Frisco Enterprise > News
International visitors take lessons of Frisco across the globe
SUBMITTED PHOTO
A group of students and teachers from Baden Baden, Germany, spent three weeks in Frisco learning about the city’s schools and way of life. They also visited the George A. Purefoy Municipal Center and posed for a group shot in Simpson Plaza.
By Ann Marie Shambaugh, Staff Writer
Stories and lessons learned in Frisco will be told across the globe in the coming weeks as two groups of international visitors spent time in the city this week to learn about its culture and best practices.
Three Russian leaders visited the city for a week to learn about local government departments and accountability, and a group of 15 German students spent the last of three weeks at Frisco High School this week as part of the German American Partnership Program.
The Frisco Rotary Club hosted Andrey Gribachev, a city council member from Svirsk, Mikhail Zubkov, a city council member from Pushkino, and Andrey Krikunov, a Russian magazine editor, through the Open World Program. This is the third year the club has participated in the program.
The group visited different city departments each day, and spent Wednesday at the state capital in Austin. Zubkov told the audience through an interpreter that he was impressed with Frisco’s government.
“For the short amount of time we’ve spent here, we have had a lot of great impressions,” he said.
He also said that he plans to introduce certain practices he learned in Frisco to his city, specifically the selling of bonds to help with building new schools.
“I think after going back we will begin to implement something similar that will enable us to make construction of kindergartens quicker,” Zubkov said.
The Open World Program is an initiative of the U.S. Congress that exists to build understanding between leaders from Russia, Lithuania, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan and their American counterparts. Since 1999, more than 9,700 participants have spent time in all 50 states learning about government accountability, healthcare, and other issues.
At Frisco High School, the German students attended classes with their American peers and stayed with families of students learning German who traveled to Germany in June to learn about the country and culture.
FHS German teacher Claudia Keller, who grew up in Germany, said that by attending school, living with host families, and observing day-to-day life both sets of students were surrounded with the other country’s true culture.
“I wanted our students to see how Germans really lived, how families live, because as a tourist you get taken to all of the famous places,” Keller said. “I don’t think that’s as educational as when you go look and live with a family to see how daily life is.”
The German students n who are required to begin learning English at age 10 - said that they enjoyed their time in Frisco. Student Camilla Hauke said that she wants to spend a year studying in the United States as an exchange student, and may possibly return to FHS.
“I really enjoy it, because we get to know a new culture,” Hauke said. “It’s warmer here, too, and Texas is really interesting because it’s so large.”
The Lone Star state is twice as large as Germany, and some of the students got the opportunity to visit other parts of Texas with their host family. All of the students attended a Dallas Mavericks basketball game, visited the mayor’s home, and toured the fab at Texas Instruments, which was a highlight of the trip for many students.
“The students were thrilled, because it was really something different,” German English teacher Gerhard Nonnenmann said. “Everybody uses mobile phones, and [Texas Instruments] is where they are produced, and they spread out worldwide.”
The students noticed several differences between German and American culture, but said the adjustments were easy to make. They said that in Germany, the teachers move from classroom to classroom instead of the students, and they also pointed out that McDonalds restaurants in America serve different food and do not serve beer.
Others said they struggled a bit learning to understand a Texas accent, but they enjoyed experiencing a different part of the world and taking in the state’s characteristics, including southern hospitality and expansive development.
“[The land] is flat and bigger,” student Marius Maier said. “You see civilization wherever you look. When you drive along the streets on the highway you see no real forests. You see houses and houses.”
The group took a 10-hour flight back to Germany on Thursday, where they must wait for a train to take them to their hometown of Baden Baden, a historic city in the Black Forest famous for its thermal waters.
“We are very thankful for having the opportunity to take along students, because [the German and American teachers] are convinced that with an exchange, every side who participates must profit, because it makes people more tolerant if you get to know other people’s life, culture, and language,” German English teacher Ellen Steiner said.
Three Russian leaders visited the city for a week to learn about local government departments and accountability, and a group of 15 German students spent the last of three weeks at Frisco High School this week as part of the German American Partnership Program.
The Frisco Rotary Club hosted Andrey Gribachev, a city council member from Svirsk, Mikhail Zubkov, a city council member from Pushkino, and Andrey Krikunov, a Russian magazine editor, through the Open World Program. This is the third year the club has participated in the program.
The group visited different city departments each day, and spent Wednesday at the state capital in Austin. Zubkov told the audience through an interpreter that he was impressed with Frisco’s government.
“For the short amount of time we’ve spent here, we have had a lot of great impressions,” he said.
He also said that he plans to introduce certain practices he learned in Frisco to his city, specifically the selling of bonds to help with building new schools.
“I think after going back we will begin to implement something similar that will enable us to make construction of kindergartens quicker,” Zubkov said.
The Open World Program is an initiative of the U.S. Congress that exists to build understanding between leaders from Russia, Lithuania, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan and their American counterparts. Since 1999, more than 9,700 participants have spent time in all 50 states learning about government accountability, healthcare, and other issues.
At Frisco High School, the German students attended classes with their American peers and stayed with families of students learning German who traveled to Germany in June to learn about the country and culture.
FHS German teacher Claudia Keller, who grew up in Germany, said that by attending school, living with host families, and observing day-to-day life both sets of students were surrounded with the other country’s true culture.
“I wanted our students to see how Germans really lived, how families live, because as a tourist you get taken to all of the famous places,” Keller said. “I don’t think that’s as educational as when you go look and live with a family to see how daily life is.”
The German students n who are required to begin learning English at age 10 - said that they enjoyed their time in Frisco. Student Camilla Hauke said that she wants to spend a year studying in the United States as an exchange student, and may possibly return to FHS.
“I really enjoy it, because we get to know a new culture,” Hauke said. “It’s warmer here, too, and Texas is really interesting because it’s so large.”
The Lone Star state is twice as large as Germany, and some of the students got the opportunity to visit other parts of Texas with their host family. All of the students attended a Dallas Mavericks basketball game, visited the mayor’s home, and toured the fab at Texas Instruments, which was a highlight of the trip for many students.
“The students were thrilled, because it was really something different,” German English teacher Gerhard Nonnenmann said. “Everybody uses mobile phones, and [Texas Instruments] is where they are produced, and they spread out worldwide.”
The students noticed several differences between German and American culture, but said the adjustments were easy to make. They said that in Germany, the teachers move from classroom to classroom instead of the students, and they also pointed out that McDonalds restaurants in America serve different food and do not serve beer.
Others said they struggled a bit learning to understand a Texas accent, but they enjoyed experiencing a different part of the world and taking in the state’s characteristics, including southern hospitality and expansive development.
“[The land] is flat and bigger,” student Marius Maier said. “You see civilization wherever you look. When you drive along the streets on the highway you see no real forests. You see houses and houses.”
The group took a 10-hour flight back to Germany on Thursday, where they must wait for a train to take them to their hometown of Baden Baden, a historic city in the Black Forest famous for its thermal waters.
“We are very thankful for having the opportunity to take along students, because [the German and American teachers] are convinced that with an exchange, every side who participates must profit, because it makes people more tolerant if you get to know other people’s life, culture, and language,” German English teacher Ellen Steiner said.
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