8 days skiing in Austria in the Alps was absolutely incredible.

So time for catch up. The last week was so much fun. Skiing everyday! The normal day was waking up between 7 and 7:30am, getting ready, eating breakfast, putting on all the warm clothing, walking down to the ski kellar, putting on ski boots and skis, then skiing down to the first lift. There we would meet the Pokorny family (family friends) and get on the lift. Then we would ski until around 12pm. Then we would go to the lodge, eat lunch and relax for a little. Usually after us kids (Fabian, Lena, Laura and me) were done eating, we would play “Bloody Knuckles” or “Uno”. Then after our lunch break we would ski for a few more hours until 4pm.
After the 2nd day, skiing got much better for me. I could ski for longer periods and not be tired and I began to have lots more fun. I fell quite a few times, but it was always laughable.
The views of the mountains and valley and everything was astounding. We got some amazing pictures. :D


Check out the slide show (click on it to make it bigger).




Happy New Year everybody!!!

5 days left of school!!!!

You have no idea how happy I am for Winter Break. :D

I seriously can't wait to be out of school. I mean, school isn't horrible, but it's not exactly ideal either. I am often so lost in classes cause my German isn't superb yet, or I'm zoning out cause I'm just too exhausted to concentrate on understaning German. It's crazy how much energy is sucked out of you when you're trying to understand the world in a different language. It's also just awkward to be in class. I can't participate, or if I try then everybody stares at the American girl trying to speak German. They all say that I speak good German, but I feel quite the opposite.

Last week in my Religion class, the discussion was about why people believe in God and about the different beliefs of creationism (I think). Then suddenly my Religion teacher, who often completely ignores me, turned to me and asked me something about how religion is taught in schools in America. I was caught completely off guard. I wasn't even sure if I was understanding what they were talking about. So hoping that I was understanding right, I pretty much told him that that we don't have religion classes, and that we only learn about evolution in Biology. Sheesh, every single person staring at me as I struggled to explain this in my not-so-good German. Then my Religion teacher politely smiled, thanked me, and continued talking about something or other. I don't know if I had understood correctly or what. Ha...oh well.

Yep, so only 5 more days. Friday evening I'm going with my host parents to see Laura perform in the school musical. Then right after that we are leaving for Austria. I'm so excited! We're going to be gone for 10 days, and 8 of those days are skiing!!!

Life is still good.

So life has been pretty normal lately, and I absolutely love it. I feel like I'm finally getting adjusted to the German way of life.

Last week, I cooked a Thanksgiving dinner with help from my friend, Anya (she's from Utah and is here in Germany for a year working as a nanny). The dinner turned out really good, and my host family enjoyed it. We had turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, broccoli, cauliflower, rolls, and a cranberry drink. Then for dessert, we had two delicious apple pies and a ice cream pie topped with the best homemade hot fudge ever! Yum yum. :)

Oh and then the next night after Thanksgiving, I went with my host family to dinner at their friend's house. It was apparently a traditional French meal with a course served every hour. We didn't start dinner until 8:00pm and didn't finish until 12:30am. This was the longest dinner of my life, and I was so tired...

School is getting better, but I'm happy that Christmas break is only two and a half weeks away. Then I leave for a week with my host family to go skiing on the Alps in Austria. I'm super excited!!!

My Harp Life

Okay, now the huge update on my harp life.

Before I came to Germany, I was very worried about how I would be able to continue my harp studies during my time in Germany. I looked into the option of shipping my harp to Germany, but it was too expensive and risky. Then I looked into renting a harp in Germany, but I didn't find much because I didn't know where to look or how to contact people, especially because of my lacking German language skills. So I came to Germany with only hopes of being able to get a hold of a harp...

Then my wonderful host parents searched around for a harp for me. They contacted different harp stores in Germany and a music school in Bonn. Then while in Nürnberg on October 4th-6th, visiting my host family's relatives, I got a small harp! Yay!

