Meet Milli Tietz, a foreign exchange student staying with a Depew couple and attending Depew School. Tietz is a 17 year old from Berlin Germany, who is an only child and who’s mother Maria is a business administrator and father, Marc, is a civil engineer.
Tietz says she was very excited when she learned she was coming to Oklahoma as she had always wanted to experience high school in America. She also wanted to improve her English.
Even though Tietz misses her family terribly she has lived this past school year with her host mom and dad, Nick and Macie Rubio along with a little host brother, Luca.
She says the thing that surprised her the most about America is how friendly and welcoming everyone is and she is so happy that she got to experience some American culture, even for a short while. She has experienced Thanksgiving and Christmas and says she loved the holidays because it was all about family. Thanksgiving is not celebrated in Germany so it was exciting to Tietz to experience it for the first time.
Tietz says the difference in school here from Germany is in Germany you go to study as there are no sports or clubs. She has enjoyed Depew so much because of the great school spirit and sports. “You can actually have fun attending school,” says Tietz. She said, “I played on the schools slow pitch softball team and had a great time. I had great coaches and teammates to help me out.” Softball became Tietz favorite activity at school and she is so happy she got to play. She was voted junior homecoming attendant which she says was very unexpected.
“The thing I am going to miss the most when I go back to Germany is my host family and the friends that I have made during my stay here. I will miss playing ball and going to prom,” she said, “I am going to miss Taco Bell and Mac & Cheese.”
A typical school day in Germany begins about 6:30 a.m when Tietz awakes. Tiestz says she then takes the bus (public transport) to school. School is a 7-8 hour day. Lunch is at 11:40, (which like any other teenager, she spends with her friends), and lunch is 20 minutes long. Tietz says when she returns to Germany she plans on redoing her junior year and then complete her senior year. After graduation, she would like to come back to the United States and possibly go to college here but she may study at a university in Germany also, a little undecided on that one. Either way, she will definitely come back to see her host family the many friends she made during her stay.
Tietz was asked what the one thing was in the U.S. that she wishes was in Germany, other than her host family and friends, her answer was “Target.”