Tuesday, Jul. 07, 2009

Sister Cities Inc. observes 20-year anniversary of exchange program

This year marks the 20th that Belleville Sister Cities Inc. has participated in a youth exchange program with Paderborn, Germany.

To mark the occasion, Lansing Hecker, honorary German consul from St. Louis, presented a plaque Monday to Sister Cities as past chaperones and hosts welcomed the latest contingent from Germany.

Twelve youths and three chaperones from the Paderborn area will be here until July 17, staying with host families and visiting regional sites.

Coordinator Doris Roach said there are a full two weeks of activities planned that started Monday with a tour of Belleville West High School and some downtown landmarks.

Today, the group is headed for Springfield, where they will see a lot of Abraham Lincoln sites, and Six Flags Over MidAmerica west of St. Louis is another destination this week.

The youths have already had a weekend to get to know their host families and to recover from their travel.

Vivien Fortmeier, 15, and Annika Wolfforster, 17, traveled to Springfield with host Alycia Hollinshead to see fireworks and later go shopping at a mall.

"It is really different," Vivien said. "Everywhere we saw the American flag. It is colorful. It is so gray in Germany."

The group met Belleville Mayor Mark Eckert, an enthusiastic supporter of the program. He said his own children have been involved in the exchanges and he and his wife took a trip to Germany last year.

"My wish for you is that your experience is as good as what we had," he said.

Ralph Wasmuth, 17, is staying with Oscar Yuengel and the pair already have visited the quirky City Museum and Forest Park in St. Louis.

Ralph said he visited Florida eight years ago and even though it was very hot in the middle of summer, he enjoyed the trip.

"I think it's not that different here from Germany," he said. "Everything here is larger."

For chaperone Norman Hansmeyer, it is his fourth visit. For Eva Reike it is her second, and Andrea Hesmes is on her first trip.

Although it was somewhat of a mild day Monday for a midwest summer, the visitors already noticed the difference in the heat and humidity.

On their way home, they will spend time in New Hampshire, rafting and hiking and also have four days in Boston.