The following is from my journal:

"So the harp isn't exactly what I was hoping for, but it was definitely better than no harp at all. It's a lever harp (35 strings) from a harp store, Glissando, in a small town 20 minutes away from where we were staying in Nürnberg.
This place had so many harps. I've never seen that many harps in one building all at once (I'm guessing there were between 50-70 harps there). It was awesome.
So anyway, Dieter drove me there first thing Saturday morning, so we could look and find out if there was any option of renting a pedal harp. Actually the lady who was helping us was very willing to rent me a pedal harp, but she would only do it if I paid 20% of the purchase price, which was anywhere from 4000-8000 Euros. So ugh, that pretty much made it impossible (okay more unrealistic than impossible). The lady then suggested that I just go with a lever harp. (I really didn't want to do this, because I'm planning on continuing harp in university, and I need a pedal harp to be at the university level for harpists.) She told me how there are so many songs I can play on lever harp and still advance my level. She also pointed out the reality of prices...and a bunch of other things that I've already been weighing out. Also I can return this lever harp anytime I want (esp. if I find a pedal harp)....so it seemed like a win-win situation.
So since everything just felt right, I went for it."

So more about this first rental harp (yep I say first... just wait until I tell you about the next). It is really pretty, even if it is plain. It's made out of this really cool African wood. It also has an amazing sound for being so small, and with a straight soundboard. I don't like the bass that much, but the middle and upper range are very Celtic sounding...


So I was pretty satisfied with this harp. I was so happy to have my fingers back on a harp---something I didn't have for 3 months! However, my host mom felt like I really needed a pedal harp. She literally spent hours and hours for two weeks on the phone and internet, contacting every source she could. She went from harp stores to music schools to harp teachers and other harpists....and just anywhere that would have a possibility of renting a pedal harp. She found places in Berlin that would rent me a pedal harp for 200-300 Euros a month, but that was still really expensive for me. She also looked into the different insurances for pedal harp, whether it was better to pay more for house insurance, or buy specific harp insurance. Sheesh, she is amazing, and did everything. So, after lots and lots time spent with phone calls, a harp teacher gave Heidi the phone number of a French family living in Bonn.

And this family had a daughter who plays harp. She is currently studying at a university in France, and is unable to take her harp with her. So her harp was just sitting in her house being neglected. She was more than willing to rent the harp out because really wanted the harp to be in good hands--- where it would be played often, instead of collecting dust at her house.

So on November 2nd, I had a huge, beautiful pedal harp sitting in my room. It was very crowded in my small room with two harps, but I didn't care. (The lever harp has since then been returned to Nürnberg.)

This harp is simply amazing. It's a Camac Athena, which is the same harp maker as my harp. However, this harp is a full size concert harp, making it bigger than my harp which is a semi-grand. Seriously this harp is a foot taller than me. I love it!

Oh and then - also there is an elderly harpist, who is well-known in Germany, and she wants to hear me play harp. If I'm talented enough, she will give me free lessons. So in the next few weeks, I'll be playing for her. (NO pressure!)
Anyway, it's so amazing how things have worked out with being able to continue harp. I could have been satisfied with the little lever harp, but no, things just get better and better. :D

Snow!!!

Yesterday, I was walking around Bonn (the big city, 30 minutes by train from my house). It was pretty cold and was spitting rain. But then all of a sudden out of nowhere, it started snowing and snowing. The snowflakes were huge! It started so quickly, lasted a good 10 minutes, then ended leaving the sky clear like nothing had happened. It was so cold! But awesome!
Then today, it snowed again. Sadly, the snow melts right when it hits the ground, but it's still fantastic. I haven't seen snowfall for a long time, cause it doesn't snow in San Diego, California or Phoenix, Arizona.

My Day

So today was a pretty good day.
I had two classes in the morning, Math and German, from 8:30-10:00am. Then I didn't have another class until 1:15pm. So I walked home, which takes about 20 minutes. Then I practiced harp for an hour and a half. That's the longest time in one day I've practiced for 4 months! I've had to build up the skin on my fingers, cause I lost it all from not playing for so long!
After practicing, I went grocery shopping with my host mom. Then she drove me back to school for my Religion class at 1:15pm. When I was finished with school at 2pm, instead of waiting for Matthias to be finished at 2:45pm, I walked home. I don't mind walking home at all, most of the walk is down this hill. But when I'm at the top of the hill I have the most amazing view of the city and the Rhine River. It's so beautiful. I still can't believe I'm actually here in Germany. It's too perfect to be true. :D

Suggestions?

Hey everybody!

