In August of 2010 I travelled to Germany for a duration of five months. For four weeks I stayed in a comprehensive language camp in Hedersleben, a small village in Saxony-Anhalt. This month-long school camp was the closest I came to a true "vacation" but I consider it to have been the best part of my summer.. In Hedersleben I learned to speak and understand the German language, and made great friends along the way. I explored my new-found freedom and was beginning to become who I am today.
After my vacation in East-Germany, I was forced to move across the country to North-Rhein Westfalen, living with a strange family and attending a new school. This experience was not as fun as I would hope, but it allowed me to learn more about myself and my world than I could have learned anywhere else. Living with people I didn't know proved to be a challenge I wasn't prepared to take on, so instead of making friends and personal connections, I took the opportunity to expand my independance and look into myself for who I am, and how to change for the better. I know now how I react to stresses I never could have imagined before, and what to do to improve.
Most of my days were spent at school. learning a plethora of subjects ranging from German, English, and French to Child Development and Physics. However, any supplies or necessities that weren't supplied by my family, I had to obtain on my own. Using maps, verbal directions, and exploration, I came to know the down-town of my city inside- and- out. I taught myself to rely on and take responsibility for myself. I can truly say that Germany shaped me into an adult.
Not all of my trip was bad though, I went to many fun places in Krefeld including the Krefeld Zoo (which was more-or-less like any other zoo, but in German =D), the Krefeld Theatre (http://www.theater-kr-mg.de/), and the local cinema, which was next door to the main train-station. Although THIS trip left some to be desired, I can't wait to return and take a REAL vacation. I encourage anyone to visit. It is truly a beautiful country, and I am proud to call myself a German.
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