A Quick Intro

    If you are lucky enough to drive through Virginia and choose to venture inward, you’ll find yourself in my town. Looking hard enough behind the rows of strip malls and community parks, you'll find that there is a lot of hidden history. Walking the streets downtown could lead you to find many of George Washington’s favorite places, including the old Apothecary shop. Keep going on a sunny day and you could end up watching tubers go down the Rappahannock. Around 30,000 people live in my town, so as I venture my year in Braunschweig, a city of 250,000, a lot of what I know has been flipped. 

    When I signed up to take German at my home school I never imagined it would lead me to an exchange year. I learned basic German over the years, but upon my acceptance, I used Mango Language to strengthen my German. Just two months in, I’ve already been able to really strengthen the German I already knew and pick up a lot of new vocabulary. Learning a new language is very difficult, but I always give myself a pat on the back for attempting new words and challenging sentences. I find myself listening to conversations here, and while I can’t respond I’m able to understand. It’s such a weird feeling! Progress isn’t linear, so I have to remind myself to be patient as I learn. 

    While I still have a large chunk of the program ahead of me, I’ve met so many wonderful people that I’ve made such amazing memories with already. I look forward to sharing all my experiences with you all! :)