I grew up in California but English was not my first language as I have immigrant parents from Germany. We moved to my dad’s hometown in 6th grade to care for my grandmother.That experience felt like a big adventure and so different from my protected life in California. I used public transport and rode my bike everywhere, hung out with friends and joined a swim team, had weekend dinners with my grandmother and babysat my cousins.From the year spent in Germany, I gained so much: life-long friends–whom I still visit every summer–language skills, German culture, but most importantly, I learned to be open to change. It turned out to be one of the best years of my life. I entered the German school unsure, scared for what was to come. I left realizing that I can tackle any challenge and that being open to change and new ideas makes me happy.Subsequently, I tried out lots of new things, from becoming a soccer referee for competitive club games (which was fun except for the yelling parents) to volunteering at the animal shelter (I love dogs!!) to tutoring English learners in my high school (they shared amazing life experiences).Now that I am in college, in a much larger and more diverse environment, I am surrounded by so many different people with various backgrounds every day, whether they are from my hometown or halfway across the world. I love learning about their experiences and building new relationships.