I hope that you have enjoyed my blog so far. I really am having a fabulous time here in Germany!

I'm writing what I think would be interesting for you to read about, but is there anything specific I should write about or that you want to know about my exchange experience?

Adjusting to life in Germany

"I Have Confidence" from Sound of Music

What will this day be like? I wonder.
What will my future be? I wonder.
It could be so exciting to be out in the world, to be free
My heart should be wildly rejoicing
Oh, what's the matter with me?

I've always longed for adventure
To do the things I've never dared
And here I'm facing adventure
Then why am I so scared

(...)

Oh, I must stop these doubts, all these worries
If I don't I just know I'll turn back
I must dream of the things I am seeking
I am seeking the courage I lack

The courage to serve them with reliance
Face my mistakes without defiance
Show them I'm worthy
And while I show them
I'll show me

So, let them bring on all their problems
I'll do better than my best
I have confidence they'll put me to the test
But I'll make them see I have confidence in me

Somehow I will impress them
(...)
Everything will turn out fine
I have confidence the world can all be mine
They'll have to agree I have confidence in me

I have confidence in sunshine
I have confidence in rain
I have confidence that spring will come again
Besides which you see I have confidence in me

Strength doesn't lie in numbers
Strength doesn't lie in wealth
Strength lies in nights of peaceful slumbers
When you wake up -- Wake Up!

It tells me all I trust I lead my heart to
All I trust becomes my own
I have confidence in confidence alone
(Oh help!)

I have confidence in confidence alone
Besides which you see I have confidence in me!

So yep, some days are harder than others. Some days it's so hard to live in a different culture, to go through school and hardly understand anything, to be surrounded by a foreign language, and so on. I sometimes wish that I could be back in the US, back to normality. Sometimes I wonder why I'm putting myself through this.
Don't worry, I'm definitely not going home early or anything. I do really love it here in Germany! I just have to adjust to this new way of life; it is all part of cultural shock. But hey, I have confidence!

More about School in Germany

So more about my classes at school:

English is my favorite class. My teacher in this class is awesome and hilarious. He studied at University of San Diego, so he speaks very good English. :D

Math is too easy. Right now they are going over parabolas and how to graph them. We had a test a few weeks ago. I got the 2nd highest grade out of the class, even though I wasn't able to complete a third of the test because of my poor German skills (silly word problems...impossible to translate). I really can't believe that most of the kids failed this test. It was over stuff that I learned in 7th grade, and they are in 11th!!! After looking through the book, I think the curriculum in 11th grade Math is supposed to be a mixture of Algebra 2, Statistics, and a tiny bit of Pre-calculus.

Music is also an easy class, especially after having AP Music Theory last year. Right now we are just going over the formation of chords and the Circle of Fifths. I guess the only hard thing is learning all the German terms and notation for Music.

Biology is a little difficult with it all being in German, but I have had Biology before, so I can get the gist of things.

My hardest classes are History and Religion; I hardly know what is going on. The texts that they give us are impossible for me. Even the German students struggle to understand the text.

The Extra Deutsch classes are pretty much just one-on-one tutoring for learning the German language. It's really nice to have time set aside to focus on the grammar rules and stuff like that.

However, overall I have it pretty easy this year. A normal German student would have about 3 or 4 more classes including Geography, French or Spanish, and Chemistry or Physics. (Some kids have all three sciences!!!) But I have an easy schedule since I'm not very good with the German language. Sometimes my classes are very confusing (especially the first 2 months) being in a foreign language and all, but the teachers and students are very nice and willing to help me out.

Although school in Germany is very very different from school in America, I'm really enjoying my time here. It's nice that I don't have the pressure of my grades counting for college or anything like that. This is just a year for me to experience another culture and to have FUN!

School in Germany

Stunden	Zeiten	Montag	Dienstag	Mittwoch	Donnerstag	Frietag
0	7:45-8:30	---	---	---	---	Musik
1	8:30-9:15	Englisch	Deutsch	---	Religion	Sport
2	9:15-10:00	Englisch	Mathe	---	Religion	Sport
Break	10:00-10:30	---	---	---	---	---
3	10:30-11:15	Deutsch	---	Geschichte	Mathe	---
4	11:15-12:00	Deutsch	---	Geschichte	Mathe	---
Essen	12:00-13:15	---	---	---	---	---
6	13:15-14:00	---	Religion	Biologie	Englisch	Geschichte
7	14:00-14:45	Biologie	---	---	Musik	---
8	14:45-15:30	Biologie	Extra Deutsch	Extra Deutsch	Musik	---

Yep so this is my school schedule. Tomorrow I'll post more information specifically about my classes and about my life at a German school.

