An American experience

Going abroad for a year can seem daunting. But from someone who’s done it (well mostly, I did get cut off by a pandemic at 7 months, but the intention was there) I would say go for it. Full speed ahead. Forget about your family, your friends, your life. Drop it all and go. To clarify, I don’t mean literally erase the aforementioned things from your memory, but put them on hold. Don’t let them stop you from taking the leap. They will still be there when you come back. But this opportunity will not. And if you let it slip through your fingers, I promise you that you’ll regret it the rest of your life. It’s easy to stick with what you know, what you’re familiar and comfortable with. But that won’t get you anywhere in life. Taking risks is what life’s all about baby! Besides, this wasn’t much of a risk in the first place. Sure it was hard to be so far away from friends and family (and driving). Yet, when I think back on it, there’s no doubt in my mind that I would do it all over again. I’ve done more exciting things in the last 7 months than in my entire freshman year in high school. Gained more knowledge too, although I confess most of it was not from school. People would ask me “Why leave the US?” Simple really. What can I do in Germany that I can’t in the US? Drink alcohol legally! Jokes aside (drinking should not be your deciding factor y’all) the IFC has given me so many opportunities, and introduced me to great people. Surprisingly, I am still glad that I went this year, even with the virus, simply because if I had gone another year then I wouldn’t have met the people that I did.