An exchange of lives

Cape Girardeau teen Claire Bira and German foreign exchange student Chrissy Starz write about their experiences living in the other's world.

Claira Bira

Notre Dame Regional High School student Claira Bira spent a month in Bavaria, Germany as part of a Rotary Foreign Exchange program.

Imagine a world without peanut butter.

A world that lacks Wal-Mart, Oreos, chocolate chips and sweet coffee, but has instead chocolate breakfasts, straight espresso, BMWs, castles and mountains.

Bavaria, Germany was my destination as I set off alone June 28 on a Rotary Exchange. I'd heard of the beautiful scenery and was looking for adventure and new experiences. I had no idea what the next month held for me.

I was met at the Munich Airport by my host, Christina Starz and her mother. I stumbled out my prepared sentence in German and they laughed, speaking fluent English. Apparently, English is spoken all over Europe.

I was completely disoriented as it was 11 a.m. there, and about 3 a.m. at home. From the airport, we drove to Dillingen, one of Bavaria's many small, white-housed, red-roofed villages.

Dillingen, where Chrissy lives, is pretty and quite old. Tall, ornate buildings line the sides of the brick streets, and the churches are exquisitely decorated, covered in gold and murals.

The next day, we went into a town called Guenzburg, and I got my first look at Bavaria. The scenery was beautiful with rolling green hills everywhere and little villages tucked in the creases. In Germany, (and Europe in general, I'm told), things are not so spread out as they are here. Little villages are crammed together in any way possible, with no room to park a car.

People ride their bikes, walk or rollerblade to save space on the cobblestone streets. In Guenzburg, there were certain streets were no cars were even allowed; pedestrians only. There, I got my first taste of German "eis," or ice cream, and instantly adored it.

Next, we were on an overnight train from Munich to Florence, Italy for a trip through the Alps. The stars were shining above the mountains, and cold wind whipped through my open window. I stayed up too late, watching as we climbed over the Alps. I finally fell asleep as we crossed over the Austrian border. When I awoke, the sun was rising over the Italian vineyards.

In Italy, we toured the bridges, ate "gelato" or Italian ice cream, and climbed the 141-staircase tower to the Cathedral in Florence. We ate real Italian pizza and watched the sun over the mountains from an old tower wall in Lucca, and climbed to the top of the leaning tower of Pisa. Our final day was spent on the Mediterranean Sea, bodysurfing in the cool turquoise water and whitecapped waves.

The next week, I visited the school twice -- once with Chrissy's younger brother, Michael. In an English class, I answered questions about America. The students were amazed that we can drive at the age of 16. They were also amazed that we aren't allowed to drink until the age of 21. In Germany, the drinking age begins at 16. In Michael's class, we read a poem about a soldier preparing for the Vietnam War. The class didn't understand his intense patriotism. They couldn't quite grasp feeling so proud and excited about a country.

Gaby, my host mother, took me to a Mass in a special church in town and Chrissy took me horseback riding. We spent a day in Munich, shopping and sightseeing.

Right before I left, Chrissy had her graduation, so we all got dressed up and went to the ceremony. Afterward, her class and a few teachers went to a street festival in a nearby town to celebrate and Chrissy took me along to see the nightlife. We even got to go to a dancing club, or "disco."

Eventually, the time came to pack up. I soon realized that with all my souvenirs, my things just wouldn't fit in my original bag. I borrowed a second bag from my host family, filling it with all the things I'd purchased (mostly food).

Even though upon my arrival I didn't know a single word of German, by the time I left, I could form sentences and understand complete conversations. I learned that I have an extreme weakness for chocolate, especially Toblerone Bars. I learned how important family and friends really are and how much their absence is missed in only a month. I discovered that although I love these people very much, I love God even more, and his help is assured even when they're not around.

Here, most of the time, no two houses are the same. I became aware of the fact that America really is a great melting pot. Chinese and Mexican food is part of our culture, accepted and approved, just as different ethnicities and races are. In Germany, all of the people I came into contact with were Caucasian. On the other hand, though, living in Europe, Germans seemed more in tune with world events.

