By Grace Cueter, Grace Rossman & Lauren Kaled EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, MANAGING EDITOR & INTERN
ILLUSTRATIONS | Bella Yoakam
Where are you from? “I’m from Namur, it’s a little
town but it’s very cute,” Tedajio-Tsape said. “It’s an hou r from [Belgium’s capital]. In Belgium, there are two sides, Dutch and French, I am on the French side so we speak Fre nch there. ”
favorite What has been your ge part of your exchan experience?
le,” Mueller said. t so many cool peop “I definitely have me e along with how part of the experienc “That’s my favorite c travel to. The publi tries are so easy to the European coun ar ss cities that e od that you can acce go so is n tio rta po trans ” by getting on a train. super far away just
What mad e you wan t to study in America?
“I’ve been thinking a bout doing this exper in middle ience since school,” Pic I was cinelli said . “But last that was a year, I had little bit diffi a year cult. I was so here I a like, ‘I nee m.” d a change ,’ and
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FEATURE
OCTOBER 5, 2022
On August 22, North senior Marc Mueller arrived in Germany for his year abroad. Mueller has always been interested in the German language and culture, dedicating years to learning the dialect. When he got the opportunity to apply for a scholarship that would allow him to study abroad, he knew it was an opportunity he had to take advantage of. Since arriving in Germany, Mueller has noted many differences between European living and American living. The culture is one that prioritizes recycling, and Mueller and his host family have five of their own recycling bins. There are many architectural differences, including windows, which open in three different directions. His school schedule is much less uniform, as each school day is a different length and he only attends each class one time per week. Additionally, comfortability is stressed and the schools are treated as more of a home. “On the first day of school, I walked into the room, and people just had their [shoes off],” Mueller said. “I was like, ‘What is happening?’ The kid next to me said that it’s so clean that you can take your shoes off and teachers ask you to do it. If you don’t, that’s weird.” In his time spent in Germany, Mueller has been able to travel to many other parts of the country and continent by train. He and his friends are able to easily and safely travel alone through towns. Paris, Spain and Italy are only a few of the places that Mueller hopes to visit before his experience ends. When the time comes to return home, he says he is most excited to see his friends and family and to eat a Little Caesars Pizza. However, he is immensely grateful for the experience and is excited to be able to visit in his future. “[The experience] definitely sparked my interest for travel and experiencing new cultures,” Mueller said. “Studying abroad again in Europe would be something I want to do, and I also want to frequently visit Germany after my exchange.”
Marc Mu eller