If you could wake up anywhere in the world, where would you wake up?

Maybe somewhere in South America, in the nature… with a sunrise and the mountains

Where have you gone, other than America, outside the country?

I’ve been to France, Spain, and Denmark with my family often, every summer. I also went on a bike tour in the Netherlands. I’ve also been to the Czech Republic and Austria to ski, and a summer camp in Sweden.

Is South America the next continent you want to go to?

Yeah, I would love to actually visit every continent once, because I think the cultural differences are huge, so I think it would be great to visit all the different countries, like maybe Thailand is Asia or Argentina in South America.

Do you know the country you’re thinking about going to next?

We have vacation after the exchange, so I’m going to France and Spain with 2 friends of mine

What’s the transportation like to get between those European countries?

We often fly to places like Spain or France, but for Austria or Denmark we just take the car. The Czech Republic is around a 10 hour drive, so a little bit more. There are some islands you can get to by taking the ferry. There’s also the train, that’s what I’m doing to go to France and Spain this time.

Having gone all over Europe, which country would you say is the most beautiful?

I think that’s hard because if you like snow and winters, it’s Austria. If you like beaches, I would say Spain, France, and Italy too. Italy has beautiful cities. The Czech Republic has beautiful rivers and forests.

Talk to me more about the biking trip [in the Netherlands].

I wanted to bike with friends so we took the train and biked into the Netherlands and our goal was to get to Amsterdam, but my bike broke down, so we took the train to get there.

How long does that biking trip normally take?

It was supposed to be 5 days of riding the bike but we only biked for 3 days and took the train. We also wanted to stay in the city for a bit so it was around a week.

What are your other passions that you’re interested in?

I really like to do arts at home when I have free time. I play field hockey, and I like to build with wood sometimes. I like to draw, but it’s more for fun than being good or beautiful.

Compiled by Yassin Mokbel, RubicOnline

Why did you choose to come on the exchange?

My sister was on a similar exchange and she loved it… I wanted the full experience of living somewhere else that’s not Germany and not Hamburg, because I only know the German school I’ve been to, like, forever.

How was the airport and the flight experience for you?

It was very relaxed. So we went from Hamburg to Frankfurt and then to Minneapolis, and it was very chill. There were 17 students and two teachers and we were all together on one plane.

Were you scared to come?

When the plane landed, I was very nervous, because we didn’t know what to expect or what was gonna happen. I don’t think our teachers knew what exactly was gonna [happen] so we found out, like Sunday evening and Monday morning what we [were going to] do.

How did you decide what to bring?

Yeah, that was kind of the biggest problem before we came here, because we didn’t know what the weather was going to be like. And we heard that, in some years, there’s even snow in October, but it can also be very warm. So we packed, like, for every weather condition possible, or we tried to do that.

How long is your school day?

It varies. I mean, on Monday, I go to school at eight and I leave school at 5:30. That’s very long. But then on Thursdays, I go to school at 10, and then I leave at 1:30.

How many classes do you get to choose and how many do you have to take?

I mean, we have to take either chemistry, physics or biology, and then we have to take either music, drama or art. So we can choose between those, but one of them we have to take.
We have to take 34 hours overall. We have to take 28 hours of classes, and then the last six we have to fill up with something else. I do choir, but I can’t sing. It’s so fun. I just stand there.

Do you celebrate Halloween?

I think that’s something Germans don’t do. We don’t have Halloween or any big Halloween decorations. Some people put out a pumpkin, but that’s it. It’s not that big a thing.

What is something that you like to do?

I feel like that’s one of my favorite activities, to just watch other people. I don’t know if that’s weird, but it’s just so fun.
And also when you’re walking somewhere, and then you just hear like half of a sentence of another person. It mostly doesn’t make any sense, but it’s just so fun to hear these little bits of other people’s conversations. To imagine what they could be talking about.

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Why did you decide to come on this trip?

I came to America twice before and I really liked it. I like the lifestyle and the food. I wanted to get out of Hamburg and visit this place because I’ve never been to Minnesota.

What is the size of your schools?

Our middle school is 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th grade then school is finished in 12th grade.

How long is your lunch?

We have a one-hour lunch. We also have 30 minute breaks between classes when people socialize.

Do you get a lot of homework?

