How it all began

When my dad asked me two years ago, whether I wanted to do a stay abroad, at first I was strictly against it, but after a few weeks of thinking about it my view changed. I started by applying for a scholarship in the United States, which was a lengthy process, but it was an incredibly rewarding experience. I made it to the second round, and while I didn’t ultimately get selected, it was a valuable learning opportunity.

Another take

As I still wanted to do a stay abroad I now looked for other options and came to the conclusion, that England would be worth a try as it was possible to only do 3 months and I could get home faster if I wanted to.

So I wrote applications to a few different schools. In the end I chose Glenalmond College, which is a college in Scotland, and seemed the best option for me.

Arrival at the college

When the beginning of the term came my dad accompanied me on the flight to the school. I was very excited for obvious reasons. The people there were very welcoming and helped me find my way around the school. In the first week I had to get to know everything but that was pretty easy with the school being like a really big friend group and community. It also helped, that there was a "Moncrieff" which is how the party which takes place every Saturday was called.

The School

The School For the school subjects it was very different from how it works here in Germany. You only choose three subjects which were Maths, Business and Physics. Later on I also chose Technology as a fourth subject to fully utilize the time I had there. The subjects all were very interesting, especially Tech, so I was very glad that I had added it as well.

Daily routine

Daily routine In the morning, we were woken up by a bell in the corridor at seven. We then had half an hour for changing into school uniform after which we then headed down into the dining hall of the house. After that we went down to the school which was like a seven-minute walk. We always had chapel every morning for a quarter of an hour and then the lessons started. In the break after the fourth lesson, we had lunch and then either sports or one or two more lessons. Supper was at around six which was followed by 2 hours of prep at seven in which we did the homework or revised for the following day. At around ten we then headed into bed.

Due to having something to do all the time the time flew by like nothing.

Half term

Half term Around six weeks into the term we had holidays during which I flew back home. I was very excited to see my family and friends again. Unfortunately I broke my wrist during the holidays. This meant that I needed to stay in the hospital for the next three days. After the half term I headed back to Scotland. Because of the broken arm I could not take part in the sports which is why I took my drone with me to take pictures for the school and myself and use the time in another productive way. This turned out to be a great idea as on the upcoming long weekend I went to the highlands with my dad and so I could take some cool photos up there. .

Summary

Summary The rest of the term went by pretty fast but I realized how much the stay teached me. Not only regarding speaking English but also the differences between cultures. There were many other cultures besides the English and Scottish like Spanish, French but also other germans in the college besides me so you could easily spot the differences in how people react to certain things you did. I also noticed that Germany and the UK had different aspects they focuse on, as in Germany you can drink tap water, which is not possible in the UK, whereas in the UK you are way more like a community which is not the case here in Germany. I also learned many new thing about myself and how to live more on your own, and also how to cope with having to leave your home and family behind for some time. This all also lead to leaving my comfort zone as well of course.

I think that the stay was the right choice. The stuff I learned are so valuable for me not only right now but also later on in life when traveling or in a job. I would advise everyone who has the opportunity to do a stay abroad to definetely do so as it helps you in so many aspects.

A huge thank you to my parents for making this possible for me!!!

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