Q: What is the trip you are going on for?

A: “[The trip] is called Total Emergen. I’m going to Austria, and I am not allowed to speak, hear or read English at all. I’m leaving my phone and laptop [at home] because anything that has English or internet connection is out of the deal. I can’t use it. I will be there for five and a half weeks, and I will only be able to speak German. I have a host family that I will be staying with and going through their daily lives.”

Q: What organization funds this program?

A: “[The trip is] part of the IU Honors program.”

Q: How did you apply?

A: “I have been interested in it before, so a teacher mentioned it to me. All I had to do was sign up for a test, and it was a college-level German test. I took the test, and since I passed, I was allowed to apply. I applied, waited a couple of months for them to tell me if my application was accepted or not, [and] then I had to do an interview. After the interview, I was told that I was in. It’s a long process, but it’s worth it.”

Q: What are you looking forward to?

A: “There’s a lot. I’m going to a city in Austria called Graz, and some of the streets look like Disney World. It has been my dream to go. Since I was a kid, I wanted to go somewhere where they spoke German, and now that I know enough German, I can go.”

Q: What do you think you will get out of this experience?

A: “I want to be mostly fluent [in German].  I also want to make friends when I’m [in Austria]. I have already decided that if I get along with my host family, then I’ll stay in contact with them even when I leave.”

Q: What do you want to say to people who are thinking of going?

A: “If you have the chance to study abroad do it because you might not get the chance later in life.”