What is this turning in to?

Trip to a Foreign Land
By Blair Emsick

Niki Holzapfel got the experience of a lifetime when she had the opportunity to go to Germany through the German American Youth Society Exchange Program this summer. This Program shares a twin city with Omaha in Germany called Braunshweig in Northern Germany. In the program each student in the exchange program is matched with a host family and a host partner. Then the American student will go to Germany for three weeks, and then the German student will come to America for three weeks.
Holzapfel first found out about the Exchange program from her German teacher at Central. Her father asked about an exchange program during open house, and her teacher recommended the German American Society's program. It turned out to be a success and Holzapfel was able to become involved in the program, and go to Germany.


“My host family was the Hesses, my host partner was Anabel“, says Holzapfel “During the weekdays, our American group would go on daytrips to various places like the Volkswagon factory, the Braunshweig police station, the Beregen Beisen concentration camp, and neighboring cities like Hamburg and Berlin”, continues Holzapfel.

Holzapfel’s eyes were open to a whole new different cultural experience in her three weeks in Germany.

“It’s a lot greener then people then the United States. People walk and ride bikes much more then driving…An effective transportation also makes it incredibly easy to be a teenagers”. says Holzapfel.

Holzapfel spent her three weeks in Germany growing very close to her host family. They took Holzapfel to places such as the North Sea, Bremerhaven and to the Harz Mountains. She also did a whole lot of shopping with her host partner Anabel.

“I loved my host family. I still keep in touch with my host family, they’re absolutely my second family” laughs Holzapfel.

Holzapfel was able to see and whole new side of the world, and was awakened to a whole new culture, an opportunity students rarely get to have. However “Germany was surprisingly Americanized” says Holzapfel,“There are American songs on the radio, American movies in the theaters, and American stores in the shopping centers. It showed me how much of a cultural influence we are.”

Holzapfel says she is planning to go back to Braunshweig after she graduates.

“In the end this trip opened my eyes to the amazing beauty in the world. It also made me want to travel more. This whole exchange was amazing, I would recommend it to anyone who was considering traveling to Germany”