In the summer of
1968 a sixteen year old girl, Janet (Scott) Zeck, from South Bend, Indiana,
joined 30 other juniors from across the state and headed to Krefeld,
Germany. Little did she know that the family with whom she stayed would
eventually be much more than a “host family.”
Alfred and Lisa Van
Werden and their three children, Karl (19), Rosi (17,) and Liesy (6) had
been eager to learn more about Americans than what they were seeing on the
news. The two months in Germany, during which Janet was not to speak any
English, not only built her fluency in German but also created a bond with
the family that would last for decades and generations to come.
Janet married Stan
Zeck in 1972 and in 1977, Alfred and Lisa made a trip to the United States
to visit the Zeck family, including then 20 month old Kevin.
Then, in 1981, upon
the completion of her studies at the “Gymnasium” in Germany, Liesy came to
Chesterton and stayed with Janet, Stan, Kevin and Diane. Her goal was to
increase her fluency in English, as well as to get a full picture of the
American lifestyle. Then, 1989 saw Stan, Janet, Kevin and Diane make a
flight to Germany, to take in the traditional tourist sights as well as
spend quality time with the Van Werdens.
Alfred joined Liesy
and her husband, Georg Troll on a visit to the US in the summer of 1991.
Both families visited Grand Canyon and Las Vegas before Liesy and Georg
ventured to California to backpack.
A spring break trip
back to Germany followed in 1998, specifically focused on family time and
getting to know Liesy’s young family. Then, in the summer of 2010 Liesy,
husband Georg and children Clemens, Viktoria, and Theresa, spent three weeks
in America, most of it in the Zeck Chesterton household, visiting Chicago,
Indianapolis and the Dunes. They also got reacquainted with Kevin and Diane,
meeting Kevin’s wife, Kathryn, and daughter Rachel, and Diane’s husband,
Mark, and son Jared.
During a European
trip in 2013, Stan and Janet spent several days with the Troll family and
learned that Theresa was interested in doing part of her high school studies
in the United States. The offer was made for her to spend that time with
them in Chesterton if a company could be found to work out the logistics.
In January 9, 2015,
Theresa arrived in Chesterton and attended Chesterton High School the second
semester as a Junior. She found the school to be challenging and exciting.
She adjusted quickly to the much larger building and student population, as
well as the longer class periods. German schools do not have any
extra-curricular activities, those being available through clubs in town. As
a result, she was pleased to experience a sense of school spirit that is
unfamiliar to her at home. She was able to attend the prom and winter
formal, enjoying the social aspects of the high school here.
More importantly,
she has had an opportunity to really get to know the “host family” and their
children and grandchildren, now including one more in Diane’s family, son
Colton. During a trip to Tucson for Janet and Stan, Theresa stayed with
Kevin’s family, cementing her role with Rachel as a big sister. Family
birthday parties, a trip to Shedd Aquarium, visiting the Dunes to see the
ice shelf, Easter dinner and week-ends together to just play and spend time
talking have added to the experience in ways that will, more than likely,
carry the connection on to future generations.
Living in another
culture, experiencing the daily life and customs cannot be replicated
through a textbook or in a classroom setting. Alfred and Lisa knew this
would be the case and though they are gone now, their desire to make
connections across the ocean have more than survived.
It has thrived and
the love and bonds between an American family and a German one are stronger
than ever.