Sport keeps her fit. Lana has started running. In March she wants to run her first half marathon. She also trains in athletics and, of course, volleyball. At the beginning of December she celebrated her 16th birthday in America. “It was very nice,” she says. The host family arranged a typical American breakfast with pancakes and sang her a birthday song. In the evening there was a meeting with all 15 exchange students and their host families in the district.
And Christmas? Not much happened on Christmas Eve, it felt strange. Thanksgiving was better – with a giant turkey. And Halloween especially. “It’s really crazy in America. My Pati has always loved to decorate, but it’s nothing compared to America. It’s really a completely different dimension here.” With her friends, she dressed up as M&M’s, rang the doorbell and got lots of sweets. The turn of the year was rather boring. They sat together and played with the mother of her host mother.
Finally, am I still interested in Corona? “Even in the summer, no one wore a mask here anymore,” reports Lana Wisdom. That didn’t feel good. She herself has boosted and stayed healthy. “In our district here, 90 percent are vaccinated,” she knows. At the end of November, Omikron got around, now things are better again. Lana is looking forward to spring, the holidays and concerts.
The ten months in America are made possible through the parliamentary sponsorship program (see box). This is a grant from the German Bundestag that gives young professionals and students the opportunity to live with a host family in the USA for a year and go to school. Lana’s godfather is Gerald Ullrich, the FDP member of the Bundestag from her home town.
For the 15-year-old, a dream has come true: “I can’t imagine leaving all of this here again.” That’s going to be very difficult. But her family wanted to come back here on vacation. I look forward to the next phone call with her. We agree on after Easter.