By Karen Braynard
Correspondent

Twenty-three years ago, Manchester's former mayor, Emile Beaulieu, helped the city start a cultural tradition that is still thriving today. Every year, a handful of high school students from Manchester Central, West and Memorial high schools welcome students from Kathe- Kollwitz Gymnasium (high school) of Neustadt an der Weinstrasse, Manchester's partner city in Germany. In return, many of these same American students will travel to Germany to complete this cultural exchange.

Germans Helene Wolf, left, and Erika Bitter pose with a Native American at Plimouth Plantation during a field trip. (Kelly Kozlowski Photo)

The German students spent a quick-paced three weeks with their American "families." And indeed, for many of them, they are now considered family. Philipp Humm, a German student, said students can only visit once with this particular exchange program, but that his host friend, Ryan Clark of Bedford, said Humm could visit them again anytime.

Helene Wolf, described her Hooksett host family as "very cool," and that they made her a part of their family right away.

During their visit, the German students were able to visit New York City, Boston and Harvard University. New York seemed to be everyone's favorite trip.

"Because," Wolf said, "we got to see much of what we see in the movies about the U.S."

The cultural differences are not always apparent. It is hard to tell which teens are German and which ones are American. And, in some cases, the German kids look more "American" than the Americans.

Sometimes the differences are seen in the strangest places. "I really liked the yellow school buses," said Wolf. She thought they were "cool because in Germany, we ride on city buses to school."

And, perhaps surprising to most Americans, every German student asked described Americans as very friendly people. The exchange was an educational event for more than just the students. Sandy Cooper, a host mother, said that having David Krebs stay with them has enlightened her family, and even her first-grader has learned some German.

"My son, a second-year German student at West, has really improved in his German since we've had David visiting us. And, surprisingly, our own English as improved too!"

She said she considered David her "German son" and hopes he'll come back to visit their family again.

Carmen St. Jean's Hooksett family hosted Erika Bitter. This was their third year hosting a German exchange student. St. Jean said there wasn't a problem with communication.

"Erika was very honest about everything, so there were no misunderstandings," she said. In Germany, English is a secondary language and, by high school age, students speak it very well.

Bitter said she enjoyed visiting the museums in New York, but that sitting through her counterpart's classes was sometimes boring.

Host family parents described Leslie Blanding, a German teacher at Manchester West, as the key element to keeping the program alive and interesting for all involved. Her enthusiasm is evident as she describes to the American teens their upcoming trip in February. They'll spend three weeks in Neustadt with their own exciting tour of Berlin.

The program requires the exchange students to make presentations throughout the schools about their own cultures, experiences and education. During the few days where they aren't on class trips, the German students spent time in the American classrooms and sightseeing in New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maine with their host families.