The Real Beginning

In two and a half months I will embark on the next great adventure of my life. I’ll be taking up residence somewhere in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany (hopefully in Dessau...I should find out for sure in the next month or so) to be an English teaching assistant in a Gymnasium (German middle/high school for students who intend to attend a university). Technically, I don’t start until September, but my mental journey began over a year ago, when I started the rigorous application process. I’ve been spending a lot of time preparing myself for a 10-month stint alone in a foreign country ever since I found out for sure I would be going, so I think now is the time to start documenting my experiences.

“Why Germany?” you ask. Well, many reasons. First, it seems to be part of my destiny. I started learning German in 5th grade as a required class. Not only did I fall in love with the language, but I also seemed to have a knack for it, even though no one else in my family speaks German. Many years later, I discovered an important family connection to Germany. My Czech great-grandmother was fluent in five languages and spent time in southern Germany and Austria (or what would become those regions in the present day) as a cook before she immigrated to the U.S. I’ve always been interested in the east European part of my heritage and spending time in Germany and surrounding areas will allow me to understand the cultures from whence I come.

I’ve been to Dessau, Germany twice as a teaching assistant for an elementary school English teacher. After each visit, I’ve felt like my work there wasn’t finished. The people I’ve come to know and care about there are remarkable and have been so willing to accept me into their lives, and being able to continue giving back to these people and keep learning from them is something I need to do. My hope is to share myself and my country with my students; they are so very lucky to have the opportunity to study English so ardently in their schools. It’s so important for students to have an interest in other countries and cultures because understanding why and how people from somewhere else are is the first step to building the acceptance that our world needs.

Of course, my stay in Germany will afford me the opportunity to travel extensively throughout Germany and Europe. I can’t wait. There will probably not be another time in my life where I have so much freedom to explore foreign culture. I’m so lucky to get this chance even once.

Ok. Basta. I promise that not all my musings will be so...well, je ne sais quoi...but it’s just really important to me that people understand why I’m doing this. The next year already means so much more to me than I can put into words. Amazing as it will be, living abroad will probably be the most difficult thing I’ve ever done. My family means a lot to me, and leaving them for another year won’t be easy. Leaving also means giving up the chance to get to know and spend more time with someone who meant a lot to me and has supported me in the mentally massive endeavors of my senior year. I am truly sorry for that, but my path is keeping me from Colorado for now.

I bring this up because I want all of you to know that I will miss you, but I hope you will read what I have to say while I’m gone. Let me share my joys and my struggles with you. I’ll need the connection to everything I know and I’m hoping you all need a piece of Germany in your lives!

Deine,
N*