Days Before Departure 6/20/19

During the final exam week, my only worries were my grades, long study hours and stressful exam preparation. But now that the distressing week and school year has ended, a new reality settles in my mind. 

I’ll be going to Germany in 2 months!

As the days draw closer to our departure to Germany, the anticipation and excitement are buzzing in the air. Before my 10-month adventure away from my family, we decided to visit our Grandma and aunts in South Korea. With my puppy on my lap during the flight, the 13 hours seemed dreadful and never-ending. But as soon as we reached Incheon International Airport, everyone was thrilled and looking forward to our vacation. Visiting my birthplace was a challenge itself, so many things have changed, and it was hard to speak Korean for a full-time without automatically switching to English. Despite these difficulties, the mouth-watering foods, marvelous places and the time spend with my family, made the trip all worth the pain. 

Since the only languages that I have learned are English, Korean and Latin, German was a new, foreign territory for me. My brother, who can only speak limited and certain German phrases, decided to tease me with it, despite the fact that he was no expert at all. So, to become more familiar and accustomed to the new language, I have been using the apps Duolingo and Mango every day for at least 20 minutes. In addition, my love for watching movies has motivated me to started watching some of the German films with English subtitles. 

During my farewell to my favorite Biology teacher, we joked about the phrases that I should learn in German before leaving no matter what, such as going to the restroom, ordering food and so on. And I’ve been practicing them on my brother to keep the promise that I will learn these phrases. 

Overall, I can’t wait for August to arrive! 

The upcoming year in Germany would be an adventure filled with memories and friendship. During the orientation and language immersion camp, I get to reunite with my friends, who I made during our nerve-racking but fulfilling interview days, and make new friends, who I may be able to visit throughout the year. Not only that, I’m overjoyed to meet my host family and see their reaction for the gifts I have hand-selected for them in Korea.​

With the upcoming year fast approaching, no one knows what would happen next, but the only thing to keep in mind is to have hope and be prepared for anything. 

Let’s do this!