Last Year 22 German Students from Munich came to Bellingham and stayed with 22 students from Sehome... and this summer, for the second part of the exchange, we went to Germany and stayed with them for 4 weeks. We also spent 10 days traveling around the country with the other Americans. This page can tell you some things about GAPP, where we went and what we saw on our trip and our reactions to life in Germany...

ABOUT G.A.P.P:

GAPP was founded in 1972, since then it has become the most successful high school exchange program between the United States and Germany. The main goal of GAPP is to involve students in the everyday activities of their host families and host schools and to encourage new friendships.

Sehome has been involved in the GAPP program since 1985. Carol Cozad, the head of GAPP at Sehome, had been looking for a partner school since around 1980 and it wasn't until five years later that she found a school that she thought was "a perfect match both economically and academically" ....and that school was Ernst-Mach Gymnasium in Munich. Cozad has kept GAPP alive at Sehome for 12 years now. She says that she keeps doing it because it is the best way to apply what she teaches in the class room and the only way to breakdown the sterotypes that Germans and Americans have about each other. She also continues the program because of the number of life long friendships she has seen students develop because of the GAPP experience.

This exchange was started off with letters exchanged between the partners, and then the Germans came to stay with us in Bellingham, Washington for almost four weeks.

Click here for PART ONE of our exchange

Nine months later we went to Germany to stay with them for five weeks. Their home town was Haar, which is right outside of Munich. After a weekend with our host families our first group activity was a welcome picnic.This is a picture of all of the teachers who made GAPP possible for us...

We really enjoyed visiting our partner school,Ernst-Mach Gymnasium. We found out that their school life is quite a bit different than ours here. We rode S-bahns and U-bahns all the time, shopping in thebeautiful city of Munich and seeing all the sights. We came to think of Munich as our second hometown and knew it like the back of our hand by the end of our trip. (sort of)

Here is the Bakery Am See, that we could go to for Eis!!!!(ice cream)Just as we were getting comfortable in our new homes- we had to pack up ten days worth of stuff into one bag and catch the train out of Haar for our tour of Germany. Frau Cozad had our trip all mapped out. Here is a link to the places we went.

Our trip was filled with tons of new experiences and adventures. From cafes in Wittenberg to Castles in St. Goar. We were always surprised by all of the different people and places we encountered.

At the end of the ten days we returned to our families. For the remaining three weeks, we participated in various activities including a school ball, a presentation at the school for their open House, a trip to a concentration camp (Dachau) and a tour of the BMW factory in Dinglofing.

Ernst Mach had an open house one day to celebrate their 25th birthday and we participated in it by preforming a skit that represented the different groups of students at sehome.

Too soon it was time for us to leave...but first we had a farewell party. We served an "American dinner" of tacos, sang songs preformed skits of memorable times etc. Jenessa read this poem which she wrote for her partner Miriam and which represents the strong friendships made on this trip:

Two years ago I wrote

To this girl I didn't know

A picture and a letter

Was all I had to show

We met when she came

To my house for a stay

All the way from Germany

Such a long way

I knew at that moment

We would get along

But never imagined

A friendship this strong

Her stay in America

Flew by so fast

We grew very close

And had such a blast

She left and I missed her

Very much so

And the days till my trip

Seemed to pass by so slow

At last came the day

When I could give her a hug

Our feelings and thoughts

Were let out of the plug

It is scary sometimes

How well we know one another

Her I tell things

I would never tell others

She cheers me up always

When I'm sad or blue

And we stayed up late

Talking and talking till two

She is constantly busy with

All that she does

But she makes time for others

That's her, just cuz

She makes beautiful music

And is there when dancing starts

Her bright personality

Has so many parts

Everything she attempts

With 100%

And she puts in her heart

Not expecting a cent

I've done so many things

In the month I've been here

And I've learned quite a lot

Not just about beer

I will miss many things

But nothing as much

As my dear partner Miriam

Friends forever who won't lose touch.

-THE END-

Go back to the Gapp-main page