My 18th Birthday!

So I just recently had my first birthday that was celebrated away from my home and not even in America. Yep, My 18th birthday in Germany. Apparently your 18th birthday is the biggest one in Germany, so that definitely made it a fabulous day.

So my day: I woke up, got ready, and then walked downstairs to the kitchen, where I was greeted by my host family and a beautifully set table with a scrumptious breakfast. At my place was a chocolate cake and next to it colorful, cube candles, each with a letter on it, and they spelled out "Happy Birthday." (I can't believe I forgot to take pictures of it. It was so cute!) Then we had breakfast and cake.
After this I opened my presents. I got a concert ticket to go so some amazing musical and a book from my host parents. Then Laura gave me a cute little notebook and a huge box of chocolates.

After all this, we left to go to a rock climbing gym. That was so much fun (though I'm still slightly sore from this since I haven't been rock climbing for quite a few months...). The rock gym was huge. It had 2 huge rooms with various climbing routes. I think the highest walls were 23 m (around 75 feet) high. It was pretty amazing!

So here are some pictures:

This is Laura and me at the entrance of the rock gym.

I love rock climbing!


This is Laura climbing. You can sort of get an idea of how high the walls were, but you still can't even see the ceiling from this picture.

There was this ladder (the kind you see in the circus) in the middle of the room. That was scary!!! It was so high (somewhere around 20 meters high) and it turned around as you climbed up it. Thank goodness for the harness and rope! But yeah that took guts for me to climb that ladder. I hate heights! I'm okay with rock climbing, because it's a solid wall that does not move around, but this ladder...completely different... (but hey I did it! even if I did only climb up half way...)

This was also a little scary cause it moved around as you climbed up, but it was definitely better than the ladder because it was more solid.

Laura and I taking a break.
I don't know why I didn't get any pictures of my host parents (probably because they were always the ones taking the pictures). But here's a picture of them from another day:

Yep, so I had a fantastic birthday!

My Awesome Host Family

I’m doing pretty well. I’m working very hard on taking everything just one step at a time, and not worrying about how much I still have to learn in German. I’m doing better and better each day with understanding, but however my speaking is only ever so slowly improving. School is the most frustrating part right now. I can’t understand most of my teachers, and translating the texts is nearly impossible. Many times I think of how crazy I am to be here in Germany instead of at college in the USA. However, once I get home from school, all is good and I’m quite content and comfortable. I learn so much more with Dieter, Heidi, Matthias, and Laura than I do at school. And I have fun while learning with them…

So more about my host family:

My first impressions:

• My host dad, Dieter, is a very cheerful kind of guy. And he has happy, smiling wrinkles around his eyes. He’s very excited that he can practice his English with me, but also very willing to help me with my German. (However, I often have to remind him to always speak German to me first, before he can speak English). He wants me to feel like I’m at home, and is willing to do anything and everything that I want.
• My host mother, Heidi, is very loving and friendly. She is kind of shy and worried about the language barrier, so we didn’t speak very much the first evening. But she was sure to clearly lay down all the house rules after dinner (with Dieter’s and Laura’s help in explaining).
• My host brother, Matthias, seems to be the typical 18 year old teenager: somewhat rebellious and argumentative with his parents. He doesn’t talk to me much, unless he has to.
• My host sister, Laura, is overly excited to have me. She showed me everything around the house, explained everything, and showed me how to use things, etc. I think we’ll be very good friends and have lots of good times together.
• Samantha, the 9 year old Husky, is so adorable. She has one blue eye and one brown eye. I love her so much! I’m surprised at how active she is for being so old.
• Puma is a somewhat large, and very friendly orange cat. He is best friends with Sammy, and it’s hilarious to watch them play together.
• Merle is a shy, extremely large and fluffy cat. My eyes nearly popped out of my head when I saw her; she’s HUGE! But she’s also very, very cuddly and sweet.
• Nagorny is a beautiful chestnut horse who has an amazing personality. He lives about 10 minutes away at the stables right next to my school. I really enjoy riding him.

