MY THOUGHTS, MY LIFE, MY STORY

  • MY FIRST MONTH AS AN EXCHANGE STUDENT

    Before I came to the US I had a lot of expectations about how this year would look like and what I would experience. In the end, it turned out to be completely different.

    I flew to New York on the 16th of August. That morning when I said goodbye to my parents, I was feeling really excited but also really sad about leaving. It was a whole mix of emotions and I don’t think I can even describe fully what it was like. Anyways, I got on the plane and started my adventure. From the 16th – 19th of August I was in New York for my EF Welcome Days. We visited NYC, played a lot of games and just had a fun time in general. It was the perfect start to my exchange year. On the 19th of August I landed in Spokane and everything was smokey. My host mom and one of my host siblings picked me up from the airport and we drove back home. That took about 1 hour and 30 min, during which we just talked and got to know each other.

    A lot happened in this first month and a lot changed. From the moment I arrived in the US I was thrown into the American life and I couldn’t be happier. I joined the volleyball team, made friends, got to know my host family, celebrated my birthday…

    Here are some highlights of my first month:

    • August 16-19: EF Welcome Days in NYC
    • August 19: meeting my host family
    • August 25: first football game and Hound Mania ( introduction of all school teams)
    • August 30: first day of high school
    • September 7: walking to Starbucks with my friends
    • September 8: WSU Volleyball Game
    • September 10: dinner with my host sister
    • September 13: my birthday

    So, yeah! This month was filled with a lot of different stuff. A lot of new experiences and people. Time flies, it really does. I already experienced 1 /10 of my exchange year. I can’t wait to see what the other months bring!

  • Welcome to my website!

    Hey! I’m Johanna and this is my website. This website is basically a summary of my life, my ideas and everything else I want to share with you guys. On here you can find stuff about my exchange year, posts about my thoughts and ideas, recommendations I have for you and some other stuff.

  • BOOK RELEASE!

    It´s official: My book is out now! A dream turned into pages.

    BUY NOW ON AMAZON: https://amzn.eu/d/3YacSSq

  • 10 essential tips to prepare you for your exchange year!

    1. Say yes to new things – Even if it feels weird. Saying yes opens up a lot of opportunities for you! 

    2. Speak the language – Mistakes are part of it. No one will judge you for trying! 

    3. Be curious – Ask questions, learn, explore.

    4. Be friendly & open – A smile goes a long way. Especially in the US people are really friendly and smile at you! 

    5. Feeling homesick? Totally normal – Talk about it. It‘s part of the experience. 

    6. Keep a journal – You’ll thank yourself later. Looking back at all the memories is still my favorite part! 

    7. Take photos – But don’t forget to live the moment.

    8. Get involved – Clubs, sports, events = friends.

    9. Don’t compare constantly – This is your journey! Every exchange year looks different. And that‘s a good thing. 

    10. Be yourself – That’s what people connect with. 

  • The Hardest and Best Thing I ever did

    How can something be so sweet yet so bitter? This year has been more than I ever imagined. I learned to be myself, I found out who I am and most importantly I found my people. The place where I fit in. The place that makes me happy. At the beginning of this year, I came here with hopes and dreams and in 20 days I´m leaving with memories. The connections I made this year and the life I built for myself will be nothing more than that: a memory. The joy this year has brought me is indescribable. When I think of leaving, I feel like I´m ripping out a part of myself. Even though I miss my family like crazy, I wish I could stay. Stay and keep living out this dream of mine. But maybe that´s a good thing, right? Having the dilemma of wanting to stay but also wanting to go. It´s a bittersweet feeling. Knowing you will never feel completely at home from now on, because part of your family will always be on the other side of the world, no matter where you are. I will forever say that this was the best decision I ever made but also the worst. Because even though it brought me so much happiness and joy, I know this is going to hurt. Leaving this place is going to be the hardest thing I´ll ever do. My heart is in two places at once. My heart will always be in two places at once. Part of my heart will always stay in Pullman. 

  • THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS…

    There are 38 days left until I go home and it´s just so surreal. I can´t believe that this year is almost over and I´m about to go back to Germany. So much has happened and I can´t even begin to describe how lucky I am. This exchange year has been perfect and I couldn´t have imagined it any other way. Now that the 30 day mark is coming nearer and nearer I´m starting to think about my journey home and what I have to do for that, to be prepared. I´m not fully realizing that this is actually going to be over in 38 days, sort of like I couldn´t realize that I was actually leaving a year ago.

    This year has changed me a lot and I´m so thankful I was able to experience all this. I´m going to make the most out of these last couple days and I´m going to enjoy every second of it!

  • TIS THE SEASON TO BE THANKFUL

    Christmas is just around the corner and normally I spend Christmas with my parents. This year is different though. I’m doing my exchange year and I’m 5000 miles away from home. I realize that things are going to be different this year and I’m super excited but I’m also sad that it’s not going to be like it always was. „Schnitzel“ on Christmas Eve, going on a „Spaziergang“ and waiting for Santa to come, unwrapping presents before dinner…

    This year I’m going to experience American Christmas with my host family, who I’m super thankful for. And even though I’m not spending Christmas with my family, I know they’ll be thinking of me and I’ll be thinking of them.

    I´m super thankful for everyone I met during the first months of my exchange year, and I’m super thankful for my family and friends back home. You don’t really realize that until the holidays come around or there’s a special occasion. It’s okay to miss people and it’s okay to leave your hometown behind to live your life. The people you want to keep in your life will stay automatically.

  • THINGS I´VE LEARNED DURING MY EXCHANGE YEAR…

    Going on an exchange is not only high school, friends, and sports. It’s much more. It’s about learning who you are, what you want your life to look like and experiencing life from another perspective. It’s a lot and sometimes gets overwhelming with all the new stuff that’s happening in your life. But nevertheless it is an amazing experience and you get a lot out of it. This is what I learned during those first months as an exchange student:

    1. You might meet a new part of yourself: When you are surrounded with completely different people, customs and values you might be a different part of yourself too. People in general have completely different views on who you are. One might think you are super fun and loud while the other one thinks you are very shy and quiet. And all that is because, we as people tend to adjust to our surroundings. So sometimes there is a part of you that was somehow buried deep within you and could now finally blossom. ( I too, met another version of myself. I am a lot more extroverted here in the US and people didn’t already have a picture of me in their mind so I could shape a new picture of myself. )
    2. Home isn´t a place, it’s a feeling: I know that this isn’t a new revelation or something, but it’s something that I thought was worth mentioning. You hopefully get a second home, a place where you feel safe and accepted. And not only that, but even though I’m not in Germany in the house where my parents live, I always feel at home when talking to them. Home isn’t a house, or a place, it’s shaped by the people in it. The people are what give you the sense of home. So find the people that make you feel at home and keep them close.
    3. Don´t be afraid to change: It can be hard to leave behind everything you know and love. And you are sort of leaving yourself, the you that you were in that place, behind too. But don’t be afraid to change. To grow, educate yourself and make memories. The people that really care about you, will love you no matter what and will embrace your changes.
    4. Experiences > Things: We all sort of know this, but it becomes really clear when you have to decide what to spend your money on. And most of the time, when you’re on exchange, you spend your money on memories. Tickets for a volleyball game, sports fees etc. Everything you pay for is to experience new things and make a lot of memories.
    5. Time is precious: I can’t stress enough how precious time is. You spend so much time trying to get to Friday or to that one highlight of the week. But everyday is precious and you should treat every day as if it were your last. I’ve been in the US for about four months now and the time has gone by so fast. I honestly still think I’ve been here for maybe 2 months, but almost half of my exchange year is already over and that is just so mind blowing to me. Appreciate every second and live life to the fullest because time really flies!

  • THE THINGS I LIVE BY

    1. Don’t judge a person, judge their actions 

    Humans are complicated creatures. Rather than judging a person, judge the decisions they make. Just because they made one mistake, doesn’t mean they’re a bad person, it just means they chose to do the wrong thing in that moment. Everybody makes mistakes, that‘s human. But don’t throw away friendships and hold grudges because of that. Learn to forgive the person and move on. Learn to see the person and their actions as two separate things. Learn to judge their actions, not them. 

