Last fall, I had the incredible opportunity to spend six weeks as an exchange student at Shawnee Mission East High School in Prairie Village, Kansas. With over 2,000 students and only four grades, it was a Wahnsinn compared to our small BRG Steyr Gymnasium.

I lived with my Aunt Gina and Uncle Chuck and mornings started with decisions about lunch since school was from 7:40-2:40. Some days I packed my own lunch with a sandwich or bagel, fruit, and snacks, which was different from just needing a small Jause back home. Other days, I ate the cafeteria food, punching my student ID number in at the cash register and chatting with the cafeteria lady who always wished me a great day. Lunch period in the cafeteria or outside in the commons area was buzzingly loud and the smell of pizza and fries always filled the air. We were not allowed to leave school grounds, which was so different from home, leaving school to grab lunch at a nearby grocery store.

And the size of the school! Navigating it was a job and an adventure in itself! I will never forget my first day at orientation, how overwhelmed I was by the size. But once I got settled, had my locker, and a grip on where each of my classes were (each hour a different classroom!), I started to enjoy the busy hallways during passing periods. There was always a mass of students, backpacks, conversations, high fives and fist bumps – just like in the movies. Each passing period was five minutes, which did not seem long enough at first, but it was. Then I would get to my next class and it was like walking into a different world: the classroom was decorated according to the subject, the noise vanished, and you could only hear the hum of the air conditioner and the shuffle of students getting ready for class by opening their notebooks. And the class size! – each of my classes had at least 35-40 students! When class came to an end, I will also always remember that one minute before the bell, when everything went silent again, waiting for the bell to ring and jump up and spill back into the chaos of the hallways.

High school is not just for school, it has all the extracurricular activities you could imagine. I tried out and made the tennis team, which was such a cool experience. So for me, some afternoons meant tennis practice or a tennis match, where I got to wear a Lanser jersey (SM East Mascot) and the squeak of our shoes on the cement tennis court and the Klatschen of rackets hitting balls became familiar. It was so fun to be part of the team and meet new girls.

When I did not have practice or a match, I waited on a bench outside in the impossible Kansas heat (even 38 degrees in September!). I loved watching hundreds of students pour out of school and hop into their cars (you can drive when you are 15!) or climb onto yellow school buses. That mix of smells – hot asphalt, humid air, car exhaust and cold air conditioning escaping from open doors – I will never forget.

Another fun thing about all the extracurriculars is that the team spirit really comes alive. Since it was fall, it was also football season. On Fridays, school spirit came alive and everyone wore blue and white Lancer gear at school (spirit days) and then at night there was a football game at the huge school stadium. We would cheer from the student section and watched the cheerleaders cheer and the marching band play fun songs.

What did I miss most? I missed my friends and family of course, but I also missed getting to eat a warm lunch at home and the slower pace of sitting and chatting during meals. I really missed Austrian bread, but I was able to make Mohnflesserl for my aunt and uncle – they loved them! Being able to walk everywhere, like I do in Steyr was also something I missed. The Kansas City area is so big – nearly 2 million people!
Even though I missed a few things, my time in Kansas gave me so much. I loved the openness – big open skies (Kansas is so flat!) and especially the friendly smiles and ways people were so welcoming. The teachers were so, so kind, and always so positive. I hope to remember that positivity, that Lockerheit, even here. And I will never forget the feeling of independence I learned there whether it was finding my way through a huge school or simply having to navigate things alone.

Shawnee Mission East was not just a school for me, it was a window into a different life and culture. Even though I have grown up bilingually, language is more than words – it is full of culture and tradition that is unique to each region and place. These six weeks taught me so much and I am so lucky I had the opportunity!

Maria Gundacker (6b)