Yes, we do, because now we are in upper school. We get a lot.

Do you have any siblings?

I have an older sister.

I have an older sister too.

Compiled by Juan Miguel Adams, The Rubicon

Why did you choose to come on this exchange trip?

Ian: I chose to come to the U.S. because I wanted to know how it is here. The school and the feeling of all the people here are wonderful.

Lara: I just wanted to see how the American school life is, and that is why I chose to come here.

Max: I think that this school is a lot better than in Germany.

What has been the most unusual or interesting food you’ve had so far?

Lara: We went to a diner and I have never had food like that before. I had a typical meal and a milkshake with the cherry on top and I took two sips and I couldn’t anymore. It’s so sweet and so much. It’s like ice cream. I was like “How can you drink that?”

Max: I was at a Mexican restaurant yesterday and I had tacos and it was really delicious. I also think that everyone is a lot more friendly than in Germany. I came in and everybody said hello, welcome and we instantly got some water.

Ian: I also found the Mexican restaurant very good.

What’s something you hope to do while you’re still here?

Lara: On Monday we go to the Mall of America, but I am already going on Sunday because I think we’re only given two hours on Monday and that’s not enough. I also want to try Raising Cane’s.

Ian: I want to go to Raising Cane’s and the mall.

Max: I also want to go to the mall with my family because I also think two hours is not enough. I also want to understand American football.

How does the driving compare to what you are used to?

Lara: I could start with driving lessons right now but then at 17 you have your permit and you have someone next to you as you drive and only at 18 you can drive completely alone.

Max: It’s very expensive and you have to pay again [to test] if you don’t get it the first time.

Lara: It’s like 900 questions you have to answer and we have a theoretical exam for driving–that one is like horror. But you don’t really need a car. I mean, our public transportation system is really good. You could get anywhere with our trains and buses.

Why did you decide to come on this exchange?

I just always wanted to visit the US, but I never had the opportunity. For vacation, [I’ve visited] Asia and Greece and other countries, but [my parents] never would travel here. I’ve always wanted to see a high school and the high school life. This was just the perfect opportunity.

Do you learn a lot about America in school history courses?

Yes. We learn much about [American history], but only in English class. History class is in German and [we learn about] German history.

How have your field trips in America been?

[The apple orchard] was next to the Mississippi River, and you could pick apples from trees. It was a bit disappointing, because there was no river. It was beautiful, but there were only trees, and we also have trees in Germany, and the apple trees were more like Apple bushes. We also did the field trip to the George Floyd Memorial. And this was really crazy. It was pretty interesting to see it, because everyone in Germany [saw] the video [of] how he got killed by the police, and to see the place where it really [happened and] to connect the things you saw in the video with real life was absolutely crazy and was emotional. I felt a bit confused, because I didn’t understand how the police officer did that. After the George Floyd Memorial, we [visited] the waterfalls.

What do you like to do outside of school or on the weekends?

We have a family place [that] my family goes to often. It’s at the East Sea, and we love to enjoy our holiday weekends there, because it’s perfect. It’s not a huge suburb, but you have a spa, restaurants, and the beach. I like to enjoy weekends there. Also, I like to play tennis, go to restaurants or play video games sometimes.

Compiled by Elizabeth Tuttle, RubicOnline

Why did you choose to come on the exchange?

I’ve always been interested in America. My sister went to the exchange too, five or six years ago. She always told [me] nice things. I just wanted to explore the world [and] America. See the different traditions and culture.

What particular souvenirs did you get?

I got some SPA merch, like a hoodie with the Spartan looks great. But, there’s some snacks we don’t have in Germany, but there’s also snacks we have in Germany that you don’t have in America. So I brought some for my family. Just different foods, different drinks. I haven’t heard of some. They were great.

What have you done with your host family so far?

My host, my exchange partner is Bennett. He has football training every day from after school to like, half past six. It’s different in Germany. So I’ve been to [a football] practice once, but I couldn’t take part in it.

Do you play any sports?

Soccer. I was a goalkeeper and defender…[On tuesday] we watched the [girls] soccer game and also played some soccer ourselves.

What do high school sports look like in Germany?

Sports are separate from school. You don’t actually play for the school team. Yeah, we just have PE as a subject, but not any actual teams or something in school. You have to go to a different club.

