Local Student To Spend Junior Year In Germany

July 27, 2010 by John Rook

Cheshire student Bretta Doherty spent only a few days in Germany several years ago when she traveled overseas as a part of a church trip.
It didn't take long for her to fall in love with the landscape.
The German countryside, coupled with the impressive cathedrals that have stood for centuries, made an impression on Doherty that she would not soon forget.
So, when her German teacher at Cheshire High School, Kristin Haase, suggested to Doherty that the 16-year-old consider applying for a scholarship that would allow her to spend her junior year of high school in Germany, she was immediately intrigued.
“It sounded like a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so I came home and asked my parents and they said I should apply,” remembered Doherty.
Earlier this year, Doherty learned she had been awarded the scholarship and, in less than two months, the teenager will be traveling across the ocean to spend the 2010/011 school year studying in Germany.
“I am both excited and nervous,” explained Doherty. “I don't really know what to expect right now. I don't even know exactly where I am going. It is going to be a great experience.”
There is no specific city or region to which Doherty will be assigned. She could be sent to Berlin or Cologne, or anywhere else in Germany, and there is a chance she won't find out until two weeks before she is set to leave in September, something she admits is cause for some elevated levels of anxiety.
When she does learn of her exact location, she will also learn the identity of her host family, with whom she will spend the next several months of her life.
“I can't wait to meet them,” she said.
Though she has already visited the country, Doherty admits that her experience was almost entirely relegated to going from one cathedral to another, and while she remained in awe of the beauty and majesty of the structures, it didn't allow for a lot of time to get to know the true German society.
That, she acknowledges, is what she is looking forward to the most.
“I just want to experience the culture and the people and see how different it really is from here,” she said.
While the exchange student program will allow her to experience an exciting trip abroad, it also brings with it some obvious drawbacks.
“My mother is nervous,” she stated. “Both my parents are nervous, but I think they are excited I am going. My friends are supportive of me but then they'll say, 'Bretta, don't go.' I know I'll miss them.”
That anxiety is shared by Doherty herself, who admitted that perhaps the most “nerve-wracking” part of the experience will be leaving her family.
“I really haven't been away from them like this,” she explained. “That is definitely going to be tough, I know.”
But, the teenager also has confidence that, during her time in Germany, she will meet new people and form new relationships that should ease the pain of being away from home.
“I know I am going to meet some new friends who may be friends for life,” she remarked.
For now, Doherty is focused on enjoying her summer away from school, visiting with friends, and soaking up the warm weather. But, in just a few weeks her attention will turn solely towards her upcoming adventure.
“This is going to be an experience I will never forget,” she said. “I can't wait.”