Living the American experience

She shouldn’t have arrived in Texas, the state of sweltering heat and cowboy aesthetics. Instead, she should be in another state, somewhere in the southeast. Her organization has mistaken her for another girl, switching their choice of regions they wanted to visit in the United States. Yet, she couldn’t complain once she met her host family, who welcomed her with open arms and made her feel at home. What only mattered to her was accomplishing the goal of living the American experience.

Junior exchange student Sarah Eberhardt decided to apply for an exchange year in the United States after seeing her brother have a positive experience during his exchange year of 2015-2016. She never thought of leaving Germany until meeting Americans and seeing their way of living while visiting her brother.

“I had to make a wish [to] which region I [wanted to] go to,” Eberhardt said. “I don’t care where I go because at least [I’m] in a family who really wants to host [me]. I think it’s more important to be with people who like you than in a place you like.”

Eberhardt continuously works to accomplish her goal of having an optimistic exchange experience despite not being in the place she intended. With fellow exchange student junior Claudia Quesada, they spend their time together to have a positive exchange year.

“Knowing new people, learning the language, [becoming] bilingual and [living] the American experience [are Sarah’s goals],” Quesada said. “She’s always there [for me]. We tell everything to each other and she’s very nice.”

While not used to the long school hours of an American public school, going from six to eight hours, Eberhardt continues to be in charge of her learning and doing her best in school. Putting in the extra effort to find answers when she doesn’t know them to better understand the curriculum, she is known by her teachers as a bright and kind student.

“She is outgoing and good at helping other students to think with an open mind,” French teacher Alice French said. “I have noticed her standing up for her beliefs and sticking up for other classmates.”

Even as Eberhardt enjoys living in America, she still misses aspects from back home including riding her bicycle and walking to places by herself, but also major aspects such as her family and friends, German traditions and being in the familiar surrounding of her hometown. Being seen as herself by her peers and people is what she misses most.

“Anytime I go anywhere they’re like ‘Oh I love your accent, where are you from?’ and then in Germany they’re like ‘Oh hi, again’ because I see [the same people] every day,” Eberhardt said.  “Everybody knows me as the ‘German girl.’ I’m more than just the ‘German girl.’ I’m Sarah, not the ‘German girl.’”

Eberhardt leaves an impact on teachers and people she has befriended in America. Her strong voice of opinion and beliefs, her need to help others succeed and her desire to create lasting memories with those around her make her memorable to fellow peers and teachers.

“I will absolutely miss her when she returns home,” French said. “She is a joy to have in class. She’s witty and brings a uniqueness to my fourth period. I hope she plans on returning one day to visit again.”

She had to adjust her lifestyle to live the American way, dealing with the traditions of Texas, discovering unique foods, and enjoying the laid back parenting styles of Americans. Yet even with this, Eberhardt enjoys living the American experience. While she might not spend the rest of her life living here, it has opened up her mind to visiting places outside her country.

“Living an American lifestyle [is] so [different] from [the] European lifestyle,” Eberhardt said. “Everything changed. Transportation, friends, even sports. We focus more on different things, so it’s completely different. I think I can imagine living in America or Texas.”