Oley Valley High School - Olean Yearbook (Oley, PA)

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The Oley Valley High School was honored this year by the presence of Florian Fautz, a German exchange student. Florian was born on Feb. 13, 1962 in Ueberlingen, West Germany. He chose to be an exchange student in America over any other country because he had heard much about it, both good and bad, and wanted to see what It was really like. Having studied English for five years previous to his arrival, Florian seemed to have very little trouble understanding either the student or the teachers. Florian also studied Latin for seven years and French for three years. The only extracurricular activity which Florian participated In In Germany continued to be one of his favorite here at Oley; soccer. He also managed to find time to participate in ski club activities as well as be a member of the chess team. Flor’s other hobbies include playing the piano, participating in sports, and listening to music. Florian’s most memorable experience was his first day at school and his first day in America, both of which were a nightmare. This was due to the drastic differences between schools in America and Germany. One of those differences which plagued him to his last day was the length of the school day. He could not understand why so much time was spent in school instead of with one's family. Florian was also surprised with how easy his studies here in America were. His favorite class happened to be Computer Programming, which is not surprising since he wants to study Mathematics in college. Florian has two more years of high school to complete when he returns to Germany. After that, he is obligated to serve in the armed forces or work at a social job for one and a half years. Then Florian plans on going to college. FROM Florian • “My year here In Oley gave me alot for my future. Maybe it sounds stupid just Oley. It's not just Oley, it's the life style here in America. So much is different over here. The school is easy compared to what I'm used to from Germany. On the other hand it is getting boring after a while by having the same schedule every day, this is different too compared to Germany. The first few weeks here were the worst. I didn't know anybody and didn't know where to go. But as soon as school started and by the fact that I played soccer, I made relatively quick friends. Sure, in the beginning I got homesick a couple of times but that settled down after a while. It really has been a great experience for me to participate one year in an American school and I have really enjoyed it. One day I'll come back that's for ✓ 31

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