So yeah, those were my first impressions the first day with my family.

My impressions haven't changed too much over the past three weeks:

• My host dad is as fabulous as ever. I don't see him very much during the week because he's always at work. But he's a hilarious guy. He's always joking and/or teasing.
• My lovely host mother, Heidi. She’s so sweet! She normally cooks meals that include alcohol, or she buys chocolates that have coffee in them. But within the first few days, she discovered that I don’t drink alcohol or coffee. So now, she always makes sure that I know what does or doesn’t contain alcohol or coffee. Also when she's making a cake or soup or anything that includes alcohol, she sets aside a portion for me without acohol. She’s so sweet to do the extra work to make sure that I’m happy. I absolutely adore her and she's a fabulous cook! It’s also lots of fun to go shopping at the stores with her, or various errands. Although she doesn’t speak any English, we can communicate pretty well. I can understand her German better than I can understand anybody else’s German. I don’t know why – maybe it’s her accent or something, but whatever it is…it’s good, because I can understand what she says. :D Also it’s super good, because I learn the most German from her. Everybody else just speaks English to me when I don’t understand. But she can’t, so she uses lots of actions, examples, and simpler German words to help me learn and understand. I love her so much! (Also, I found out that she has been calling around to find information about getting a harp for me… she’s always on top of things!)
• Matthias is friendly to me, but I don't see him often because he's always hanging out with his friends or in his room. He's just the normal teenager boy that doesn't want to do much with his family.
• Laura is so patient with teaching me German and helping me with my homework. She's very sweet and loves to have fun. :D

So overall, I absolutely love my host family! I think I have a wonderful placement (no more worries about all the horror stories of exchange students having the horrible experiences with terrible host families). I am so spoiled in this family. (They gave me a cell phone. My host dad makes sure that I always have a supply of delicious German chocolate in my room. I will be going to Italy, Austria, Netherlands, and France in addition to traveling all over Germany to visit castles and other tourist attractions. The list goes on and on.) My host family is just perfect for me and I love it here in Germany!!!

Leipzig, Germany

August 16, 2008

Today was a very fun day. We went to Leipzig, Germany, which is a little over an hour away from Hedersleben. We had breakfast at 7:30 am, then boarded our charter bus, and left at 8:30am. The German countryside and all the tiny little towns on the way to Leipzig were very beautiful. We passed lots of corn and wheat fields… and everything was very very green.

Once we arrived in Leipzig, we walked to a museum where we had an appointment for a guided tour. Since our group of 42 kids plus teachers was too large, we were divided into two groups. Then we were given little headsets that were synched to the guide’s microphone. I think that was pretty brilliant idea because then she could talk very softly, but we could all hear her loud and clear. I was very grateful that she spoke in English because I was able to understand everything and it was very interesting. This museum focused on the time period after Hitler’s dictatorship: the time when Germany was divided into West Germany and East Germany. More specifically, the museum’s focus was on the resistances against the East Germany government. It was very interesting to see how different people reacted and how even some sacrificed their lives, in trying to change their situations. Some people just wanted to escape East Germany, some wanted to completely abolish the government, and others wanted to revise the Socialist/Communist government. I thought it was really neat to see the German perspective on this portion of history.

Okay, so after the museum we were given free time until 4 pm (sharp!!!...this was clearly emphasized), which was when we were to meet back up at the bus. Also another rule was that we had to go in groups of 4 or more, and we were given a map of downtown Leipzig with our leader’s handy (cell phone) number.

Weird thing: right when we walked out of the museum, there was this crazy festival/parade thing happening right out in the middle of the street. It was a bunch of mostly Indian people (country India) and some white people dancing around and singing interesting music. They were dressed very in bright colors and had odd streaks of paint or makeup on their foreheads. Also, they were handing out fruits and cookies.

