A new student roams the halls of Blue Valley Southwest, and he traveled thousands of miles to take part in American culture. Joining the senior class from his hometown of Kassel, Germany, is foreign exchange student Marino Kiegeland.

Kiegeland, who is staying with sophomore Megan Holloway’s family during his time here, says there are many things he enjoys about school in Kansas that aren’t present in Germany. The yellow buses, for instance, catch his interest because they are “like the buses in ‘American Pie’.”

Yet the buses aren’t the only things catching his attention.

“The whole school spirit you have here,” Kiegeland said. “In Germany, we have no school spirit.”

As someone from outside of the United States, Kiegeland is aware of many things setting America apart from Germany.

“[Kansas is] different, but it’s nice,” Kiegeland said. “It’s very nice. I think the people are more friendly than in Germany.”

With approximately two million people living in Kansas and approximately 82 million living in Germany, it doesn’t come as a shock that there is a variation in living styles.

“It’s crazy to see one house, and then 300 meters to the next house,” Kiegeland said. “Everything in Kansas is different. The people, the landscape.”

From Germany to Kansas, Kiegeland has undergone a world of change. Southwest has given him a new view of the world, and he has in turn brought a new perspective to Southwest.

“I think that if you’re from America, you don’t see things outside of here,” Kiegeland said. “But when you’re from a different country, you do.”