Hopes and Worries

I will admit that having studying abroad before has and will aid me this year, but don't let it fool you. Germans lead a different type of lifestyle and have a completely different culture than Spaniards. Living abroad for a year taught me how to be independent, adaptable, and observant. These are things that will definitely help me adjust to a new life in Germany. Of course, I still have hopes and worries for this year. I feel like I have filled out a "Hopes, Dreams, and Expectations" worksheet so many times, and I thought it would be nice to share some of them.

I originally applied for this scholarship program because I though to myself "Why the heck not?" I figured that if I got it, I could postpone college, and if I didn't, then I would go directly to college. Most people think that students who do gap years go because they're not quite sure where they want to take their life. While this is partly true for most, it was a bit different for me. Spain had already showed me what I want to do with me life: learn from the world around me, work with or in other countries, and learn a few languages and their respective cultures. Essentially, I saw this as an opportunity to push me further in that direction. That is Hope #1. Have this experience set me apart when I apply for university (again), and give me an edge in my future career. 

Hope #2 has to do with the "work hard, play hard" way of life, which the Germans love. I want to use this year to learn the language through talking to people, not by learning from a book, and absorb the culture by really living it. I worked hard in school in Spain, and had to be focused (somewhat) on my studies because I was still in high school and it mattered. In Germany, I'm in more in a "limbo" state of mind because I've graduated high school and haven't started college. In addition to working hard in Spain, I've also been that way my whole life. I'm going to use this year to have fun, relax, and absorb everything around me. 

Hope #3 would be learning the language, which I know I'm capable of. It's only been a few weeks here  (three of which were learning German grammar and surrounded by Americans). And I'm pretty impressed with how much I have learned, considering I left America with approximately zero knowledge of German. While I'm having trouble speaking a lot, I know that that is the most difficult and will come with practice and patience. In terms of comprehension, this is what I do: I pick out words I understand (since I have a small vocabulary), then piece them together with context clues and body language. If someone is talking directly to me it will take me a solid second to piece the puzzle together in my head then (try to) muster up a response. My host mom and sister speak slowly and clearly to me, so with them I'm able to understand pretty much everything they say to me. 

Because I'm going into this with more of a "non-chalant" attitude, I don't have many worries. Worry #1 is that I don't learn German well enough or fast enough. That is within my realm of control so it's up to me to make sure that doesn't happen. I would say Worry #2 is not making friends in school. Germans are pretty shy and maybe even closed off at first, so it really is up to me to intiate. Worry #3 would be things not working out with my host family, which to be honest, I don't foresee happening. 

I had my first day of school today, which went pretty well. I'm exhausted, though, from all the translating. I'll do a full blog post on about school at a later date. I have a really good feeling about this year!

Mondays look like a good day for me to do some blogging, so until then!

Shannon

The Adventure Begins

Hello, and welcome to my blog documenting my year abroad in Germany!

In March 2014, I was notified that I was awarded a full scholarship by the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) to study abroad in Germany for one year. 

I have been here for 2.5 weeks now, and things are going great! Currently, I'm in Hamburg living with a host mother, Esther, and attending German language camp provided by my scholarship program. It is three weeks long, and essentially is a crash course to the German language. We are 11 students placed here with a German mother-daughter teacher duo. I have lessons with three other students in my beginner group. We learn mostly grammar and a little vocabulary, which is nice because it’s easier to learn vocabulary on your own than it is grammar. I love going to German language school and look forward to it everyday. I like studying German and am motivated to learn at language camp because I can see the fruits of my labor daily, which is satisfying. It's such a fun learning environment because we all get along and we are always laughing. After school, I usually have something planned, either with the group or with my host mom. A couple of the things I’ve done are go on a picnic for dinner or go into the city of Hamburg.

My host mom is super energetic and lively. She is the exception to the stereotype that Germans are serious, although she is incredibly efficient and organized like a German. She is always coming up with things for us to do and puts together great plans for the weekends. For example, we went to the fair in Hamburg and a medieval festival in the next town over. The coolest was going to the 20th floor of this super nice hotel and seeing Hamburg lit up with the fair and fireworks in the background. In addition to going out on the weekends, we do about 4-5 hours in the garden/yard, and I study German. She is a great cook and is extremely concerned that I eat healthy, natural, and fresh foods. This is a common concern for Germans. But not to worry, I’ve had my fair share of meat, potatoes, and cooked vegetables.

This week I turned 18. I didn't really know what to expect here in Germany, but I had a great day. I woke up and my host had a lovely breakfast on the table (an apple and vanilla pastry) with fun decorations and a few gifts on the table. Then I went to language camp where we sang this funny, but traditional German birthday song. I was also surprised with some gifts, cheesecake, brownies, and cards. After school, my host mom and I went to her parents house for a typical German dinner. It was incredibly delicious! They also made me my favorite dessert, which I have now had three times. They say it's pretty much only made here in Hamburg. It's basically berry goodness that you can mix with cream or ice cream. We then played games and I practiced my German with them (they are so patient with me). On Saturday night, I celebrated in Hamburg with some friends from language camp.

Turns out you really can have an awesome birthday in a foreign country celebrating with people with whom you have known for 2.5 weeks.

In one week I leave to go live with my permanent host family one hour west of Berlin. On Monday I start school at the high school about twenty minutes from my house.

Small things I have noticed in Germany: at night most traffic signals turn off and only a few have flashing yellow lights if it's a bigger intersection. Also, The traffic signals are on the side of the intersection that the driver is on; however, in the US the driver looks ahead through the intersection for the signal.

I haven’t decided when I’ll be posting to my blog or what exactly I’ll post about, but this is just an update on how everything is going for me here!

Shannon

All 11 from Language Camp

Hamburg Rathaus (City Hall)

Hamburg Harbor

First decoration I added to my room