By Arianna Bekas
Clara is a foreign exchange student who is here for a year from Germany. Clara, who may seem a little shy when you first meet her, has an amazing personality that leaves you smiling after conversing with her. Not only that but she also has a knack for art, she takes Mr. Houvouras’s drawing class and Mrs. Lieffers 3D art class, and the art she creates is filled with talent and skill. Clara really enjoys interacting with animals and new people, which is one of the main reasons why she decided to come to the U.S for the foreign exchange program.
What grade are you in right now?
I am in 11th grade.
What initially made you want to come here for the foreign exchange program?
I wanted to experience something new and to see new things.
What has been the hardest adjustment for you?
I think the language. In the beginning, I could understand a lot but talking [laughs] was hard. Now it gets better.
How does school in America differ from Germany?
Oh, it’s very different. In Germany, we have every day with different periods and with eleven different periods. School is longer, it depends on the day. Sometimes we have school till four ‘o’ clock sometimes we have it until one ‘o’ clock. We also have more breaks. We also can’t really choose as many elective, in America, you have a lot of electives. So I like this more.
What is your favorite thing about being in the U.S so far?
To know new things, and see new people.
What is your least favorite thing about America?
I think it’s that you really need a car to get around. In Germany you have buses, and trains, you can get around anywhere you want to go. But here you can’t really.
How does the food in America differ from the food in Germany?
Ok, in Germany you have fast food but not that many. My family in Germany eat a lot of bread and they cook almost every day. But here you kind of don’t cook that often, and you eat a lot of fast food.
What is your favorite food that you’ve had in America so far?
It’s this Indian bread. I don’t know the name but it’s like a flatbread. [Laughs] I mean it’s not really something from America, because American food has a lot of meat and I don’t eat meat.
What is something that you are really passionate about?
Horseback riding, here I go as much as I can during the week to a horse place. Yeah, I like that very much.
What do you plan on doing after high school?
After this, I want to go to the university but what, I don’t know yet.
Do you have a favorite quote that you really like?
I like the quote ‘If you never try you will never know.’ I don’t have a favorite one but I like this one, because you should try new things so you can experience new things.