00:00:09:16	00:00:11:20	>> The alarm goes off at 6:00,
00:00:11:20	00:00:14:29	and we get out of bed at 6:15.
00:00:14:29	00:00:16:04	>> On a wintery December
00:00:16:04	00:00:17:10	morning, Laura and Layla
00:00:17:10	00:00:18:15	are waiting for a ride
00:00:18:15	00:00:20:07	to Plymouth High School.
00:00:20:07	00:00:21:12	The small city of Plymouth
00:00:21:12	00:00:23:22	is Layla's hometown.
00:00:23:22	00:00:25:07	Laura is also from a small rural
00:00:25:07	00:00:27:11	community, but her hometown
00:00:27:11	00:00:29:12	is far away in Hessen,
00:00:29:12	00:00:30:19	Wisconsin's sister state
00:00:30:19	00:00:32:11	in Germany.
00:00:32:11	00:00:33:18	For over three months, Laura has
00:00:33:18	00:00:35:18	been living at Layla's house,
00:00:35:18	00:00:37:11	and attending school with her
00:00:37:11	00:00:39:09	as part of the Wisconsin-Hessen
00:00:39:09	00:00:41:27	student exchange program.
00:00:41:27	00:00:43:02	>> It's a very reasonably priced
00:00:43:02	00:00:44:12	program, with a ton of support
00:00:44:12	00:00:46:07	around it.
00:00:46:07	00:00:48:05	>> An exchange program means
00:00:48:05	00:00:49:17	that you share somebody's life
00:00:49:17	00:00:50:24	for a while.
00:00:50:24	00:00:52:17	And even that little time
00:00:52:17	00:00:54:13	can help you get some insight
00:00:54:13	00:00:55:21	that you would never get
00:00:55:21	00:00:57:14	as a tourist.
00:00:57:14	00:00:58:21	>> In all, ten German students
00:00:58:21	00:01:00:02	from Hessen were partnered with
00:01:00:02	00:01:01:29	ten Wisconsin host families,
00:01:01:29	00:01:03:02	from different areas
00:01:03:02	00:01:04:21	around the state.
00:01:04:21	00:01:05:27	>> The students that we're
00:01:05:27	00:01:07:12	meeting here today are all from
00:01:07:12	00:01:09:06	the state of Hessen.
00:01:09:06	00:01:10:18	Hessen is the oldest
00:01:10:18	00:01:12:23	partner region of Wisconsin
00:01:12:23	00:01:15:05	dating back to 1976.
00:01:15:05	00:01:16:06	>> I've never had a sister
00:01:16:06	00:01:17:10	before.
00:01:17:10	00:01:18:09	>> He's gotten along
00:01:18:09	00:01:19:14	with my friends really well.
00:01:19:14	00:01:20:14	>> She's really blossoming
00:01:20:14	00:01:21:11	here.
00:01:21:11	00:01:22:12	I'm really happy.
00:01:22:12	00:01:23:13	She really is like a part
00:01:23:13	00:01:24:16	of the family.
00:01:24:16	00:01:26:02	My dad has said that, too.
00:01:26:02	00:01:27:05	>> It's been really neat
00:01:27:05	00:01:28:21	having Laura here.
00:01:28:21	00:01:30:10	We've all grown really close
00:01:30:10	00:01:32:05	to Laura.
00:01:32:05	00:01:33:25	I'll miss her when she's gone.
00:01:33:25	00:01:35:17	>> I think he looks like...
00:01:35:17	00:01:36:26	>> I think it was almost
00:01:36:26	00:01:38:17	life changing for me.
00:01:38:17	00:01:40:04	>> It's really fun to have
00:01:40:04	00:01:41:20	a girl close to my age
00:01:41:20	00:01:42:29	in the house.
00:01:42:29	00:01:44:07	I wanted an exchange
00:01:44:07	00:01:45:23	where I could show a student
00:01:45:23	00:01:47:05	what life was like
00:01:47:05	00:01:48:24	here in a small town,
00:01:48:24	00:01:50:11	and then learn about their home
00:01:50:11	00:01:52:17	in equal parts of the year.
00:01:52:17	00:01:53:19	>> Layla is a wonderful
00:01:53:19	00:01:54:21	student.
00:01:54:21	00:01:55:22	I'm so excited for her
00:01:55:22	00:01:56:26	to get to do this.
00:01:56:26	00:01:58:00	She has been talking about doing
00:01:58:00	00:01:59:06	this since she was a freshman.
00:01:59:06	00:02:01:07	§ §
00:02:01:07	00:02:02:24	I think this will impact
00:02:02:24	00:02:04:17	her future tremendously.
00:02:04:17	00:02:06:01	I think she'll get so much
00:02:06:01	00:02:07:13	out of this as a person,
00:02:07:13	00:02:08:18	but also for the future,
00:02:08:18	00:02:09:27	for her job, her life,
00:02:09:27	00:02:11:06	her interests.
00:02:11:06	00:02:13:20	§ §
00:02:13:20	00:02:15:04	>> I took German, and it just,
00:02:15:04	00:02:16:17	I feel like it comes
00:02:16:17	00:02:17:29	really naturally to me.
00:02:17:29	00:02:19:19	(teaching in German)
00:02:19:19	00:02:21:13	It's probably my favorite class.
00:02:21:13	00:02:22:22	And probably the most fulfilling
00:02:22:22	00:02:24:12	part about it, is when you talk
00:02:24:12	00:02:26:29	to someone who speaks German.
00:02:26:29	00:02:28:26	>> She really cares about
00:02:28:26	00:02:30:01	being good at German,
00:02:30:01	00:02:31:07	because she really wants
00:02:31:07	00:02:33:05	to get fluent in it.
