My Journey

My+Journey

Jonas Hansen, Staff Writer

My name is Jonas Hansen and I’m an exchange student from Germany. I came here in August 2016.  My adventure in the USA started in Baltimore at the airport where I got picked up by my lovely host family. I was very tired after the long flight, and when we got home, I went directly to bed. The next morning I awoke in a strange house with a strange family I only barely remembered from our one Skype call.

My first week was awkward and exciting at the same time. It was awkward because I had to find my spot in the family and I didn’t want to do anything wrong and risk being sent back before I even got a chance to enjoy America. But, it was fun because I spent some time with my family, and we got to know each other better.

After a couple weeks I settled in with my family, and I joined REC soccer where I met interesting people. English and history was hard at the beginning because I had some understanding problems. I changed my schedule once and after a couple weeks I found friends to talk to in pretty much every class.

I hung out with a lot of people and tried to find a group that fit to me. After a few weeks a couple of people in one of my classes asked me to hang out with them at lunch. Now they are my best friends, and we hang out everyday at lunch, and on the weekends.

My time in America has gone by incredibly fast. I still remember my first day, filled with awkward moments and insecurity, and my first day of school, and my first traveling trip. Now I’m in my last quarter of high school, and I’m not ready for it to end.

I have enjoyed my time here immensely, but the time has gone by too fast. I have new friends, a new family who I love, a great soccer team, and I met a lot of people I will never forget. The good moments far outweigh the awkward ones.