MONTICELLO — Liam Bothmer, a 17-calendar year-outdated from Frankfurt, Germany, arrived in the United States two months ago. He will be paying a 12 months dealing with a new lifestyle, viewing local attractions and totally immersing himself as a “typical” American substantial faculty pupil and athlete.
“It has often been a dream of mine to expend a 12 months finding out abroad in the United States,” Bothmer stated. “I was scheduled to appear last year but my journey plans have been canceled. Thankfully, almost everything lastly labored out for me this yr.”
Bothmer is remaining in Monticello with his host household, Melody and Kelly Crandall. They are also anticipating a Ukrainian trade scholar to get there following 7 days.
“My host father took me on a tenting excursion to Salt Lake Metropolis when I initial arrived,” Bothmer stated. “It was a wonderful four-working day knowledge. I actually loved remaining in nature and staying in a tent.”
Bothmer visited the U.S. 3 a long time in the past during a family getaway.
“We were on the East Coast so I only visited big metropolitan areas these types of as New York and Boston. I am hunting forward to observing additional of the United States,” he explained. “My household has often traveled so I have witnessed most of Europe and been to Africa, far too.”
English is taught in Bothmer’s German college and he also speaks French.
“We are encouraged to be multilingual all as a result of faculty. I attended a French elementary school in Germany then moved to a German school later on. We are taught English and French from a really young age. We also have courses in Italian and Spanish,” he said. “We go to school for 13 decades with the expectation we will attend college or university and use our language techniques in our professions.”
The Bothmer loved ones all talk numerous languages. Liam’s mother, Stephanie, is from Wales the place she grew up speaking French and English. She fulfilled his father, Jens, although learning overseas in Germany. Equally have professions that need them to have know-how of quite a few languages.
More youthful brother Elias, age 13, also studies various languages in his German center university.
So what do you do in a place with so a great deal to encounter? Bothmer’s bucket record contains checking out Chicago, IU and Purdue, and next some American sports teams.
“I appreciate the NBA. When we ended up in New York three decades in the past, we purchased tickets to Madison Sq. Gardens to view a professional basketball sport but when we arrived, we recognized we had basically acquired tickets to a concert taking place that evening,” Bothmer reported. “So that item is nevertheless on my to-do listing. When I check out a recreation at dwelling it is generally 1 a.m. due to the 6-hour time change, so receiving up for university the subsequent morning is in some cases quite challenging.”
Given that arriving at Twin Lakes Substantial College, Bothmer has resolved to join the football team.
“I have never played American Soccer. In Germany, we do not have university-sponsored sports, we have golf equipment that offer structured groups with competitive game titles,” he reported. “I participate in on a handball crew. It’s a mix involving rugby and soccer and quite intense, so hopefully this will assistance me with the total-get hold of activity of American soccer.”
He is also organizing to be a part of the basketball workforce.
“I have played a whole lot of basketball with my close friends but I have in no way been component of a team so I am actually energized about that,” Bothmer mentioned. “I am also genuinely wanting forward to attending sporting gatherings and cheering on my school mates. I really do not get to do that in Germany and it appears to be like so substantially exciting.”
Watch for Bothmer on the Twin Lakes football industry and on the hardwood with the Indians this winter. And if you see him out and about, a greeting is usually welcome.
“I truly like dwelling in a scaled-down city and encountering the close group. Absolutely everyone is so friendly here,” he said. “When you pass somebody they wave or say ‘Hi.’ it is so diverse from Germany.”