“I feel very nervous, my stomach is booming like drums.” This is what Melina Bilecen, a 16-year-old junior, was saying to herself, the day she left Germany to start a new life in San Francisco. She had many questions in her head: What will my host family be like? What if I do not understand? What if I cry? Her own family hugged her and said goodbye. It was very hard, but she boarded the plane to San Francisco. “I was never ready, I was just brave enough to go.”
Melina said yes to a big adventure.
“I am Melina. I come from a small town in Germany. I am doing an exchange year in San Francisco with CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange), which is a very special organization. My host family gets no money. They do it because they want to. I want to learn English, meet new people, and see new cultures. And I want to be stronger and more independent.”
Melina comes from a really small city in Germany. It’s called Halle, it’s a small town near Bielefeld. Her daily life was really monotonous. School, homework, hobbies and family. Everyday. Melina just played volleyball once a week but it was not that serious. Everyone just went to practice to see each other, not to play volleyball. She was bored from her daily life. She wanted to get out of the circuit.
“I want new experiences. I love travel and other cultures,” she said. “You only live once. When I first saw San Francisco, I thought: WOW. I will never forget this moment. But I was also a little bit scared. I miss my friends and family.”
“First I went to New York. It was amazing! I see big buildings, yellow taxis, and many people. I met new friends. The city was so big and crazy. I loved it. Then I went to my host family in SF. I was so nervous when they picked me up from the airport. But they had a poster. That was so cute. They knew how I felt because I was not their first host kid.”
“The first week was good. I played volleyball. People were very nice. [Mission] is very different. But I love the teachers and students. It’s more friendly. Now I do many things [independently]. I must wash my clothes, buy food, and clean my room. In Germany, my mother helps me. But now I do it. By myself. I think this is good. I am learning to be an adult.”
Melina’s advice for us is: “…If you are scared to go abroad, it’s okay. I was scared too. But I do it. Open your mind. Say yes. You will never forget this year. There will be moments where you think, ‘Why did I apply for this?’ but you will be very happy in the end,” she said.
“Now I live in San Francisco. I go to school. I have friends. I speak English every day. Sometimes it’s hard. But I smile and say: ‘Yes I can do it.’ And the girl from the airport? She is still here. Just stronger.”
As a fellow exchange student from Germany, I agree with her.
