Adventures as an Exchange Student in Germany Essay Example for Free

Adventures as an Exchange Student in Germany Essay Deliberately placing yourself outside of your comfort zone will do one of two things; make you into a stronger better person, or cause you to shutdown and not accomplish the task at hand. While most high school juniors spend their year studying, excelling in sports, hanging out with friends, and thinking about colleges, I pushed my boundaries and embarked on the adventure of a lifetime. No, I did not go skydiving or join the US National Volleyball Team. I accepted the challenge of the Congress Bundestag Scholarship program to spend a year in Germany living, learning, and experiencing life in another land. The life skills and memories that I acquired in the past twelve months have put me a step ahead of my peers and shown me that if I put my mind to it, anything is possible. In October 2002 as I was sitting in my first year German class, my teacher recommended that I apply for what she called the prestigious Congress Bundestag Scholarship to spend a year in Germany. Taking into consideration that I would have to leave everything I had going for me behind, made me a little leery of the idea. However, when I realized what an honor and opportunity it was to take part in an exchange, the mounds of paperwork seemed to shrink into a small homework assignment with a twist. After the final interview, reality hit me. I might actually spend a year in Germany! Along with the excitement came the panic: I cant actually speak German. What should I pack? How do I say goodbye to everyone? What if I get homesick? Do the Germans really only shower once a week? These questions all came at once, and no matter how much I searched, the only answers I could find told me to wait and see. Before I knew it, I was boarding a 737 an route to Frankfurt with 60 of my new best friends who, like me had the courage to enter into the unknown and spend a year in Germany. It was this group of teenagers that I spent a month in language camp with trying to learn the basics about German life and culture. We were like infants who had to do 18 years of growing up in 30 days. We worked together trying to learn the basics such as learning to eat and trying to work a toilet; to understanding the most complicated issues such as diplomacy, political debate, and how to be an ambassador for America. During this time, I grew as a person, learning empathy for those  who were homesick and becoming open minded to people and activities that to me were not the norm or routine. Little did I know, these kids would be my lifelines in times of need. They could always relate to what I was experiencing, and they were also flying on the roller coaster of emotions. When the time came to leave my new friends and move on, I was extremely excited to immerse myself into the German culture. The language, a new school, new friends, and a new family seemed like a dream come true, but in reality it turned into a nightmare. When my host family picked me up, we had a three-hour ride home. Make that a SILENT three hours without air conditioning and five people plus four suitcases crammed into a small Passat. At home, we unloaded the car and I went to see my new room. As I looked out of my window something white and black caught my eye, whoa cows less than ten feet from my window. I could not believe it, my organization said I would live in the country, but I did not realize that the next closest town was an hour away. As my stress level hit a high, my new host mom put me over the edge. She began to unpack my suitcases that were filled with unwrapped gifts for her and the family. It was at that point that I counted to ten and reminded myself that it was a different culture, and possibly that was one of their customs. The only problem was, my German skills were not good enough to politely ask her to stop. So she continued and I smiled and hoped my rocky start would smooth into a healthy open relationship. Three weeks later, I was getting into the swing of things. Going to school, riding my bike and the bus, making friends, and yes getting used to the smell of cows. I was adapting well, being responsible and beginning to understand the German spoken in school. I had gone beyond everyone elses expectations and mine. Life was good, even though the Germans only showered twice a week. After the honeymoon phase was over, my host mother turned on me. She thought I was being disrespectful and not telling the truth, where as the problem was that I couldnt fully understand what she was saying, causing a lack in  communication between us. When I realized this, I worked extra hard to regain her trust and persevere through what I perceived as a small bump in the road. When things worsened and I could no longer adapt to the situation, my community representative intervened and placed me with a new family. Even though my first host family was a challenge, the experience showed my true character. In the face of adversity, I was able to handle myself maturely and attempt to find a solution to the problem. It was not a failure by any means, but an opportunity to grow. Not only did I develop in times of trial and hardship, but I learned just as much in a nurturing situation. During the last six months of my stay in Germany I stayed with a truly wonderful family. I was treated as an adult, and I assumed full responsibility for myself. My host parents generosity of welcoming me into their heart and home made me appreciative of all I had accomplished in the last year, and encouraged me to give back. Through this pattern of giving and receiving I gained a sense of compassion and consideration for others. I surrounded my self with positive people which in turn brightened my spirits and reminded me that when the going gets tough an optimistic attitude can make a world of difference. When I boarded the plane at the end of my year there were only 52 of the original 60 students who completed the program. My commitment and perseverance helped me overcome adversity and succeed in a situation where the odds were against me. Not only did I accomplish the task at hand, but I had the time of my life while doing it. The rewards of spending a year abroad are endless, but I was most affected in a few ways. I learned compassion and acceptance first hand by being treated by others with kindness when I was down. I have become accountable beyond my age by being entrusted with responsibilities that are typically given to a person 22 and over. Now as I move on, I am better prepared for what awaits me. I have a whole new set of life skills and memories to keep in my quiver and use when called on. Pushing myself out of my comfort zone was the best thing I could have done, I was up to the challenge and I passed with flying colors.

