other languages seriously because it is an important tool that helps you understand other cultures, and when you understand other cultures it helps you understand your own culture in a better way."

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, August of 2012