Meissen: From Kansas City to Meissen

Meissen. Eleanor Wegener is in the corridor of the Freie Werkschule greeting us in German. In perfect German without an accent. How does it work? The young woman explains that she trained herself to roll over in the typical Ami accent. She laughs. Even her surname sounds familiar. “Yes, my ancestors were German,” she says. Eleanor is actually at home in the American Midwest, more precisely in Kansas City. In the part of the city that is in the state of Missouri. Home is a broad term for the young student. At the moment it is the Pieschen district of Dresden and the Freie Werkschule – at least for twelve hours a week.

Eleanor walked a lot as a child. “I was born in the state of Michigan. Then my family moved to Kansas City. Then I went to Brisbane in Australia for twelve years. My father had to go there for work. Then back to Kansas City,” she says. She has been to Germany a couple of times. She at 14, she on a school trip, she at 16, on an exchange year at a high school in Baden-Württemberg. Later she enrolled in the state of Indiana – for the courses “German” and “International Economics and Cultural Affairs”. She benefited from the fact that she learned our language in high school. There were also some courses in German literature. “She just interested me,” she admits.

Indebted from a young age

These aren’t particularly popular courses, at least not at his university. “Of course, before you start studying, you think about how to earn good money later,” says Eleanor. Many therefore enrolled in business-oriented courses. With your studies, you usually become a German teacher. Studying in the US is associated with high costs. More often than not, young people take out loans which they then carry with them for many years. “In your first 20 years you quickly owe 50,000 euros,” says Eleanor. President Biden recently wanted to give each student $10,000 to get started. Whether it will come to this is uncertain.

After two years at Indiana University, Eleanor decided to spend a year abroad. You fell right in the Corona period. “The semester in Tübingen took place exclusively online. There were hardly any opportunities to get to know professors or friends,” she says. To earn some money, she works in a mini pastry chef, helps out at the café and goes to the weekly markets. “At first I really had my problems with the Swabian dialect,” she laughs. For the second semester she moved to Cambridge in England. Here she met her boyfriend, born in Croatia.

Back in the United States, Eleanor learned about the so-called “Fulbright Program”, named after US Senator J. William Fulbright (1905-1995). She allocates positions, for example as “English Teaching Assistants” in German schools. Only 200 places, including scholarships, are offered in the United States each year. Eleanor took one and was given Saxony. “I had heard of Saxony,” she admits. bad? “No, a YouTube video about the dialect,” she says. She has been in town since September and the young American first had to get used to the language. With “isch” and “nee” you are now clear. She also knows what a cell phone is. What is striking, however, is how many English words are used in German.

Finding a connection is not easy

Have you ever been in New York? Are there really yellow school buses in the US? Have you seen the cheerleaders? The sixth graders, in particular, peppered the new girl with questions. The tenth grade students were rather reserved. “Eighth grade was mostly about politics,” Eleanor says. You have talked a lot about the United States in recent weeks. “It was helpful that now I can look at my homeland from the outside,” she says. She attended the grape harvest and is a guest on the geography class this week. She is about North America. Otherwise, she supports teachers in English lessons and helps, among other things, students with weaker languages. Her goal: to take delivery of a full lesson in the future.

“At first, my role here was not very clear. Also, the teaching staff didn’t have much time. They are all older than me and have families,” says the student. Finding a connection in Germany isn’t exactly easy. “It’s different in the US. People are more open. But it has to be said that interest is rapidly declining again,” laughs Eleanor. She initially lived with her guardian. In the meantime, she has found a flatshare in Dresden. She feels comfortable with her two roommates. What about nostalgia?

“When I’m in the US, I miss Europe. When I’m here, I think about my family,” she says. Her father supports her, her mother worries a little. Stay in touch via WhatsApp. The messaging service is not as popular in the US as it is here. “My parents dumped him because of me,” the 22-year-old says. Normally, communication in America takes place via Facebook Messenger or the classic SMS. Not the only difference.

Short distances to Germany

“What I think is great about Germany: You’re fast at sea, fast in the mountains or in Italy,” she says. This is true, if you take American conditions as a basis. “It takes at least eight hours by car from our home in Chicago. It also takes ten hours to get to the closest beach.” The public transport offer here is also better than at home. A big difference compared to home is apparently also the diet. “Organic products are very common in Germany. In the US, it’s more for chic people,” she says. Overall, Germans pay more attention to what they eat than people in the US.

What struck her, of course, was the German thoroughness. “When it came to drawing a table, I did it freehand. The students, on the other hand, used to take out rulers and pencils,” smiles Eleanor. There is certainly more to tell, for example that her brother, who is a mechanic, has only six days of paid vacation a year. Holidays are already included.

The program initially runs until June 2023. Thereafter, there is the option to extend your stay, in Meissen or elsewhere. Eleanor wants to extend and stay in Germany. She is flirting with further studies and would like to take up a professorship later. You get the feeling that she likes to travel the world. And I can’t help it. “To be honest, I only get along with people from other countries than with people back home,” says the young woman.