MORAN — When Luiza Lounici returns home at the conclusion of the school year, she’ll do so with a fresh appreciation of rural Kansas living.
Lounici, a foreign exchange student at Marmaton Valley High School, spoke about the differences between living in Moran and her native Berlin, Germany.
And there are many.
Berlin, Germany’s capital city, is home to 4 million, with an international flavor.
In Moran, population 558, the closest thing to Deutschland are bratwursts and German shepherds.
School in Berlin was urban as well, with roughly 1,000 students between grades 5-12.
Truth be told, she likes the smaller setting.
“I like the smaller school,” Lounici said. “Here, everyone knows each other. It’s easier to get along with teachers. They don’t have to focus on too many students. Here, I know stuff about my teachers, and back in Germany, I don’t know most of their first names.”
Lounici is spending her junior year in Kansas with her host family, Justin and Heather Wools and their daughter, Headlee.
It’s been a match made in heaven, Louinic notes. She’s especially fond of her alone time with Headlee, a second-grader.
“We’ll bake things and watch movies together,” Lounici said. “I’ve really liked getting to know Headlee. I’ve always wanted a sister. It didn’t matter if she was younger or older.”
Back home, Louinici is the oldest of three siblings, with brothers ages 13 and 5.
“They do annoy me from time to time,” she laughed. “But I miss them annoying me, too.”
She stayed in Kansas through the holidays, marking the holiday with a Facetime call.
“It’s just not the same,” she admitted. “I miss home, but I’m not ready to leave.”
LOUINICI learned about the foreign exchange program two years ago, and began weighing the pros (being exposed to a new culture) and cons (having to repeat a year of high school because her foreign studies won’t count toward graduation), before deciding to give it a whirl.
She had her choice between the United States and Australia, eventually picking the former because she realized coastal Australian weather would likely remain nearly tropical year round.
“I wanted to try a variety,” she said. “Kansas has snowy, as well as warm weather.”
Any weather as cold as this week’s snap?
“Yes, it gets this cold in Germany,” she laughed.
The agency matched Louinici with the Wools family over the summer. After a few long-distance phone calls with the Woolses, Lounici was Kansas-bound.
She was a quick fit.
Intrigued by the elective courses offered at Marmaton Valley — schools in Germany typically stick with the basics, Louinici noted — Louinici signed up for, among other things, entomology and yearbook at Marmaton Valley.
And while she’s enjoyed learning about agriculture, it’s her yearbook work where Lounici quickly thrived.
Especially photography.
Among her earliest assignments was to take photos at sporting events.
Despite having barely touched a camera before, Lounici quickly began snapping award-worthy photos.
“I don’t have any specific talent,” she said modestly.
But something clicked — no pun intended — when she stepped behind the camera.
“The more photos I took, the more fun it became,” she said. “I wound up doing way more than I needed to.”
Any favorites?
“Football, definitely,” she said. “I don’t know, maybe it’s because it’s outside, and when the sun sets, it’s really pretty.”
THERE ARE other differences for high-schoolers.
Back home, teens aren’t allowed to get behind the wheel until they turn 17, and they won’t become fully licensed until 18.
“In Germany, we rely a lot on public transportation,” she notes.
Here, some of Lounici’s classmates have had their restricted licenses since their 15th birthday.
“I’m really envious they get to drive so early in their life,” she said. “I have one friend I ride with a lot. I’m always complaining that I don’t get to drive. It seems like a lot of fun. You’re able to go to more places and be more independent.”
Alas, she’s prohibited from even being allowed to sit in the driver’s seat. (The foreign exchange program expressly forbids it.) “I’m not even allowed to ask,” she notes.
Mostly, Lounici enjoys her new home, new friends and new experiences.
“I really enjoy coming to school every day,” she said. “I’m always excited. In Germany, not so much. I usually don’t want to go school there.”
Lounici is able to stay in touch with her old friends via texts, SnapChat and occasional phone calls.
But the school year in Germany also is structured differently, with finals-level courses interspersed moreso than in America.
“And with the time change, I don’t get to talk with them a lot,” she said. “It was difficult to say goodbye, but they came over a day before I left for a small gathering.”
It was her long-term friendships back home that convinced Lounici she could study abroad.
“I know I have lots of friends in the class below me,” she said. “I’ll be with them because I’ll have to repeat my junior year next year. This year doesn’t count.”
Is there anything about Kansas she won’t miss?
“Actually, I won’t miss how many plastic bags Walmart has,” she laughed. “We bring our own bags to shop in Germany. They’re not that cheap plastic.”
WITH college more than two years away, Lounici, still remains undecided on what she’ll pursue academically.
Louinici is fluent in four languages. She can carry conversations in German, English, Polish and Spanish (and is studying Latin) and is considering studying psychology after high school.
“I don’t know about my long-term future,” she said. “But I want to come back here to the United States for college. That’s what I’m thinking.”
But first things first.
Lounici, who played volleyball during the fall, hopes to sign up for the Wildcat softball team in the spring. “We don’t have that in Germany,” she notes. She also is a member of the Marmaton Valley FFA, Kansas Association of Youth and drama club chapters.
And then, of course, she’ll be at various events with a camera in tow.
“I don’t like taking pictures indoors as much with the gym lights,” she said. “But I’d like to cover track and field. That sounds fun.”
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