mmalloy6

ETA in Germany next year! So excited to have the opportunity to make this dream a reality.

Haha I completely understand the obsession--so many people at my school think that I am German because I speak it so often and do all things German. As a small example, even my cufflinks have German flags on them. It has been my dream since freshman year to receive the ETA grant in Germany, so that's the only one for which I applied. In hindsight, I should have applied for the Austrian grants, but my heart is really set on das Vaterland. I love imitating all of the different German accents (even "schwizerdütch"), so the whole "machen" und "mochen" thing really resonates with me. I love the way that the Austrians say "Sage mal!" Dir wünsche ich viel Glück und wenn wir beide aufgenommen werden, würde es mir gefallen, uns über diese gemeinsame Leidenschaft persönlich unterhalten zu können! Wenn ich mich nicht irre, sollen die Einführungstage in der Nähe von Köln stattfinden. Dort wohnt meine Gastfamilie, also wenn du früher ankämest, könnte ich dir eine Führung der besten Stadt Deutschlands geben. Ein bisschen voreingenommen bin ich, angesichts dessen, dass ich eine zweite Familie und einen großen Freundeskreis in Köln habe, aber die Stadt und die Leute dort sind einfach klasse und rufen auf jeden Fall ein Wohlgefühl hervor. Wenn alles so nach Plan verläuft, melde dich, wenn du Lust hättest. Nochmal viel Glück und die Daumen sind gedrückt!

I agree-- immersion is essential. Also, if you don't have the opportunity to be in a country whose official language is your foreign language, you can create your own immersion. I have been to Germany three times in the past 2.5 years: once with a study abroad program in Köln and twice for internships (Köln and Hannover). Being back the US, however, has not thwarted my progress. I have created my own Germany here at college and only speak German with many American friends and my German best friend. It has led to Germans not being able to recognize that i'm not from Germany. Isn't that the best compliment you could ever receive, kconhead? Being able to imitate an accent is a true gift, so cheers! Congrats on the offer from Austria! I am eagerly awaiting the notification from Germany. The language and the culture have really shaped the past 4 years of my life, and I hope that they will continue to do so for the rest of my life. If anyone is interested, check out these two videos: (the first is from our commemoration of the 25th year since the fall of the Berlin wall and the second is me performing "Haus am See" by one of my favorite artists, Peter Fox) 1. 2. https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10206216591403739&pnref=story Ich drücke euch allen die Daumen!