When I finished college, I had to make a choice. I could either travel to Germany or take a job offer in New York. Staying in New York would have been comfortable—I would be near my friends and family in a familiar city. After choosing to go to Germany instead, I worried for a long time that I had made the wrong choice. Now it’s February, and I only have four more months before going home in June. My departure from Germany is closer than my arrival here. I can also happily say that I made the right choice.
I’m thankful for all of the positive experiences I’ve had here. I’m especially grateful for new friends. When I first came here, I thought I would be lonely, but I ended up meeting friends like Bianca and French. Even though sometimes they had a hard time understanding me, these friends were patient. It is so easy to make a difference by being kind to someone who is in a new place. When I come home, I’ll make sure to be kind to people who are “new” in my school, work and country, too.
Even though I had a lot of fun and traveled to new places, I’m even more grateful for the times when things were hard. I’ll be honest: the perception of the U.S.
