Hey,
My name is Friederike and I’m from Emden, a town at the north coast of Germany.
One and a half years ago, I decided to spend the 11th grade abroad. One of the best decisions of my life!
I am doing my year abroad with Rotary as it is a very safe, relatively inexpensive option that I highly recommend.
In January 2023, I found out that it was going to Dubbo for me. At first I was a bit disappointed as I was hoping for a city on the coast, but now, after 4 months, I can definitely agree with what Rotary has already assured me before: It doesn't matter where you go, the year is definitely going to be incredible!
Life in Germany is very different! School starts at 7:45 and the lessons are much more difficult than here. In addition, we have 10-15 subjects in Germany and not only 6/7.
I was really afraid I wouldn't find friends, but it turns out a lot easier than I expected and now, after 4 months, I have a lot of great friends and I feel very comfortable!
I also get along great with my host family! They are very nice and help me where they can.
My absolute highlight is definitely all the different things I experience, especially since the experience is so much more intense than it would ever be possible in a holiday. I live in a different culture, improve my English and travel a lot.
In the 4 months I've been here, I've been to Sydney twice, three times to the coast to visit other exchange students and I've even been to the Great Barrier Reef where I could snorkel, scuba dive and take a helicopter flight.
But the best thing about the whole year are the many contacts I make. Some of the friends I have found here, I can't think away from my life now and after this year I have friends all over the world who would welcome me with open arms at any time.
I can definitely put a year abroad to everyone's heart, it will be one of the best years of your life!
Friederike.
