German teen loves Leongatha life
IT can be daunting travelling across the globe to attend a foreign school, however German exchange student Marc Dinger is taking the challenge in his stride.
Marc has started his year-long study at Leongatha Secondary College, while on exchange with Leongatha Rotary Club.
The Year 10 student said he was thrilled to have started at his new school.
“I am very nervous but also very excited. Everybody is so open and friendly to me,” Marc said.
Marc hails from Wachenheim, a town near Heidelberg in the south-west of Germany.
While Wachenheim has a similar population to Leongatha, Marc said the approach to education was far different to schooling in Germany.
“My school does not use laptops or technology like they do here. We only use books, pens and paper. We also do not get to choose electives until Year 11, so it is great to be able to decide what I study,” Marc said.
“It is so nice to be at a school with a lot of outdoor areas. My school in Germany had 1500 students in tall buildings, so this is very different here.”
As for the cold weather, Marc said it is far warmer here than the German winters he is used to.
“I normally have Christmas in winter so this year it will probably be strange and awkward to be celebrating it in summer. While I am not homesick yet I think I will probably be most homesick around that time,” he said.
Adapting to a new culture is also something Marc feels may take some time.
“I have already tried Vegemite. I expected it to taste like chocolate so that was surprising,” Marc said.
“It takes a lot of concentration to speak English all of the time but I look forward to learning more about Australian culture.”
Marc will have the opportunity to travel around Australia for three weeks in April, visiting major attractions including Sydney, the Gold Coast and Central Australia.
“I will be spending each term with a different family. I am excited because I will get to see different parts of the town. I cannot wait to see more of Australia,” he said.
Exchanging cultural games: Leongatha Secondary College students Jack Ballagh and Chelsea Ford teach Marc Dinger (centre) how to play Australian rules football.
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Posted by Tayla Kershaw on Sep 29 2015. Filed under Community. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
