12 more days- is this real?

Only 12 more days until I depart for D.C!
I know that 12 days isn’t long until I leave to go to Germany for a year, but it feels like 12 days will be a lifetime. Furthermore, it also still seems so surreal.
I’ve thought about it a lot, and I just can’t seem to figure out why it seems so surreal. The closest conclusion I’ve come to is that I have never lived in Germany before so I can’t even imagine what it will be like and what to expect.
It also seems like all of the other finalists have come to the terms with the fact that they are going to be gone away for a year, and so they are more nervous. I am still stuck in that feeling I got when I found out that I got accepted (maybe not that bad).
Since I have quit my job, the days seem to be going by extra slow. I thought that I would want this next week and a half to myself, but I find myself pacing around and getting anxious if I am not busy. I want to pack, but if I do now then I won’t have anything to do when my pre-departure date is closer, and I will surely be more anxious then. I’ve decided that I will start packing on Monday the 4th (I leave on Thursday, the 8th). That is so long from now!
I’ve been trying to think of things to do to keep me busy. I want to hang out with some of my friends but most of them are at band camp. I guess it is a good time to start learning my German.

CBYX Mock Interview Questions

If you’re trying to prepare for a CBYX interview, here are some mock questions to help you practice.

*Remember: These questions are not guaranteed at any CBYX interview. They change the questions every year, but the questions they will ask at the interview are very similar to these. Practicing these can help you get an idea of what they might ask you at your upcoming interview*

-What would you do if your host family stopped talking to you and you didn’t know why?
-Germans are very reserved people, how do you plan on making friends and socializing at school?
-What would you do if your host sister/brother stopped asking you to hang out with him/her and go out on the weekends?
-What would you do if your host mother prepared for you a big nasty looking meal?
-What do you think are the effects of constantly Skyping your friends and family back home in the U.S?
-If you could bring one thing to Germany with you, what would you bring and why?
-What do you do that causes tension within your household?
-How will you deal with homesickness?
-If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be and why?
-Germans are very interested in world politics, how would you describe your political views and thoughts of America’s government system?
-Why do you want to go to Germany?
-Why should we choose you as a CBYX finalist?

CBYX: How To Prepare For The Interview

I have already made one post about tips during the interview, but I haven’t made one about tips to help you before the interview.
I think the interview experience is different for everyone. Some people have a really great time and seem to be confident in how they were at their interview. Others feel the pressure more than anything and worry a lot about what could have/could go wrong during their individual and group interview.
For me, the interview was tough. I was there for 6 hours, for one. (without any food!)
The tough part was coming face to face with all of the tough competition. When I walked into the building and saw the other semi-finalists, I was terrified. These kids looked great. I also found it hard to truly be myself because I was so nervous and worried about making a good impression. There was definitely very high tension in the room with all of the other candidates. We all wanted it so bad. And on top of that, the questions in the individual interview were just hard themselves.
Most importantly, I think it is very crucial to practice how you will respond to answers at your interview. Don’t go in your room and practice inside your head, you need to speak out loud. Have your parents, friends, or relatives give you a mock interview (I have a post on mock interview questions for reference). But, every year the interview questions are different. I prepared for my interview using questions I thought they would ask, but when I got there they asked something completely different that I was unprepared for. So don’t practice specific responses, practice on how to speak well. I think it is good that they mix the questions up every year so that they get a genuine response. 
Secondly, practice on your interaction skills. If you are an awkward turtle, you will definitely not get the scholarship and you will make a very bad impression at the interview. Learn to open up. They want to see people at the interview who know how to strike up a conversation and socialize well.
Lastly, don’t stress (like I did). If anything, it makes everything worse and adds more tension to the interview. Staying calm up until the interview date will ensure that you will have a smooth sailing individual interview. Practice, but don’t be constantly freaking out and having 24/7 anxiety. It’s okay to be nervous, but don’t let it get to the best of you. Think about life as an exchange student in Germany, and keep that as your goal to work towards. I think that a lot of us get so caught up in the interview and trying to do excellent in it that we forget what we are actually working towards in the first place.

CBYX: One month until pre-departure

So, as you can tell by the title, I have exactly one more month left until I leave for D.C! I am getting uber excited and time cannot go by fast enough. Speaking of time, this month is dragging. I honestly thought my summer would speed by but this is not happening. And since this is my last full month in America, everything seems to be going by extra slow since I am constantly checking my countdown. (Advice: don’t even download a countdown! It just makes time go by even slower. This is especially true when you are going through the application process). But, work tends to keep me fairly busy since I work almost every day during the week. But yesterday I put in my 2 weeks notice saying that I will no longer be available for employment after July 21st because I am going to the beach on the 22nd through the 25th, and when I come back that will only leave me with 13 days to prepare for Germany. But, I feel like that will be a long 13 days since I won’t be at work. 
In other news, I purchased new luggage! I was attempting to pack a trial run and I could barely fit all of my winter clothes into one suitcase alone. So I went online to Walmart.com and found a huge piece of luggage for an excellent price with free shipping! So I am very excited for that to come in. I also have yet to set up my international bank account, but when I do that then I will be completely ready to go!
I don’t think this will be a busy month for me. If anything, it’s going to be slow and boring. I guess I should really be enjoying the time  that I have left in America, but it’s hard when you are just so anxious to go. 
I hope my blog posts are still as interesting as they used to be. It’s hard now that all I am waiting to do is depart for Germany. Once I get there they will really start to pick up.
In the meantime, if there is anything you would like for me to post about in particular (from the application to departure or anything in between), just comment and let me know.
I will be keeping you all posted as departure draws nearer!

CBYX: 35 days until departure

As you can already tell by the title, in 35 more days I will be departing for D.C.
Still, the reality has not yet set in for me. I’m putting in my 2 week notice for work, even starting to pack some, and it has still not set in.
I feel like I’m very ready to go. And although I may think I’m as ready as I’ll ever be, I don’t think anything can truly prepare me for the year ahead.
I also can’t even begin to describe how thankful I am for this scholarship. This is, literally, my dream come true. There is nothing else more in this world that I would want other than this. I have been so blessed, and my prayers were clearly heard, and answered.
Lately I’ve been finding it harder to blog about things. Maybe it’s because I am running out of things to blog about? At this point, I am just waiting for departure. But I will try to keep posting through this month and as much as I can during language camp. 
I hope this next month goes by faster.