Lenoir County family participates in foreign exchange student program
Pictured left to right: Martje Tammen, Emma Grace Kennedy, Berry Kennedy. Crystal Kennedy, MaKayla Kennedy, Cassidy Kennedy.
Every year, students from other countries come to America as part of a Student Exchange Program. This year, the Kennedy family is one of the host families to have an exchange student. The Kennedy family lives in Lenoir County and they are hosting Martje Tammen from Lower Saxony, Germany. As part of the program, Martje attends South Lenoir High School as a junior.
The host family, the Kennedys include Berry Kennedy, Crystal Kennedy, 18-year-old Cassidy Kennedy, 17-year-old MaKayla Kennedy and 16-year-old Emma Grace Kennedy.
When talking with the Kennedys they told us, “Our family loves to travel. We make it a goal for the kids to experience life outside of North Carolina. We wanted to host so we could experience a different culture and learn more about another country.”
Martje is 16-years old from Lower Saxony, Germany, and she is attending South Lenoir High School for the 2022-2023 school year. When Martje was asked about her interest in the Exchange Program, she said “ I think being a part of a student exchange program is the best chance to get to know a new culture/lifestyle and of course to improve your English. It’s also perfect to try out new things and to come out of your comfort zone. The reason because I wanted to be a part of this program is also that I ever dreamed of getting to know new places and like new adventures.”
Martje really enjoys her time at South Lenoir, “I really like how kind and helpful the people here are and how important and big the school spirit is here. I’ve also learned so far that it’s important to just try things out even if you’re scared in the beginning.”
The family is able to host Martje for about 10 months, which gives them ample time to spend with Martje and learn about her German culture.
The Kennedys focus on the fact that “It is a blessing to help Martje achieve her dreams. We are happy to share the next 10 months with Martje. During her 10 months in the United States, we plan to travel( when school is out) so she can learn as much as she can about America.“
Martje was asked about what she misses most when being away from her home country for 10 months. She says, “The most I miss about home are my friends and family and definitely my two cats. Sometimes I also miss to not understand everything and not be able to say exactly what I want to say because some words are missing. But I think those problems will be better and better with time. “
Since exchange students are spending an entire school year in the United States, it gives exchange students like Martje a chance to learn the English language from a different perspective.
“Of course I hope to be a pro at speaking English after this but more importantly is that I think it is better to handle certain situations and in general to be better to communicate or understand people. I also hope to be more independent and responsible. ” says Martje about learning English.
Pictured left to right: Cassidy Kennedy, MaKayla Kennedy, Emma Grace Kennedy and Martje Tammen
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