St. Mary's exchange student is interested in seeing a new culture and way of life. Monika Welling, sixteen, is from Hoexter, Germany. She is attending St. Mary's for a semester and is staying with Mr. and Mrs. Bob Johnson.

A St. Mary's reporter asked her about life in Germany and the differences in the two cultures. Monika expresses herself in the following article.

"My home is in the middle of West Germany in a town called Hoexter, with 16,000 inhabitants. It's a nice town, over 600 years old with pretty houses and streets. My parents have a pharmacy in downtown and we live above it. I have two brothers, Christian, who is fourteen, and Adreas, who's ten. I attend the Koenig-Wilhelm-Gymnasium, a junior/senior high school in Hoexter.

I have thought about living in a foreign country for the last three or four years, because I wanted to see another culture and way of life.

Life is a lot different over here, especially the school system. In Germany, school begins at 7:45 a.m. and is dismissed at 1:00 p.m., and it has no involvement in any sports. Those who wish to be in a sport must join a club and pay a fee. I've joined the volleyball team at St. Mary's and find it to be a good way to meet people and have fun. Teenagers here are very busy the whole day, while in Germany they have all afternoon free. Another thing that is really different is the food. Some of the favorite German foods are boiled potatoes and vegetables. The German bread is also brown instead of white. German people don't eat fast food, even if restaurants like McDonald's or Burger King are available.

There are many more small differences, and it's really a great experience to see all of them, to meet many new people, to see their life, and to hear their opinions. Even though it was hard to leave my family and friends at home, I'm glad that I'm here. All the people I meet are really friendly, and they try to make me feel welcome. I know that some of the friendships I make will last forever, and I will never forget my stay here."