Author: Natalie Beekharry

I’ve been back in the U.S. for about a month now since my study abroad program in Germany. Being an exchange student made me more independent and boosted my confidence in doing whatever it is I wish to do. Now that I’ve gone on exchange, I want to go back.

I’m not sure I did so well at the beginning of being back; I mean, not gonna lie, I still want to go back as soon as possible. Sometimes I just get super sad thinking about my host family and my friends and how long it’ll be before I get to see them again, but my family and friends in the U.S. also make me happy of course. Right now it just feels like there’s an infinite amount of space between the people I met in Germany and myself. Over time, I’m sure it won’t be as hard, but for now, I’ll just have to keep planning my trip back.

As far as education in the future, I want to study abroad in college. I’m thinking I might go back to Germany to experience university there.

I would say the best advice I have for future exchange students is to cherish every single moment and person while on your program. Honestly, the time went by so fast and there are some moments I wish I wouldn’t have taken for granted. For example, I wish I had joined more extracurriculars, but I still enjoyed my time so much.

Being back home, people ask me a lot what the most memorable part of the trip was or what I enjoyed the most and I always say “the people.” Of course the trips and the food and everything were awesome, but I will always remember the friends that I made and the people who I now consider my family.

About the Author:

Morgan Tucker is 16 years old and lives in Greenfield, Indiana. Her goal during her study abroad program is to “make friends that I will keep for the rest of my life. I also hope to learn about the Germans, and in turn, learn about my heritage.” Follow Morgan’s adventure in Germany on her blog post updates from her program.

 

Ready to have the high school experience of a lifetime? 

I’ve been studying abroad in Germany for about two and a half months now. I’ve made a lot of new friends, and I’ve started to think of this place as a second home. Below is a list of the people I consider to be very important to my life here during my high school exchange program.

My Host Sister, Vicky

Vicky is my host sister. She is twelve years old, and has taught me how to be an older sister. She’s also taught me most of the German language that I know.

My Host Mom, Susanne and Host Dad, Michael

Susanne is my host mother. She has made sure that I feel like I am a part of the family, and I’m very grateful for that. She always asks me questions about my day which I think is really nice.

Michael is my host father. He also has helped me feel like I really belong here by asking me questions about my days, but also about my family and friends back in the U.S.

My New German Friends 

Lara is a friend from school. She helps me a lot by translating things for me and keeping me company. She was one of my first friends here, and I do think school would be quite boring without her.

Paula, Judith, Maren were three of my first friends. They all keep me company and go shopping with me, which is always fun.

Valentin and Frederik are brothers who live really close to my host family. These two are very important to me, and without them I wouldn’t have much to do outside of school. Often, both Vicky and I hang out with them and it’s always interesting.

My Classmates in Germany and Fellow Exchange Students

My entire class is very important because they’ve all been so kind and very patient with me. I’m very lucky I got put into 10b.

The other exchange students that are a part of the study abroad program have kept me from feeling alone. Sometimes, it’s hard to talk to people who aren’t also an exchange student about the problems I have or how lonely I can feel at times. Lately though, I haven’t had any problems and I don’t feel lonely at all. I still talk to my international friends all the time because they’re all so funny and outgoing (you have to be to be an exchange student).

All of these people have made me feel welcome here in Germany. Without them, I imagine I would be very lonely. I know they will all always hold a special place in my heart. I know leaving them will be so hard, but I also know I’ll come back to see them when I can. As for seeing my other friends who are exchange students, I now have a lot of new countries to visit.

Morgan Tucker is 16 years old and lives in Greenfield, Indiana. Her goal during her study abroad program is to “make friends that I will keep for the rest of my life. I also hope to learn about the Germans, and in turn, learn about my heritage.” Follow Morgan’s adventure in Germany on her blog post updates throughout her program.

Morgan Tucker, a Greenheart Travel Scholarship winner, is currently studying abroad at a high school in Germany. Check out her following insightful tips about getting over homesickness while living overseas!

1. Try not to talk to your friends and family back home everyday. This is probably one of the hardest things, but it helps a lot. Talking to your loved ones makes it difficult to settle in, especially when you tell each other how much you miss one another. It’s obvious that they will miss you and you them. Instead, take the time talking to your host family/new friends.

2. If you are feeling homesick, find something that takes your mind off of it. Overthinking is the worst thing you could do. Sometimes it’s best to talk to someone about your homesickness. Others find solace in physical activity. Personally, I’ve been able to feel better by reading or listening to music. Find something that makes you feel better and do it.

3. Make friends! This is the most important. Of course, you were already planning on making tons of friends by going to your new country, but sometimes it’s harder than you think. They will speak a different language and even if you have studied their language, it will be challenging. But you can’t give up. Find a way to communicate with people. Making friends and integrating into your school and host family is the number one most important thing you must do. Everything gets easier once you’ve got people to talk to and have fun with.

4. Be active. Physical activity is one of the best ways to stay happy. It naturally stimulates endorphins, which is a chemical in your brain that makes you happy. Go on a hike or ride a bike. Try to do something active everyday. But also remember that sometimes, a quiet day to yourself is just as needed.

5. Do not compare your new country to your home country. Almost everything you do will be different. Remember, this is the reason you decided to be an exchange student! You wanted to experience another culture and learn how other people lived. Things are different: neither better nor worse.

