The spirit of seeking understanding through personal contact with people of other nations and other cultures deserves the respect and support of all. Gerald R. Ford In the second week of May, the CBYX/YFU exchange students reunited once again for a seminar in Berlin. This seminar was extra special because it included all of the … Continue reading The Moment We Have All Been Waiting For →

Distance means so little when someone means so much. For my spring break, I was fortunate to go to Norway! In 2017 my family hosted an exchange student for the summer through 4-H. Maren is from Norway and she instantly connected with the family. I’d have to say the summer she spent with us was … Continue reading Reunited in Norway →

“If European cities were a necklace, Prague would be a diamond among the pearls.” Anonymous My exchange company YFU offers different culture tours to different cities in Europe. When I saw Prague as an option, I immediately grabbed onto that opportunity. I met our YFU group in Dresden, where we then traveled to Prague all … Continue reading Golden Prague →

The best education you will ever get is travelling. Nothing teaches you more than exploring the world and accumulating experiences Wow, I can’t believe I have less than 100 days left in Germany! Time has truly gone by fast. But instead of counting time, let me share some of my highlights since my last post. … Continue reading Where Has the Time Gone!? →

"Ich hab noch einen Koffer in Berlin" Marlene Dietrich Berlin has a special place in my heart and it always will. As I mentioned in my first post, I spent a month in Berlin three years ago. In that month three years ago I lived with my amazing host mom Manuela, formed some incredible friendships, … Continue reading Back to Berlin →

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 Thanksgiving My two most favorite things in the world are family and food. Therefore, my favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. Though Germany doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving, I was still happy to … Continue reading Holiday Fun! Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s →

“Life brings me only good experiences. I am open to new and wonderful changes.”Louise Hay The first weekend in November, my host family and I traveled to Hamburg to visit friends for the weekend. It was cool because my school had vacation on Thursday and Friday to celebrate All Saints Day, so we left Wednesday … Continue reading Schönste Stadt der Welt →

“Keep true to the dreams of your youth” Friedrich Schiller In October I had the opportunity to travel to Weimar for a week with my German class. (As part of my exchange, I attend a German high school. In the future, I’ll have a post all about school.) Weimar had a huge role during the German … Continue reading Classic Weimar →

"For every ending there is always a new beginning." Even though I was in Germany for the month of August, it kind of felt like I was still in America. I was surrounded by Americans and other than language class, we pretty much spoke English. My language camp was my American bubble. On September 1, … Continue reading Leaving My American Bubble →

"Sometimes you meet a person and you just click-you're comfortable with them, like you've known them your whole life." As I mentioned before, I stayed at a language camp for a month with the forty-nine other CBYX/YFU kids. For the month we stayed in a youth hostel in Osterode am Harz. I absolutely loved it! … Continue reading 50 Exchange Students, 27 Days, 1 Amazing Experience →