FIRST SEMINAR+COUNTRY CHOICE

Hey, in this post I want to specifically talk about my country choice and my first AFS seminar.

I believe before the first seminar I didn't even have to decide on a specific country, but it was clear to me that I wanted to go to an English-speaking country. I love the language so incredibly much. Also, I am fascinated by the USA - there were actually no more reasons for me at the beginning. As a second country, I had chosen Spain, as I absolutely love Spanish as well as English. In the end, however, I clearly decided on the USA, as I don't want to have the language barrier as an additional difficulty when I'm already being thrown into the deep end. Of course, it would have been great to be a total Spanish pro at the end of the year abroad, but I also think that the 10 months in the USA will greatly improve my English.

My first seminar took place in Freiburg. You should be prepared to travel quite far for the seminars. There are a total of three seminars. The first two are more general and are intended to show you how to behave in unfamiliar situations, which will often occur abroad. The last seminar in Germany is country-specific. That means in my case, there will only be other exchange students at my third seminar who are also going to the USA.

I was incredibly nervous at my first seminar. I had absolutely no idea what to expect. My two classmates who are also going abroad had already had their seminar at that time and said it was super chill, which took away some of my nervousness.

My accommodation was quite modern, but it doesn't always have to be like that. We were a fairly small group of around 15 people, all about my age. There were a total of three supervisors who came from the Freiburg committee and had also done a year abroad. All three were really nice. This weekend was about the rules at AFS, our country choice, where we were given very good advice, about problems abroad, community, etc. Towards the end, we had to take an English test, which wasn't particularly difficult. All in one, it was a great weekend. I am still in close contact with about 5 people from the seminar, which gives you some kind of support, as you can exchange your progress, etc., and have people who are going through the same thing.

After that, I had to make a decision for my country pretty quickly. As I said, I had chosen the USA as my first choice and Spain as my second choice. Since there are many host families in the USA, I received an acceptance for that immediately, but that doesn't mean for sure that I'm in yet. The contact with AFS has been and still is smooth.

After deciding on the country, the application comes. Huge chaos. Absolutely can't underestimate that. More about that in another post.

Melina