Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 15 · column 2 of 7 · from the scan, no model involved
America, sue promised to speak only English and now she has come to prefer it. Why? “Because in German it takes five sentences to say ‘You’re kidding me’,” Gaby said.
Her good English is one of the reasons she fit in so well with the Helmers. There wasn’t the usual strangeness of having a new person in the home. “She came well prepared and ready to make it work,” said Mrs. Helmer. “She was part of the family right away.”
Because Gaby is now such a close part of the family, the Helmers would rather not think about the day of her departure. Gaby tries to forget about it. In August, another exchange student will come to live with the Helmers, and Gaby of course will be gone then. Still, when talking to the Helmers, Gaby catches herself saying things like “We’re going to have such fun with the new exchange student.” Then she remembers she won’t be their anymore.
Going to school at Rappahannock High School has been a unique experience for Gaby. In Germany she attends a large parochial school where she is all but anonymous. In Rappahannock it’s just the opposite, she said. “Everybody knows everybody.” Gaby admitted that when everybody knows everything about you it can be a disadvantage. Overall, though, she prefers the smallness of Rappahannock High School to the large one in Germany.
Another thing Gaby likes about the school system here is that she can get to know her teachers well. In Germany, “the teachers are there to teach” and that’s all, said Gaby. “There isn’t much of a relationship between teacher and student.” She compared high school in Germany to college in the U.S., in that little quizes aren’t given. There are only two major tests over the course of a year.
Gaby has taken part in many activities during the school year. She played the accordian for her class at Christmas time, had a part in a school play, and won a certificate acknowledging her as “best student for a week.” She has helped out with the girl scouts, which included teaching them the polka for “thinking day.” As a volunteer for the special Olympics she assisted in a bowling event. Currently Gaby is taking Karate lessons.
When not involved in those activities she enjoys riding one of the Helm
93.3%