Anyway, Leipzig was pretty awesome…especially since it’s the birthplace of Johann Sebastian Bach. I went and saw a monument of Bach, and also the church where he is buried. It was so cool! Also when we went in that church, St. Thomas Kirche, we got to see a wedding. It was really funny, because we saw lots of tourists all sitting very quiet in the back of the church. I noticed that the front of the big church was blocked off, but I thought that it was just because we weren’t allowed up front since it was so old or something like that. So we just sat down with the other tourists and listened to the organ music, which stopped shortly after we arrived. Then suddenly I noticed (way up front, I had to squint to see it) a priest stood up in front of two people, a bride and a groom. Then he married them, then music started playing, and then the wedding party marched right down the aisle. I got to see a wedding in Germany, or more like I walked in on a wedding accidentally. But the bride and groom didn’t seem to mind all the tourists, they just smiled and waved. Pretty awesome. Later the front of the church was opened for tourists, so I took some neat pictures of Bach’s burial place.

Also, we went to the Nikolas Kirche (lots of neat carvings, paintings, and windows) and we walked around the downtown area.

There were tons of cute little restaurants and shopping centers (most things were very very expensive).

Yep it was a fun day.

The Kloster

So about the amazing nunnery (Kloster) that I stayed in for the four weeks of my German language crash course.
It's about 800 years old. It was first used as a nunnery, then as a school, and now it is used as a hostel for various groups (dance, sports, etc).
It's absolutely beautiful... Picture Perfect.

It's huge with millions of rooms, wings, an attic, and a cellar to explore. I also really liked all the old antiques that are throughout the Kloster: old sewing machines, old school desks and chairs, an old sleigh...

I loved my room. It was small, but roomy enough for me. The bed was also surprisingly comfortable. I was also happy that I got a single room (only a few girls had to share).
The TV only had 5 channels... but I was able to watch some of the Olympics. It was also really funny to see the German versions of normal American shows like: Simpsons, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader, and so on...


The food was pretty good too (though I really miss my mom's delicious cooking!). Every breakfast was the same: bread, cheese, meat, and three choices of cold cereal. Lunches and dinners consisted of varying types of meat, cheese, and potatoes.

Hedersleben is an extremely small, but also a very cute town. It takes about 15 minutes to walk around the whole town, which consists of 5 main streets, 2 stores, a post office, and a bank.


I hope you enjoyed this update! I love it here in Germany!

Language Camp in Hedersleben, Germany

Wow, I'm having so much fun here in Germany!!! The weather is quite a contrast to the Arizona heat. However, I'm enjoying it immensely...Germany is very beautiful and green. Also, the town/village, Hedersleben, looks as if it is a storybook come alive. Just perfectly quaint!!! :D

Language training is pretty intense. 6 or more hours of classes, then 3 or 4 hours of me studying on my own to memorize as much as I can. It's hard work, but I absolutely love it. I'm very determined to learn, understand, and speak German as quickly as possible.

I know this post if super short, but I have very limited time on the internet here at Language camp. Once I get to my host family (on Sept. 6th), I will have much more time that I can spend on the internet. Then I'll put pictures and more info about my fantastic time here at language camp!!!

My Host Family Placement

A very exciting day.....

I was one of the first of our group to receive my host family. We were told by AYUSA that we would probably get our host family sometime in late July or early August. However, I received a fantastic email on May 29th, 2008:

"Dear Allegra Bel,
I have some exciting news for you! PI, our German partner, has found you a Host Family. I am attaching the details of your placement as well as the contact information for your Host Family. Please contact your Host Family ASAP and introduce yourself. Feel free to contact me with any additional questions that you may have..."

Wow, I could hardly contain my excitement as I opened the email attachment, which was one page showing my host family (names, ages, professions, contact info), my local representative (name and contact info), and my school (name, address).

I will be staying with the Hameyer family:

• father - Franz-D. - 50 years old and is an engineer
• mother - Heidi - 47 years old and is a housewife
• brother - Matthias - 18 years old
• sister - Laura - 14 years old
• pets - 2 cats and 1 dog and 1 HORSE!!!! (yay!)

I will be living in Bad Honnef, Germany and attending the school, Gymnasium Schloss Hagerhof. Here are a bunch of cool things I found that relate with my school and area in Germany.

