Recently, I had the opportunity to travel to Germany and Austria with a school group. The point of this trip was language immersion. For 17 days our mission was to speak nothing but German (our German was about at kindergarten level, believe me, we still spoke in English to each other). The first week we stayed with our school group, consisting of only eight high schoolers and our teacher, traveling around Munich, Berchtesgaden, Garmisch-Partenkirchen all of which are in Germany, and then Salzburg, Austria. Then for the final 10 days, we split up to be graciously hosted by individual families in the city of Ulm, Germany.

I had never left the United States before, let alone travel to Europe. It was scary and exciting, and I knew it would be life-changing. By the end of the trip, we became close friends with one another and created lifelong friendships with people we could barely communicate with. We had all learned so much more than the language.

One of the first realizations that hit us all was that it truly didn’t feel like we were in Europe. Logically, you know that the sky will still be blue and the grass will still be green, but when you first step off the plane you’re almost surprised you’re not gazing up at a lilac sky. By the third day, we had all claimed something along the lines of, “It just feels like we’re in a weird part of the U.S.” The people looked no different from Americans, well, really fit, fashionable, and gorgeous Americans. Seriously, whatever was in the nasty mineral water they all drank was doing them good. Even if it didn’t feel quite like an alien planet, it definitely didn’t always feel like home. It was nice to see all of the similarities and remember that we were all looking up at the same moon and stars at night. And despite the recent events of violence and terrorism in the world that seem to do nothing but divide us, it gave a young girl from the U.S. a sense of unity. It was a reminder that we truly are all just humans living on one big planet together.

The second thing one will learn fairly quickly when traveling overseas for the first time is that while the U.S. may be losing the race in education, linguistic diversity, and overall national satisfaction, it is definitely winning the gold medal for food selection. I had no idea how many options we have when it comes to what to eat in our neck of the woods. Chinese, Mexican, BBQ, Italian, seafood, German, all-American diners and restaurants are littered all throughout the country. They don’t call us the melting pot for nothing people. The food diversity in Germany was very, very limited. Every snack stand and restaurant we stopped at offered wienerschnitzel and seven different types of wurst and that was about it. By the end of the trip I can honestly say I missed American food more than I missed my own family.

During the 10 days I stayed with a host family, I made an amazing friendship with an amazing girl I was lucky enough to call my sister for a short period of time. I met her friends and family and even celebrated the holy holiday of Ramadan with her. Despite the fact I could barely speak her language, we still managed to communicate and laugh together. We told our life stories in broken sentences and created new stories with clumsy dialect. It taught me that even with a barrier as large as not being able to fully speak to each other it’s still possible for two people to have a strong relationship together. Human connection is persistent and words aren’t always necessary for understanding.

By the end of the trip, I was ready to come home and see my friends and family again, but I knew I would never forget my time in Germany, and I can’t wait to return someday. Thank you Germany for an incredible experience and opportunity. If you ever get the chance to go to Europe someday, take it.

Auf wiedersehen, Deutschland.