Meet Sarah in Florida!

"Seeing and experiencing a new country and culture is a once in a lifetime experience."

Why did you choose to go abroad?

After being in the same job in Germany for the past 6 years, I needed a change of scenery. I wanted to move somewhere completely different, escaping the rainy skies of Germany. I wanted to grow personally and professionally and for this, I had to step out of my comfort zone. And what better way than to move across the big pond to the U.S. all by myself? I wanted to experience how it would feel like working abroad, being truly on my own for the first time and experiencing a different culture in day to day life. 

How does the US culture differ from your culture and what has impressed you most so far?

I would say one of the biggest differences is the people themselves. In Germany, most people don't greet you on the street, engage in a conversation with complete strangers or are interested in where you are from. Here people come talk to you without knowing you, they are open minded and curious about you. It is easy to connect to people here and make friends. Punctuality is another huge difference. While Germans are known for being punctual, this is not the case in the U.S., it is almost normal to run a bit late, but you get used to it. It is also interested to see that you almost never pay in cash anymore, while in Germany some places still only accept cash. It is almost fascinating how unreliable public transport is. I never understood fully why all Americans have cars but now that I am living here and had to buy a scooter to get around, I understand. Because without your own four (in my case 2!) wheels, you would not get from A to B a lot of times. 

Could you take us for a day in your life? What is your routine?

I usually wake up around 7.45. Since my work place is only an 8 minute walk from my apartment, I usually make it there around 8.30. The tasks in the office focus mainly on connecting with Hotels and Experiences, negotiating contracts and rates. It is interesting to finally have a look behind the scenes in the Travel industry. I usually then have my lunch break around 1.30pm in which I usually call my family in Germany. At 5pm I make my way back home. Most days I head down to the pool to swim a few laps, then cook dinner and watch my favorite Show. But I do love to head to the movies after work, go out to dinner or drinks with friends or go on a later night shopping trip.  On my free days I usually travel. My goal is to visit a different place at least once a month. I have already been to many new places so far like Philadelphia, New Orleans, Michigan and many more. If I am not travelling I usually head out to the Beach either in Miami or Hollywood and have a relaxing Beach day with friends.

How has this experience abroad helped you to grow personally?

When I was still living in Germany, I was relying a lot on my mum. She helped me with basically everything, I could even only cook like 4 easy meals and that’s it. Since I am here I have become way more independent, learned how to stand on my own to feet and became more confident in making my own decisions, living by myself for the first time and basically being a functional adult – I even learned how to cook more than just 4 dishes. A big lesson I have learned is that not everything works out the way you want it to, but you learn how to deal with it and grow on it.

Why would you recommend others to do a program abroad?

It is a scary move, but that is exactly why people should do it. You grow so much both personally and professionally, you get a new view on a lot of things and become more confident in yourself and in your skills. It will also improve your language skills, and challenges you in many good ways. Seeing and experiencing a new country and culture is a once in a lifetime experience.

If you could express your experience in three words, what would these be?

Grateful, Proud, Life changing.