They usually knew at least three languages and knew more geography than most Americans probably do. I was shamed by how much they knew about America versus how little we know about German culture.

I changed in small ways and large ways, but when all's said and done, I'll still be going to school this year with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and cookies in my lunch box.

Claire Bira is a student at Notre Dame Regional High School who recently returned from a month-long Rotary Exchange trip to Germany.

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Chrissy Starz

Chrissy Starz, a Rotary foreign exchange student from Germany, wraps up her month visiting Cape Girardeau this week.

Imagine a world without German chocolate, Spaetzle (a type of German noodles), soft pretzels for breakfast and many old churches, but has instead hummingbirds, wild turtles, wide streets and fast food restaurants.

I tried to imagine, but it was not possible.

The first thing I realized when I stepped off the plane in Philadelphia was how hot it was! Now I understood why I saw many swimming pools when we flew over America.

In Germany it's sometimes hot too, but usually it is colder and rainier than in Missouri. Therefore, we don't have swimming pools in our yards.

On my first day I got a really good impression of American cities, even though it was raining. Claire and her sister Emily showed me Cape Girardeau. I saw many fast food restaurants and I was impressed by these big and wide roads, with sometimes three lanes for one direction.

After a few days my host family went with me to Illinois and Iowa for a whole weekend to visit some relatives. It was a long drive, but I had so many things to look at. I was very fascinated by this country.

On our way we visited Mark Twain Cave in Hannibal, Mo. It was very interesting to see all those places described in "Tom Sawyer." Late at night, we took a trip to Wal-Mart, because I've never been to one. It was a lot of fun, and I bought my first pair of Wal-Mart flip-flops. In Germany, it's not possible to go shopping past 8 p.m., because all the shops close.

In Iowa we went to stay with Claire's grandparents. In the afternoon, we walked into town to eat some ice cream and there we accidentally met some people who speak German. I was really glad to speak some German words, because my days here are made of translating sentences in my mind.

In the following week, Emily and Claire went with me to the mall in Cape Girardeau to do some shopping. I was very excited to see one of those big and famous malls, because in Germany it is not common to go shopping in malls. In big cities we have some of them, but they are smaller than in America.

I also realized during our shopping tour that some clothes, especially blue jeans, are much cheaper here than in my country.

At the end of this week it was time to pack my clothes again, because the family decided to make their family vacation with me and to show me Colorado. I was really excited to see the Rocky Mountains, because I've heard so many things about them.

First we drove through Missouri, Kansas and Colorado. It was a great experience for me because I've never seen so much empty land. For miles and miles there was just nothing. I perceived a feeling of freedom which I have never felt before.

When we arrived in the Rocky Mountains it was night and we couldn't see the beautiful area around us but we were very amazed by the bright, starry sky. We could see every star and also the Milky Way. It was awesome.

The next morning, we saw a beautiful lake next to our campsite.

After an easy hike, we decided to swim in a lake. It was so cold but refreshing.

One day later we drove into the Rocky Mountain National Park. It is so peaceful and pretty there. We saw a lot of elk, mule deer, chipmunks and other animals I've never seen before.

To see more of this beautiful flora and fauna, we took a six-hour hike to a mountain lake. On our way we saw beautiful waterfalls. Around the lake it was very quiet and peaceful, and the view of the mountains was enjoyable.

For our last day in Colorado, as a highlight, the family planned a whitewater-rafting tour. We paddled with a boat on a rapid river and we had so much fun. Our guide even let us water surf. It was awesome and we were for the last time very close to the mountains.

Now the most of my time in America is over and I'm very sad about this fact. Although we have many differences, I have realized that we have many similarities in our daily life.

I'm sure that I'm going to miss this country and its friendly people. But I'm also glad to see my family and my friends again.

I want to say thanks to all people who afforded me this exchange and the great time, especially the Rotary Club, my family, and, of course, Claire and her family.

Christina Starz is a Rotary Exchange Student from Germany who visited Cape Girardeau for a month this summer.