What does a day in your life look like?

I go to school at similar times [as SPA], but it’s very different. We don’t have anything like advisory or assembly or x period, we just have our classes, breaks between and then classes again. [There is] a window after school. You could just do what you want. You could join a club like soccer, which I did before I visited the gym, just do what you want. I meet with friends, do sports, go to the city, whatever I want.

Besides America, have you traveled to other countries?

Yeah, it’s very different from here. I could drive for five hours and visit five different countries. Besides, I was in Denmark, Poland, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, Spain, like the Canary Islands. So, yeah, you could literally do a day trip to another country. I want to go pretty much everywhere. Japan’s very cool, probably Australia. I’m not really interested in Africa, but I like North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.

Do you like camping?

I don’t like camping. Okay, been to South Germany two times camping with my dad. He likes snakes. We have a few snakes in southern Germany and we just went camping in the area and looked for snakes.

We have some snakes in Hamburg, but not many, there are just a few small spots with snakes. Also, like two different snakes, one is poisonous. I don’t know the English word for it… My father just took one [snake] for a few days and brought it back to where it belonged. I don’t know why he did that, but that’s how he got a snake for a few days.

What is your favorite piece of clothing or accessories?

I have bracelets for my family. My sister made them…in some of my favorite colors: blue, light blue and black. We were on a trip to the Baltic Sea. And my father bought one for me. It says “Lieblingssohn” which translates to “favorite son.” I’m his only son.

What is your fondest memory with your sister?

I have a lot. She always baked for me when I was in homeschool during covid. She always gifted me self made things. She always crochets, you know, and does a lot for me. So she’s a great big sister.

Compiled by Lani Ngonethong, RubicOnline

Why did you come on this exchange trip?

I just felt like I wanted to see new things. And since I’ve never been to the U.S. before, I thought it would be really interesting.

How is life in Germany?

I feel like it’s pretty different from here, especially school. I feel like your school is … more relaxed because our teachers are … more strict at times. Your teachers can focus on the one subject they teach, but ours each have [to teach multiple subjects], and they have different classes and different grades. They have to grade lots of things and prepare lots of lessons, so a lot of the time they’re really stressed.

Do you think you could see yourself living in America in the future?

I think it would be fun. I think about going to college over here, or somewhere that’s not Germany, because I want to move away from Germany a little bit to see the world… But I don’t know if I like the voting system and gun laws here. But if I didn’t consider the laws and the policies, and only the environment and the culture, then yeah, I’d definitely come here.

What do you do outside of school?

I play basketball. There are a lot of courts around my house so sometimes, I go there and play a little bit. I also play video games.

What video games do you play?

I play Valorant, Call of Duty, Minecraft, Red Dead Redemption and GTA.

Why did you choose to come on the exchange?

Honestly, I was told that there was an opening a week ago. It was a really short notice. But I thought, oh, wow, an American high school, yes. Why don’t we do that?

What are your interests?

My hobbies are reading, sailing and playing tennis.

I feel like at SPA, at least, everyone plays like a fall sport. With sports in Germany, you can play sports, but it’s not even offered by the school. But we also have a few clubs in the area where I live. But here everything’s so big. You have so many sports teams.

Do you do competitions?

We do. And then with it, like, rank you based on how many points you get. My dad has a little sailing boat…on the Baltic Sea. We live close to the Baltic Sea.

What’s your favorite school subject?

Business, that’s a class. Oh, not in Germany. I’ve been to an English boarding school for two months. It was a class there, and I loved it. They teach you sales, revenue…different forms of business. And I love my teacher as well. But it’s not a subject in Germany. In Germany, I would probably say German, because I love to write.

What’s your earliest childhood memory?

Playing in the snow. I think I just sat in the snow, and it was snowing for the first time in my life. My dad took me out to the forest, and I was just playing with the snow.

Compiled by Aarushi Bahadur, RubicOnline

What do you like to do in your free time?

I like reading books. Romances. I love the Twisted book series. The Deal.

Do you read them in English?

Sometimes, but most books I read in German.

Do you have a dream job or a profession you would like to do someday?

Maybe be a doctor of animal [like a vet] but I’m not sure.

Do you have any pets?

