Why Germany?

I am extremely excited to have the opportunity to study in Germany for 17 days.  This will be my second time outside the United States and first time to Germany.  The first time I traveled outside the United States was last December when I went to Costa Rica with the Swim Team.  This experience will hopefully be a lot different because I can speak German, although not fluently.  

My knowledge of Germany began in high school when I started taking German classes.  I am part of a large family and a lot of people asked me why I was taking German.  I had taken Spanish in grade school so most would then continue with Spanish in high school, but I was tired of learning the same thing year after year from a lot of different teachers.  Two of my older sisters took Spanish in high school, another sister took French, and my only brother was taking German.  He was probably the reason I decided to take German.  I wanted to be different and I thought it would be fun to learn a language that most of my family did not know how to speak.  My mom had taken German in college so she knew a little.  I loved taking German in high school I had an amazing teacher and I learned a lot.  I especially loved going on the field trips to German town and the German Christmas Market in Chicago.  I am really excited to be able to go to a Christmas Market in Germany instead of the one in Chicago.

Because of my German background in high school, I knew that I wanted to continue with German in college.  For awhile I was not sure if I wanted to major or minor in German.  All I knew was that I wanted to get a major in Business and take some German classes.  I finally decided that I would double major in International Business and German.  This way I will have the opportunity to travel abroad.  My senior year of high school I found out about the many opportunities for studying abroad and that was part of the reason I chose North Central College.  I really wanted to go to Germany and I found out I can go to Germany during D-Term and also I can study at a German University as well.  I am going on the D-Term trip this year and I hope to go to Heidelberg University next year.  

From going on the D-Term trip and studying at Heidelberg I hope to become fluent in German.  I believe that knowing more than one language is a great asset to have and it will help me once I graduate in the business field.  During this trip I expect to be able to speak in German and to be able to learn more about their culture.  I am excited to see all of the places and landmarks that Germany has to offer.  Throughout the years I have learned a lot about Germany, but the best way to learn about a place is to go there and experience it and interact with the people in their language.  My hope is to be able to speak fluent German and live in Germany.