Name?
Leslie Silcox.
Year, major?
Undeclared, sophomore.
How old are you?
Nineteen.
How long have you lived in Maine?
Since July 2000 and, before that, California for 8 years.
Do you like Maine?
It’s all right, but I liked the weather in California better.
What is your most memorable school experience?
I went on an exchange program for a month, before I came to Maine, to the former East Germany to a town called Halle and stayed with an exchange family.
What was your exchange family’s house like?
After staying there I appreciated what we have much more. Their house was about the size of two dorm rooms put together. The refrigerator for the whole family is about the size of the ones we all have in our dorm rooms. They conserve a lot more because they don’t have a lot of extra unused room like we do. They even conserved while showering. They would turn the water on quickly, then shut it off, then soap up, then turn the water quickly on again. I don’t know how they didn’t freeze. There wasn’t even a shower curtain. I got the whole bathroom soaked. I don’t know how they manage it.
Why did you go to Germany?
To learn the language.
Did you see anything interesting while you were in Germany?
I saw a lot of neo-Nazis and went to a concentration camp.
What was it like?
It was very run down. Most of the buildings were all crumbled but it was very interesting.
What was the most interesting?
I would have to say the crematorium, you know, where they burnt the people’s bodies. I like morbid stuff so I took a lot of pictures of that.
If you had your choice would you rather live in the U.S. or Germany?
If I had my choice now and I knew the language fluently, I would move there tomorrow.
Is that because of what is going on in the U.S.?
No. They have their problems, too. It’s just a beautiful country.
Would you recommend this for other U.S. students?
Yes. It was a great experience.