T-MINUS 23 DAYS!
Authored By:
Hello!
My name is Grace, and I am so excited to share my exchange experience with you! I’ve wanted to study abroad for as long as I can remember, so it’s definitely surreal to say that I will be spending my senior year of high school in Germany. I read the participant blogs fervently while I was applying, so I hope that I can offer some insight while I share my journey.
A little bit about me: I’m seventeen years old, and I come from a small (but charming!) town in Minnesota. I like playing my violin, playing tennis, reading, and spending time with my friends and family. I also love to travel and try new things! My family hosted an exchange student in the summer of 2015, and we became best friends, so now we visit each other in either France or the U.S. every summer. Having such a positive and life-changing experience with exchange encouraged me to pursue my own dream of being an exchange student, and when I found the CBYX program I was so excited! German was the first foreign language I started to learn (although it took a backseat when I started French soon after), so I can’t wait to improve my German and learn more about Germany!
To prepare, I’ve been doing German courses online, listening to German music, and watching German shows on Netflix (my favorite so far is The Same Sky). I also put German words on Post-It notes and taped them around the house so I could practice vocabulary, which is fun because then my family can learn some, too! In addition, I’ve been meeting with an amazing woman from Germany who knows one of my friends, and together we read “Der Kleine Prinz”. It’s been wonderful to form new connections even while I’m still at home. I’ve discovered that once I tell people I’m going to Germany, they’re often really helpful and want to hear more. Sometimes they tell me about someone they know who went to Germany or did an exchange, and I love to hear everyone’s stories.
Of course, I can’t wait to share my own story! The time leading up to departure is speeding by, but I’m enjoying every second of it. Thank you for following my journey on this blog; I’m excited to post about my experiences this year!
Until next time,
Grace