This Foreign Exchange Paid Off Perfectly
by Jan Juergens
The writer recently completed his sophomore year at Middleburg Academy as an exchange student from Germany. This story was taken, with permission, from the school’s newsletter, The Dragon.
After I spent three weeks in the United States in the summer of 2014, I knew that I wanted to spend a whole year there.
The huge highways, cities, and free refills amazed me, especially since Germany is so very different. However, when I decided that I wanted to spend my year with Youth For Understanding (YFU), a non-profit exchange organization that helps to find the best host families around the world, I did not know where I was going to go.
A few months later, I heard I was going to go to Middleburg Academy. I was excited: A top-notch private school, about an hour away from Washington D.C. And while I did not know what it would be like, YFU helped largely by providing seminars, guides, and more.
One of my favorite and first activities at Middleburg Academy was to enroll in their sports program. It’s one of the biggest differences to Germany, where school is only for studying (if even). There are no after-school activities; no sports, no music, no clubs.
At Middleburg Academy, however, everyone has the chance to do whatever they would like. One of the first things I did was to run cross country. Right at the first practice, I knew I wanted to do this sport for the whole season, also due to the great team and coach, Mrs. Brittany Myers.
Cross country is largely unknown in Germany. I really wanted to play tennis, my main and all-time favorite sport. But the experiences I gathered during the cross country season were great. I still like running on the weekends.
Over the winter, I joined the swimming team. Even though I was not a great swimmer, not being able to dive properly, the team warmly welcomed me as a member. The season was a lot of fun and definitely helped me to improve my swimming skills, and stay active after school.
In spring, I could finally play tennis, five to six times a week. Every day after school I am having a great time! The team is obviously great too, and even though we lost our first game, everyone is aiming to improve their skills.And playing for my school feels great, being different from just you playing on your own.
Another thing I have noticed when I first arrived is how nice and open everybody is to new people, and even new cultures. During one of my first lunches, I did not know where to sit. A friendly group invited me to sit at their table so I would not sit alone. I still am surprised how well people helped me to join the community at Middleburg Academy, and how open and interested they were.
Something I will definitely miss when I go back to Germany is the great appreciation and recognition of technology of the 21st century. Back in Germany, phones had to be in the schoolbag, even during breaks. If you were caught, your phone was taken away, and not easily returned.
I would have never imagined that students would be allowed to use their laptops for note-taking, instead of writing on paper. Other things like Google mail are great advancements. By giving every student a personal email address, and the ability to write to other students, or even teachers, helps greatly. I will try to bring as much as I can to Germany, to also improve technology in school there.
I can truly say that I like Middleburg Academy way better than any other school I have attended before. Beside the obviously better academic program, and great school community, the whole atmosphere has struck me. I would almost go as far as calling it a second home.
Several times I have stayed at the school until 8 or 9 p.m. in the evening, enjoying the wonderful library, or other places. With the vending machine, there is even other food to eat. I remember that, sometimes, Mrs. (Edwina) Bell, wife of the Headmaster, would bring some baked cookies to my AP U.S. history class, a gesture that I take with the greatest appreciation. In an environment as this, which I could have never dreamed of in Germany, I do feel very comfortable, and a place to have fun than just simply a place to learn things you would learn in a regular school.
I want to thank the people at Middleburg Academy who made this great year possible for me, a year beyond my expectations. I also want to encourage students at Middleburg Academy to take the chance I did to go to another country for one year. If it is with YFU, or any other exchange organization, it is a unique experience that you will not have twice. Another option is to host exchange students as a family; welcoming host families are always needed in the YFU program.
Finally, I have to say that I appreciate my time here at Middleburg Academy greatly. It’s been an unbelievable year.