Deutschland!!!

     !Finally in Germany!

It’s hard to believe that summer had flown by so quickly and it’s actually July 26, the day I leave for Germany. It’s so crazy that the week before I was still in Louisville, but now I’m actually boarding the plane to Frankfurt, Germany. I arrived at the airport with the rest of the group at around one o’clock in the afternoon even though our plane doesn’t board till 4:30p.m., checking in and going through security took a while, but we still had 2 hours to explore the airport once we found our gate. I was assigned seat 25B, which sucked a little cause it’s the middle seat, which means that every time I have to pee the person on the outside had to get up and unfortunately the person that end up getting the aisle seat wasn’t someone I actually know, so I was kinda awkward to get up so I just tried to not drink that much liquid.

My flight left at 5:15 p.m. and it’s a 7½ hour plane-ride, so we arrived at Frankfurt at 7 in the morning since German is 6 hours ahead of us. I was planning to watch movies the whole eight hours, but for some reason I felt really sleepy before the plane even took off, so I actually slept five/six hours on the plane, which really helped with the jet lag. The bus ride from Frankfurt to Bad Laasphe was not very interesting, there were a lot of trees and it actually kinda felt like I was still in Louisville. The villages we saw on the way quickly changed that impression (all the towns/villages are super cute!)

After we finally arrived at Bad Laasphe, we settled into our rooms, and had brunch. It was an interesting meal, I’ve probably not had any of the food before, they all tasted pretty decent, but I especially like the potatoes they served (did I mention that I got to eat at the castle?). Then we were allowed a power-nap from 12-3p.m. (most people showered then napped so it was really more like a 2 hour nap). Then we got to explore the town, our leaders took us down to the local village (we weren’t able to shop because most shops were closed on Sundays, which was a really cool difference from the U.S.) the only thing was that I wasn’t expecting the hill to be that treacherous, so I wore flip-flops and had no water with me, by the time we got back to the school, I was ready to collapse. I felt a lot better once I had water, and a ton better once I had dinner, but both my feet got blisters on them, and it really hurts to walk.

Schloss Wittgenstein (Castle I'm staying at)

A little Garden in Town

Far View of Town

We’ve been told that classes go from 9-12:15 every weekday and curfew is 10 on school nights and midnight on weekends. And tomorrow(Monday/first day) we have breakfast at 8:30 and evaluations at 9 a.m. (I’m going to be in the beginner, beginner class because I don’t know any German… I’m really looking forward to camp, and will probably only post once a week or once every two weeks from now since internet’s not very reliable and I’m really trying to learn German so typing long posts in English is a little counterproductive. I also don’t want to spoil anything for the people that might want to apply to this program next year (language camp is really fun and the classes are very useful and definitely not boring and that’s basically all you have to know) 

Host Family!!

            It’s really funny how good news always comes as a surprise even if I’ve been expecting them. And the day I didn’t check my email for possible updates about my host family is the day I receive them. I was actually slowly eating my breakfast and reading at the same time when my mom stood at the top of the stairs and asked me if I got an email about my host family. And since she had gotten a previous email confused as my host family placement, I kinda just looked at her and said, “If you’re talking about the email from a couple days ago, then no.” She then impatiently said, “no, I mean the one that I just received…” and she went on stating facts about my permanent host family. By that time, I was sprinting up the stairs, heading straight to my laptop, frantically trying to pull up my email (which ironically is pulled up already every other day) to see if I really have gotten my host family info. And guess what? I did. And luckily I actually have two host families, one is my welcoming family since my permanent host family is going to be on vocation when I get there, and the other is the one that I will be living with for the duration of my stay in Germany.

            I’m staying at a place call Oberhausen-Rheinhausen, which consists of two little villages. Oberhausen is where my permanent host family lives, and Rheinhausen, is where my welcoming family lives. Rheinhausen is directly at the Rhein-River (Rhine), and they are both near Speyer , Heidelberg and Mannheim. The funny thing is that my welcoming host mom is actually my local coordinator too, so it’s awesome that I’ll get to know her better during those 10 days that I’ll be staying with her. And there’s also the fact that my permanent host family has 2 daughters age 11 and 3, and my welcoming family has children that are slightly older than me, so it’s a good mix. I was kinda hoping that I would have a host sister around my age so I can just follow her around in school and hang around her friends, but I can see how that would have let me become very complacent and basically lazy, so I’m a little glad that I have to venture out a little (not too much because I think my host sister goes to the same secondary school as me so we’ll go to school together, we just won’t have the same classes.)

            I didn’t find out where I’ll be studying initially when I received my host family placement, however, when I skyped Julitta(local coordinator&host mom) she told me that I’ll most likely be going to the Johann-Sebastian-Bach-Gymnasium in Mannheim, where my host sister attends. And I sincerely hope that’s where I’ll go, cause Bach is my favorite composer, and the opportunity to study at a school that’s named after him is awesome! I’m super excited to be able to find out where I’ll be staying before I leave for DC on the 24^th of this month, since I was able to buy some gifts for both my host families (I originally only have one set of gifts) and I’m super grateful for this opportunity and definitely grateful for both my host families for choosing my as their host daughter!

