August II

    I’ve given lots of thought lately to the idea of transition periods. I noticed, that with CBYX, everything has been a transition period. I found out about the program, waited for the application to open, waited to hear if I was a semi-finalist, waiting for the interview, waiting to see if I was a finalist, and then waiting for Germany. Even though the biggest in-between (and the most important) was waiting to fly here, Language Camp is not the destination. Amongst busy day after busy day in the Schloss it's easy to forget, and while I find the thought evading me often, it always comes back, and I am reminded that the biggest part of the program is yet to come. Language Camp is not permanent.

    Last night was our last night at Language Camp. Time flew at Schloss Wittgenstein. I jumped from day to day, attended classes, made tons of friends, and had the time of my life. I showed my sadness about the end in a physical way, through far too many tears and lots and lots of hugs. But the thing that got me the most emotional was thinking of the familial feeling of camp. Last night, we all sat together in silence while we listened to a story from one of the Teamers. I felt so complete in that moment. We had all been brought together by chance, but this group of CBYXers is my group. Schloss Wittgenstein was filled with so much love. I could see the passion of everyone there, regardless of whether their job was an exchange student, Teamer, or teacher. These people are where I feel whole amongst the uncertainty of this year. I have made a home, not out of the castle, but out of the people in it. Every person who got together to make every moment of every day as great as they were. I’m so grateful to have experienced it. It’s difficult to tell myself not to “cry because it’s over, but to smile because it happened,” because I would love to go back to camp.

     Right now, I’m on the train to my host family. I’m trying not to think too much about the castle and the ache I feel from missing it. I’ve never been more excited and more nervous at the same time.

     Time is very much a fleeting thing. You don’t realize how quickly the moment is going until the moment is gone. Thanks to every person I talked to during August for making my first month in Germany one of the most fun of my life. I can’t wait to see you all again. But for now, it’s time to start this adventure, and face the unknown head on.

Tiernan