Two Dunedin girls win scholarships

German scholarship winners Selena Ballantyne (left), of Columba College, and Edie Benny, of Otago...
German scholarship winners Selena Ballantyne (left), of Columba College, and Edie Benny, of Otago Girls' High School, practise their German together. Photo by Gregor Richardson.
Aufgeregt, erfreut, and begeistert.

If your German is a little rusty, you can probably guess what these words mean when you hear Selena Ballantyne and Edie Benny use them to describe how they feel about winning scholarships to Germany - excited, delighted and thrilled.

Edie (17), of Otago Girls' High School, has won the Society for New Zealand-German Student Exchange Scholarship, which provides an all expenses-paid trip to Germany for two months, starting in December this year.

Selena (16), of Columba College, has won the Padagogischer Austauschdienst Student Scholarship and a four-week trip to Germany in July next year.

Both will stay with German host families, attend school and immerse themselves in the country's culture.

''I'm so excited. It's going to be really, really great,'' Selena said.

She has spent several years learning the language, and said she was looking forward to immersing herself in the culture.

''It will be good being able to experience it from both perspectives of getting to know lots of young people [other scholarship winners] from around the world with diverse opinions, as well as getting to spend some time with my host family and seeing what German life is like.

''It will be good to be forced to use the language - I'll make mistakes but you have no choice but to keep trying.''

Edie said she hoped her time in Germany would help her speak the language more fluently.

She planned to do postgraduate study in Germany in the future. She is also learning Mandarin and is considering a career using both languages - such as working for the United Nations.

''I'm not really sure; definitely something that involves languages and people and cultures.''

Both said they would miss their families and friends the most during their trip, but Edie in particular said the homesickness would be short-lived, especially because she would be experiencing her first white Christmas.

john.lewis@odt.co.nz

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