            Now I just have to learn German…

Interesting Read: Gap Year

I found this little article on why one might consider/want to take a gap year and the benefits, you guys can take a look if you want :)

                                 Why Your High School Senior Should Take a Gap Year

Note to Future Applicants :)

            Since I’m not in Germany yet, nor am I in school, I really have nothing else to do (except earn money, but that’s beside the point) so I decided to write a little note to you future applicants. I should probably introduce myself too :) My name is Yu-Jing Cheng, but I go by Sarah. Most Americans have a hard time saying my name correctly, but I think the Germans would get my name correct because I've been studying a little bit of German on my own (I've never taken German at school, or studied it anywhere. I basically knew no German when I applied for this scholarship) and one of the German alphabets sort of sound like the correct pronunciation for the "Y" in my name. I'm super excited to finally have people pronounce my name correctly! Btw, I'm from Taiwan, but currently live in Louisville Kentucky. I just graduated duPont Manual High School so I'll actually be going on a gap year instead of doing one of my years in high school abroad. 

            Many people have already asked me the big question: Why? Why would I give up a full ride at the college of my choice, and instead chose to go to Germany? Why would I “waste” a year of my life abroad instead of going to a prestigious college and getting the education I need for my future career? Why would I want to do one more year of high school? Why Germany?

            These are all legitimate questions. But they’re really hard for me to give a very sophisticated response(which a lot of people seem to expect) because my answer is really personal and also pretty simple: it’s just that it has always been one of my dreams/goals. I’ve always dreamed to travel the world and to become a polyglot and I truly believe that this scholarship (Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange) will help me fulfil my dreams. It wouldn’t completely fulfil my dreams, but it would be one of the first steps I take in achieving my goals/dreams. And if any of you reading this post are agreeing to what I’m saying, then perhaps CBYX is the program for you and you should apply!

            A note about applying: you can apply to this program pretty much all throughout high school. And I really recommend that (if you’re a student) you talk to your parents about it first. If they say that they will not let you go even if you get in, then maybe you should rethink your decision to apply because the application process is long and a lot of work, and it really might be a waste of time and effort if you end up not being able to go anyways(I didn’t follow my own advice, but my parents have always let me do whatever I wanted to as long as I do my part first, and it wasn’t something immoral. I did talk to them after I found out that I made semi-finalist though(don’t recommend for underclassmen cause your parents could really help you a lot on your paper application)).

If you are not a graduating senior when you’re applying to this program (then I’m talking to you right now):

            -make sure you talk to your counselors about transferring credits, because you might have to redo a year of high school here if the credits you earn in Germany don’t transfer (which might change your(or your parent’s) mind about applying) (also realize that the grades you get in Germany might not be stellar since you’ll be studying in a language that you’re most likely not proficient in and that your GPA might suffer. However, online classes might be available at your school)

            -If you have a lot of leadership positions that you/your parents wouldn’t want you to give up, then you might consider applying later, you always have the chance of going to Germany on a gap year.

            -Realize that you might miss prom(junior/senior) and that your experience in Germany would be so different than the experiences your friends would have in the U.S.. It’s completely ok to feel lonely and be different, but just a thought.

If you are a graduating senior:

            -You might want to find out whether or not the college of your choice will defer for you. Most colleges will defer, but beware that scholarships often will not (will have to reapply for them when you come back)

            -This program might increase the chance of you getting into the college of your choice (although application period is around the same time for both) Many people have said that their gap year have helped them in getting into a more prestigious college(they reapplied after they got back or during their gap year). (this however shouldn’t be your priority or sole reason for applying, or your year in Germany would probably be pretty miserable because you’re not doing it for the right reasons)

            In my humble opinion, I really do believe that this program is worth redoing a year of high school, or losing a couple of leadership positions, or doing an extra year of high school, or having your GPA suffer a bit. But, my goals are different from many other people, and I respect everyone’s choice. I do think that if you’re already almost 100% sure that you will not be going even if you get in then you shouldn’t apply, because it really would be a big letdown and might decrease your desire to reapply. I also think that this opportunity is especially great for freshmen and seniors because they’re missing the least amount and benefiting the most (this is only my opinion). Why would I say that? Because they really aren’t missing anything important in high school (no prom, less leadership positions, less need to take ap classes online or having to take the test abroad), and studying abroad would probably help them discover themselves, their interests and likes/dislikes, so they can better take classes they know they will enjoy for the rest of high school/college.

            Sophomores and juniors, you guys will learn a lot too, but you will be doing your junior year or senior year abroad. And by that time, you will probably have clubs that you’re invested in, and classes for junior and senior year are really important for college apps. Not only that, if you’re a senior in Germany, you have to deal with college apps (you could write a lot of the essays in the summer but your essays would probably be better if you talk about your experience living abroad without your family, etc and how you’ve grown ) and that would take away time you could have spent with friends or your host family in Germany. 

