The day started out like any other on a long weekend. Waking up at a reasonable hour, turning on the tv, and then eating breakfast. But today wasn’t like any other day I had experienced. I was waking up 6 hours ahead of American time, watching German TV, and eating an amazing european breakfast. However, the true fun of the morning lay in the fact that in four hours, I would be traveling to Croatia with my exchange student, Franka, and her father. Not only was I ecstatic, but a little nervous. What if I didn’t know what people were saying to me? What if I was unable to say anything comprehensible back? However, all my fears vanquished when we started out journey. It was not only because of the freshly pressed strawberry juice my host family had made during lunch, but because of the scenery I passed along the journey from Graz to Croatia. We passed deep green valleys and mountains that seemed to roll on over the hills. Blue rivers that merged into greater bodies of water snaked their way through the green, and the air became exponentially more fresh as we journeyed. Throughout the 5 hour trip I learned of a Croatian mountain that is famous for being the location for a difficult ski competition. The winner of the competition dons a gold crown and is hailed king of the skiing event. Similarly, I learned more about Nikola Tesla and where he grew up in Croatia, even though I was temporarily asleep during that part of the ride. However, nothing on the journey compared to the true joy I felt when meeting Franka’s extended family members in the town of Otok, Croatia. The air was cool and the light of day still retained itself in the sky, without doting upon the fresh air that assimilated through the hills. Meeting Franka’s Croatian family members and learning more or less one Croatian word was not only a fulfilling experience but one that I will always remember. I had the opportunity to eat a dinner with a warm Croatian family, as well as talk to them in German and listen in on their conversations in Croatian. At the end of the day, Franka and I retired to sleep, at the house of her aunt and uncle, to reflect upon the day on the couch, munching on biscuits. Seeing multiple generations of a family residing in the same village was a wonderful thing to be a part of. Franka’s cousins, uncles, aunts, and grandfather on her father’s side all reside within walking distance of one another, and I am amazed to see a large family that is so close. While the exchange trip was one for simply seeing Austria, I am glad for the opportunity to have seen Croatia as well. ~Rachel G.
Enjoy Rachel .Have a great time.