It’s called a “gap year.” Not all students move immediately from high school to college. A few choose to take a break to add to or enrich their personal experiences before starting college. They report that this year off is a wonderful way to “grow up” and get used to being “on their own.” Today’s guest, Laura, traveled to Germany. Her family was Latvian, and her grandparents funded her trip to a German boarding school. Germany requires a 13th grade, so Laura fit right in. She had basic language skills, but she talks about how quickly her language skills developed by being immersed in both German and Latvian. Yes she admits, there was lots of gesticulating at the start. She relates a story of having to learn to fend for herself almost as soon as she set foot in Germany due to an accommodations glitch. Yes, she was on her own! Later, she traveled with her new friends whenever she had time off from school. Already interested in art — she is now a graphics designer — she saw the Great Works live and in-person. She feels that the whole thing was great learning experience which she took with her to college. She’d wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who is able to go.