Yes, I have a dog. Do you want to see a picture?

Oh, cute! I have a dog too. He kind of looks a little like your dog, but yes, like a mix between the poodle and shitzu.

What’s his name?

Teddy

Mine’s named Vader, like Darth Vader.

So do you watch a lot of American movies?

Yes. Do you know Prison Break? That’s a series I’m watching right now.

What’s your favorite movie that you’ve watched?

10 Things I Hate About You.

I love that one!

…and The Notebook.

Can I ask you some questions now? What’s your favorite English word?

I like the word mango. Well, I just really like mangoes, but I don’t know. Do you have a favorite English word?

An English word… flower, maybe, sounds good in German. It’s bloomer.

Is English really different than German?

Some words are completely different, but some are the same. Yeah? Conversation and conversation, it’s the same.

What’s your school schedule?

So in general, our school is so different from yours. I have like 14 classes, you just have like eight, I guess you have every second day the same classes, don’t you? Yes, 14 and every day is different together. My favorite subject is choir. Is so funny in our school because we have some seniors who are so funny, you know, making jokes all the time and dancing to the songs.

Are there places you want to go in Minnesota?

In Minnesota, I don’t know so many places, but I want to go in the center of the Twin Cities. Oh yeah, go shopping and buy some clothes. But I don’t have any place in my suitcase. No, it’s full, so I have to buy another one, I guess.

What’s one memory that’s your best here so far?

I think there was one day when I was just with my friends, and we had such a great day. We were shopping, and then in the evening, we had a sit-in, call it, when people met at one house, like the whole friend [group] at one house and talking a bit, doing something. It was a very good day, also listening to Coldplay.

What have you noticed is different in the US than in Germany?

I would say the streets are wider and sometimes greener. Normally, the
pathway, sidewalk, yes. Where I work, there is no green space between the street and the sidewalk in Germany, like in most cities. And here it is. And normally in Germany, there are more like flats in the apartment, but here there are like, more houses. I also feel like Americans are constantly, snacking, eating, yeah, people. Like, people eat very, a very small amount for lunch and then, be snacking the entire day. I feel like the food in general was sweeter more sweets and stuff and bigger sizes.

Why did you choose to come on the exchange trip?

I always wanted to go to America, but my parents didn’t want me to. And then I think my older siblings, were allowed to go there, but they didn’t. And so I hope I could go there, because I think it’s like every four years, and then I got like, about the trip or the exchange, and I thought it was like a good opportunity. I saw many movies, and it looked good, and I think it’s like, really the way it is in the movie. So I felt like it would be different to Europe, and I like to travel and see new things, and then things about the cultures and stuff. So just seeing new things and new people.

What are your thoughts on SPA so far?

I really like it here. It’s really different to my German school. Everything is so different. I think the people are way more open than in Germany, and everyone is so friendly and always wants to help you. Yeah people are coming up to me and just asking me stuff about me.

Do you think you would ever come to the US for college?

Yeah, yesterday we went to St Thomas. I don’t know if you know, but I felt like it was so cool. But it’s very expensive, college in the US is a whole different thing than, college anywhere
else. I felt like everyone was so friendly to each other, and everyone was, connected or learning together. And I think like, so different to Germany because you are at some unis, you can do it online, so you don’t have to go to classes. And it’s different since I think it’s easier to find friends there. You’re like, constantly together.

Compiled by Allan Wang, RubicOnline

Why did you choose to come on this exchange trip?

Honestly, I knew that school was going to be super stressful, and so it was a great way of having some rest. And also, I’ve been wanting to go to America for a long time, so that was great.

What kinds of things do you like to do for fun?

I have a pretty big group of friends, so I love hanging out with them and doing honestly anything. And Hamburg is a pretty cool city. I love just walking around, going shopping, maybe. But I also play tennis, and I’m a pretty calm person, too. So like reading, listening to music, stuff like that, too.

What languages do you know?

I take both [English and German], like every school in Germany. You have to take English and German. I love English class and also Spanish. I’m pretty good with languages, I’d say. I [also] know Croatian. My family speaks that language. My parents moved to Germany when they were around 20, and so they met there and then had me and my brother.

What are you afraid of?

