The German Bundestag and U.S. Department of State are pleased to announce Carissa DuWors as the November 2024 Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) U.S. Participant of the Month! Carissa, a CBYX High School program participant from Holly Springs, North Carolina and recruited by CIEE, is hosted by the Völker family in Gross Nemerow, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

Growing up in a military family, Carissa lived in Germany at a very young age and again when older, going through a few years in the German school system. Back in the United States, Carissa was inspired to apply to CBYX after learning about it from a German CBYX student hosted at her U.S. high school. Carissa saw CBYX as an opportunity to reconnect with Germany, its language, and culture but with an adult perspective.

Carissa is enjoying spending quality time with her host family, including her exchange sister from Italy. Her host family loves to travel and visit her host sisters who live in other parts of Germany. In late September, Carissa’s host family drove up to her host sister’s rural dairy and corn farm in Kiel, where they spent the day hauling hay, filling sandbags, and building a fence in the rain. Carissa reflects that it was a wonderful day getting to bond with her host family and sisters on the farm, capped off with a family dinner and fun game night.

One activity Carissa has picked up during her exchange year is biking in her host community with her host dad, an avid biker. Carissa did not bike much back home in North Carolina but notes that in Germany, biking is very accessible and part of day-to-day life. One of Carissa’s big goals for her exchange year is to bike a 100km race in May with her host mom, while her host dad takes part in a 300km race!

A favorite moment of Carissa’s exchange so far has been swimming in the Baltic Sea during a day trip with her host family. She remembers walking into the ice-cold water and how her host mom encouraged her to keep going. Carissa says, “Swimming in the water under the evening sun while practicing my broken German with her is a memory I hope to not forget for a long time.”

Carissa says that her exchange is teaching her to make the best out of any circumstance and to be patient with herself, citing an example where she took the wrong train, adding two hours to her trip. Although Carissa was frustrated with herself, she recognized she could not change the train’s direction, but she could give herself grace and accept the mistake to move on. Now, Carissa and her host sister laugh about the story, and Carissa double-checks every train before she boards.

As for other exchange year goals, Carissa hopes to learn German fluently, experience different parts of Germany and Europe, and continue building the relationship with her host family and community members so they can stay connected long after her exchange. Carissa is exploring different options for college and beyond but knows she will bring her CBYX experience back home.

Congratulations, Carissa!