My very own song
Sometimes, a song is stuck in your head. You can not get it out, you sing the chorus all along, and you just cannot stop thinking about it. You always connect this one song with a special emotion or event which happened when you first heard it. In the end, you often end up not liking this song any more, switching the stations as you hear it on the radio.
The following is the story of how the idea of going abroad for one year was stuck in my head, or better said, in my heart, and how it never went out again. When my mom, who had gone abroad after graduation from high school, told me about America, about the experiences she had, the things she discovered, not just about the country, but also about herself and the way it changed her life, I could feel the enthusiasm in her voice and I immediately knew this was where my life would take me.
My parents never had a lot of money, especially after their divorce. Neither were my grandparents, Second World War refugees, rich people. Therefore, I could never be completely sure if my dreams were attainable. But I tried to help finance my dream by working as a newspaper boy from the age of 14.
As I got older, I started to order brochures about different exchange organizations and it was soon clear that the American Field Service (AFS) was the organization I would choose.
I clearly remember my first information meeting, just because the grin did not disappear from my face for the whole next week.
When I went to the AFS selection weekend, I was perfectly prepared to answer every question they would ask me, as I knew, this would be my only chance. Therefore I was really surprised when everything was a lot different from what I had expected. Nobody asked me questions about politics, presidents, or geographical issues - they wanted to get to know my character, to figure out if I would be capable of living in a foreign country where I would not know anyone.
The weeks passed by and I was waiting full of suspense, hoping from the very bottom of my heart that I got accepted. So when I got the response letter, I just tore it open and rushed through its content. It took a load off my heart when I read the congratulatory lines. My dream finally seemed about to come true.
Now sure that I was accepted, I began to look for scholarships. I applied for an AFS-Scholarship and for financial aid from the German government, called "Bafoeg". I received both, with a total value of about 4,700 $. These financial subsidies eased my family's burden of raising enough money for my year abroad.
All along I was full of curiosity to learn what kind of people I would live with during my exchange year. Finally on August 5th, just seven days before my flight and after nearly seven months of almost unbearable waiting, AFS sent me my host family information. Immediately after receiving their e-mail address, I started to establish contact with my host mother. However, time flew and I just received one answer when my flight from Frankfurt, Germany, took to the skies at five a.m. on August 12th, 2009.
I have lived in the U.S. for four months now and my life has already taken a huge shift. I am getting to know a totally new culture, a whole new society, lots of new faces and characters - all in all, I have a whole new life.
I discover more things in one day than I did in a whole year in my home country.
Nor only did my environment change a lot, I did, too. The year has already strengthened me, in particular by becoming a lot more self-sufficient, understanding who I really am, what other goals I have in life, and making clear what I think is important to me. It also taught me that not everything really is like it seems at the first moment, that you should question it if you do not understand something, that sometimes you have to argue your opinion. The most important thing that my year abroad has given me so far are many new and different perspectives I have learned from people all over the world, who came from various countries and a whole variety of different social positions. This influenced my own point of view more than I had ever dreamed of and gave me a better understanding of the world as a whole. I now have a different basis of argumentation, and the way I think about society, religion, and world economical topics has changed.
On the other side, even if I have already experienced so much, my inquisitiveness has only grown stronger with each new thing I learned, like a sponge that has been without water for far too long.
During my time in America I have had many beautiful experiences and exciting adventures worth a price you cannot measure with money.
Altogether, my year abroad has already made me a better and more understanding person, and I am completely sure that the remaining six months will teach me many more valuable lessons. I also hope that I have given people here a different perspective and perhaps touched their life in some way.
During the time I have spent here, America has become a second home, one, I could always return to, one, I learned to love and which will always have a place in my heart.
And right now, as I have already experienced much in the country of my dreams, I could sing the chorus of my dream all along with the influences I have experienced as the distinctive melody. I know this song is going to be stuck in my heart and mind forever, but there is just one difference: I will never regret it when I am reminded of it.
I hope I did not make too many mistakes. I know it's not perfect and I'm sure my English skills could be a lot better. Thank you for taking time to read and correct it. Foreigner
