The Student News Site of Westborough High School

The Lobby Observer

The Student News Site of Westborough High School

The Lobby Observer

The Student News Site of Westborough High School

The Lobby Observer

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A Year Abroad: German Teen Takes on WHS

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By Gabrielle Delgado

Imagine living in a new country during junior year amidst a whole new experience. Foreign exchange student Lea Reinberger chose to do just that. Reinberger temporarily ventured from her home in Karlsruhe, Germany and enrolled in Westborough High School (WHS) in attempts to immerse herself in the ever changing culture, education, and teenage way of life of an American in the northeast.

Sixteen-year-old Reinberger describes Karlsruhe, the urban city she calls home in Germany, as a comparison to Boston.  “The area is not too small, not too big, not too crowded, not too empty; it is perfect.” When she first arrived in Westborough, Massachusetts, she remembers everything being so exciting. She describes the town as typically like how she imagined America: yellow school bus, circle lunch tables, you name it. “Even the mailboxes looked classically American.” Now, after adjusting to daily life, she is comfortable with her surroundings and life is starting to feel normal.

When she was attending school in Germany, she recalls the differences between her education and WHS. Each class was with the same people the entire day, and often that same class is together throughout the four years of high school. “Actually, I like American school more. When you move from class to class to see different people, you meet so many new students,” Reinberger says.

She also enjoys how sports and clubs are connected with the school. She did enjoy dancing on teams in Germany and playing the occasional tennis in the summer. But there, activities are outside sources only.  Here in Westborough, she can see friends after school in sports instead of going home right away when classes are done.

Reinberger started school at Westborough High in September as a junior. She says people were very welcoming and open to her arrival and she assimilated to daily life with ease. Reinberger likes how WHS keeps the community joined with lunch, after school activities, and extra clubs. “There is so much to do at WHS. It really brings everyone together.” One activity she picked up was track and field. She loved it because she can push her athletic limits while seeing friends and having a good time.

Reinberger had the choice to go to London, Ireland, or The U.S. One of her primary reasons to experience an American education, besides her eagerness to discover the culture,  was to become more efficient in speaking and writing in the English language. “I had English class in school back home, just like you have Spanish here.” English, she says, is easier to learn for her than other languages such as French. “I always liked English. English was always a subject I really liked in school.”

For every language and its society, a form of abbreviations and slang are frequently used. Reinberger says sometimes it is hard to understand, but she has seen her fair share of it on social media. Nevertheless, she says learning English can open many windows and doors to know the language, because it is a widely known in many cultures.

In Germany, there are certain subjects students have to take, so there is not a lot of room to take electives like Journalism. “I like that you can study things you have interest in here.” One of her favorite classes she is taking besides English, is U.S. History. “It is interesting to see a different perspective on major events in Germany here, and how they are less focused on.” She recalls extensive lessons on major historic German events, and how they were only touched on here, which is different yet refreshing.

While Reinberger is thoroughly enjoying Westborough, she has had many chances to travel to surrounding areas. she has visited New York, New Hampshire, and Boston. “I like big cities, New York City is perfect,” she says. “You meet so many different people there and it is full of culture. Maybe one day I could live there.” She has traveled around New England and surrounding states, but is going on vacation to Florida for the first time with her host family.

“I like the idea of being in a different country on my own. I wanted to make new friends, learn the English language, and learn and be part of a new culture.” She has always admired the “trendy, opportunistic, American Dream” way of the U.S. through movies, social media, and word of mouth, and was ready to experience it on her own.

She feels after going through a completely new school system, making new friends, learning about the community, and overall discovering new ways of life, she has changed and grown as a person. “I grew up a lot. In so many ways I became braver. I will definitely remember and use the things I have learned here in my life back home.”

 

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    AsadApr 13, 2017 at 3:11 pm

    I liked the amount of detail from Leah’s past, the article was interesting.

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