00:02:33:05	00:02:35:19	I'm on the JV dance line.
00:02:35:19	00:02:37:01	We perform at the JV basketball
00:02:37:01	00:02:38:11	games.
00:02:38:11	00:02:39:23	It's kind of cheerleading,
00:02:39:23	00:02:42:12	but more with dancing.
00:02:42:12	00:02:44:15	We also have hip-hop dances.
00:02:44:15	00:02:46:01	It's really good.
00:02:46:01	00:02:47:08	>> When the German students are
00:02:47:08	00:02:48:19	here, I think they get a clearer
00:02:48:19	00:02:50:09	picture of what America is.
00:02:50:09	00:02:51:13	It's not just yellow
00:02:51:13	00:02:54:16	school buses and McDonalds.
00:02:54:16	00:02:55:26	>> My favorite thing about being
00:02:55:26	00:02:57:13	here is meeting all these great
00:02:57:13	00:02:59:26	people, because people here
00:02:59:26	00:03:01:06	are more open, I think,
00:03:01:06	00:03:02:20	than in Germany.
00:03:02:20	00:03:04:15	I think I got a lot more
00:03:04:15	00:03:06:23	self-confidence since I'm here.
00:03:06:23	00:03:08:02	>> As far as our kids going
00:03:08:02	00:03:09:11	to Germany, I think it's a
00:03:09:11	00:03:10:25	great step towards independence
00:03:10:25	00:03:12:08	for many of them.
00:03:12:08	00:03:13:12	>> I think I'll gain
00:03:13:12	00:03:15:01	a lot of maturity over there,
00:03:15:01	00:03:17:05	in how I act in front of others.
00:03:17:05	00:03:18:14	I hope my German
00:03:18:14	00:03:19:24	will be phenomenal.
00:03:19:24	00:03:21:15	(laughs)
00:03:21:15	00:03:22:28	>> Her language will improve
00:03:22:28	00:03:24:01	while she's there,
00:03:24:01	00:03:25:01	but she's going into it
00:03:25:01	00:03:26:01	with a very strong,
00:03:26:01	00:03:27:06	strong background.
00:03:27:06	00:03:28:07	>> So, I'm like,
00:03:28:07	00:03:29:15	I'm really excited.
00:03:29:15	00:03:30:20	I want to like, meet a lot
00:03:30:20	00:03:31:20	of people.
00:03:31:20	00:03:32:24	>> German for the first
00:03:32:24	00:03:34:01	few weeks will be a challenge.
00:03:34:01	00:03:35:09	So be prepared, in other words.
00:03:35:09	00:03:36:14	>> At the end of January,
00:03:36:14	00:03:37:18	the ten Wisconsin students
00:03:37:18	00:03:39:01	and the ten Hessen students
00:03:39:01	00:03:41:10	flew as a group to Germany,
00:03:41:10	00:03:42:18	so that the Americans could live
00:03:42:18	00:03:43:27	with their Hessen host families
00:03:43:27	00:03:45:09	for the completion
00:03:45:09	00:03:47:15	of the exchange program.
00:03:47:15	00:03:48:26	The small town of Wickers,
00:03:48:26	00:03:50:11	in Hessen is home to Layla's
00:03:50:11	00:03:52:07	host family, including Laura,
00:03:52:07	00:03:54:11	her sisters and her parents.
00:03:54:11	00:03:55:18	>> Well, I think this program
00:03:55:18	00:03:57:15	is very good.
00:03:57:15	00:03:59:22	We would like to show them
00:03:59:22	00:04:02:27	how we live, and how we are.
00:04:02:27	00:04:05:11	It would be so good if in the
00:04:05:11	00:04:07:07	future if more of the American
00:04:07:07	00:04:09:10	students would take part
00:04:09:10	00:04:12:02	in this exchange program.
00:04:12:02	00:04:14:18	>> So, we have four daughters.
00:04:14:18	00:04:16:08	And we send now
00:04:16:08	00:04:17:23	two of our daughters
00:04:17:23	00:04:19:27	to an exchange program.
00:04:19:27	00:04:21:25	If you lived in a different
00:04:21:25	00:04:24:00	culture, you are more open.
00:04:24:00	00:04:25:06	And "open"
00:04:25:06	00:04:27:15	means also more flexible.
00:04:27:15	00:04:28:27	>> I have like a bigger picture
00:04:28:27	00:04:30:02	of the world.
00:04:30:02	00:04:31:12	I've made a lot of memories,
00:04:31:12	00:04:32:21	here, more than I thought
00:04:32:21	00:04:34:08	I would.
00:04:34:08	00:04:36:17	(speaking German)
00:04:38:21	00:04:40:08	It's given me an appreciation
00:04:40:08	00:04:42:00	of like what I've been given,
00:04:42:00	00:04:43:06	and opportunities
00:04:43:06	00:04:44:14	that I've been given.
00:04:44:14	00:04:45:25	I think the friendships I made
00:04:45:25	00:04:48:07	are going to last.
00:04:48:07	00:04:49:07	>> In Wisconsin,
00:04:49:07	00:04:50:10	I made a lot of friends.
00:04:50:10	00:04:51:21	I think I will always remember
00:04:51:21	00:04:53:10	my time there.
00:04:53:10	00:04:54:23	>> Here's my passport.
00:04:54:23	00:04:55:24	See, there's me.
00:04:55:24	00:04:56:21	It's real.
00:04:56:21	00:04:57:24	(laughs)
00:04:57:24	00:04:58:27	It's a treasured little
00:04:58:27	00:05:00:29	object now.