Everyone looks forward to their Senior year of high school. Little did I know that I would receive a blessing in disguise. It was August 25, 2015 when I was sitting in psychology class and a new student walked in. There was a desk open next to mine and the new student sat there on edge and overwrought. I, being my outgoing self, started talking to her. I noticed her accent was different, so I asked where she was from. The answer she proposed to me was very astonishing when she replied that she was from Germany. I assumed she was a foreign exchange student, which was good news for me considering throughout my high school years I became good friends with all of our exchange students. Just from talking to her I knew we were going to become friends.
The Friday evening of Johanna's first week of school, some friends and I took her out to her first ever American high school experience...a football game and a classic American hamburger. We had an amazing time and were all so pleased to be able to experience this event with her. Johanna and I became best friends, and spent our time together shopping and countless hours talking in class. Even though the teacher tried to separate us because of our chats, we were inseparable. Later on during the school year, I was attending a field trip when I received a devastating phone call from Johanna. An incident occurred with her previous host family and she needed a place to live for the remainder of the school year. I told her not to worry and that I would talk to my parents. Once I brought up the idea to my parents about how they felt on taking her in, there was no hesitation. A couple of days and a background check later, Johanna was free to move in with us.
I was so excited that I would be able to live with my best friend for six weeks. We spent every day together talking, watching movies, listening to music, and hanging out with our neighbors, T-Fred and Connor. We went to Festival International, boat riding, attended Prom together, went to her first ever rock & roll concert, went to the Louisiana Crawfish Festival, and spent a day in New Orleans with her siblings from Germany. On her last night, we went to a campground and kayaked and had a BBQ. The weather was perfect and we sat out on the mesmerizing lake watching the sunset. We both knew the next day would be the day we dreaded. On May 30, 2016 I shipped off, not only my best friend, but my sister back to her world. It has been exactly one year and twenty days since I've seen her. The weeks were short but they felt like a lifetime. Those were the best six weeks I've ever had and I would do anything to get them back. I think about Johanna every day and we are still in contact with each other.
Until I see you again my sister...Auf Wiedersehen.
