Have you ever felt happy and nervous at the same time? That’s how I felt when I found out who my host family was and where I was going for my exchange year.
At that moment I was so excited that I could finally get in touch with the people I will be living with for a year. At the same time, it would become real to me that I would be spending a year in a foreign country using a language which I only learned for a few years in school and where I didn’t know anyone.
The chance to go to a high school, like in the movies, is a dream of every European teenager. We have all seen High School Musical. Just be an American teenager for a year, shop at Target and eat at Taco Bell.
Two years ago, I couldn’t imagine living on the other side of the world for a year because I was shy and insecure. Last fall, my German school had a short exchange with a partner school in France that only lasted a week. After a lot of persuasion from my parents, I took part and I loved getting to know a new culture and people.
The summer before, I met a friend who was preparing for her own exchange year in Canada. When she told me about everything she wanted to do, I had the idea of doing an exchange year myself for the first time, but I wanted to wait for the France exchange to happen and see if I was actually the type for something like that.
How much do you know about Germany?
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10 Total Questions
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Question 1/10
What is the capital of Germany?
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Question 1/10
What is the capital of Germany?
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Berlin
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Munich
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Frankfurt
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Hamburg
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Question 2/10
What is the official language of Germany?
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Question 2/10
What is the official language of Germany?
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Spanish
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Polish
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French
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German
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Question 3/10
What is the currency of Germany?
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Question 3/10
What is the currency of Germany?
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Deutsche Mark
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Pound
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Euro
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Dollar
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Question 4/10
What are the colors of the German Flag?
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Question 4/10
What are the colors of the German Flag?
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Red, White and Blue
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Black, Red and Yellow
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Red, Blue and Green
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Blue, Black and Brown
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Question 5/10
What is the symbol of the German Federal Republic?
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Question 5/10
What is the symbol of the German Federal Republic?
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Iron Cross
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Bundesschield
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Eagle
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Red Cross
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Question 6/10
Who is the current Chancellor of Germany?
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Question 6/10
Who is the current Chancellor of Germany?
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Olaf Scholz
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Ursula von der Leyen
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Angela Merkel
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Frank-Walter Steinmeier
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Question 7/10
Who is the current President of Germany?
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Question 7/10
Who is the current President of Germany?
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Olaf Scholz
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Ursula von der Leyen
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Angela Merkel
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Frank-Walter Steinmeier
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Question 8/10
What is the largest city in Germany?
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Question 8/10
What is the largest city in Germany?
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Berlin
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Munich
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Frankfurt
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Hamburg
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Question 9/10
What is the most popular sport in Germany?
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Question 9/10
What is the most popular sport in Germany?
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Cricket
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Football
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Soccer
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Volleyball
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Question 10/10
What is the highest mountain in Germany?
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Question 10/10
What is the highest mountain in Germany?
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Alps
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Zugspitze
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Mount Frauenberge
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Mount Brocken
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When I decided to do an exchange year, the work really began. First, I had to convince my parents as it takes a lot of courage to let your child go to a foreign country for a year when it is still a minor. Then I had to find a suitable organization for myself and apply to this one.
Finding the right exchange organization was very difficult for me because there were so many to choose from. The first thing I did was go to an exchange fair near my home town, but there weren’t many organizations there and only small, local ones. Then I googled and asked my aunt, who did an exchange herself, which exchange organizations are good.
Based on the information, I applied to Education First and AFS Intercultural Programs. At EF, I was immediately given confirmation that I would be going to the USA. With AFS, this wouldn’t have been certain for a long time. For this reason and because I felt better cared for at EF, I decided on EF. At EF, you are properly tested to see if you are really suitable for an exchange year and I was really nervous before I took the tests since they would decide my future.
I decided on my exchange organization in October. It took until the end of November to complete my application and have all the documents filled out. There was a lot of work that I had to do alongside school.
I received information about my host family at the end of January. Normally you receive this in May or June. I was really happy, but I didn’t expect it to happen so quickly. I then immediately contacted my host family and Maya, my host sister from Sweden, who lives with the same host family as me and attends Kingwood Park as well, to get to know them.
While I would not move to the United States until the end of July, so much of the next seven months were consumed by that nervous excitement that awaited me.
Heather • Aug 27, 2024 at 11:45 am
So proud of you Michelle! We’re glad to have you here. 😘
Joy Johnston • Aug 27, 2024 at 12:39 pm
We are so glad you are part of our family! And who knew Taco Bell and Target were something European teenagers are excited about!