Tory Ross Update from Germany
Posted by Holly Sorgen
on May 03, 2011
About a year and a half ago, I asked my mother how she felt about youth exchange. I said that I was interested on going on a youth exchange sometime in the future and I told her that she should keep that thought in the back of her mind. I didn't how I was going to achieve this dream but I knew that youth exchange was something that I was very interested in. Now, a year and a half later, my dream has come true.
When it was time to apply for my trip, I tried my best to get accepted and I was very happy when I got accepted in October. In the following ten months, I did everything I could to get ready. I took German courses at my school, and read up on the culture and lifestyle of the place I was going to stay in. The Spring Orientation Camp also helped me figure out what to expect on my trip. After tons of paperwork, farewells, and preparation, I was finally on a plane headed to Germany. The minute I met my host mother at the airport, I knew that I had lots to look forward to this year. She greeted me with a warm welcome and treated me like family. This was also the same when I met the rest of my host family. They have taken me on many travels and shown me many places so far. My host family has a little boy and he is really adorable. I spend lots of time with him and he is like a little brother to me. They have all treated me great and always keep me busy. I am able to talk to my host family in German and it really does make a difference with how well I can communicate with them. It shows how much learning a language beforehand pays off. I have been in Germany for two months now and in that time I have been in Spain for two weeks, been all over the place in Germany, and I have also visited Prague, Austria, the Italian Alps, and Oktoberfest. My Rotary club and my host family have already done so much for me and I am already having a great time. But going on trips is not the reason why I wanted to be an exchange student. What I am really enjoying right now is my new life as a German. I live in a small German town and I couldn't be enjoying life more than I am now. Everyday is a new adventure for me. I am learning new things, seeing a new culture, and living a completely different way of life. The two things I always try to keep in mind during my trip are that everyday is an adventure and that I need to stop and enjoy the little things because I only get one year to be a German. I have been having the time of my life so far and I am very excited for what's yet to come.