Study Abroad Stories: A German Student at the LFC

Name: Luis K.
What: German study abroad student at the LFC for the 2018-2019 school year.
Age: 16 years old
Grade: 10th grade

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What motivated you to participate in this program?
I am from Germany and I always wanted to spend a year abroad in 10th grade. My local school offers a two-week exchange trip with the Lycée Français de Chicago. Since I got along very well with my exchange student and really liked the school when I visited it within the program in 2018, I wanted to spend my year abroad at LFC.

Outside the classroom, what did you learn from studying abroad? In what ways have you changed?
Outside of class, I learned a lot about the American way of life and about people in general. Since I stayed in three different host families over the year (which I wanted to do), I had to adapt to a new environment every three months. It was very interesting to see how different families can be. In school, I had to get to know the people at the beginning. Thanks to my year abroad, it is now much easier for me to reach out to new people.

Any cultural differences you noticed?
Of course! I had some stereotypes about the American way of life before coming: Everyone eats burgers, Americans are very proud of their nation and everyone is always very friendly. Did I experience them to be true or not? Yes, Americans like to eat burgers! Yes, many Americans are very patriotic and have a stars-and-stripes hanging in front of their houses. No, not everyone possesses a gun in America. During my stay, I even attended to the March for our Lives, an anti-gun demonstration led by young people. Yes, in America, people are way friendlier than in Germany – it is just normal for a cashier or bus driver to be friendly to the customers. And also the students at school were friendly. 

What was your favorite memory?
There were a lot of wonderful and remarkable moments during my time abroad. My favorite memory is taking part in the Lycée’s school musical. That year, we performed Into the Woods! by Sondheim. It was a wonderful show and it was a very special experience for me since at my school in Germany, there is nothing like that. 

What would you tell a student who wants to study abroad?
Appreciate every moment you have over there. Because, believe it or not, time flies by so rapidly abroad, you can’t even imagine! One moment you think there is still so much time left and the next, you realize it is almost over. 

What was it like attending classes at the Lycée?
Classes were very different than in Germany. The most important difference was the technology. It was new for me to be obligated to have a computer with me in school. I really liked the way technology was used in classes at the Lycée – all of this is only getting started in German schools. I also liked the many projects and presentations we did over the year, and I can still see the results of my work over there. School life was also quite a different experience: the Lycée has a great community! This being the fourth school I have attended, I can definitely say that at no other school was it so easy to settle in than at the Lycée!

What do you want to do with this experience?
My skills in English and French went up drastically throughout the year. Already before my time abroad I knew about my interest in languages, however this year has shown me that I really want to do something with languages later in life. And I know as well that I for sure will go abroad again.