German students tour Texas towns

North Lake College recently hosted 10 students and two teachers from Germany. The Young People 's Cultural Exchange is a bi-ennial campus tradition.

The German students participated in a wide range of activities, including the State Fair of Texas and Southfork Ranch. The visitors also toured Austin, San Antonio and West Texas.

At North Lake, the students attended Dr. Gabriel Bach's American government class, during which they met State House Representative Rafael Anchia. According to the students' chaperone, Patricia Corbett, who is also the assistant to North Lake's president, the visitors were particularly interested in the way American government works. “They were surprised at how honest and straight forward the politician seemed,” Corbett said. “They were impressed that he didn't talk out of both sides of his mouth.”

Corbett said that the students especially enjoyed eating barbeque and Tex-Mex. “At meal time, the students always wanted to stop at Taco Bell. They don't have Mexican food in Germany.”

The students were also impressed with North Lake's performance of “Tartuffe.” Corbett said that they were surprised to learn that the play was not performed by professional actors. “One of the German students asked one of the actresses how long she had been involved in the theater,” Corbett said. “He was shocked when she said this was her first play.”

Earlier this year in May, North Lake students visited the German school Berufsbildende Schulen I. There will be a similar opportunity after graduation in May 2008. The trip is aimed at students who have not visited Europe before. The three-week trip costs about $1,000 per student. The formal application process will begin in August 2007. Students interested in visiting Germany in 2008 should contact Patricia Corbett at 972-273-3283, or visit www.theblazeronline.com.