Each summer, IE sends a select group of American teens and host siblings to Germany for three weeks. As a short-term cultural experience (with no language requirement!), the German Immersion Program is a fantastic way to further the goal of cultural connection and understanding!
We LOVE what Brandon shared about his experience abroad! [perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] “The three week German immersion program was an amazing experience that I won’t soon forget. My host family loves to travel and meet new people, so I felt welcome from the moment I left the terminal. They were eager to host me. We ended up filling every day I was there with an activity, and I got to experience a lot of Germany. I went to amazing cities such as Berlin, Hamburg and Cologne, and I got to see a lot of the German countryside since my family lived on a farm. I met a lot of my host sister’s friends, and we did many activities together like swimming or shopping. It was amazing to be able to make friends that are on the other side of the world. I had taken three years of German before I left, and I decided I wanted to immerse myself in the language. I was surprised by how much better at German I got in just 3 weeks! At the end of my trip I even managed to have one dream that was half in German! But even with trying to only speak German, my host sister spoke English fluently, so if I ever felt like I had to express something urgently I knew that I could explain it to her. I think the greatest part of the trip to me was how independent it made me feel. I had never left the country before, and although I had taken some trips without my parents before, I had never traveled so far. And to add to that, I was traveling completely alone to a new country to live with people I had only skyped with a few times. As scary as it was, it was also liberating. I feel more self-reliant and like I am ready for whatever the future may hold. So if you are reading this, I highly recommend the German Immersion Program! It will be an experience you won’t forget, and as a bonus, you can come home with a lot of tasty German chocolate.” [/perfectpullquote]
Are you interested in learning more about the German Immersion Program?
Visit IE-USA.org to connect with our staff!