    1. You only live once

    What I realized is, that it’s really important is to live life to the fullest every day. You may be tired, you may be stressed. But don‘t forget to do something that makes you happy. Something that keeps you going. You only have one life, one chance. Don’t waste it trying to run after some goal you will never reach. I‘m not saying don’t have goals. Goals are good and the right goals keep you motivated and happy, but let go of the unrealistic ones that cause you more stress than happiness. Rather than wasting your time with those unrealistic goals, spend time with your family, go outside, do something that makes you happy. Because, in the end you want to say: No, I don’t have any regrets. I was happy. I lived. 

    1. Help others even if no one is watching

    I recently saw a video that inspired me. Helping others when no one is around to see, is really hard to witness. A lot of people help when they get praise for it and other people see their helpful act. But that is not what being helpful is about. It‘s about helping others no matter who sees and hears about it. It’s about the act itself not what comes out of it. Now, I guess it’s really hard for people to just help someone and move on, me included. We sort of got to the place where we want something in return for this so-called selfless act. But we should try to go back to helping others just because we want to not because we want something in return. 

    1. Experiences > Things

    I guess that one is pretty obvious. It doesn’t matter what kind of shoe you wear or what kind of backpack you have. It’s not what you will remember. You won’t think about the shoe you wore 50 years ago, that won’t make you happy. It’s the experiences you had, the memories you made. That’s what you are going to remember when you’re older. That’s the stories you’re going to tell your grandkids someday. Spend your money making those memories, visiting your loved ones, seeing new parts of the world. 

    1. You make your own happiness

    Don’t base your happiness on someone else. Find your happiness within yourself. Find things that make you happy without another person being involved. You make your own life and you are your own person. 

  • YOUR WAY TO AN EXCHANGE YEAR

    I have gotten some questions about how I became an exchange student and what exactly I did. So for all of you future exchange students who don’t really know where to start, this is for you:

    1. Research: look at all the options and find general information about an exchange.
    2. Decide: decide if that´s really what you want.
    3. Convince your parents: try to give your parents all the reasons why you want to go and try to make them see all the good sides of an exchange year.
    4. Find an organization: your organization is who is going to help you with everything so pick one that you like and trust. Some examples include EF, AIFS, AFS, YFU and many more.
    5. Talk to your school: you have to make sure that the school you´re currently attending is fine with you studying abroad for a year. 
    6. Application: apply for an exchange year with the organization you chose and go through all the steps they want you to take. This may include filling out some questions etc.
    7. Close the deal: get your contract and sign it after you made sure that there are no obstacles and you are 100% sure that´s what you want.
    8. Host family application: most organizations make you fill out some personal stuff and answer questions in order for them to find you the perfect host family. 
    9. Check your documents: Is your passport valid? Is it valid long enough? Check if there are any travel documents you have to renew. 
    10.  Get your visa:  depending on where your exchange year is going to be, you may need a visa or something similar. Check if that´s the case.
    11.  Your farewell book: a lot of exchange students have a farewell book where their friends and family each design a page. Most of the students then read the individual entries of everyone on the plane.
    12.  Contact your host family: If you have your host family contact them and get to know them before arriving in your host country.
    13.  Money: think about how you´re going to pay for stuff there. How much can you spend in a month? Are you going to use a credit card? 
    14.  Farewell party: If you want to have a farewell party start planning it and think about who to invite, where to have it and when. The when is important! Think about school breaks, when a lot of people are gone etc. 
    15.  Gifts for your host family: Your host family decided to let you live in their house for a year and they get nothing in return. Get them something nice to show your gratitude. A lot of people get something personal or something from their hometown.
    16.  Cancel subscriptions: Is there anything that you have to cancel? Do you use a gym or an account that you don´t want to pay for while your gone? 
    17.  Pack your luggage: Packing is a tricky thing. Try to remember that you can always buy stuff there and just pack your absolute favorite things. 
    18.  Plane ride: Say goodbye to your family and get on that plane!!
    19.  After arrival: get settled and if you need something like a phone contract get that as well. After that just enjoy!!!