Best experience of my young life

Ratings
Overall
5
Academics: 5
Support: 5
Fun: 5
Housing: 5
Safety: 5
Review

Going abroad in high school would have been virually impossible for me without CBYX. Their scholarship covered everything from the flight to the entire program cost and a carefully selected homestay.
The hardest part was learning to adapt to my host family's living style (they had different rules and expectations from my family at home), but these difficulties were overcome and I had a wonderful relationship with my host family.

School was not easy. I came to Germany with zero understanding of the German language. By the time my 10 months in Germany was over, I was writing poetry in German at nearly the same level as the native German students in my class. However, it still took me dramatically longer to read a German book than it did my classmates.

Like any place you go there will be good people and bad people. The key is to find the good people and make friends with them. It will not be east, as Germans are notorious for being hard towards strangers, but once you break down that barrier you will have friends for life.

The type of support you will have from the organization you travel with depends on which organization. I went with AFS. AFS was very reliable and I never felt like I was unsafe or without help.
The greatest part of your experience will also be the worst--going home. It is the greatest because you will have realized how much you've gained from your experience in Germany, but the feeling will be bitter sweet because you will feel like you are leaving a second home.

This program is especially good for mature individuals, because in the first few months you will probably feel like a fish out of water, but if you are determined to succeed, you will eventually feel more comfortable and learn to enjoy every moment of your time abroad.

Would you recommend this program?
Yes, I would