Brandon Twp.-Michael Tyle always wanted to be an exchange student.
And last August he got his wish.
Michael Tyle, 18, a 2004 Brandon High School graduate saved up about $2,500, learned to speak German and earned a Ortonville Rotary Club exchange student endorsement.
Last spring, Tyle began the process of completing the 14 page application which included essays, medical exams, and recommendation. He was selected in the summer of 2003 and on Aug. 5 flew to Hamburg, Germany. He will return in July 2005 then attend Central Michigan University to study international business and marketing in the Fall.
Rotary district 6380 governor Jeff Lichty, who helps coordinate the students says that Michael Tyle is the first Ortonville Rotary Club student to be endorsed.
‘Our program is inexpensive compared to other exchange student programs,? said Lichty. ‘The backing of the host county is very important along with the support system for the exchange student. This makes it easy for the parents.?
Lichty says that while American students have not been hampered with regard to travelling to other countries, students coming to the United States have been.
‘We’ve had no problems sending students, but the state department has clamped down on kids coming here,? said Lichty. ‘If the problems persist the university will really be hurt.?
After five months in Germany, Michael’s mother Jude Tyle says all is well for her son.
‘He’s doing fantastic,? said Jude. ‘He lives near the North Sea and travels about an hour to the school.?
Jude says Michael resides with his host family in Morrege, Germany and will soon be living in with another family is Schenefeld. Both cities are near the city of Hamburg.
Michael and another foreign exchange student from Wisconsin made a Thanksgiving dinner for both their host families and some friends.
‘Nobody knew each other (the other family is originally from Poland) and they have never cooked a big meal before and most of the items that they needed to make a traditional Thanksgiving meal were not available there,? said Jude.
‘They had to go to a farm for the turkey and I sent most of the other ingredients along with recipes and they made it. They explained in German what Thanksgiving was all about and everybody enjoyed the feast and each other’s company, a lasting memory for everyone.?
Michael Tyle corresponds with his Brandon Township family via- e-mail and sent some reflection as an American teen attending school and residing in Germany:
The windows open differently than in America. They open up and out. There are no screens.
Naked people everywhere on television, at the beach, or in the newspaper;
School blackboards move up and down and open up to more board;
They use commas as periods and visa-versa. (‘This took me about 30 minutes in physics class to finally figure that out);
The teachers change classrooms and the kids stay at the same desk;
Boys wear flood pants, (‘They look like hobbits? pants?);
Girls wear long 1940 era skirts. (‘I’ve seen only a few mini skirts?);
Everyone carries pencil cases ( like I did in the third grade);
Germans are obsessed with ice cream. They eat it all the time and it is seriously yummy and super cheap to buy;
The bread is really good;
All they drink is mineral tonic water (‘gross?) or apple juice at meals;
The light switches aren’t switches but pads that you push. They are on the outside of the room;
Teachers wear blue jeans;
Kids point at the ceiling for raising hands. (‘This took me a while to figure out and I thought there was something up there?);
Instead of clapping their hands everyone knocks on the table ( ‘I laughed whenever I saw this?);
All the cars are so small;
You can legally smoke at 14. You can drink as soon as you can walk and talk basically. (Legal age for alcohol is 16);
They write their numbers and letters differently. They write in a short-hand and don’t add the vowels. (‘I have no clue what it’s supposed to be?);
Kids actually go to school to learn. Whereas in the states there’s more emphasis on sports, after school activities and socializing;
Their paper is really weird. They have graph paper with two hole punches;
They also are ‘ber- recylers (‘I figured that out really quick after throwing away the apple juice containers?);
Their humor doesn’t translate at all. Someone tried telling me a joke. It goes like this: ‘A man walked onto the balcony and there was a snail so he killed it. Three years later the doorbell rings and the snail is there and says hey, why did you kill me (‘Ha, ha I was told to laugh at this time.)
Religion is not big here at all, I have seen maybe two worship places, a protestant church and a mosque;
It’s funny hearing American music and the people singing along having no clue what they are saying or totally screwing up the words;
No napkins ever;
They put mustard on fries;
McDonald’s serves different food;
There are basically two major nationalities here: German and Turkish, everything is written in both languages;
Television is different, things are on TV that we would never be allowed to have on televisions in the states;
Transportation is on bike, bus or train for many people because gas is really expensive and causes pollution;
Everything here either costs a lot or is really cheap. For example, jeans are 60 Euro-dollars, but ice cream is 35 cents per scoop;
They put butter on all their sandwiches;
Peanut butter is disgusting;
Movies that are American are given new names that don’t translate correctly;
Students sit around tables, not desks at school;
They wear clothes more than one time in a row;
They have mullets here too. ( ‘It’s a sad thing to see a 7-year-old European with a rat tail?);
Only one Wal-Mart here. There are only Starbucks in Berlin and Clogne;
Girls wear high-heels, unless they are playing tennis (‘Which everyone does?);
They eat with their utensils backwards (‘Knife in right hand?);
They think that Michael Moore is God. They all talk about him and watch his movies in school;
Toilets are weird in Germany;
Socks with sandals (‘I know this is sad, but it doesn’t stop most of them?);
Black licorice, they eat it non-stop (and it’s really good and cheap?);
All stores closed at 6 p.m. and are not open on Sundays except for bakeries then for only an hour;
Dogs are everywhere including on buses, trains, in the mall, at restaurants and rarely on leashes;
Almost everyone smokes, it’s like they have never heard of lung cancer. Cigarettes are really cheap $2 euro;
Many use fountain pens (‘Messy?).