Isaac Piecuch ’14 | Staff Writer

Hailing from Hennen, Germany, Paul Bachorz ’14 says he is having a great time learning about American culture.

 Bachorz is spending six months as a foreign exchange student at South. He arrived in Grosse Pointe on August 24 and will leave January 24, he said.

Since arriving, Bachorz said he has absolutely loved the United States. He has a great relationship with his guardian, who is a close friend of Bachorz’s grandfather. While in the US, Bachorz has had the opportunity to participate in some of his favorite activities, such as flying planes.

“I’m a pilot, and my guardian’s a pilot, so we’ve flown several times together,” said Bachorz. “I was able to see what and where I’m living every day from a bird’s eye view.”

Their plane trip started at Grosse Ile, then they flew over Canada, Windsor, Grosse Pointe and Lake St. Clair, said Bachorz.

In school, Bachorz is taking German IV, where he’s been able to make a very positive contribution to the class. The school wanted him to take the German class, on account of the knowledge he’d be able to share with his fellow students, he said.

“The school wanted me to take German,” said Bachorz. “If she ( German teacher Lisa Richman) explains something in class, I’m able to tell what it’s really like in Germany.”

Students have been very grateful for the information that Bachorz is able to provide,  Curt Kronback ’14 said. Kronback is in German IV with Bachorz, and has found Bachorz’s presence to be very helpful.

“It’s really nice to have Paul in class because he can answer questions that even our teacher doesn’t know,” said Kronback. “He brings more culture to the class, and now we can study the language more (thoroughly).”

Spencer Sattelmeier ’14 is also in class with Bachorz, and he said he finds the experience similarly enlightening.

“Paul is great to have in the classroom,” said Sattelmeier. “He’s very helpful, especially in class discussions.”

Richman said she has been very pleased with Bachorz’s presence in class.

“It’s fantastic,” said Richman. “Paul gives us a unique German perspective in class, and is very helpful in providing depth to my lessons.”

Richman noted Bachorz’s determination and willingness to help out in class. He often goes above and beyond what’s necessary, she said, and goes out of his way to provide positive insight to his fellow classmates. Richman noted a time when Bachorz put together a two page German music playlist, with links to a YouTube video for every song.

“I’m not as capable of providing a youthful, modern perspective to some of my students,” said Richman. “Paul’s music taste is current and interesting to high schoolers.”

The playlist was not even an assignment, said Richman. Yet, Bachorz spent three hours of his time putting together the playlist at home, then presented it to the class.

Bachorz was actually surprised with how well the student body has responded to his presence, he said.

“People are a lot friendlier than I expected,” said Bachorz. “If I come to you and meet you for the first time, people are always friendly and talk nice to each other. It’s easier to meet people here than in Germany.”

Bachorz’s usefulness in class, combined with his positive and warm attitude, has made him a hit among students, Richman said.

“Students seem to react very well to Paul,” she said. “He’s blended into class very well.”

Bachorz is very happy with his decision to study abroad here in the United States, he said. While he misses his girlfriend and his family, he’s glad that he has the opportunity to learn about the United States.

“I wanted to learn another kind of English, American English, and about American culture,” said Bachorz. “American culture is very different from European culture, and I wanted to see what the differences really are.”

Bachorz has found his experience abroad to be so positive that he would definitely recommend it to other students, he said.

“This is a once in a lifetime experience,” Bachorz said, “and it’s really awesome to learn new things living in another country.”