With the new school year, which has been so stressful to me, I’m really afraid of not getting into psychology, because you have to have basically all A’s, which is insanely hard to do, especially in our school, because it’s super strict. I’ve never thought of doing anything other than psychology, so I have no idea what to do with my life if it doesn’t work out.

What’s your earliest childhood memory?

Oh, my parents always say it’s impossible for me to remember this, because I was, like, three weeks old, maybe. But my parents, I think, they didn’t tell my brother they were having me. And so one night, my mom just came home with me, and my brother hated it because he wasn’t the center of attention anymore. And so he moved to my grandparents’ house for two weeks. And I remember him standing in our door with a backpack with my grandparents.

Compiled by Greyson Sale, RubicOnline

Why did you come on the exchange?
Finn: Well, I’ve always seen things about America on social media, and I thought it’s very interesting, the cultural difference and the language, so I thought it would be really, really nice to see it in person.
Eric: For me, it’s also my first time in the US. So that was a good opportunity to come here and to also experience the school.

What is school like and how is it different?
Eric: I think our subjects are more overall, not just like biology, but here you have, like genetics, more into the topics.
Finn: Generally, you have a closer relationship with teachers than friends, and for us, it’s, I know they just are teachers. And like, for classes, we don’t have that many dedicated classrooms, only for sciences and the rest, just in the classroom. Eric: Also, something that is really different is that we don’t have a sports team in the school, so we just have like subjects and like every semester there’s like different sports types, like volleyball, football or soccer but to play it in a club, so it’s outside of school.

What classes have you been to today?
Finn: Okay, none of this that I remember would be advanced technical pro projects, because I could just hang out in the Design Lab. That was pretty awesome, because we don’t have all these machines at our schools.
Eric: Also virtual history, which was fun, but I look like in the history books and well, they’re obviously more focused on American history, or things that affect America, especially like in World War Two, or Japan and stuff like that.
What do you think you are going to remember most from your trip?
Finn: on the weekend, when we were doing trips together as a group, or in the evening when we meet up with Brooks. I think that will be fun.
Eric Yeah, I think also, the school, because we are there almost the whole time. So I think that’s gonna, like, stick in my head, stay in my hand, and some memories about the trips.

Compiled by Peter Lipinsky, RubicOnline

What languages do you speak?
I speak German and English obviously and I also speak Russian and a little bit of French which I took for about eight years.

What have you thought about the classes?
Ann-Sophie explained that she enjoyed all the classes she went to and thought that they were more advanced than the one in Germany. Except for Choir because the class is larger, “10 sopranos, 15 altos, and then 20 boys” singers are in the choir in Germany, she said. Ann-Sophie talked about how she plays a role in her choir as well, “I am the lower female voice, an alto”

What is a unique thing about yourself?
I’m not fully German, I’m half Ukrainian.

Compiled by Audrey Jansen, RubicOnline

Tell us why you decided to come on the exchange program.

I’d heard a lot about America, and our culture is [hugely] influenced by the American culture. We watch American music, we watch American films… I also wanted to meet new people and get away from my school in Germany.

Which activities have you enjoyed here?

I think yesterday or the day before we went to the George Floyd Memorial….We got a tour guide there, and she actually was from George Floyd Square, she grew up there. It was pretty sad to hear all the stories. And yeah, it was pretty emotional. But we also went to the Minnehaha Falls. It was pretty nice. I’ve got some nice pictures. And then we went bowling with the other exchange students and the principal from the school here. That was also pretty fun… I also went to the soccer practice. I thought I would be quite good at football, but then I realized I’m not that good. I don’t have the techniques that the others have.

What’s been the most surprising thing that’s happened since you got here?

There are quite a lot of things that are pretty different to Germany, but I think the most different thing, or the most interesting thing, is that everyone’s so kind. The first woman I met, she asked me where I’m from, and I was so confused because in Germany, [you] wouldn’t just go [talk] to a random person… the other thing is, so we went to Target on the first day, and [it] was so overwhelming. There’s there were so many products, and everything was so glowy and different colors and stuff like that. And it was so cool.

What is your favorite English word?

Actually, my favorite English word is “squirrel,” because I can’t really pronounce it. I don’t think any German can. Because in German it’s called Eichhörnchen.

Complied by Aarushi Bahadur, RubicOnline