Hello everyone,
Eleven months ago, I said goodbye to my parents at the airport in Germany, full of excitement for the year ahead. Those eleven months were some of the best of my life and they went by so quickly.
In late May, I found myself at the airport, this time waiting for my parents who were about to arrive in the United States for the first time in their lives. It was the Wednesday before graduation when they landed in Sioux Falls.
Contribution / Sophie Göhler
One of the main reasons for their visit was of course my graduation. Even though I haven’t graduated yet – I still have two years of German high school left – I was still allowed to participate in the graduation ceremony and all the events that go with it. It meant a lot to me that on Friday all my families, my two host families, the Doyschers and the Shirbrouns, as well as my real parents, could be there for my graduation.
My time at the American high school is now officially over. School here was a fundamentally different experience from the German schools I was used to. I especially enjoyed all the extracurricular activities I was able to participate in. The incredible memories I made through BPA, Knowledge Bowl, band, and tennis will stay with me forever, and I will never forget all the amazing people I met through them.
Another part of the conclusion of my school year in the United States was the graduation party I hosted the weekend after graduation. Thanks to the Crailsheim committee, I was able to invite all of my friends I had met over the past few months, revisit some of the memories we had made together, and just spend time with them.
Contribution / Sophie Göhler
The week that remained, I tried to show my parents everything I love about my second home here. What was especially important to me was that they get to know my two host families who have played such an important role in my time in the United States. Between boating and fishing with the Doyschers and model rocket launches with the Shirbrouns, time flew by and it was soon time for my parents to say goodbye to Worthington. Together, my parents and I first went to Minneapolis and then flew to New York.
My mother and I had always dreamed of visiting New York and now that my parents were already in the United States, we decided to take advantage of this opportunity. We visited a lot of places, including the Statue of Liberty, Rockefeller Center, Times Square and many more. We could probably spend months in New York and not see everything, but we did everything we could for our trip.
Two of my highlights were attending a big band concert at the Smalls Jazz Club and seeing the Broadway show Hadestown. Soon it was time for me to say goodbye to my parents as they flew back to Germany and I returned to Worthington to spend the remainder of June and July.
No sooner had we arrived than it was time to leave. This time, heading to Big Stone Lake with my host family, the Doyschers. We spent the weekend fishing and I went kayaking for the first time in my life.
Shortly after that weekend, the Doyschers took me with them on another road trip they had planned. This time, we went all the way to the north shore. Lake Superior really does feel like an ocean when you’re right in front of it, and the nature surrounding it is breathtakingly beautiful. The scenery up north is so different from what I was used to around Worthington that it was hard to believe we were still in the same state.
Contribution / Sophie Göhler
After our first night in Duluth, we headed even further north to Lutsen, visiting just about every state park we could in the area. Unfortunately, some trails were closed due to recent rain, but we still got to see a lot and have a few adventures when a trail ahead of us suddenly went underwater. We saw waterfalls, forests, and beaches, and did a lot of hiking. In Grand Portage, I learned a lot about the fur trade and voyageur history, and even saw the border with Canada.
On the way back we stopped in Darwin to see the “world’s largest ball of string made by one man” and in New Ulm to eat spaghetti ice cream. This is an ice cream dish invented in Germany that is similar to spaghetti but is made with vanilla ice cream, strawberry sauce and white chocolate instead of parmesan.
With all this traveling, time seemed to speed up in June. I loved exploring the US and spending time with my family, but now I’m looking forward to spending July here before heading back to Germany.
Sincerely
Sophie Göhler
Exchange student from Crailsheim to Worthington
