Why to study or travel abroad

One day I was at home finishing my chores sometime early last school year. My parents went out for the day and I wasn’t expecting much to happen. Later that day I receive an email from my marine biology teacher stating that there is an internship for me to go to Washington State to expand my knowledge in marine biology field. With this internship I could also earn college credit. I notified my parents about it and in a monotone voice they said we’ll talk about it at dinner. Several minutes later I receive an email giving me an opportunity to go to Germany in a cultural exchange program. I was excited but I was worried that my parents would say no. The summer prior I took part in an internship with The Nature Conservancy. I notified my parents the same way I did before and in their same monotone voice they repeat themselves again and tell me that it will be discussed at dinner.
Several months and a few meetings with AFS later I’m on a bus in Hamburg, Germany on my way along with other Americans waiting to meet our host families. I’ve been talking to my host brother on face book and I exchanged a few emails but even so, I was anxious. I ended up loving my family. They invited me into their arms as soon as I met them. The trip gave me another perspective of the world. It was great to talk to my family about multiple topics. I travelled around the city to visit touristic things as well as regions known to locals or places tourists won’t necessarily go to. I tried many different things with my newly made friends and family.
It was a beautiful place to view. Commuting from the suburban area I was living with my family to the urban cobblestone filled city. What made it feel special was that it wasn’t Manhattan. It was a completely new environment with beautiful architecture. When it came to food, I tried to try anything that was different or stuff that you can only get in Germany. One thing I do miss is their fries. All across the stat, everyone used the same