This isn’t Ida Weikop’s first time to America, but it is her first trip to Ann Arbor, a place that she describes to be rather like Copenhagen in appearance, if somewhat smaller. But the size of the town is exactly what Weikop loves, as she finds Ann Arbor to be “So cozy! And nice, with all the events downtown, and cafes.” Weikop, an exchange student from Denmark, has been in Ann Arbor for six weeks, and in school at Community for two.
On top of the what she enjoys about Ann Arbor, Weikop is amused by how in-your-face Americans are.“I like that people [here] are very open-minded. It’s easy to talk to people. [In Denmark] people are nice, but you don’t just talk to people, you don’t go over and say hi.” Weikop explained that in Denmark, people tend to be more socially reserved.
Weikop is staying with the family of Erin Baughn, a senior at Community. She said that she really likes her exchange family, and that she is avoiding feeling homesick by keeping in touch with her parents back home in Denmark. “I’m Skyping with my parents and family really often,” she said, adding that she was also taking pictures for her parents, both of whom have been to America before, but never to Ann Arbor. Weikop’s parents were “excited for me. But sad that I left them. But I think it’s okay for them and they are just doing what they normally do, [like] working.”
YFU, or Youth For Understanding, is a world’s largest and oldest exchange student organization. YFU was started in 1951 through a Michigan church as a way to heal the rifts caused by World War 2 between America and Germany. Close to 250,000 students have been a part of the program so far, and an estimated 4,000 students will be exchange students each year the program. Since YFU did no advertising at her school, Weikop had to find out about the program by herself.
The idea of wanting to be an exchange student had first been planted in Weikop’s mind when, several years ago, she met two American exchange students who had come to Denmark. While at school one day, Weikop started Googling ways to become an exchange student, and stumbled across the homepage for YFU. “I just thought it was cool and a great organization,” she said. The opening orientation impressed Weikop, and she began making preparations to come to Ann Arbor.
Now that she is in America, Weikop is grateful that she had ended up at Community: even though Community is significantly smaller than other Ann Arbor public schools, it is far bigger than what Weikop was used to in Denmark.. “I’m glad I’m here,” Weikop admitted with a smile and a shrug, like she doesn’t even imagine what it would be like to attend Pioneer or Huron. One of the biggest differences so far between Community and Weikop’s home school back in Denmark has been moving from room to room for each class. Weikop explains that, “in Denmark, we just stay in the same classroom and the teachers come to us. It’s confusing here, in the beginning.” Block scheduling has also been a source of confusion for her, as it is for new students and new teachers at Community.
So far, Weikop’s favorite class is Dance Body. Although she did not take dance lessons back home, she is excited to have the chance to do so now, as she has always thought dancing to be “cool”. Weikop’s schedule also includes US History, FOS, Acting, Algebra 2 and Harlem Lit. Her forum, which has also been a completely new experience for Weikop, is Ken Mcgraw’s.
Before coming to America, where she will be staying for a year, Weikop had just graduated from primary school, which combines American grades 1 through 9. When she returns to Denmark, Weikop will be attending high school, which for her will only take three years, and “will definitely be different” from high school here. Thankfully, she will not have to repeat many of the same classes, only algebra and science. Weikop said that it might be weird to have to take those classes over again, but “but maybe it will not be the same; I don’t know.”
Either way, her year at Community will undoubtedly be one that Weikop is not likely to forget.
