CyberPlainsman
Bridging the GAPPThursday, April 23, 2009 By Andrew Scott and Dakota Smith
The German American Partnership Program is an annual event at Laramie High School. Taking place since 1989, this year alone 24 German students have come to LHS for an American school experience. The students have come all the way from Dillingen, a small town on the Danube River in southern Germany. They arrived on the fifth and will depart on the twenty second of April. “I can choose classes” said visiting student, Uyen Cao. Headed by LHS German Teacher Dave Miller, 24 LHS Students are hosting our visitors in their own homes. “They are very nice” recalled Cao on her experience with her host family. “We went to Denver last weekend,” she explained on what she’s been doing in America thus far. However, before coming to the humble town of Laramie, the German students stopped at the nation’s capital, Washington D.C. The students from afar have the chance to take part in the day-to-day proceedings of their respective host students. As they learn the ins and outs of American education, they are merely observers in the classes, participating when called upon. “You can listen to music,” said the envious Cao on one of the more casual rules at LHS. “It’s a great opportunity for us to get to know the American Culture,” concluded Cao, enthusiastically. While the trip is a short one, Cao and the others are obviously happy to be here. It’s sure to be an experience they and their hosts will never forget, as the bridge of diversity is crossed during these annual cultural exchanges. |