Most students’ homes are no more than 20 minutes away from school. For German exchange student Vivi Pflume, her commute is more like 23 hours. 

Pflume has long dreamed of living in the U.S. 

“Ever since I was a little child, I always wanted to see the U.S. I always wished I could experience [American] high school and all of these things that Americans can see everyday,” Pflume said. 

Coming from a small town in Germany, Pflume noticed a lot of differences at West compared to her school back home. 

“School spirit is really different here. Everybody supports their team and is happy for them” Pflume said. “The relationships you have with your teachers are way better. They are nice to you and try to help you. I really appreciate that, because in Germany the teachers are really strict and not very supportive.” 

Since beginning school in August, Pflume has gotten involved in theater and wants to join the swim team later this year. 

“In Germany we don’t have clubs or anything,” Pflume said, “so it’s really new for me to have something in school and after school.”

To become an exchange student, Pflume had to submit a personal letter and photos for possible host families to review. Pflume matched with senior Roux Harper’s family. 

The family has been hosting exchange students since Harper’s sophomore year. Harper detailed their experience matching with their first exchange student. 

“We had to do a house check to make sure we could host exchange students,” Harper said. “Once we were cleared, we got a list of all of the students who applied, and we were able to sort through based on their interests and figuring out who would be a good fit for our family.” 

Typically, host families and exchange students connect through phone calls and Zoom meetings  a few months before the students’ arrival to America. 

“With Vivi, it was actually different because we actually flew to Germany a week or two before we got her so she and her parents were able to meet us, which was really cool. We don’t normally do that,” Harper said.

The two have a good relationship in and out of school. 

“I think it’s similar to a sibling bond for me. I drive them to school, sometimes I drive them home, and we do extracurriculars together— but for the most part we have separate lives, ” Harper said.

Pflume and Harper have enjoyed getting to learn about each other’s cultures.

“A lot of the time the exchange students introduce us to foods they like from other countries or traditions that they have,” Harper said. “It’s really cool to be part of someone else’s culture. I also love introducing them to our culture.”