Charlie Kephart

Friendship. Devlin Miller and Julius Deffner pose for a picture together in Washington DC. The two have traveled to Canada and Washington DC during Deffner’s time here. (Courtesy of Devlin Miller)

From April 1-22, three German exchange students will be staying in Altoona. Each of these students has been paired up with a student from German classes.

Freshman Chae Taneyhill is hosting Romina Scheuermann from Wiesbaden, Hassen. Scheuermann is staying with Taneyhill for three weeks and two days.

“Hosting a German exchange student sounded like a super cool and fun thing to do,” Taneyhill said. “Life has been a little bit busy with her but more eventful and fun than usual.”

During their time together so far, Taneyhill and Scheuermann have visited several places across Pennsylvania, including State College and Pittsburgh. However, their typical days include school and extracurricular activities. 

“On weekends we wake up, eat breakfast and just hang around the house for a bit,” Taneyhill said. “Then we will get ready and go do something fun. On school days we wake up, eat breakfast and go to school. When we get home she typically hangs out with one of my friends because I have gymnastics everyday directly after school and don’t get home until around nine. When I am home, we play a family board game, watch a movie and then go to sleep.”

Although it is different from her life in Germany, Scheuermann decided to take this opportunity to experience a different culture and lifestyle.

“I can experience American life and American schooling,” Scheuermann said. “The school here is bigger, and the classes are different because you can choose what classes you want to take, like electives.”

Tanneyhill feels this experience would be beneficial to any student taking a language that has the opportunity to host another student.

“I absolutely would 100% recommend this experience to other people,” Tanneyhill said. “It is such a fun thing and creates friendships that will last a lifetime. The small amount of extra work is worth it.” 

After Scheuermann goes back to Germany, the two plan to stay in touch through WhatsApp, Snapchat and Instagram. Tanneyhill’s family also plans to visit Germany over the summer. 

Freshman Diviny Zolna is hosting Sophia Lieb, while sophomore Devlin Miller is hosting Julius Deffner. Deffner is from Haiger, Germany and has been enjoying his experience thus far.

“I like exploring new cultures, and I am fascinated by the American lifestyle,” Deffner said. “I also do like exploring new places.”

Miller and Deffner have noticed some differences in their cultures during their time together. 

“The people’s social behavior in America has been my favorite part so far,” Deffner said. “They are more open and direct, which is interesting.”

“The Germans are really relaxed,” Miller said. “They don’t get mad easily and they like to have fun. They like to do new stuff and the exchange students are just here for a good time.”

Similarly to Taneyhill and Scheuermann, Miller will be reuniting with Deffner. 

“I plan to text him and visit Germany this summer to see him,” Miller said. 

While Deffner believes he has faced some challenges in America, such as learning how to interact with people and American manners, he is sad his time here will come to an end.

“I wish I could stay longer because this experience is really interesting and I think the way of living in America is a lot cooler,” Deffner said.