Being away from home can be scary. Now, imagine not only being in a different country but across the ocean from the place you call home. That is what it’s like for Heiner Ohlendorf, a German foreign exchange student who came to America before the 2024/2025 school year to meet new people and improve his English.

“I was very nervous, ‘cause like, you don’t know what gonna happen while you’re there.” Ohlendorf said.

But of course besides saying goodbye to his friends and family, Ohlendorf also had to say goodbye to the simple things of home.

“Other than [friends and family] I really miss public transportation,” Ohlendorf said. “It just made you feel a lot more free like you didn’t need a ride or anything you could just go.”

“I was never really like ‘oh my gosh, I can’t do that just take me back’ it was just like whatever.” Ohlendorf said.

After living in New Albany for eight months, Ohlendorf has some things he isn’t quite ready to say goodbye to just yet.

“[I’m gonna miss] the people I met,” Ohlendorf said. “And like the food because you guys have so much more.”

One of the challenges Ohlendorf had to quickly face was the fact that he was vegetarian. After growing adjusted to the greater amount of vegetarian options in Germany, he struggled to stay committed when presented with less options in the US.

“I think [I’ll be vegetarian when I go back] I was pretty surprised coming here, especially like Taco Bell and stuff has vegetarian options,” Ohlendorf said.

When it comes to his future whether in Germany or America, Ohlendorf has been conflicted since coming here.

“Oh my gosh, I really want to [come to America for college] but I don’t know if I’ll be able to afford that,” Ohlendorf said. “It’s also hard to get into as an international student.”

However, living in the US permanently is a completely different story.

“I don’t know if I’d want to live here forever ‘cause I want to travel a lot,” Ohlendorf said. “[If I were to live here] I would want to live on the coast.”

Recently, Ohlendorf heard about an opportunity to stay as a foreign exchange student for another year, and it has been a difficult decision since his American credits don’t transfer to Germany, making this school year not even count for him.

“I would miss another year in school,” Ohlendorf said. “I want to see my family and friends, it’s like an inner battle.”