Last week marked the final exchange. The final week two foreign exchange students would live with their host families and walk the halls of LZHS.

After spending years learning the English language from private tutors in school in Germany, Pia Pantoulier, sophomore, decided it was time to branch out and spend time somewhere far away from the surroundings she grew up in.

“I had a couple of options like Chile or Spain but finally I decided to go to America because my parents thought it would be the best country to go to,” Pantoulier said. “I knew that I wanted to go right away.”

After finally being accepted by Sister Cities, an organization dedicated to building bridges between members of communities thousands of miles apart, Pantoulier traded in her friends and family to spend six months in Lake Zurich.

“It was so hard the first months,” Pantoulier said. “I used to talk to my friends and family almost everyday but after a while I noticed that I was still back in Germany and not really settled down here.”

Pantoulier was eventually able to shift her focus to America, where she joined various clubs and activities, made new friends, and even ran with the Polar Bears.

“I mostly made friends outside of my classes. All of my friends are from volleyball or the different clubs I did,” Pantoulier said.

Among these friends was sophomore Emily Voelz, who also transferred from Germany for a semester submersed in American culture.

“My mom’s American, so I wanted to get to get to know the culture a little more because hearing about it is a lot different from experiencing it,” Voelz said. “The image we have [of American schools] is basically like High School Musical, without the singing and dancing.”

Even though there was no singing or dancing involved in their experience in the school, besides in the PAC, the girls were able to branch out and experience new things, most of which they were able to share with each other.

“I know Emily and I are going to stay in contact,” Pantoulier said.“I’m really glad that I met her and she’s the most understanding person of [being an exchange student] and the problems that come along the way.”

As two exchange students from the same country, going to the same American school, many similarities exist between Voelz and Pantoulier, including their excitement returning home to their families after their experience in Lake Zurich.

“Leaving my family was hard but I knew I would see them again,” Voelz said. “My friends even planned a surprise party for when I get back, even though it’s not much of a surprise anymore.”