Letter: A taste of mac-'n'-cheese in Germany

• Sophia Düll

Sophia Düll (middle) is the new Crailsheim exchange student; she is shown with Worthington's Kayli Kuhl. To the right is exchange student runner-up Julia Vogt.

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Dear Worthington,

Where has the month of February gone? The calendar has already flipped without me even realizing it.

Since the 10th of February, I have moved to my third family. Leaving the Binder family, my second host family, was so hard for me because I had become so adjusted to the family. Before going, the family had the idea to have an “American Food Party” and invite my classmates. We ended up having mac-’n-cheese night for 18 people! They don’t have Kraft mac-’n- cheese in Germany, so it was cool to see the faces of my classmates as they had it for the first time. It was a big hit, and for dessert were classic Rice Krispies bars. Such a simple food for us in America, but everyone enjoyed it a lot!

I’m now currently living in a smaller village called Tiefenbach, about two miles from Crailsheim. I really like the small farming community because here it is a lot more quiet with less traffic than when I was in the city. My new family includes the parents, Volker and Martina Reining, and their three daughters, Svenja (21), Julia (19), and Lena (16). It definitely a full house for us in Tiefenbach, but I have really enjoyed the time so far.

Since being here in the last month, I have started playing a sport called handball. This is something that is completely new for me, but I really enjoy it. It is like a combination of basketball (where we dribble and pass the ball) but then to score a goal it must be thrown in a soccer-type net. It is a very interesting game, I love being able to play with the team and I have gotten to meet a lot of new people since I started.

In the school I have been busy doing power points and presentation in different English classes about the USA and Worthington. Everyone here is very interested in the U.S. and especially the pictures that I have brought with me from Worthington. They are most fascinated with our Lake Okabena, and the abundance of farming land that we have. Going to these English classes gave me the opportunity to talk to the candidates for the exchange student for in the next year. This year there were a total of nine candidates and on Feb. 29, after three hours, we came to our decision. The new exchange student that will be coming back with me to Worthington is Sohpia Düll. She is fantastic and very excited for her new adventure in Worthington.

Coming up in the future, I am looking forward to Easter. I am looking forward to going to the church with my mom, who will visit me, and enjoying the beautiful spring weather that has just come around in the last week. I want to send my greetings to everyone in Worthington, and I would like to thank the entire town for continued prayers and support.

Tags: district 518, opinion, letters, education, crailsheim, wortington