This year, North Harford High School welcomed exchange students from around the world, giving students and staff the opportunity to learn about different cultures and perspectives. Two of these students, juniors Mira Koch from Germany and Remember Mesiun from Liberia, shared their experiences of living in Maryland and attending an American high school.
For Koch, arriving in the United States was both exciting and overwhelming. “It was at the airport and it was pretty chaotic,” she said. Despite the busy first impression, she quickly felt at home. “My host family is super nice and I really like this school and everything, and I think it was really a good experience.”
One of the biggest surprises for Mira was Maryland’s unique culture. She laughed while describing the state’s famous seafood and unpredictable weather. “Maybe the crabs and the weather. It’s like bipolar weather,” she said. She also discovered a love for American foods, especially peanut butter and crab cakes. “Peanut butter is the best thing ever,” she added.
School life in America was also very different from what she was used to in Germany. Koch noted that locker policies, dress codes, and even bathroom passes were unusual compared to her home country, where students can simply ask their teacher to leave the classroom. When asked about her favorite part of the experience, Koch didn’t mention a specific place or event. Instead, she focused on the people she met. “Everyone is so nice and friendly, and it doesn’t matter where you’re from. You’re part of the community,” she said. She also praised North Harford’s teachers, calling them “really cool.”
Although she is excited to return home and enjoy German food again, Koch knows there are things she will miss. Maryland’s crab cakes top the list, and she says the experience has changed her perspective on life. “It changed my personality and gave me a different perspective because you’re exposed to so many different things.” She hopes to return to America someday and says she would “definitely” come back.
Mesiun, an exchange student from Liberia, had a different journey but shared many of the same positive feelings. Before arriving in the United States, she tried not to form too many expectations. “I knew we were going to experience some culture shock,” she said. “I was just praying to God to take control over everything here.”
One of the first things that stood out to Mesiun was the level of development in Maryland. “The way people build houses and how everything is accessible here” surprised her because conditions in Liberia are very different.
School in America also presented many new experiences. Unlike North Harford, schools in Liberia do not typically have lunchrooms, lockers, or class changes throughout the day. “We just have our backpack to school every day and we don’t change classes,” she explained. Mesiun’s favorite memories include playing basketball and spending time with her host family. She especially enjoyed traveling around the region, including trips from Maryland to Delaware.
When Mesiun returns home, she looks forward, “To see my family and friends in good health and to share my experience with them and tell them about America.”
There are also parts of American life that she knows she will miss. Pancakes became her favorite American food, saying, “I’m going to miss pancakes” and basketball was her favorite activity. “I’m really going to miss playing basketball too,” she said.
Like Koch, Mesiun believes the exchange program helped her grow as a person, saying, “It really changed me a lot because it helped me do a lot of new things and meet a lot of people from new countries.”
The experiences of Koch and Mesiun show the value of cultural exchange programs. While they came from different countries and backgrounds, both students found welcoming communities, new friendships, and opportunities to learn. Their stories remind us that learning can happen both inside and outside the classroom, and that sharing cultures helps bring people together.
