A Brand New Adventure

Hallo Zusammen, willkommen!

My name is Manuela, and I am an upcoming senior ready to set sail into a brand new adventure!
As a Floridian, I am well accustomed to creating our very own sand angels, so making snow angels will
be quite a change. Although for some getting ready for the winter might come naturally, for me winter is
a hassle. While my acquaintances might wear 3 layers of clothing for weather below zero, I wear 3 layers
of clothing for the weather in the 50s Fahrenheit/10s Celcius.

While preparing for the next 10 months, packing might be an emotional rollercoaster. My head floods
with all of the keywords from advice given to us by our lovely coordinators, “Alone… heavy bags…
flights of stairs,” to which I then think, “Maybe I don’t need my 10 favorite hoodies.” Even in these past
few days of packing, this trip has honored me with valuable life lessons. I have learned to understand my
priorities and understand what type of systems work for me. Systems of how to pack, how to study a new
language, and how to build support groups with peers from all around the country. With a few months of
preparation, I can not believe how much I have already learned, and I am thrilled and honored to be a part
of the CBYX cohort of 2021.

Alongside packing preparations, I have begun to prepare for a brand new language-learning adventure.
Recently, I have been using Rosetta Stone and my favorite “German for Dummies,” which have allowed
me to not only hear and verbally practice German (Rosetta Stone) but also understand grammar and
vocabulary (“German for Dummies”). This, for me, is a perfect combination as I am an auditory learner,
yet when learning languages understanding the how and the why of the basic grammar rules allows me to
fully grasp the language, as I had previously done while learning French. I am thrilled to finally be
immersed in the language and finally practice my German, as maybe I will be able to speak German in a
non-French accent.

In less than 5 days, I will finally set foot in my brand new home, Germany, and move in with my host
family! My host family already has such a large part of my heart, and I am thrilled to finally meet them in
person. I will be living in a small town in south Brandenburg, about an hour and a half away from Berlin.
I can not wait to learn about the rich German culture and the food, of which my dream is to be able to
bring at least 3 recipes to add to my baking addiction!

This is a bit about me, and I hope that you will follow me on my brand new adventure to Germany!

Till next time from Germany,
Bis bald,
Manuela