­Being a foreign exchange student in any country can be hard for some, but not for junior Sophie Krause.

Krause is from a small German town near Düsseldorf, Germany.

“It’s very small,” said Krause. “The population is about 3,000 people.”

Moving from a small town of 3,000 people to Fairfax County, where the population is about 1,037,605 was a difficult transition.

“The United States is much bigger. When I arrived at the airport I was lost right away,” said Krause, “it was terrible.”

However, she has a built-in support system here in Springfield. Krause is living with lifelong friend junior Dominik Takenaka and his family. Takenaka and Krause have been friends since the second grade when Takenaka’s family moved to Germany.

Three years later, Takenaka moved away with his parents to the US. At first Krause said they talked frequently on the phone, but as time went on they talked less and less. However, that changed very soon.

It was another normal day for Krause; she went to the pool with her friend and they talked about what was going on in their lives.

“She told me she was going to Australia to live for a while and I told her how I wanted to go to the Unites States,” said  Krause.

Krause’s dream would soon  become a reality. When she went home that day she told her mother of her friend’s plans to move to Australia and how Krause would have chosen to move to the United States instead.

“She just looked at me and asked if I wanted to go and I couldn’t believe it,” said Krause.

Krause’s mother contacted Takenaka’s mother and asked if Krause could stay with them for a while as a foreign exchange student. When she agreed, they started to make their plans. After 10 months of planning, Krause was on a plane headed to DC.

“It was my first flight,” said Krause. “I was more excited to see America then fly in a plane for the first time.” 

Krause was anxious to arrive in such a new and exciting environment. All of the people Krause met that had been to the US said how amazing and different it was.

“She had the wrong expectations,” said Beatrix Takenaka, Dominik’s mother. “She imagined America like what she saw in American films.”

However, the trip to America is not all about school.Krause would love to have the chance to visit the monuments in DC and New York before she leaves.

Krause also loves the school system, here in Amercia, in comparison to Germany.

“Everything is much simpler and easier to understand in American schools,” said Krause. “Here there are seven subjects but in Germany there are thirteen.”

Although the school system is great, the American lifestyles are also interesting to Krause, who has been introduced to many new American customs during her visit.

“I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for the first time and I hated it,” said Krause. “It just tasted awful to me.”

Krause has made many new friends and will be sad to say goodbye, when she leaves to go back to Germany in January.

“I will miss all the great new friends I have made here,” said Krause. “But I am very excited to see my family again. I am so grateful for this experience and I wouldn’t change it for the world.”