POLOKWANE – Tshegofatso Masenya (16), a gr. 11 Capricorn High School learner has just returned from Warendorf in Germany, where she was an exchange student for six months.
She was selected by a local agency, Understanding Youth, to be part of the programme.
Tshegofatso said her stay in Germany was educational and fascinating and that the exchange student programme was all about learning other cultures and languages.
“The programme was an experience of a lifetime and it was all about learning independence and being patient. I attended Mariengymnasium School and I have learnt German,” she said.
She said the families she stayed with were patient, caring and loving, and she thanked them for their support.
“This was an adventure and I would like to visit Germany again in the future. The exchange student programme was special and more of a learning experience and I am very honoured to be part of the programme. It was a journey to finding the inner me.”
Before she left for Germany, Tshegofatso was a radio presenter at Moletjie FM, where she presented a children’s show and was also a Childline representative.
Asked if she would continue with radio, she said she was going to put radio on hold as she wanted to catch-up on her school work. She said she wanted to study medicine after school, specialising in neurology or cardiology.
“I am amused by the way the Germans live. The main means of transport in German is a bicycle and all the maxi taxis are Mercedes- Benz. The Germans don’t enter the house with their shoes on and they like to celebrate. I wish I was there to celebrate with them after they won the 2014 Fifa Soccer World Cup,” she said.
She said the quality of education in Germany was high and learners did not wear school uniforms.
