Eleven months of the unfamiliar. The average teenager cannot imagine even a week without his own bed, family or friends, let alone almost a year in a land with a peculiar language and (occasionally) strange customs. Although the idea of having a different life for a while seems daunting, four European girls have chosen to call Greensburg home until this June.

Senior Nina Lindstroem was surprised, initially, by the grandeur of America. In her home country of Sweden the cars, food and homes are nowhere near as massive as those in America.

Senior Alice Tourland of Norway agreed with Lindstroem, especially when it comes to food, noticing that in America people have “more snacks.”

Lindstroem and Tourland are not the only exchange students who notice a big difference between Europe and the United States. Senior Sarah Schilling of Germany was surprised that American schools offer time for lunch and have a cafeteria.

Senior Valentina Stefani of Italy was also interested by the lunch situation, seeing as Italian school days only last until 1 p.m., leaving the students time to go home to eat lunch. Also, Stefani feels that the food in Italy is more delicious because in America the Italian food is “not really Italian.”

Still, aside from the ability to drive, the European girls feel that teenagers in their part of the world have more freedom. One of the most obvious signs of independence in their homelands is the drinking age. Another large difference is that Europe is famous for its public transportation.

“In Germany we can go wherever we want,” Schilling stated. “We can drink, we are more mature.”

Even the school systems of these girls’ homelands differ from those of GS. For Stefani, the average school day consisted of five hours of classes including Saturday classes.

In Norway, Tourland noted that the school day is a lot less structured and more laid back, stating that sometimes it would not be a deal if she were to “ditch school.” Lindstroem is actually paid to go to school in Sweden, because “people don’t have to work [so they can] focus on their studies”

Lindstroem, Schilling, Stefani and Tourland decided to immerse themselves in American culture even further by taking on athletics this school year. With both Lindstroem and Schilling conquering cross country, Stefani joining tennis and Tourland being a member of the field hockey team, these girls have found a way to get involved that European schools do not always offer.

“[In Germany] we don’t have school teams for sports,” Schilling explained.

The initial culture shock of finding oneself in a foreign land with a confusing and contradictory language can be overwhelming for most. Hopefully all GS students will get to experience a foreign culture at sometime. To all those looking forward to a foreign journey, take heed of Lindstroem’s advice and “suck it up,” even when it gets intense.