ADAMS TWP — A Butler County family and a German exchange student have not only learned about one another's cultures but have formed a bond.

Jason and Renee Safreed welcomed Sorina Wittig, 17, into their home for the past four months as she studied at Mars High School.

Sorina of Kiel, Germany, spent the previous six months with a Treesdale family as part of the American Field Services program. She graduated from Mars High School earlier this month.

“My three kids gained a lifelong friend,” said Renee Safreed. “We consider her one of our own now. We've just had a great experience with her.”

“They made me feel so welcome,” said Sorina. “They are so funny and down-to-earth, and such good hosts.” She plans to keep up with the family on Skype.

Renee Safreed said Sorina is the first exchange student for the family.

“When the opportunity came, we wanted to try it out, and we've had nothing but an awesome time with her,” Safreed said.

She said the family took Sorina to Station Square in Pittsburgh, to a farm where they included her in a family portrait session, fishing for Sorina's first time, on a tour of Heinz Field in Pittsburgh with other AFS students in the area and camping.

The diversity in American snack foods delighted Sorina, Safreed said.

“We have foods here she does not have in Germany, like Doritos,” Safreed said. “It's her absolute favorite thing that I keep in the house every single day.”

“Her parents visited and brought her chocolate, different teas and bread for not only Sorina, but my three kids too,” she said.

Safreed enjoyed watching Sorina interact with her parents during their visit.

“They talk super fast compared to us,” she said.

Sorina, who returned to to Germany Monday, said everything is bigger in America, including houses and schools.

She said the American model of attending the same classes every day is very different from Germany. She also said high school classes in Germany equate to college classes in the United States.

“We have a lot more classes, and our schedule is different every day,” she said. “And we discuss things a lot more in class, and write huge essays.”

Sorina said she misses the dark, corny bread served in Germany, but found a new favorite in French toast at the Safreeds.

“I never had that before,” she said. “It's really good.”

Drinks enjoyed by Americans are very different from those in Germany, Sorina said. Soda is much sweeter here, and has a more chemical taste than the German variety. She added water here tastes like chlorine or plastic.

Another difference Sorina noticed between Germany and the United States is the custom of singing the national anthem before all sports games.

“Americans are very patriotic,” Sorina said. “You see flags everywhere here.”

She said Germans do not display the flag at their homes, and the national anthem is only sung before a major sports event, such as soccer's World Cup.

“Germans are big on soccer, and when the World Cup is going on you will see German flags on cars to support our team, but besides that, never,” she said.

Rebecca Scott, a team developmental specialist with AFS, said teens who participate in the exchange program have an advantage over other high school seniors who are applying to universities.

She said AFS students are fluent in another language, have an impressive resume when applying to college, and can test out of some core classes, such as languages, when they enter college.

“The money you put into an AFS program definitely pays you back in the long run,” Scott said.

“A good number of our students get second families,” she said. “It's a lifelong connection for both sides.

Scott said the Mars School District is very welcoming and accommodating of AFS students, and the high school even has an AFS Club led by German teacher Shawna Peters.