From Düsseldorf to Waitsburg

WAITSBURG – For foreign exchange student Alex Pietrzyk, leaving his home in Düsseldorf, Germany, with a population of nearly 600,000, to spend a year attending school in Waitsburg was a major adjustment.

"When I learned I was coming to a town this size it was a bit of a shock," Pietrzyk said. "'What will there be to do?' I thought." But he has now grown accustomed to small town life and says he anticipates a reverse adjustment in getting used to the noise and bustle of the city upon his return home in June.

Pietrzyk turned 18 in December and is attending WHS as a junior. In Germany, he would be a senior, but his exchange is considered an educational "break" and he will resume schooling in Düsseldorf as a senior in the upcoming school year. Pietrzyk lives with his mother and 16-year-old sister in Germany and says they enjoy traveling "all over Europe" as a family. Pietrzyk says his love of travel, a desire to experience new cultures and hopes to improve his English motivated him to participate in the exchange program.

In a big change from his former city apartment, Peitrzyk is living with the Froherich family, on a small farm just outside Prescott. One of the big culture differences Pietrzyk noted is how kids hang out. "At first I thought it was weird to sit around a bonfire in the mountains. At home we would listen to music or talk at a coffee shop or someone's house. But now sitting around bonfires seems normal to me," he said.

School is also very different between the two countries. Pietrzyk said that, academically, Germany is more advanced and the teachers are more strict. "If you don't get an assignment in on time, you get an 'F.' There is no leeway," he said.

On the other hand, Pietrzyk had a hard time understanding school rules that apply to students outside of school hours. He cited a situation in which a student was punished by the school for attending a drinking party. "Here they care what you do after school. At home your private life is your own and you do what you want," he said.

The fact that Germany's legal drinking age for beer and wine is 16 made for another adjustment. "In Germany it is normal to get together with friends and drink a beer," Pietrzyk said. "I think drinking is more of a problem here because kids don't know how to handle their alcohol," he added.

At WHS Pietrzyk participated in both basketball, which was one of his favorite experiences, and track. He also enjoyed the Homecoming and prom celebrations, which they don't have in Germany. When it comes to food, Pietrzyk said it was pretty much as he expected, aside from one big surprise – the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. "At home we have either peanut butter or jelly, but not both together. After I had my first one, I thought, 'I need the next one!'" he said.

Pietzryk feels he has accomplished his goals of meeting new people and learning new things. "My English is much, much better," he said. Though he says he'll miss the friends he's made here, he's ready to see his friends and family back home. "Some of my friends from here will come and visit me, for sure," he said.

Pietzryk flies out June 18 and already has summer travel plans to visit Poland, France, and the Netherlands with friends and family.