The 2015-2016 year brought new foreign exchange students to Tomball. This year, Anne Meltz (10) and Luise John (10) both came from Tomball’s sister city: Telgte, Germany.

“Telgte has about 10,000 people and it is much colder than here,” said John. “My hometown can’t be compared to Tomball. People often have many common misconceptions of life in Germany, as if it’s like the German fest. We (Germans) are not all about drinking beer, Oktoberfest, and wearing the traditional clothes.”

John decided to become a foreign exchange student because she was interested in the culture and a new challenge. “Being on my own, being here for one year, and getting used to new situations and being able to deal with them is a really great experience.”

Meltz decided to travel to America for similar reasons, with nerves at an all time high on the plane ride over. “You don’t realize it until that very moment that you are leaving behind your family and friends,” recalled Meltz.

Once here, Meltz realized that unlike Germany people in America are very talkative. “People here are really open minded but not so much in Germany,” said Meltz. “People come up to you and talk to you, even people you don’t know. In Germany… you mostly keep to yourself and your friend group.”

Over Thanksgiving, Meltz and John traveled to Disney World in Florida, falling in love with it. “We don’t have anything like that in Germany. We have a smaller version, and it is more similar to Universal Studios,” said John. “Experiencing an American amusement park was really awesome.”

Although Meltz and John love America, it hasn’t always been easy. “I got homesick on Thanksgiving and Christmas because you are seeing so much about family and your family isn’t there. Normally, I just keep really busy so it’s okay,” said Meltz. “The hardest part about being here is not being able to see my family and friends. Everything is great, I just miss them sometimes.”