Germany exchange with CRAFT
Last week, Woodstock Union High School’s CRAFT Program welcomed 5 exchange students from Ingolstadt, Germany visiting for the 2nd leg of the very first CRAFT exchange. For some, it was their first time ever in the US, for all it was their first time in Vermont. A few of them had already embarked on journeys to Boston or New York City, but they found life in Vermont starkly different to life in the city. For a week they stayed with their host families and got to learn the ins and outs of the town and the state!
For some background, a few weeks ago five of our very own CRAFT students went to their school in Ingolstadt, Germany to learn about their culture and what the agricultural aspect of their country is. They stayed with their host family in Germany and our students hosted them here. Some of them grew up watching American pop culture television or even listening to American music. While doing so, they built up stereotypes about the country in their heads, most acknowledging that when they came to Vermont those stereotypes evaporated and were proven wrong. One of the biggest stereotypes that they all agreed upon was the food. “There is a German stereotype about the US that we only eat burgers and fries and fast food.” noted by Elisa. She had been to Boston recently and ate quite a bit of fast food because it was cheaper. Here she talked about how it was different because of all of the access to vegetables and fresh produce. There isn't a lot of that in Boston.
Along with the fresh fruits and vegetables, another aspect of Vermont that they got to enjoy and something it’s kind of known for, is nature. They live in a city of 150,000 people in Germany and here in Vermont we take nature for granted sometimes. Elisa commented on how fresh the air was here, and the privacy aspect as well. When speaking on the essence of Vermont they all agreed that it had a really “romantic feeling to it.”
All of them really liked the lifestyle that we live here as Vermonters. In the city there's a lot of hustle and bustle and here it's very calming, peaceful and “real nature.” Of course you can't forget the cute houses too!
This week the German exchange students got to experience nature first hand. Some of their activities for the week were skiing at Killington , exploring the national park and Billings Farm in town and seeing firsthand where our food comes from. They visited Vermont Farmstead Cheese and got to make some of their own cheese. They got to go to the King Farm and the Richardson farm to participate in the quintessential/classic Vermont experience of sugaring! Last but definitely not least, they got to plant some seeds in the wonderful greenhouses here at the high school!
Regarding some of their experiences in nature, Patrick said, “Nature for me personally, was the best part, skiing in the mountains was awesome.” Most of the exchange students hadn’t been skiing before so they were really excited about being able to try something new in the beautiful mountains of Vermont.
When inquired about why they wanted to come on the trip, they spoke on the fact that learning about new cultures was incredibly important to them. Patrick commented that every time he learns about a new culture it adds more to his own beliefs and his own perspectives on life. Amelie agreed and remarked on talking to someone who's really familiar with the town, she really enjoys being around people who know the town well and the culture.
Something that really struck me that they said was about how we get used to our surroundings so easily. Them being from a city, they appreciated the nature here much more than you and I do on a daily basis. “You don’t realize what you have because you see it every day.” (Amelie).
Overall, our students and the German students had an amazing experience and got to learn a lot from each other and their countries! It is super exciting being able to connect with someone from another country and everyone had such a good time. Thank you to all the teachers, parents and students who made the German students feel welcome!!