By all appearances, the 20 students gathered in Mechtild Vogt's classroom at Fayette County High School could be from Brooks... or Berlin.

Only the accent gives a clue to their city of origin, which happens to be Hofherm, just north of Frankfurt, Germany. Dressed in jeans or shorts, T-shirts and athletic shoes or sandals the international dress code of students the group is about to learn about the game of baseball from Vogt in preparation for their trip to Turner Field Saturday.

For two weeks, students at Fayette County High and McIntosh High School will play host to the contingent of 41 German students who are here to learn about American culture, language, geography and education. Each German student is matched with a Fayette County or McIntosh student. "The American students are their guides here, and in June, they return the favor" when the local students visit Hofherm this summer, Vogt explained.

For the visiting students, impressions of Fayette County were positive, but some felt uneasy in Atlanta, especially when riding MARTA. "The people are very friendly here, and I like the shopping stores," said Fabian Steuer. "But not in Atlanta; I felt afraid." The group took a field trip to the Coca Cola Museum and CNN Center the previous day, and were instructed to meet at the Five Points MARTA Station. Vogt explained that in Germany, mass transit is the norm, not the exception, as it is here.

The students said they were surprised at the amount of rural countryside in Fayette County, compared to the density they are familiar with in their country. Astrid WeiBmann noted the two zip codes in Fayetteville, which she found curious. The proliferation of fast food restaurants and the number of people who eat out regularly also confounded the German visitors.

For five days, the students attended classes at their host school. For three of those days, they participated in classes of their own choice. "The teachers have been very helpful; so has the administration," Vogt said. The students laughed over the realism of American TV shows like "90210" which portray high school life. "It's really like that," several commented.

Would they prefer the U.S. system to the German system of education? The consensus was a definite no. While they considered their studies more challenging, class time was shorter, about 45 minutes. Only about a third of those German students polled said they would continue their studies at the university level. Some said they would enter into apprenticeships in retail or international business, a move they make after the 10th grade.

Another difference in our system versus theirs is the emphasis on sporting teams. "There are not so many teams," said Thomas Dick. According to Vogt, students play sports at clubs after school. "The schools are places for education," she said.

On the negative side, students were concerned over local attitudes on recycling. "There's too much waste and too much packaging," said Helen Hellebrand. Sorting waste products is routine in Germany, Vogt explained, and very precise.

The students' itinerary includes a trip to Amicalola Falls and Dahlonega, IMAX Theater and the Fernbank Museum of Natural History, Six Flags and Stone Mountain.