Pearl: A Product Of Nature :: essays research papers

Pearl is one of the most interesting and mysterious characters of the novel The Scarlet Letter. One tends to wonder why Pearl is the way she is. Why does she act so strangely and so differently than all the other characters? She acts this way because of a relationship she has with the force of Nature, which Hawthorne personifies as sympathetic towards sins against the puritan way of life. Because of this trait Hester's sin causes Nature to accept Pearl. Finally, Pearl's acceptance of Nature is what causes her to act the way she does.First it is necessary to examine how nature is identified with sin against the Puritan way of life. The first example of this is found in the first chapter regarding the rosebush at the prison door. This rosebush is located "on one side of the portal, and rooted almost at the threshold"(36) of the prison. The prison naturally is the place where people that have sinned against the puritan way of life remain. Then Hawthorne suggests that the roses of the rose-bush "might be imagined to offer their fragrance and fragile beauty to the prisoner as he went in, and to the condemned criminal as he came forth to his doom, in token that the deep heart of Nature could pity and be kind to him"(36). This clearly states that Nature is kind to prisoners and criminals that pass through the prison doors. Hawthorne strengthens this point by suggesting two possible reasons for the rosebush's genesis. The first is that "it had merely survived out of the stern old wilderness..."(36), while the second reason is that "there is fair authority for believing [the rose-bush] had sprung up under the footsteps of the sainted Ann Hutchinson..."(36). By Hawthorne's wording it appears as if he is emphasizing the second reason because he suggests there is "fair authority." Connecting the rosebush originating from Ann Hutchinson, an outcast from puritan society, shows the connection with Nature and sin against puritan way of life. This rosebush symbolizes the sympathy of Nature towards the very people Puritan society has condemned.The idea illustrated by the rosebush can therefore be applied to the specific character of Pearl. Because Pearl was expelled from Puritan society Nature sympathizes with her. Nature's sympathy and partiality with Pearl can be seen with the sunshine in the forest. Pearl attempts to "catch" the sunshine and according to Hawthorn "Pearl .

Euro Disney: First 100 Days

The biggest factor that attributed to Euro Disney’s failure is perhaps its ambition of trying to cater to many different nationalities and handling a large European population without identifying the target market and further understand its entertainment preferences. In general, Disney should think through the resources needed to fulfill its targeted market, more importantly it should determines what are the key components that contributed to Disney’s success, and whether or not these components are transferable across cultural boundaries. The lack of understanding cultural differences has prevented Disney to exercise its core competency of delivering high quality services to its guests. While certain Disney’s characteristics are easily transferable to Euro Disney, such as building fascinating rides and attractions, creating different themes and fantasies land, selecting a central location that are easily accessible for tourist, and providing a complete vacation packages by building beautiful resorts around theme park. The heart of Disney’s key success, however, lies within its entertainment experience and cast member’s interactions with the guests. First of all, Euro Disney does not has the resources to deliver the same quality of customers service as seen in the US and Japan, Europeans workers has different work ethics, and they do not naturally adores the American culture and therefore are not enthusiastic about having the Disney spirit to grow inside them. Secondly, Europeans are accustom to intellectual entertainment, and fine dining experiences; which are not what Disney is about. Thirdly, because Euro Disney’s attempt to cater to too many nationality, it has not properly defined its targeted market, therefore unable to customize a system that works for majority of the guests. In order for Euro Disney to be successful, Disney need to figure out who the target customers are, and how can they attract repeated guests or draws new visitors. From there, they can adapt to the culture, and make compromises to satisfy its customers that meets Disney’s standard.

Should My Forever Home Exist - 1664 Words

Will my forever home exist? Will I ever cherish any brother or sisters? Will I ever cherish a mom or dad? Will I ever get to meet my family? Will I ever know what it’s like to take part in a family? Will I ever receive any attention? Will I ever get out of this place? Will I ever be loved? This problem, however, does not only affect those innocent children who lack homes. This problem affects those families who cannot produce any children and want to conceive a child. Although, there are hundreds of thousands of children sitting without families because their birth parents could not take care of them. In New Jersey, a high school student gave birth to a child during her senior prom in the bathroom. Instead of leaving her prom and going to†¦show more content†¦Letting gay and lesbian couples adopt a child contains both pros and cons. Most states ban same sex- couples from adopting, yet in 1996 the state of New York same-sex couple could then adopt. In 1996, New York be ing one of the only states that allowed it. Following the lifting of same sex adoption ban in New York, the Mississippi Governor realized that what he signed fifteen years ago did not remain true anymore. Governor, Ronnie Musgrove, said,† As I grow older, I came to understand that a person’s sexual orientation doesn’t pertain absolutely nothing to do with their ability to become a good parent.† Ronnie stood against same sex adoption fifteen years ago, but as he’s watched adoption rates throughout the past fifteen years he now changed his mind. In the same way, in Mississippi, twenty-nine percent of same-sex couples are raising a child that remains younger than eighteen. With that said, Mississippi holds the highest rate of same-sex couples with a child in the nation. On the contrary, not only are children who live in orphanages at a disadvantage of having two parents, but the children who their actual parents have divorced or one of them passed away (Lewin A.9). If every state allowed same-sex couples to adopt there would remain a decrease in child who spends their lives in orphanages. Some people think that a child cannot have two parents of the same sex. Like I