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Still the one for the Bergs
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| By: Amber Gieseke |
September 02, 2009 |
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Leurs, left, came back to Chetek to visit her host family and attend her 15-year class reunion. Also pictured, left to right, is Leurs’ host sister Michelle, host mother Roxie; and back, Leurs’ boyfriend Christian Dams, of Germany, and host father Bob.
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One Chetek family recalls sitting around the dining room table looking through numerous foreign exchange student biographies to decide which one to invite to join their home. Fifteen years later, they still feel they made the right decision.
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"We had a book to go through and read a little bit about a handful of students," said Bob Berg.
Their daughters helped choose, too, and they all agreed Regina Leurs, a German student, seemed like she would be a good pick.
They were leaning toward a German student because Roxie and Bob had lived in Frankfurt, Germany, while he was in the Army. Now, they say, they are "just like a family," and Roxie jokes that she won't allow Leurs to go home to Germany.
Leurs and boyfriend Christian Dams, also of Germany, arrived in the states July 31.
"I was always thinking of coming back, always wanting to come back, but we needed to plan ahead because plane tickets aren't cheap," said Leurs. "Now was a good time because there was a family wedding and my class reunion. Plus, Christian and I are studying again so we had a long break and could spend a few weeks here."
She kept her visit a surprise for most of her friends, only filling in one person.
"It was kind of funny because I didn't recognize people and they didn't recognize me because they didn't expect me to be there," Leurs laughed.
She went to Gilligans right away her first night here, a Friday, and the rest of the weekend was spent golfing or eating with her former classmates as well.
Besides meeting with old friends, Leurs and Dams played the part of tourist and visited Los Angeles, Calif., and Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn.
"We did the sight-seeing [in Los Angeles], Beverly Hills shopping, Santa Monica pier and Long Beach," said Leurs.
Dams liked the Twin Cities better because of the greenery and it wasn't as big. Going to a Twins baseball game may also have influenced his decision.
"It was fun, but too bad the Twins lost," grinned Leurs. "I didn't know the rules before then, but it was pretty easy to understand. Bob taught Christian and he taught me."
The Bergs kept Leurs and Dams busy their whole monthlong stay.
"Christian is lucky we live on a lake," noted Roxie. "He can just take the boat out and go fishing."
Fishing is a love of his. While here, he's been to all the area sports stores, including Bear Paw, Keg N' Kork, the Rod & Gun, Gander Mountain, Scheel's, Cabela's, etc.
"We can't get him out of there once we go in," exclaimed Leurs.
It's just as difficult to get him off the lakes.
"I dropped him off by the dam one time," shared Roxie, "and I asked him what time I should be back. He said 8:30, and it was a little later than that when I got back there, but his eyes were huge and he said, 'I just missed a big one.' I asked when I should come back and he said 11! He just loves to fish."
It was Dams' first time in the United States, but he's been fishing for a while. He was Germany's National Junior Fisherman when he was 16 and competing in the 18 and under division, meaning he was the best in the country for his age group.
He tried to get Leurs interested in fishing in Chetek. He even bought her a pink pole that has a light-up reel. She did get a four-day license, but didn't feel the need to extend it beyond that.
Besides fishing the visitors also enjoyed the Hydroflites show and just plain old catching up with the Bergs. Friday night they had a bonfire just so Leurs and Dams could have s'mores again, something they both fell in love with while here.
The duo flew back to Germany Tuesday, but promises were exchanged that the couple would see the Bergs soon, whether in the states or Germany. They still call each other on birthdays and holidays and meet in airports on layovers whenever possible, even if only for a few minutes.
Leurs will finish dental school and become a dentist this year, while Dams is going back to school to add a degree in chemistry to his engineering degree.
"Of course we'd like to come back to Chetek," said Leurs, "but I'd like my [host] family to come to Germany.
Fifteen years after the Berg family picked a student out of a book to live with them for a year, Roxie says, "She's the one."
Leurs' thoughts? She's glad the feeling is mutual.
Leurs and Dams kept a blog of their visit to the states, and although it is written in German, people are more than welcome to visit the Web site and check out the pictures: www.amerikawirkommen.blogspot.com.
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©The Chetek Alert 2009
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