A Reflection

Today was the last day of my language class. Right now I'm just trying to put into words this feeling that I have, and it's honestly really tough. Obviously, my exchange year will not last forever. I know that. I feel like this ending finally has proven to me that not only will my life in Germany be over in eight short months, but that it also involves so many more people than I could ever imagine. Going into this class, I didn't know what to think or what to expect. After the first day though, I was scared to death and completely intimidated. The teacher didn't mess around; she had no problem telling you what you did wrong. That took me off guard, as well as the fact that everybody else in my class were adults. To top it all off, I was the new girl in the class because all the other students had been taking the language class for a few months before I came.

Slowly though, I started becoming comfortable. I finally was able to remember everyone's name and what country they came from. I realized that the teacher actually wasn't as strict as I expected and that the only reason she was so quick to point out errors was because she truly wanted to help us learn the language. I grew my own schedule, bought something from the same baker everyday, and navigated the beautiful city where I was lucky enough to attend classes in.

To be honest, this morning, I didn't really feel any emotions about going to my last class. Okay, I thought, not a big deal. But tonight, while laying in my bed, this realization came over me and I just had to start writing. I honestly think this small little language class with around 15 people in it will change my life forever. All of these people come from, for the most part, different countries. Spain, Mexico, Columbia, the Philippines, Great Britain, Iran, Romania, Russia, Hungary, Poland, the Dominican Republic, Cambodia, Nigeria. People from literally every end of the world all together in one classroom with one common goal. We made friendships, even though the only language that we had in common was German. Our mutual respect for one another helped us bond and it made the entire experience worth it for me. I shared my life, my goals, and my dreams with people that I didn't know a month beforehand. Hearing their stories as well was so inspiring. It's not an easy thing to do, to move to a different country and learn a new language and I have the utmost respect for each and every one of my classmates.

After class was over today, the woman from Poland came up to me. She had been living in Germany for some time now, quite a few years, and her German was the best in the class. I didn't have that much of a chance to talk to her during the course because she sat on the other side of the room. So needless to say I was a little surprised when she came up to me and told me how much of a pleasure it was to get to meet me and how she truly hopes that I accomplish all that I want to in my life. Honestly, I don't think she will ever know how much that means to me. It's just something that really hit home.

That's what I realized now though, laying in bed. You don't have to have use big, fancy words in order to connect with people. In fact, you don't have to say anything at all to inspire them. With just a positive outlook and a smile on your face, you can bond with someone. All of these different backgrounds came together in this one school and at that point it didn't matter what country you came from or what language you spoke. People are the same all around the world and I truly believe that we don't need to speak a common language in order to connect with each other. Of course this language class taught me necessary German skills, but I feel like the most important things that I am taking from this experience are the ties that I have made. Even though I will probably never see any of my classmates again, I will always remember how much they have changed my outlook of the world.

Exchange is such an amazing experience and my life has changed so much in these past two months. Like I said in a previous post, the world is such a small place and I keep on realizing that more with every new day.