            And juniors, you might be missing a whole year of academic achievements, medals for various clubs, etc that you can put on your college resume. Not that college is the most important thing in your life, but it is of relative importance, and your parents might place a lot more emphasis on it than you would. But “unfortunately” their opinions do matter, and don’t end up like some people I know, who got accepted, but their parents wouldn’t agree to let them go because they would have to redo a year of school (all the reasons above), etc. There’s a time and place for everything, and everyone’s situation is different.

            Why Germany? This actually is a very important question that all of you future applicants should think about. (hint, hint, might be an interview question) And really, I was lucky to have several college interviews before my CBYX interview, because I got the chance to practice and I knew myself a lot better after each college interview and by the time the CBYX interview came, only a couple of questions threw me off guard and this was one of them. I’ve never really given much thought to why I wanted to go to Germany. Is it because of its rich history? Its culture? Or is it because of the usefulness of its language? I really had to think about it during the interview, and for those of you (like me) who like to take their time thinking about their response, start thinking now!

            Oh wow… this was a long spill! (These are the things that I’ve been thinking about these past few months after the interview and after I found out that I made finalist and I think might be useful to any future applicant) But in all seriousness, I really hope that my post would sort of help you decide whether or not CBYX might be the right program for you at this time of your life. And if it isn’t, don’t be discouraged, you will always have other opportunities later (later in high school/ in college, etc) but if CBYX is for you and you’re excited about applying, good for you! I would be more than willing to help along the way and once I’m actually in Germany(cough, cough), I will be able to answer more questions about life in Germany, etc! Feel free to comment below and ask any questions, I will do my best to answer them.   

My Promised Post about the Interview Process

Overview

Just a short overview of this year's interview process: There were two interviews, on in Richmond, Virginia and the other one at Atlanta Georgia. I went to the one in Atlanta. I got there at around noon Saturday, and interview started at 1:30 and ended at around 6:00. Each person only gets a 30 minute interview, so we also had group activities during that time. The activities were fun and we got to know each other better. Then we had dinner (I got to sit with an alumnus, so we got to ask questions about how the interviews are scored, etc). After dinner we had a little bit of downtime then we sort of had an orientation/group interview thing where we played some group activities to sort of simulate come cultural/language barriers. After that it was bedtime, and we basically just had breakfast (it was really really good) and a Q&A session with the alumni the next day.

Actual Interview

Dress code: dress like you would dress to any type of interview. Church-nice was what I went for, but everyone dressed a little differently, so it's not a big deal, just don't come in jeans, etc.

Interview questions: A lot of the questions were quit general, but some of them were specific. For example, general questions are like: how would you describe yourself as? How would you describe responsibility? How do you think you can regain the trust of your parents? etc. Specific questions to the CBYX program are: Why CBYX? Why Germany? Give three reasons why you chose to apply to this particular program? What would you contribute in Germany? How would you deal with a hard situation like a disagreement with your host parents? etc. 

I think just being prepared to answer questions about yourself is the important thing about this interview. I had the advantage that most underclassmen haven't had the opportunity to have- college & job interviews. So I sort of know myself a little better and can answer personal questions a little more truthfully (instead of giving textbook answers). Btw, some of the interviewers told me that they could tell if your answers are too practiced (so parents, don't force your kids to do this if they don't want to, the interviewers can tell who really wants to go and who don't. Also, be as truthful as possible, don't give a generic response). Your goal is to stand out, don't give short answers, expound on what you want to say. And if you have a personal story that relates to the question, share it! 

CBYX is looking for people who are hard workers, open minded, positive and independent because these are the qualities you need to have to do well in a foreign country with little or no language skills. I know this because I came to the U.S. in middle school, and I still remember how hard it was to adjust. I can just imagine how hard it would be to adjust in a high school in a country where you don't really know the language, so be prepared! Although, it would definitely be worth it, I am looking very much toward going to Germany. So don't be discouraged!

Side Note:

I promise after I'm in Germany I would actually right about interesting things... 

Btw, I hope this was helpful to all future CBYX applicants! 

Disclaimer:

They do interviews slightly different every year, I knew last year they didn't have a full day interview process, so be prepared to have different questions every year!

  

OMG I GOT IN!!!!

This is sort of late, but I've been bogged down with things to do and just haven't had time to start a blog, but here it is and I'm just super duper excited for July 24th to come (which is the date all of the finalists get to meet in DC!). We leave for Germany on the 26th of July and spend around 3 weeks at a language camp in Germany before we go and live with our host family.

A Word of Advice to future CIEE CBYX applicants:

Make sure you're committed to this program if you choose to apply. The application is long, and it includes an interview if you're selected as a semi-finalist. The secondary application is a killer too (if you're selected as a finalist), and it is very easy to want to give up if you're not committed to going to Germany and learning about the culture and language. I'm going to be writing a post on the interview process, but if you have any questions, don't hesitate to email me at: sarahcheng1996@gmail.com

Anyone interested in learning more about the CBYX program:

Here's the official link, just select your state of residence on the left to learn more information about applying for your specific region.

http://www.usagermanyscholarship.org/