It has been four months since I left my home in Millbrook New York, took a plane, and started my adventures in Austria. Some days it feels like a
lifetime has passed since I have seen my family and friends, but then other days I feel like this year is going by too fast. On occasion I have woken
up in the morning expecting to be in my bed back in Millbrook, just thinking that this experience so far has just been a dream.
There are about 85 inbounds in all of Austria this year for youth exchange. I had two weeks of language camp with 65 of them, and now every month
we all get together for a Rotary event. The most recent of which was a weekend sightseeing in Vienna, Austria’s Capital. We have become a great big
happy family and I can’t imagine my life without these people; it’s amazing having friends from all corners of the world. Next weekend I will be
sharing a traditional Thanksgiving meal with a few other exchange students that I have gotten really close with. Then on actual Thanksgiving, I will
also share the tradition with my host family.
Learning a language is a hard thing to begin with, but it’s even more so when everyone else in your school only wants to hear English and speak it
to you. My friends in class tell me that I have to speak more German, but five minutes later they forget and just talk English to me. Though every
time I speak to one of my teachers, they tell me that my German is improving, also I am told that I look more Austrian day after day. I feel like I
am finally fitting in, even though I am still classified as “The American.”
School is very different then in the US, students show a different kind of respect for their teachers. When addressing a teacher it must be Herr
Professor or Frau Professor, and you always have to stand when I teacher enters the room and wait to be told to take your seat. I feel that it puts a
boundary between the student and teachers, but at the same time the kids are taught how to respect those who have authority over them. Classes are
difficult because everyone speaks so fast, but during English class it’s time for me to teach my peers about our culture. In two weeks we are going
make smores in the Chemistry Lab!
All in all, this has been an experience of a life time! I have seen so much already, but there are still more places to go, people to meet, and
memories to make. I can’t wait to see what awaits for me on the path ahead.
