Salisbury Township hosted 10 German exchange students from the rural town of Hassfurt, Germany.

The students arrived Oct. 20 and left to return home Nov. 5. They stayed with host families and attended Salisbury High School. This summer, the families who hosted the German students will send their 10th graders to Germany where they will stay with the German students’ families for three weeks. During their visit, they will not only sightsee in Germany but will also visit south Austria.

During their visit to Salisbury High School, the German exchange students visited Philadelphia, Lancaster and New York City. They enjoyed participating in a corn maze, played table tennis, went to the movies and spent time shopping.

When asked what their favorite American foods were, Max Mather said, “My favorite food is the cheesesteak. Nobody would try to eat steak with cheese in Germany.”

His classmate, Clara Mueller weighed in with her pick, “I’d say, pumpkin pie. Nothing like it in Germany.”

What was one of the biggest misconceptions about Americans’ eating habits? Daniel Fritz confessed, “Some of us thought that Americans only eat fast foods but now we know it just depends on the families.” He went on to say they do have food chains such as McDonalds, Burger King, KFC and Starbucks in Germany.

All agreed they would like to come back someday when they are older. Some would like to do more sightseeing.

One positive attribute from her trip was not the food or surroundings of a foreign country. Clara Mueller clearly connected with her host family during the small window of time she spent here.

“My host family is very, very nice. I could cry,” Mueller said.

Max Mather walked away with an improved confidence level of his ability to converse in English.

“I think in general, every one of us can speak English better,” Mathers said.

Their hometown chaperone for the trip, Aimee Waha, agreed.

“I’ve seen that they’ve become more confident in their presentations,” she said.

Waha said that over the years, she’s seen friendships blossom between her students and the American host families, even among the parents of the teens. Some will be exchanging Christmas gifts with their counterparts this December.

“Everybody has been very welcoming. The administration has been great. It’s been heartwarming,” Waha said.