Embarking on the journey to be an exchange student is truly challenging.  From leaving family and friends behind, to learning a new language, it is a very demanding experience.   Departing the United States, more specifically, the rural area where I lived my whole life, involved saying goodbye not only to friends but also aging, sick

The German Bundestag and U.S. Department of State are pleased to announce Nina Loewer as January’s Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) German Participant of the Month! Nina, a CBYX High School participant, is placed by CIEE and hosted by the Pierson family in Portland, Oregon. Nina is a Junior at Ida B. Wells High School, excelling

The past 5 months in Germany for me have been comparable to cooking a largesteak on a raclette grill. In theory it should work, but in reality you might need to cut thesteak into smaller pieces. For those who don’t know, raclette is a type of indoor party grillthat is very popular in Germany, or

The German Bundestag and U.S. Department of State are pleased to announce Erin Kim as December’s Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) U.S. Participant of the Month. Erin, a CBYX high school participant from Vernon Hills, Illinois and recruited by YFU-USA, is hosted by the Pöckel family in Bammeltal, Germany. Erin has integrated herself very well, is

The German Bundestag and U.S. Department of State are pleased to announce Florian Armbruster as December’s Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) German Participant of the Month! Florian, a CBYX Young Professional participant, is placed by Cultural Vistas and hosted by the Burton family in Tallahassee, Florida. At Tallahassee Community College (TCC), Florian has volunteered in leadership

The German Bundestag and U.S. Department of State are pleased to announce José Trejo as the November 2021 Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) American Participant of the Month! José, a CBYX high school participant recruited by ASSE, is placed by GIVE e.V., and is hosted by the Mogling Family in the beauitful town of Düren, near

The German Bundestag and U.S. Department of State are pleased to announce Jeremy Ekenobaye as November’s Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) German Participant of the Month! Jeremy, a CBYX high school participant recruited by GIVE e.V. and placed by ASSE, is hosted by the Fuhrman family in Terry, Montana. Ever since hearing about the CBYX program

The German Bundestag and U.S. Department of State are pleased to announce Kayla Marshall as the October 2021 Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) American Participant of the Month! Kayla hails from Elkins Park, Pennsylvania and was recruited by Department of State partner Nacel Open Door for the CBYX vocational program. She is currently participating in the

The German Bundestag and U.S. Department of State are pleased to announce Pauline Barmettler as the October 2021 CBYX German Participant of the Month. Pauline, a Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) high school participant placed by CIEE, is hosted by the Krolicki Family in Stateline, Nevada. Just a few weeks after she settled in with her

CBYX alum Tony V., hosted in Barsinghausen, shares about his identity and how it impacted his time in Germany. Some people say that college was the best years of their life. Although I am enjoying my college experience, I believe that I will say that my CBYX experience was the best time of my life.