Hello friends,
My name is Nataly Najera Murillo and I am the 2022-23 Worthington-Crailsheim exchange student. If I could describe the month of April, I would describe it as the highlight of my exchange year! A lot of amazing things happened during this month that I will share with you.
One of the best things to happen this month was the visit by my sister Zuleika Najera and a really good friend of our family! When I saw my sister for the first time after so many months, it was like a heavy weight was lifted off me because it felt so good to see someone from my family and it was also really nice to see familiar faces of people I know!
We did so much together, including visits with my host families and meeting friends from school. We took two of my favorite trips so far, the first one going to Berlin by train. Berlin was amazing and we had many wonderful experiences while there. Upon our arrival, we went to Zollpackhof, a traditional German food restaurant, where we met Johanna Andrejew, a former exchange student.
We also visited the Brandenburger Tor, memorials, Checkpoint Charlie and the Eastside Gallery where part of the Berlin Wall stands, went shopping at a mall, attended the Passion of the Lord at a diverse German church, went to Britzer Garten for a traditional Easter bonfire, went to the top of the Berliner Fernsehturm, a tall TV tower with a view of the city, took a city boat tour on the Spree River and my sister and I tried Indian food for the first time.
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My favorite part of it all was to find an authentic Mexican restaurant! It was great to eat some authentic Mexican food and I heard a lot of Spanish, which was nice!
After we got back from Berlin, we went to visit two castles: Neuschwanstein Castle and the Schloss Hohenschwangau! I enjoyed our visit to Schloss Hohenschwangau as we got to take a tour inside and it was cool to see the old architecture and original pieces of the castle! We also hiked up to the bridge called “Marienbrücke” where from there, you had a breathtaking sight of the Neuschwanstein Castle!
Overall I really enjoyed these trips as not only did I have a lot of fun but I got to spend time with two people that mean a lot to me!
As many know, in the last few months I’ve been taking part in a dancing course. At the end of these classes, a big ball which is a little similar to prom, is held where friends and family come to see you perform all of the dances you learned. I really enjoyed Abschlussball as I got to dress up, was with my friends, and three of my host families were there to watch me. It was a busy evening as we danced the dances we learned with our partners, ate, and watched performances of some of the more experienced dancers! It was a completely new experience as I didn’t get to go to the high school prom last year, so being able to experience it here in Germany was really nice!
I’ve been having so much fun in Germany, but unfortunately the year is coming to an end in three months. Though I’ve been thinking a lot about home and being happy to see my friends and family again, at the same time it is a little sad to think about leaving behind the many good friends I have made.
I’ve been asked many times if I was happy I did this exchange year and, without a thought, I say yes! If I could I would do this exchange year all over again. This exchange year has taught me so much and has helped me grow as a person. It has also shown me how we all take the time we have with friends for granted. With that being said, I will spend my last few months in Germany with the ones I love and make as many memories as possible!
Thank you to everyone supporting me and this program and I’ll keep everyone updated in the next article!
Sincerely,
Nataly Najera Murillo
2022-23 Exchange Student
The Trust Project
