The Mycenaean

At the beginning of the school year, Leesville has 5 exchange students from Spain, Brazil, the Netherlands and many other countries. Daniela Freund, one of the exchange students, came over from Munich, Germany.

When moving to a new country for ten months there are always some new things that you have to get used to. For Freund, it was public transportation. “There are a lot of differences, so a lot of things were unfamiliar to me so I had to get used to a lot of things. For example, no public transportation and the food,” said Freund. With moving across the Atlantic for ten months, there are going to be some cultural differences.

“With some things we are not as strict as here and I would say her it is more liberal especially with the clothing,” said Freund.

Freund wants to experience American teenage life, so for her that includes embedding with her peers at LRHS: “Doing a sport at school because we do not have that in Germany, also to try out new things and be part of clubs, and live the American life,” said Freund.

You may be thinking, what is so different about European schools, how separate and dictanct can two schools be we are all here to learn and have friends. “We have a lot more subjects and you can not choose which subjects you have. We also have fixed classes, so we do not mix up our classes, and we do not have sports or clubs, so if you want to do fun things you have to do that outside of school,” said Freund. 

Allison Bullard is Daniela’s third period teacher and chemistry teacher here at Leesville.“It is just really interesting to have someone with a completely different background. We have had some great conversations about travel and Europe. She has been quiet, and she has done extremely well. She has a lot to offer that I am not sure that her peers recognize yet, so as she gets more comfortable and warms up I think that everyone can benefit from having someone from a different country,” said Ms. Bullard.

With every student there is always something that separates them from the person next to them, for Daniela it is that. “She is very detailed in how she shows her work, and the diligence of her work ethic is strong,” said Bullard.

Anyone who meets Daniela and gets to know her on a personal level will completely agree with the fact that she is a fun and bubbly person. Overall, Freund wants to experience the American life and become a little bit American  

For the people who are interested in being a foreign exchange student Freund came over through International experience, also known as I.E.