Sophomore Mirjam Werther is an exchange student from Germany and is enjoying her experience staying in the United States and attending Horizon Honors.

The Horizon Sun: What is different from America than Germany, culture and pop culture wise?

Mirjam Werther: I don’t think it’s that different, [except for] religion here in America. I see so many different religions here and it so different. Pop culture-wise, here in America, they blur out the curse words on the radio, but in Germany they keep them in the song because no one understands the words.  

The Sun:What did you do for your 16th birthday? What was different about the celebration?

MW: I had a birthday party. I invited 30 people, we had a scavenger hunt, and we came back to my house and had, like, a dress up party. It was so fun and different from the way I celebrate in Germany.

The Sun:What is different school wise? What kind of subjects do you have?

MW: In Germany, classes are different. We don’t have classes with juniors and seniors; we just have it with all sophomores because I am a sophomore. You have to take every subject and you have to pick between Latin and Italian or art, but you have to take biology and physics every year, and it’s not as hard and intensive as it is here.

The Sun: How is it different in the way of depending on people?

MW: In Germany we can take the bus and get around fine, and here you have to worry about asking your parents to take you somewhere, instead of taking the bus and going with your friends somewhere.

The Sun: What type of sports do you play, and what type of sports do you have in Germany?

MW: I played soccer in Germany for about two years, and I played soccer here, too. I tried out for softball and I really like it so far because we don’t have it in Germany. We have skiing, snowboarding, soccer, handball, and swimming.

The Sun: What was the change in weather like?

MW: When I came here it was in the middle of the night and it was so hot! Like now, it’s really cold, the lake is frozen where I live, and it’s a little more rainy in Germany.

The Sun: How about food? What different foods have you tried so far? Which one is your favorite?

MW: The food here is more [like] fast food. Where I live it’s, like, Swiss food, because I live in the southern part of Germany. I have tried Mexican, Thai, and Asian food, and my favorite food would have to be American food, like fast food.

The Sun: When do you go back to Germany?

MW: I go back to Germany in June. I will miss Arizona because I have made so many friends, and it is harder to leave than come here, because when I came here, I knew I was coming back [to Germany] in ten months. So, leaving is harder, but my mom said I can come back to Arizona when my sophomore friends are going to graduate.

Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for clarity.