Whether it's decorating for Homecoming, watching your team score on the football field or getting ready for prom with friends, these are experiences most high schoolers don’t think twice about. For foreign exchange student Frida Kirchhauser, it feels like she’s stepped straight onto the silver screen.  

“(Even) the hallways and the lockers, it's just like a movie,” she said. 

The high school junior touched down on American shores this August from her hometown of Stuttgart, a landlocked German city of about 630,000 in the country’s southern half. It was a process over a year in the making with multiple applications and interview rounds before Kirchhauser was chosen by her host parents Conxa Packard and Jordi Del Rio, who, along with three little host siblings Kirchhauser said are "very cute," will be Kirchhauser’s family for the 10-month experience.  

Kirchhauser has wanted to visit the U.S. since older brother Ruben studied as an exchange student in Ohio when he was 16. “We called once a week on Sundays, and he told us about everything he experienced, and it sounded so cool.”  

Kirchhauser was also eager to participate in the school spirit often portrayed in American pop culture and, so far, she has not been disappointed. The recent Homecoming celebrations were a highlight, from riding through downtown on the junior class’ Hollywood-themed truck bed to the week of dress-up days, culminating in everyone (even the boys!) wearing pink for the Friday homecoming football game.  

“In Germany, like no one would wear that," she said. 

But events are only one part of the full high school experience. Kirchhauser has thrown herself into multiple extracurriculars: field hockey, chorus, and the drama club’s production of “Frozen Jr.” She plans to join basketball this coming season. 

Kirchhauser’s favorite has been field hockey, even if she’s not as skilled at it as German handball. Her initial nervousness about trying the new sport wasn’t helped by her accidentally showing up at the wrong location for the first practice, where she was unable to find her future teammates. 

“(When I found them), they were all sitting in a circle, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, I don't want to go over there.’ But then I still went, and they were all so nice.”  

Not only were they nice, but they were eager to ask questions and get to know Kirchhauser. The bonds they’ve since formed on the late-night bus rides back from games have helped Kirchhauser when she’s homesick, although she’s often too busy to feel that way. 

“If I'm sad or something, I can always talk to (my host family or new friends). I thought it would be worse, but it's (been) good.” 

In addition to gathering school experiences, Kirchhauser has gotten a taste of coastal Maine life, which includes trying lobster for the first time.  

“At first, I was like, ‘Ah!’ (because) the whole animal was in front of me,” she recalled, laughing. But the dish was deemed “very good” once she learned how to crack the shell and slather the meat in butter. Crab also received a favorable review, and eating a haddock sandwich is next on Kirchhauser’s wish list.

Other items soon to be ticked off on the list include Kirchhauser’s first Thanksgiving feast and celebrating an American-style, hopefully snowy Christmas. In Germany, the holiday is Dec. 24 and, instead of Santa Claus, an angel visits in the evening, she explained.  

Kirchhauser will also be taking a few trips to appreciate the rest of the country. A local coordinator with her program is bringing her and other Maine exchange students to New York either in December or April. A trip to Hawaii has been scheduled for February.  

At the end of June, Kirchhauser will return to Germany to finish high school, with plans to go on to college for psychology or elementary school education. While she would like to return to the U.S. for her university years, an American college education comes with a large price tag compared to the free tuition available in her home country. However, Kirchhauser is hoping to remedy this by doing a semester abroad program.  

“I'm looking forward to the future, but I definitely want to come back and see everyone here again.”