G.+Narrative+Essay

Just like Mrs. Szymczak told me: COPY & PASTE (

** __ Narrative Essay __ ** // By Alexander Hirschberger  // Yes! Yes! Yes! I saw it clearly in front of me. It was the right thing to do, no doubt. All my life I had waited for that one chance to go abroad, to be independent – and there it was. I had to make sacrifices and take on a whole new challenge, but I will never regret it. Going to the US for one year was a great decision because I met a bunch of great people, I experienced a whole new and different culture, and I proved that I can make big steps on my own. I had the luck to meet people from all over the world so far in my life, but I never expected somebody foreign to have a huge impact on me. My friend Camil from New Jersey, who I know from a summer camp, appeared to be one of the coolest guys I’ve ever met and he literally gave me a push to follow my dream of going to America. It emerged that he is not the only cool American. The kids at my High School welcomed me since the first minute, and I was surprised to see how curious they are about Europe and Germany. I mad lots of friends and I am glad to have the opportunity to compare the American youth with the German one? This decision has brought me so close to the Americans that I have found friends for life. I am already planning on who will come to Germany! It is hard to imagine that somebody can have such a good relationship with foreign people that he calls them family. I do. I knew from the first moment at the airport that my host parents and I will fit perfectly together. My point was proven; I had met great and warm-hearted people again. It would be a long journey for me, but a very exciting and pleasant one. The last six months have shown me that people can love and take care even if they have not known somebody for long. My host parents never let me down when I need them and give me strength to go through every week that I am away from Germany. I feel like their son and they will stay part of my family forever. Instead of ‘loosing’ a part of my family, I gained a new one. American is not Germany, and Virginia Beach is not Dresden. I was aware of this, but it became even clearer when high school started in September 2010. The everyday life in an American school differs completely from my German school. Here, my classes are divided into an A/B day system where each A-day is followed by a B-day. In Germany, no school day was like another and the amount of classes varied from six to ten. Some classes I would have five times a week, and some classes just once – regarding their importance in the German school system. So, when I got homework for a class I only have once a week, I would have seven days to finish it. In America, there is not a lot time left for homework with all the after-school activities. I just had to adjust and find my own way of getting everything done. However, I love the American school and I try to enjoy every single moment in high school. Nobody else has the chance to experience what I am doing, and nobody gets such an insight of the American life. I can explore culture everywhere: at school, at the local museum, or even in a household. I have the luck to be part of an American Family for a whole school year. There is no better way of learning about American families than actually being part of one. I am living a totally different way of life, I have to take care of different chores, and I am a son to people I have never met before. By now, I call those ‘strangers’ mom and dad and their home is my home. I feel like I know Virginia Beach and my host-family for years, but that results from being close from the morning until the evening when I hug mom and dad before going to bed. If I did not go for this America-adventure, I would have missed so many experiences, but furthermore, a significant part of my life would have been thrown away. “When you come back to Germany, you will be a changed man!” said one of my parent’s friends. It was hard to imagine how this year was going to turn out for me. By the time of my return I will be almost eighteen, almost an adult. I am growing up, and the older one becomes, the more responsibility he has to take. I realized that early when high school started in September. Nobody is there to make a sandwich for lunch at school or to type up my essay for me, because I got into time problems. I just think a lot more before my decisions, and it helps me to be aware of what’s coming. I never acted that way before, because my parents in Germany would do a lot of things for me. Being careless turned into taking care. This experience is like a sneak preview of my future and prepares me for the day I will leave my parent’s house. I do not think that I would have taken such a step forward if I did not decide on going to the US. Furthermore, I have nothing to fear about in my upcoming school years. This exchange year is a rich source of energy, knowledge, and emotional strength. I left my family and friends back in Germany for a whole year, just to fulfill my dreams. I made a lot of sacrifices and took it all upon myself; nevertheless, I have never been more proud of myself before. This year had its ups and downs, but every time I fell, I learned how to get back up. I took strength out of every disappointment or mistake and used it to bring myself back into position. There is nothing to worry about if I can handle a whole new life in another country. My self-confidence has no limits, and I am aware of how much I can achieve. I still get shaky knees when I speak in front of class sometimes, but deep in my mind I know that I can do it. It was probably the most important decision of my life so far and a life-changing experience, but I will never regret going abroad. Even though I had to make a lot of sacrifices to get this far, my decision opened the door to the wide world for me. It gave me the chance to experience a world that nobody else will ever see, and I learned how to understand people and their viewpoints. Most importantly, I finally found my inner-self and what I want to do with my life. This decision will have an impact on my life forever, allowing me to share my experience with others and to teach about the missing values, which I gained in the US.