“GOALLLLLLLLL!” Shouts stretch from one side of the make-shift soccer field to the next. Players from the victorious team sprint toward each other for high fives and congratulations. This was the scene that continually took place on a Saturday morning at AIB’s Soccer Cup. Students from all four programs (Film, New Europe, Engineering, and Texas A&M’s Landscape Architects) participated in the soccer tournament. Megan Smallen, a film student, summed up the experience, “Everyone really worked together, and it was really fun, we got second place, it was a good surprise.” The melding of competition and comodory quicked created new friendships among the large group of students at AIB.
Later in the evening, AIB hosted a welcome fest for all the students and host families. Each student group performed skits or sang songs to introduce themselves to the group. The engineering students turned “Call Me, Maybe” into an LMU tune, Texas switched up a “Sound of Music” number, film students created a skit with famous movie clips as well as a Jackson 5 cover, and New Europe ended the performances with a Fresh Prince of Bonn-Air song. The event also welcomed the US Consul General in Düsseldorf, Stephen A. Hubler and the Head of Bonn’s Economic Development Office, Mrs. Victoria Appelbe. Both guests spoke of their own ties to Bonn and their hopes for our stay in the city.
Overall,
the day gave students multiple ways to meet and mingle. Having fellow
American students just gave everyone a greater sense of home away from
home. Written by: Sarah Bush
