This school year, Graham High School welcomed a few foreign exchange students. Meet Helo Weiser from Germany. He is a junior this year and is staying with junior Cale Thomas and his family. Helo played football in Germany and is currently playing on the Graham Steers football team. Adjusting to a new country, culture, and school system can be difficult, but Helo has embraced the experience with a positive attitude and an open mind. Whether it’s playing a sport at a new school or just making friends, Helo has made the most of his exchange year. Changing schools is never easy…imagine a new school with a new family in a new country! Curious about his experience here and back at home, we interviewed Helo, asking questions about his life, his passions, and how he’s adapting to Graham.
When asked about his feelings about coming to America, he expressed, “Yeah, it was a bunch of new people, and you don’t know how it goes,” he said, reflecting on the initial culture shock. America has given Helo an abundance of changes that he has had to adapt to every day, from the language to the climate. Helo explains, “The weather, just talking and English constantly, was a big change.” While he’s enjoyed his time so far, being away from home isn’t easy. Helo has expressed how much he misses his friends and family, stating that “It’s hard, like I miss them a lot, but it is manageable.” When asked why he wanted to do a foreign exchange year, his answer was simple yet honest. “Just curiosity, I guess a big part of it was football, just like playing overseas.” Helo has embraced this time spent as a change to grow, learn, and experience something new.
While in America, Helo is living with Cale Thomas and his family. To get a better understanding of what it’s like hosting a foreign exchange student, we interviewed Cale. When finding out he would be hosting, he said, “ I was looking forward to it. I always wanted to host, and Helo looked like a good fit.” A new person living in your home may be an adjustment or quite different, but Cale explained, “It’s honestly not too different since I’ve lived with a sibling my entire life, and we kinda just clicked, so it was pretty easy.” We asked Caleb what his favorite part of this experience has been. He shared, “One of my favorite parts is when we hang out together and just talk about life, or what this is called in German, or say this German word because it sounds cool.” Small moments like this can create stronger bonds, and these two have shown that. Cale has also claimed to have built a close relationship with Helo, too. With a new change and experience, lessons can come from it as well, Cale says, “I’ve learned that they’re a lot like Americans, except they’re way healthier.” Cale and Helo like to hang out at The Rock together, a place for high school students here in Graham. They are at the rock almost every weekend. Helo is a very chill and low-key guy; he likes to act very nonchalant, especially when Cale is not there to cheer him up.
Helo has had a very successful time in America thus far. Helo has expressed his enjoyment of being in Graham, while also expressing how much he misses his family. We hope that Helo enjoys the rest of his time in America and that he will have cool stories to tell his friends and family when he goes back home.
