Greeted at her front door by an ordinary cardboard box, senior Emily Hahn curiously opened up her mail to see the contents inside. Out of all possibilities, a scholarship to study abroad in Germany was what she least expected.
“It was never my ultimate dream or anything to go to Germany; it was just something that I decided to take a chance on a whim by putting myself out there. I was so surprised to find out that I, of all people, had been chosen for this amazing experience,” Hahn said.
The application process for the scholarship had many stages including going through the US Government. After completing interviews, Hahn felt confident of her chance of receiving the Congress Undesbundstag Scholarship, but nevertheless was surprised when chosen. After much thought and persuasion from her parents, she knew she had to take advantage of this unique opportunity.
“I figured I spoke the language, and my family has German roots, so why not go? I accepted the scholarship, but I was still nervous about meeting my host family, and of course was worried about school and everything that comes with studying abroad,” Hahn said.
“Of course, my host family was nice and very thoughtful. My host sister and I were polar opposites, and just as any real siblings, we fought a little bit and she was not too happy about her parents suddenly having to pay attention to me,” Hahn said.
School placed an even greater challenge on Hahn. On top of not having an established group of friends and separated by a communication barrier, her schedule was an intense change in schedule and she had little time for after-school activities.
“School was fun; being able to meet new people and learn from being taught by new teachers was cool. I have to say though, the school days did feel so long at first and the homework load was crazy even compared to Ladue,” Hahn said. “One of my favorite out of school memories is going to my first disco, and I saw a guy fist pumping with a machete! I felt like I was on Jersey Shore or something!”
Being on unknown territory, Hahn was forced to break out of her shell. She tried a variety of new things, many of which she would have never had the opportunity to participate in in America.
“I made myself try at least one new thing every day. I am so glad that I did that, because it made me really grow as a person. I did so many cool things, like learning to snow ski in Austria,” Hahn said.
Looking back on her journey, Hahn would definitely recommend traveling abroad to her peers. With a few words of advice, she emphasized how great of an experience she gained by spending her junior year away from home.
“Studying abroad taught me so many things about myself and others. There aren’t really as many differences among other teen cultures. They dress almost the same, even party a lot like American teenagers. But, it’s not for everyone, especially as early as high school,” Hahn said.
