My name is Ella Moore and I am an exchange student from the USA. I am here with the CBYX/PPP program, a program jointly funded by the United States Congress and German Bundestag. CBYX awards 350 scholarships for high school graduates, high schoolers, and young professionals for an academic year program. This program gives youth with an interest in German culture and language a chance to become fully emerged for an academic school year, live with a host family, and of course make friends. This program was founded in 1983 to strengthen ties between the United States and Germany through citizen diplomacy. Over 26,000 students have participated in this program.
I’ve been here in Germany for five months now, and have been attending the Engelsburg since the beginning of the school year in the 10b class. I’ve enjoyed my time and experiences here and I’ve especially enjoyed getting to know my classmates and teachers. One of my favorite class bonding moments was back in October of 2022 when we took a class trip to Berlin. It was a great experience to learn about German history, and see historical landmarks such as the Berlin Wall, the Siegessäule and the Brandenburger Tor. This trip was an opportunity for me to learn some of the history of Germany, and how it came to be what it is today.
Besides our trip to Berlin back in October, one of my favorite moments with my class was the last day before christmas break. After we had the school-wide Gottesdienst, we walked back to school, and exchanged secret Santa gifts while listening to Christmas music. We shared lots of laughs and hugs, and talked about what we would be doing over our winter break. This was a fun day to talk and spend time together with everyone before the break.
Back in America, I go to school for 7 hours everyday, and I attend the same 4 classes for the first half of the school year and after January, I switch to 4 other classes that I have for the remainder of the school year. Here, I have about 11 classes that I attend and I don’t go to the same classes everyday. After being in school here for almost 5 months, I’ve found that I actually like the scheduling here at the Engelsburg more than my school back home. I have five more months left here in Germany, and I’m very excited to spend the majority of the time I have left here attending the Engelsburg. The Engelsburg has given me a community of amazing people to see everyday and I’m very grateful for the people I’ve met while being here.
Ella Moore
(Foto: SMMP)
