German students, Lion Hoelzel and Jakob Alberti, met and bonded during their trip to Elmhurst in the summer of 2016. They both began school at York this year, Hoelzel entering as a sophomore, while Alberti started his last year of high school here.

Although it was not Alberti’s first time traveling to the United States or Illinois, Hoelzel has been awaiting this trip for a long time.

“One of my friends came back from his exchange year and told me it was a good experience,” said Hoelzel. “Because of that, I have been wanting to see the American way of life.”

They both came to America right on time–to witness the World Series begin and end with a historical win by the Chicago Cubs.

“I like going to sports games here like the Bears and the Cubs as well as watching the games on TV,” said Alberti.

“Everybody gets much more crazier here than in Germany.”

Alberti and Hoelzel had an easy time settling into the community and described the students and staff of York as welcoming and open-minded.

Both of their daily routines back in Germany do not differ much from their routines here in America, but they did notice a major difference between the food here compared to back home.

“The food is very different here, and by that I mean that there is more meat,” said Hoelzel. “I really like the meatloaf.”

So far they have gone to York’s football games, experienced Halloween, and witnessed how beautiful downtown Chicago is.

In addition to their experiences here, they both strongly recommend all York students to go see how different parts of the world live.

“My grandmother, dad, and many of my friends have done exchange programs and have told me all about their great experiences,” said Alberti. “Not everybody has the opportunity to do so which makes me so thankful.”