Maggie (Without) Borders: My Year in Germany

So. We're down to one. One single, minuscule, teeny-tiny month before I leave for Deutschland. I am freaking.  out.  Internally, of course. It is so insane to think that I will be packing up my belongings in a matter of weeks  to head off for the next year of my life. It is overwhelming to consider how challenging it will be. It is disorienting to realize that there is still so much  that I don't know about how I'll be living in Germany. And it's also really exciting. It's invigorating to know that all I'll have from home is one suitcase, a carry-on, and a backpack. It's thrilling to think about all the amazing experiences I'll have in two different, massive German cities. It's mind-boggling to realize I'll be speaking effortlessly in another language when I return. Realizing that this post was due became the focus of my whole day. Throughout the morning, afternoon, and evening I could wipe neither the smile from my cheeks nor the w...

As you know, the CBYX program year is divided into phases: the language school phase, the university phase, and the internship phase. I recently learned that I will be in Hamburg for the University phase, which is the second phase of the program. This, of course, still left me wondering where I would be for my first two months in Germany--the language school portion of the program. In a previous email, the CBYX staff (Katie) told us that we would be at one of three locations for language school, but she wasn't able to tell us where we would be just yet. I didn't really mind the wait; I knew that I would find out soon enough. I was right! For the language school phase, I will be in... Cologne!  Cologne (German: Köln) is in western Germany, halfway between the country's northern and southern borders. It is, like Hamburg, a large city with an urban population of just over 1 million. However, it is not a city-state--it is within the Bundesland Nordrhein-Westfalen. C...

As is the case for many 21-year-old females, my boyfriend plays a large role in my life. His name is Patrick, and I think he's the best. He's funny, smart, handsome, and annoys the bejeezus out of me. And I love him! Just look at his face: Look at him. No, look. LOOK AT HIM. He's a dream. When I asked him to respond to my questions, however... he was less of a dream. He was very hesitant about having his own post, and I don't blame him! But, after all, he is a big part of my life, and people ask what he thinks about the fact that I'll be gone for a year. Being that he will be hiking the Appalachian Trail for half of that year, he's somewhat indifferent, but I'll let him take it from here! Patrick How did you feel when I told you that I got accepted? I was so excited for you because I know that it’s something that you’ve been working toward for a very long time, and because we found out during our Spring Break trip (and your 21 st bi...

This will be a quick update, but I got exciting news that I couldn't wait to share. I found out my Bundesland placement (for after the language school phase), and... I'll be in Saarland  Hamburg! You may be wondering why there's a line through the word "Saarland." Well, because life is life and stuff happens, literally 12 hours after I posted the original version of this blog post (when I thought was going to placed in Saarland), I got an email saying that they found a better program for me in Hamburg. In the interest of keeping this blog as honest and thorough as possible, the rest of the original post is at the bottom.  I'll be honest, I was a little bummed that my placement changed. Of course  I'm thrilled that they found a better placement for me, but at the same time I had already gotten myself excited about Saarland. It's in the south, it borders two other countries, it's not a big, international city, it has 6 Michelin Star restaur...

Naturally, one of the first questions that people ask me is, "How do your parents feel about this?" So I figured I would answer that in the first post in my Gedanken series. Without further ado, here's what my parents think--I haven't edited their responses at all, so enjoy! My Dad How did you feel when I told you I got accepted into the program? I was, and am, thrilled.  This represents what every parent wants…for their daughter to get out into the world and have a life that’s richer than theirs.  I’m excited and jealous at the same time. How comfortable are you with the fact that I’m leaving and will never return just kidding but that I won’t come back for a whole year? As you might expect, I’m a bit pensive.  But missing you for a year is a small price to pay for the learning experience that I believe you’ll have. What are you worried about? My great fear is that your hosts and/or cohorts and you won’t get along, because that would flavor eve...