• This is a picture of my school that I will be attending: http://wikimapia.org/2325757/de/Gymnasium_Schloss_Hagerhof
• This is the most amazing information about my school. (It's a super nice private school/boarding school and is well known for it's sports and music... and also get this, it has riding stables!!!!!): http://www.hagerhof.de/englbody.html
• A little information about the city I will be living in: http://www.study-in-germany.de/english/4.22.3.858.html

I'm so excited!!!! I'll be leaving for Washington D.C. on August 9th, and then will be leaving for Germany on August 10th. Then once I arrive in Germany, I will attend a month long language camp in Hedersleben, Germany. Finally I will travel to Bad Honnef to attend school and spend the rest of the year with my host family.

Introduction

Hi everyone!

I finally decided to do a blog. That way everyone who cares can check up on me and get updates of my year in Germany. I'm really really excited to be going to Germany on this amazing scholarship. It's such a blessing and a wonderful opportunity to have been chosen as one of 250 American high school students to spend a year in Germany on an all-expense-paid-for scholarship. If you want more info about this scholarship, visit http://www.usagermanyscholarship.org.


Here's how it all started:
I was really interested in doing a year abroad, whether it was in high school or college. I just thought that being a exchange student would be a neat experience, a chance to explore the world and broaden my horizons. I had no preference of where I wanted to go, or no idea of what I should expect. So, I did some research on the internet about various organizations for exchange students. I soon began to see how expensive it was to spend a year abroad, and I didn't think it would work out. Amazingly, I just happened to stumble upon this CBYX scholarship on a random online scholarship search. As I read more about it, I got more and more excited - A scholarship (jointly funded by Congress and Bundestag) to spend a year with a host family and attend a German high school.

So after spending lots of time convincing my parents, I began the long application process in October 2007. However, since it was my senior year, I was also applying for colleges. I was more focused on the college applications because I honestly thought that I wouldn't get the CBYX scholarship. However, even with my doubts, I finished the application and sent it in, a few days before the deadline. Then life went on, and I made my plans for going to college...

...until

"January 24, 2008

Dear Congress-Bundestag Scholarship Applicant,

Congratulations! It is my pleasure to inform you that you have been selected as a semi-finalist in the 2008-2009 Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program. The next step in the selections process is for you to be interviewed via phone by your selection committee..."

I was sooo excited! I could hardly believe the words in this email. The next week I received another email giving me the date and time of my phone interview. It also had a few tips of things I could prepare before my interview.

Finally that day came, February 4, 2008. Thank goodness I was ready early, because they called 15 minutes before the scheduled time. They asked me lots and lots of questions. Why was I so motivated about the CBYX program? How would I handle academic failures? What one thing would I take with me to Germany? What things I'm proud of and ashamed of in America? How would I react if someone confronted me about Americans? Lots of questions like that and a few others.. and then the killer last question: "Why should we choose you for the scholarship?"
I feel that I did a very good job in answering honestly and confidently. And I definitely had fun coming up with creative and truthful answers during that interview. I was also surprised that I didn't get as nervous as I expected I would.

Well, my hopes had risen; I began to think that I might possibly get this scholarship, even though there were a coupe hundred semi-finalists...

Then came more waiting....

until......

"March 14, 2008

Re: Application to Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange Program 2008-2009

Dear Allegra Bel,

On behalf of the AYUSA International CBYX selection committee, it is my pleasure to announce that you have been selected as a finalist for the CBYX program. This program attracts extraordinarily qualified and gifted applicants; the selection process is rigorous and highly competitive. Your selection is recognition of both your academic and extracurricular accomplishments and your potential for success in the program.

[I omitted a bunch of info about the Secondary Application that I have to fill out so I can be placed with a German Host Family]

Your decision to become a CBYX scholarship recipient is not one to make without deep consideration. This program, dually sponsored by the United States Department of State and the German Congress demands, flexibility, an open mind, and above all the commitment to a 10 month program which focuses on expanding your global awareness to all elements of the German culture (social, political, and economic) in addition to becoming fluent in the German language, and making lifelong connections.

If you are willing to commit to this, the Selection Committee wishes to add our personal congratulations to those of your family and friends."

I was so happy. I was literally jumping up and down. I seriously couldn't believe it! Even though I had received many scholarships from the colleges I had applied for (and none of them could be deferred), it was easy turning those down for this amazing scholarship. It was all going to work out... a gap year (between my high school and college) spent in Germany having awesome experiences!