New Experiences: Foreign exchange student Vici Beers’ experiences in the U.S. and the impact they’ve made on her

Aug. 16, 2023. 

Junior Vici Beer took a deep breath before her first day at a new school. Her lock screen was set to her schedule and she had a map of East ready to direct her during the day. Junior Emma Culp, her host sister, turned into the crowded parking lot where Vici made her way to her first hour, Spanish.

“I was sitting outside at the tables and I was like, ‘Oh my god, this is so much to take in right now,’” Vici said. “I immediately texted my German parents and I was like ‘There’s so many new people over here and I walked out in the hallway, there’s like 5000 new faces.’”

Then-sophomore Vici decided to live in Kansas as an exchange student for her third year of high school — a drastic change from her hometown Munich, Germany.

Between the school system, food and Midwestern traditions, now-junior Vici has experienced being a teen in the U.S. allowing her to be more spontaneous and improve her English.

“Germans like to hold onto traditions and try to stay in their comfort zone,” Vici said. “That’s the main difference I realized so far from the people [and] surroundings.”

In the past year, Vici has explored not only East but other places in America like Arkansas, Utah and California. 

Entering a foreign culture, Vici wasn’t completely unfamiliar with Kansas — her dad had completed an exchange year in Wichita when he was her age, but compared to her dad, Vici’s experience has been full of new experiences like skiing in Colorado where the slopes are superior to those in Germany, according to Vici.

“I’m glad that I got Kansas City because my dad did an exchange year when he was 16 or 17,” Vici said. “And he was like, ‘Be prepared. It’s pretty boring out there.’”

But boredom hasn’t been an issue for Vici. She loves to travel and researched before her trips. She searched for attractions and tours like Kansas City barbeque or the Nelson Atkins Museum before heading to a new spot. Vici has possessed a wanderlust ever since she would travel around Europe as a young kid.

Her parents wanted to introduce her to traveling as a family before Vici would start traveling by herself — especially because her grandma has two more countries to visit until she has traveled the world.

Vici knew the Culp family before she decided to take part in the exchange program. Emma’s dad lived in Germany during college where he became friends with the Beer family.

The Culps planned a trip to Colorado and then traveled to the Southwest where one of Vici’s favorite memories was formed — a trip to Disneyland. Vici had grown up loving Disney, especially her favorite movie “Beauty and the Beast”.

“We wanted to let her see as much of the states as possible,” Emma said. “We lied to her up until we pulled into the parking lot that we were going to some museum. She was super excited about it.”

Vici was beyond surprised and overjoyed to be able to go to Disneyland, one of her dream destinations in the U.S.

“We went to Disneyland and I was crying like a baby because [it was] a dream come true,” Vici said. “I never would have thought in a million years we were gonna go to Disneyland because that was my number one wish during the exchange.”

Emma and Vici ​​have been practically inseparable since Vici came to live with the family, according to Emma. They drive everywhere together including Vici’s soccer practices. Vici’s been able to participate in tennis and soccer during her time at East and has enjoyed every second of it.

Along with sports, Vici has fallen in love with Lancer traditions including Lancer Day — a memory she’ll always cherish.

“Participating in a sport is a good memory,” Vici said. “It was tennis in the fall and it’s soccer now. Lancer Day will always be in my heart. Probably my new favorite holiday I would like to establish in Germany.”