Sheboygan, WI (WHBL) - Celena Weber wasn’t born into the Cobb family, but don't try telling her that. The exchange student from Nuremberg, Germany is an only child to her biological parents. They reside in Nuremberg, and recently paid Celena a visit. That's as it shoud be but, in Celena's mind, she has two sets of parents, and a sister living here in Sheboygan."It feels like my hometown, "Celena says.
Now, that's part of the problem.
Ironically, neither Celena, nor the Cobb's were eager to embrace the idea of participating in a foreign student exchange program. Both sides were unsure whether the outcome would be rewarding, or regretted in the end.
It turns out that both sides now believe the former holds true. In fact, for some families participating in exchange programs, the ties that bind them and students are very strong. That's just what happened here, in as little as seven months. The Cobbs have come to view Celena as part of their family too.
Fighting through tears to explain his family's feelings towards Celena, Captain Steve Cobb of the Sheboygan Police Department says, “I've made a lifetime of being a tough guy in police work, and swat, and all of those things. But, I can hardly talk about her and her family without getting emotional. That's probably why I will never do it again," Cobb says.
The Captain says the family's experience since meeting Celena last December is fulfilling on so many levels, that the thought of Celena going back to Germany is too painful to fathom. "I'm trying to convince her to stay (jokingly), and consider attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he says."
The Captain's expressions barely begin to explain his family’s intrinsic relationship with Celena. According to Cobb, his wife Krista now has a second daughter, and his daughter Caitlyn now has an inseparable sibling. "Our daughter has always been an only child," he says. "So, this provided her with a sibling that she never had. It provided us with multiple kids in the house, and that has been exciting!"
It appears Caitlyn has adapted to having a sibling just fine. "At first it was kind of hard because I've been an only child, then about a month -in, it felt completely normal. I can't even picture her not being there because she has become such a big part of my life. "
However, Caitlyn admits that both she and Celena have their ways, and sometimes get into quarrels - just like most other siblings. That doesn't last long because neither really likes being apart from the other. The teens say there exists between them a life-long bond that can never be broken.
After hearing from this trio It would appear that with the exception of Krista Cobb's absence, the only thing out of place in this picture-perfect exchange family is that hideous Auburn Tigers coffee mug strategically placed by Captain Cobb in the center of his desk to annoy die-hard Alabama fans. It worked, but we shall save that battle for another day… (Roll Tide).