Suzanne Pocost

The hybrid scent of alcohol, sweat and camaraderie enveloped 500,000 soccer fans gathered in the streets of Berlin. Toddlers and elderly alike proudly waved flags above their heads, eyes locked on the colossal screen looming over the crowd. Eric Alseth huddled in the midst of the mob as a chapter of the UEFA European Football Championship unfolded above.

“It was incredible to see how everyone interacted,” Alseth, senior, said. “There was no ill will toward anyone there. You never get to see Americans interact with people from other countries like that. It was like everybody knew they were a part of something bigger.”

The public viewing was only one of the many activities which 20 of KHS’s German III and IV students took part in while staying in Hamburg, Germany this summer as part of the German American Partnership Program (GAPP). The students were each assigned a German counterpart and host family to live with. The group’s activities ranged from going on a scavenger hunt around downtown Hamburg to attending Tarzan: The Musical.

    “We were doing so many things. I didn’t really feel that far from home,” Alseth said. “The families were very welcoming. It wasn’t nearly as shocking as I thought it would be.”

    According to a video on GAPP’s website, in addition to helping students develop their German speaking ability, the program’s overriding goal is to show students different ways of thinking and shatter any prejudices they might harbor.

“At first, I just thought [the Germans] would be really uptight,” Jenna Rose, senior, said. “I thought they would have different views on fun and happiness, but they were just like American teenagers. It was so great because they liked the same music and movies and everything.”

    The program also aims to spark further interest in the German language. According to Katherine Wolter, junior, after experiencing a foreign culture, students on the fence about whether or not to pursue a career involving the language are shown ways to apply it in the future.

    “I never knew how I would use it or what I could do,” Wolter said. “Now I even have an interest in going to college to study German because I want to go back and visit them.”

    Alseth’s future plans were impacted by the program in a similar way.

    “I’ve always known that I’ve wanted to do something with the government as a diplomat,” Alseth said. “[The GAPP program] solidified that decision.”

    Alseth, Rose and Wolter agreed they left the program having created strong relationships with their German counterparts. Although the German students will be coming to KHS this fall, saying goodbye at the end of the three-week period was difficult.

    “I remember telling myself, ‘I’m not going to cry,’ but the last five minutes before we got on the bus, I just broke down,” Rose said.

    All three encourage German students to participate in the GAPP program.

    “I was so scared at first. I thought I would never be able to do it,” Rose said. “It was the best experience of my life.”