Fourteen teenage boys from Holzminden, Germany arrived in the United States not knowing a whole lot.
The one thing they did know was that they’d be staying with host families in Mount Pleasant as part of the German-American Soccer Exchange Program.
What they didn’t know was that their first night in America would not be in Mount Pleasant as scheduled.
It would be in Dulles, Va.  
“That was not a fun night,” said 13-year-old Henrik Nowak.
After a 3-hour ride to the airport, their 10 hour flight from Germany was delayed six hours, forcing them to spend the night at the airport in Dulles.
Finally, at 10 a.m. on Thursday, July 24, they made it to South Carolina, 14 hours behind schedule.
“It was terribly hot. We were tired, but this can happen. The boys did very well adjusting,” said Andrea Berger-Nowak, head of the German delegation.
Waiting for them at the airport were members of the Mount Pleasant Soccer Club and their host families.  
"We all waited for them to get off the plane. We screamed and shouted when they arrived. But then after a few minutes it got kind of quiet," said Nate Silvestri, 13, a member of the MPSC. "We really didn't know what to expect. The car ride home was pretty silent as well."
But the silence didn't last very long.
Since that quiet drive home the first night things have been anything but.
The German-American Soccer Exchange Program is designed to help  integrate the German teenagers into local culture and enable all the boys to learn from and about each other.
And that’s exactly what’s been taking place.
"It took a while to get over the language barrier but their English has really improved," said Silvestri who has picked up a little German, but made it clear he has a long way to go before he considers himself fluent.
"I can say good morning, good afternoon, stuff like that, but I have yet to put a full sentence together. We'll see what happens though. I am learning everyday.”
About the Program
The purpose of the German-American Soccer Exchange Program is friendship building, historical, cultural, and recreational exchange—and some soccer mixed in as well.
"Soccer is just the medium,” said Andrea Berger-Nowak. “The ultimate goal of this is to learn about the origins of the American culture. And when I say this I mean learn by experience. These kids are getting first hand experience. They are learning American history by actually seeing it."
So far, activities have included trips to Charlestowne Landing, a Riverdogs game, lunch on Yorktown and a team building course at James Island County Park. These are just a few of the many historic sites they have seen so far during their 10-day stay.
“We’ve done a lot of interesting and educational things. I personally really enjoyed the ocean at Patriot's Point,” said Henrik, who is still getting re-adjusted to the eating habits of Americans.
He explained.
“In Germany we only have sandwiches for dinner. Here, that's lunch. The food aspect is very different.”
Coming together
A full schedule was arranged in advance.
That was the easy part. Making this Program a reality, was no simple task, however.
It took nearly two years to develop.
Andrea Berger-Nowak, played a big role in making this happen.
"A lot of responsibility comes with this, more than you can imagine, believe me," she said. "I was the only one who had experience in this. You have to consider safety, financing, communication, insurance, and so on."
Nowak has a wealth of experience in exchange programs. She organized two successful exchange programs prior to this, one with Germany and Findlay and another with Germany and Italy.
Why Mount Pleasant?
“I knew about the Mount Pleasant Recreation Department from when I lived here,” Andrea Berger-Nowak said. “This was something the parents and I talked about before I left and we thought it would be great if the Mount Pleasant boys could meet Henrik's teammates from Germany.”
She lived in Mount Pleasant during two separate occasions. The first was back in 1993-96. Her second stint here was from 2006-07. She and her two sons went back to Germany in December. Both her boys, Henrik and Christopher Nowak, 15, made the trip back to the place they once called home.
"It's been exciting to see my old friends and at the same time show my German friends what it's like here,” Henrik said.
Trisha Folds-Bennett, planning team member and host parent, representing the Mount Pleasant Soccer Club,  is hosting two boys. Three families, including Bennett's are hosting two boys each, while the rest are hosting one. There are a total of 10 host families in all.
“When Henrik was here on the team, we grew very fond of him and his family,” Folds-Bennett said. “When it was time for him to go, we began to brainstorm on how we could continue the friendship. So, Andrea left in December and it was up to the parents and the community."
They contacted the Town of Mount Pleasant, met with Mac Burdette, along with Mayor Riley and Mayor Hallman, all of which according to Folds-Bennett were “very  supportive of the idea.”  
Both Riley and Hallman helped with the River Dogs, Ft. Sumter, Patriots Point, BooneHall and Aquarium.
“I was very skeptical at first. We talked for over a year about  just getting them here. This had a very expensive price tag, about $25,000 and that's not including airfare, which would make it close to $40,000.”
Between corporate sponsors, business sponsors, and the community helping out,  reduced the price of many plane tickets.
Next year, the roles will be reversed.
It will be the Mount Pleasant boys making the trip to Germany.
On Monday, a 3v3 Invitational Tournament was held at Park West.
There has been talk about playing a German vs. US game. “They have a level of soccer there that’s so much higher,” Silvestri said. “When we asked them what their second most popular sport was, they all had to ask each other. A lot of us swim or play basketball; for them, there really is no secondary sport.
“We were going to play U.S. versus Germany but after watching them play, we decided that probably wasn't such a good idea. I hope that doesn't happen. That can be quite a morale killer," said a laughing Silvestri.
There are a total of 17 people from Germany who made the trip.
The 14 boys, (who are all 13 years old) along with Club Representative Birgitpol Z-Eckharot, coach Andreas Helms and Andrea.
They will return home on Sunday where they will get a chance to do something they haven’t done in nearly two weeks— sleep in the comfort of their own bed.
Just as long as their flight  doesn’t get delayed.


(Mike Santillo can be reached at news@moultrienews.com)