The Light - An Alumni Publication Winter 2014/2015 | Page 12

ON TOP OF THE
Kicking and screaming, 13-year-old Andrew
Towne protested his father’s proposal for the family
to spend six months in Northern Italy while pursuing
a Fulbright Scholarship. After all, Towne would miss
the all-important transition to 7th grade, moving from
class to class rather than being stuck with the same
teacher all day! Six months later, Towne protested
even louder, not wanting to come home.
This introduction to an unknown place opened
Towne’s eyes to the idea of exchange. When his
sophomore-year German teacher suggested he
apply for the Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange
(CBYX) scholarship, it didn’t intimidate him. Towne
knew he wouldn’t be able to go on exchange
without a scholarship, but when faced with the
prospect of studying abroad, he said “it sounded
like a great adventure.”
Paired with YFU, Towne experienced the depth
of support and learning for which YFU is known.
“The first month, I was in East Germany, nine years
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after the wall fell, living with a farmer in a village
of 150 people learning German.” He remembers
profound conversations with his East German host
father. “My host father had been a young boy when
World War II ended. He remembered being greeted
by US soldiers when they crossed the Elbe River.
When I asked what he thought about ending up
under Soviet rule, he shrugged and said, ‘sometimes
you get unlucky.’”
Towne learned that he and his host father had
another connection. “For the entire time he was
living behind the Communist wall, he was grateful
that he was close enough to West Germany that he
could pick up Johnny Cash on the radio. He loved
the fact that my grandfather in Vermont was also a
Johnny Cash fan.” Towne reflected, “he took it all in
stride. That type of perseverance through 50 years
of communism was a real eye-opener.”
Towne credits YFU for challenging him to think
critically through facilitating very deep, personal