The whole depths of this program have started to set in. If nothing else, then at least the language part.
I have never really had a problem going off on my own. As a kid, I always sought independence. Most notably, I went off to a completely new city/state/school/side of the country where I had no knowledge of the location, the people, or anything at Ohio State. I didn't anticipate how hard it was going to be, I just went out. Holy hell yeah I had my tough spots, tons of stress, a lot of second guessing and regret of my decision, but I made it through. I left what and who I knew to go off on a new phase of life.
This experience is pretty much like that, but to the extreme. I'm not only leaving what and who I know, I leaving how I know. A completely new country with a completely new language I have absolute minimal understanding of. I am essentially going I to this new country as a baby. Yes I've become a fully functioning adult in America, but now I have to learn how to do that in Germany.
It really started setting in before we even took off from the plane. The Captain spoke in German over the intercom, all the stewards and stewardesses spoke German, the 'skymall' wasn't SkyMall but in German and in euros, the free magazine was in German, and this is just the start. Shortly all interaction with my surroundings will be in German, and I will be in a war of trial and error to get a grasp of it.
Yes I am excited for the language school, but it is for sure going to be a fairly slow learning process. I am going to be pushing myself and forcing myself to really get a good grip of this new language, new location, and at least for the next year (hopefully much longer) this new life.
Original Publish Date: August 1st, 2013