Petersburg welcomes exchange student from Germany

When 16-year-old Jakob Preisler signed up for his international exchange program, he didn't expect to come to Alaska.

"It was a really big surprise," Jakob said. "I choose USA, and then after a few weeks, I got the information: you go to Alaska." 

Since the early 1990s, Petersburg's Rotary Club has participated in international exchange programs. Each year, a student from Petersburg spends time in another country, and the community welcomes an international student for the school year. This year, that student was Jakob.

When he touched down in August, Jakob said Petersburg's size wasn't actually much of a shock. He grew up in a small community outside of Hamburg.

"In my village in Germany, we have about 700 people," he said. "So it's bigger, not really big, but bigger."

Back in Germany, Jakob used to play soccer. Since Petersburg doesn't have a soccer team, he followed his host brother to the high school wrestling team. 

"The travel is really nice," Jakob said. "I gain a few friends from other teams and other villages. It's very nice to travel."

Jakob said he wasn't very surprised by the differences between Germany and the U.S. because he prepared before his exchange. Dave Berg, who helps organize the local Rotary exchanges, said that's important.

"We want them to be well prepared for the environment that they're going to go in, what the cultural differences may be, so they feel comfortable and they learn as much as they can," he said.

Berg said he's seen firsthand how these exchanges impact the students who leave and visit Petersburg.

"Kids come back completely changed," Berg said. "They come as ambassadors for their country, and they go home with a better understanding of life, what it's like in the United States. And the same is true for our outbound kids."

Jakob said he also hopes to be changed by his experience in the U.S..

"I want to be a bit more like an adult and see the world from different eyes," he said.

Jakob is staying with the Jason and Julie Anderson family for the start of the school year. But Berg said the Petersburg Rotary is still looking for more families to host Jakob. The commitment is usually three to four months, and host families do not need to have kids to apply.

For more information on hosting an exchange student, or how to apply for an exchange, visit rye5010.org or contact the Petersburg Rotary.

This story was first published at http://www.kfsk.org and is reprinted here with permission.