CLOQUET — Having never left the United States before, Cloquet junior Hendrix Wilkinson missed his home shortly after arriving in the German Bavarian capital city of Munich.
“It wasn’t like I was just a few hours away or at summer camp, but it was like across the world,” Wilkinson said.
Wilkinson arrived in Germany on June 9 as part of a month-long visit that included short excursions to neighboring countries. The trip was led by Cloquet High School German teacher Cara Jago as part of the German-American Partnership Program, an international short-term exchange program sponsored by the United States and German governments.
The students spent the first three nights touring Munich’s historic buildings and churches. From there, they took a trip to the nearby Dachau concentration camp — the longest-running concentration camp in Nazi Germany. Students then took a train to the Black Forest — the inspiration for Brothers Grimm fairy tales like “Hansel and Gretel” and “Snow White” — before meeting their host families in the city of Villingen-Schwenningen.
“Being able to experience that firsthand cultural experience that my students have just gives me goosebumps,” Jago said.
Cloquet students in the city of Villingen-Schwenningen. Back row, from left: Ari Adamscheck, Patrick Radosevich, Hendrix Wilkinson, Silas Barto, William Johnson, Lillian DeWitt and Madalyn DeWitt. Front row: Makena Anderson, McKenna Gandhi, Ali Krivinchuk, Marley Peak, Vienna Rosebrock, Adelyn LaCore and Kielly Johnson.
Contributed / Cara Jago
After arriving in Villingen-Schwenningen, the students visited Gymnasium am Hoptbüh, a college-preparatory school that serves as Cloquet’s partner in the program. Cloquet Schools has partnered with Gymnasium am Hoptbü since 1996, with each school taking turns sending a student delegation every other year.
School was still in session in Germany, and the Cloquet students helped the German students practice their English language skills.
Senior Patrick Radosevich, whose only previous international travel had been to Canada, loved the public transportation connecting the countryside to major cities, as well as the urban planning that allowed him to meander to the city center for a croissant and a beverage over lunch.
“Everything that I’ve ever said about America, it’s like I’ve been saying it without a reference point,” Radosevich said. “I didn’t really know what different is like, but now I kind of do.”
His German partner in the program, Mathias, took him to an “old, medieval” building. Radosevich mused whether it was older than everything in Cloquet. Mathias responded, “nah, it’s kind of young,” and then stated it was only 300 years old.
“It’s older than America,” Radosevich said.
Jago, who has been organizing the biennial trip since 2018, said one of her favorite aspects is watching the friendships unfold among the Cloquet students and their German counterparts.
“The relationships that are built, I cannot say enough about how much that warms my heart,” Jago said.
Although people spoke a different language and had different customs, parts of Germany reminded Wilkinson of home. He equated the Black Forest with the coniferous woods that surround Cloquet.
“Going out and seeing the different regions and cultures of different people across the world, I feel like it’s super cool and super intrigues me to see how people live and how it’s different from us,” Wilkinson said.
Although Germany may be known for its horseradish-infused mustards, spätzle and rye breads, the culinary hit among the Cloquet delegation seemed to be Spezi, a cola-and-orange soda hybrid made by Paulaner, a brewery primarily known in the United States for its Hefeweizen beers.
“I swear, our students bought out all of Germany in their Spezi supply,” Jago said.
Though it might seem like a luxury to spend a summer in Europe, Jago feels that taking students to immerse themselves in a different culture at such a young age can shape their entire future.
“These students are gaining world perspectives, yes, but they’re also gaining big-time confidence, being able to navigate the world that we live in,” she said.
Both Radosevich and Wilkinson said they caught the travel bug. Radosevich said he is already talking to Mathias about traveling to Rome, Croatia, Romania and Turkey. Wilkinson said he hopes his next international trip will be to Paris.