6. Remember, everyone is different! In orientation, we were told that most people would get homesick once things started to become routine. In the beginning, everything is new and exciting, so you don’t have time to think about home. For me, it was the complete opposite. In the beginning, I was a mess. I was almost always homesick and couldn’t even talk to my host family about my mom or my dog, Koda, because I missed them too much and would start crying. Once I started school and made friends, homesickness didn’t plague me as much. Of course, there are still days that are hard to get through without having the thought, “I want to go home.” But, I just remember how amazing it is that I’m here, and doing something that not a lot of people will ever get the chance to do.

7. Keep in mind, you are not alone! From time to time, it will feel like you are completely alone and have no one to turn to. Just remember, this could not be any further from the truth. Your host family has been told what to do to help you with your homesickness. If you feel sad, talk to them! Almost every time you do they will be able to help! You can also talk to your local coordinator. That’s exactly what they’re there for.

8. Have fun! As mentioned before, this is an amazing opportunity you’ve been given! Not a lot of people have the chance to travel to a different country and live there. There will be many things that you will do. Enjoy these moments! Take as many pictures as you want! Make sure you don’t take your mistakes too seriously. Learn to laugh at yourself and at your mistakes and move on.

Morgan Tucker is 16 years old and lives in Greenfield, Indiana. Her goal during her study abroad program is to “make friends that I will keep for the rest of my life. I also hope to learn about the Germans, and in turn, learn about my heritage.” Follow Morgan’s adventure in Germany on her blog post updates throughout her program.

Now that you’ve got a great list of ways to help with homesickness, get ready to start your own classes abroad!

Leaving behind my friends and family to study abroad in Germany was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. I was scared that I would be alone and wouldn’t know what to do, but I took deep breathes like my mom and grandma told me to do. After I met the other American students at the gate, breathing became easier. We were all talking about why we were going abroad and where we were from. I felt like I’d already made a couple of friends. 

The orientation in Cologne was so much fun. I learned about Germany and being an exchange student, and it really took away some of my anxiety because I no longer felt like I was going in blind. My favorite part about the three days was by far meeting all of the other students. I learned about where they came from and what their lives are like. It was just a group of teenagers having fun, and it was awesome. Saying goodbye to them after such a fleeting time was also very hard. I’m really excited to see them in November.

This picture is of the castle in Karlsruhe. I went to the light show they were hosting there with my host family. By then, I had been there for almost a week and everything was starting to get less scary. In the beginning, everything was new and I didn’t know what was going on. All of this was making me homesick. I just kept thinking about how I’d never had to learn how a family did things before. I’d always just known because I was always with my family. But after we started a routine, I got more comfortable. 

This photo of a river and trees was taken in a northern part of the Black Forest. My host family and I went hiking and it was beautiful. Coming from Indiana where everything is flat and covered in cornfields, hiking was still a new experience for me. Or at least, I hadn’t done it very much. Now, I’ve been with my host family for about two weeks, and we’ve gone hiking twice. 

This was taken at the end of the second hiking trip. The three girls (from the left) are Maren, Judith, and Paula. All of them go to the same school as I do, and are in the same grade. At first, I was really nervous about school. I’ve always had a slight issue with “coming out of my shell.” I tend to be quiet around people I don’t know, but going to this school I knew that I would have to be the one to introduce myself to everyone else.

I was also worried that the language barrier would cause a huge problem; but so far, it hasn’t actually affected my making friends much at all. They all understand that I don’t know German. They try to translate what they can for me. Of course, I try to learn as much German as I can, and it is getting better with time. It’s quite funny sometimes because I’m really bad at pronouncing the words. Either way, the students are all really nice and the longer I’ve been there the more comfortable I feel. 

Morgan Tucker is 16 years old and lives in Greenfield, Indiana. Her goal during her study abroad program is to “make friends that I will keep for the rest of my life. I also hope to learn about the Germans, and in turn, learn about my heritage.” Follow Morgan’s adventure in Germany on her blog post updates throughout her program.

Greenheart Travel is excited to send a group of amazing high school students to study abroad as part of our 2016 Travel Correspondent Scholarship awards. To help introduce our inspiring writers, we are doing a series of spotlight interviews to help you get to know a little more about who they are, where they will be headed and what inspired them to study abroad.

Read on to meet 16-year-old, Morgan Tucker, our Greenheart Travel Correspondent from Greenfield, Indiana who’ll be traveling abroad to study in Germany!

Favorite thing to do in your free time?

Read and Sing. This photo of me and my friend was taken the night of our last concert. We were both in our school’s Pop Swing choir.

Have you traveled abroad before?

Yes, I went to Italy the summer before my freshman year of high school.

What got you interested in learning a new language and studying abroad?

I really like being in another country and being able to see how other parts of the world are.

What are you most excited about experiencing or seeing during your high school abroad program?

I’m excited to see the different parts of Germany and experiencing what it’s like to live over there.

Why do you feel it’s important to travel to a new place and experience a different culture?

It shows how big our world is and how diverse humans are. Traveling abroad really shows people that there is more to life than just what happens in their home town.

What are you nervous about?

I’m nervous about not being able to understand what people are saying. I’m not fluent in German. In fact, I’ve taken Spanish the past two years of high school instead of German.

How have you prepared for your time living and studying abroad?

Yes I am trying my hardest to learn at least enough German to get around.

How do you think you will change the most during your time abroad?

I think I’ll become more independent and confident. I will know that if I can go to another country that speaks a language that I don’t know and have the time of my life then I can make it through high school.

Morgan Tucker is 16 years old and lives in Greenfield, Indiana. Her goal during her study abroad program is to “make friends that I will keep for the rest of my life. I also hope to learn about the Germans, and in turn, learn about my heritage.” Follow Morgan’s adventure in Germany on her blog post updates throughout her program.