Over the summer, Piet Wegner flew to a country he had never seen before to live with a family he had never met. Wegner planned to live with this new family for a whole year as he attended a new school with brand new opportunities and people to meet. One of these opportunities was to play a sport that he had never tried before.
Foreign exchange student Piet Wegner came to the United States in August of 2023. He is originally from Germany and will spend a year in his new home. He is now a full-time student at Revere High School and a member of the football team, which is a unique experience for him.
Wegner lives with fellow junior James Rossignol, whose family found Wegner through an online foreign exchange program.
“We all voted on who we wanted to get,” Rossignol said.
Wegner was selected out of eight different people to come live with Rossignol. Following the decision, both families met virtually over Zoom before Wegner moved to the United States.
Rossignol said Wegner is adjusting well to his new life. Wegner had more freedom in Germany, compared to now in the United States. Rossignol said Wegner has to follow more house rules but has taken the change positively.
Wegner has also adjusted to daily life in the United States quickly.
“His English got so much better,” Rossignol said.
While Wegner has adapted to the cultural differences at home, Rossignol said he has not changed as a person. It was who Wegner was as a person, shown through a video from Wegner, that convinced Rossignol’s family he was the best fit.
“At the end after everything, he had a few clips of his mess-ups and it was funny,” Rossignol said.
Wegner also joined the football team and plays linebacker and running back. Wegner said he has enjoyed playing football and that it helped him make friends. He also noted that Rossignol has been a great teammate and helpful person.
“He drives me everywhere,” Wegner said.
Wegner said that the people around him have helped with the change, from leaving his parents and two sisters back home.
“I have two brothers now,” Wegner said.
Wegner said that football and the people he has met have made him enjoy his time at Revere.
“We don’t have school sports. We have all clubs in Germany for sports,” Wegner said.
Wegner also said football was a fun opportunity for him.
“I love it, I love football,” Wegner said.
Wegner has made friends through practice and team bonding activities that will go past the football season when Wegner is in the United States. Among these friends is sophomore Toby Mullen, who said Wegner is a part of the team, despite a unique background.
“His background was never really a problem. It kind of helped because he was from Germany, so we asked him lots of questions about Germany,” Mullen said.
Mullen also said Wegner has done well learning how to play football.
“Piet’s done pretty well, especially for someone who’s from a different country, he’s never played or really watched football before,” Mullen said.
Mullen said that Wegner did not have trouble integrating into the team socially.
“Piet’s not great with English, so sometimes we’ll say words that Piet just doesn’t understand, so we’ll have to explain stuff to him,” Mullen said.
Mullen also said that the slight hiccup in communication has not stopped Piet from socializing with his teammates.
Mullen and the rest of the football team have gotten to know Wegner over the past few months. Wegner is enjoying his time in the United States and the people he has met have helped make his experience easier.
To read more about exchange students at Revere click here
