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WA Ghostwriter

The student news site of Westford Academy

WA Ghostwriter

The student news site of Westford Academy

WA Ghostwriter

Final musings before return to Germany

By Natalie Holtz
Staff Writer

The dream of spending time abroad has been in my head for a really long time, however, it was more like an abstract idea, and the word “exchange year” did not seem like it had a meaning to it. Despite all the preparation time, this did not actually change until I sat on the plane that took me away from a place that I wouldn’t return to for almost 11 months. It was the most exciting feeling ever and even today, the excitement about my time here has not faded.

But what is it like to be a foreign exchange student? It is hard to find valid comparison or description that summarizes what I can’t even capture in words. Maybe I can compare my year in the United States to the song “Seasons of Love” in the musical RENT. The lyrics say: “How do you measure – measure a year? In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee, in inches, in miles, in laughter and strife … How about love – seasons of love.”

The time I’ve spent here since August has been great and I’m happy I still have more time. However, my senior year at Westford Academy is coming to an end.

A lot of people ask me: “What do you like best about America?” I don’t know what I like best. There are too many great things like the fact that you can get your license at the age of 16, snow days, Kimballs, Starbucks, and all the nice people I met. Does that mean I like America better than Germany? No, and I don’t like it less either. Of course, there are cultural differences, and some things that I prefer at one place or the other.

One of the things that my organization, AFS, teaches all exchange students is that there is no “better” or “worse”, just different. Culture is like looking at life through different colored glasses. If Americans see the world through blue glasses, and Germans see it through red ones, my glasses allow me to see the world in purple.

My time in another culture definitely helped me to understand why certain things that are perfectly normal in one country would never happen that way in the other country. I am not talking about any major worldviews, those you can read about in encyclopedias. I am talking about everyday life, habits like what to eat for dinner and when.

For example, the main meal of the day in Germany is lunch; for dinner many people heat up leftovers, eat bread or fruit. No one would think of eating raw broccoli and green beans, just like people here probably would not eat ham or cold cuts on a bagel for breakfast.

How many of you ride your bike to school? At my school in Germany, the parking lot for bikes is packed with more than 300 bikes whenever it is nice outside. It was about seven miles from my home to my school last year, and I chose to ride my bike almost every day in the spring and summer.

Even though I have many privileges, I wish I could get my license at the same age as you, instead of when I turn 18. I enjoyed the independence I had this year being able to go to places with my friends who can drive. It makes things so much easier, especially here, where public transportation is poor.

I had so many great moments with my friends and my host family that it will be hard to let go all those people who are now a very important part of my life and who I fell in love with; people with whom I spent daylights, sunsets, midnights, and many hours drinking coffee at Starbucks; people who taught me how to convert centimeters to inches; people with whom I travelled many miles to Canada, Colorado, New York, Boston and places I had never heard of before; people I laughed and cried with.

Of course there are ups and downs during an exchange year, just like there are in any other year of our lives. But left are unique memories that I will never forget and the question of where all the time went, the time that seemed so long nine months ago.

The decision to go abroad is one of the best ones I have ever made and I would make again.

I want to thank my wonderful organization, AFS, that has been a great support before and during
the year.

Thank you, Westford Academy for a great education and an amazing senior year.

Thank you to all my friends for undertaking the challenge of making friends with a stranger from another country knowing that I will have to leave again.

Thank you to my German Familie. Your confidence in me gives me so much strength.

Thank you to my American family. It is impossible to put into words everything you have done for me. Thank you for creating a new home, and thank you for all your love.

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