This year Notre Dame welcomes Junior Theresa Bodenhage, an exchange student from Hannover, Germany. 

Bodenhage decided to come to the United States to immerse herself in a new culture, meet new people and improve her English. 

Having already visited several U.S. cities such as Boston, New York City, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles, she wanted the chance to live here for a full year. 

Bondenhage decided to pursue the International Baccalaureate program to avoid falling behind in her studies. 

The IB program is recognized by universities all over the world. 

“IB courses also study subjects at a deeper level, so that’s another eason why I chose to do IB,” Bodenhage explained. 

She is fluent in German, English, Mandarin and Latin. 

Looking ahead, Bodenhage plans to attend university in Germany, where schools are normally tuition free. 

However, she has not come to a final decision yet. 

Although her experience here has been mostly positive, adapting to life in a new country has been challenging. 

“Finding friends and connecting with people has been hard because most of the people here have known each other for years,” she said. 

However, joining cross country has helped Bodenhage meet new people and make friends.

When asked about the biggest difference between school here and Germany, she had much to share. 

“In Germany, your class has only one classroom and teachers walk from one classroom to another. We also have a different schedule every day because we have up to 15 subjects per semester,” she explained. 

She was also shocked by how involved teachers are with students here. 

“Our teachers are not as talkative or open with their private life to the students.” 

A cultural difference that surprised her was girls using backpacks for school. 

“Almost every single girl in Germany uses a purse for school, not a backpack, ” she explained. 

Although the transition has been a big adjustment, Bodenhage has embraced the new culture. 

“It’s definitely been different to what I’m used to, but I’m really glad to be here,” she said, adding she is excited to see what the rest of the year brings.