“Who Do You Think You Are?”
I was born and raised in former East Germany in a small town called Saalfeld. You could say, I am a German in New York. The Big Apple, as many refer to it, one of the greatest cities in the world. And here I am, thousands and thousands miles away from home. I was only 23, when I left everything behind and first came here on my own, I didn’t know what to expect. I was scared, insecure, homesick, lonely, confused and first and for most I had huge doubts in myself. I would always question myself, if this was a step in the right direction. But you will never know what the right step is, unless you actually make the decision to take that step. And what is actually the “right step”, the “right decision”?!
Now when i m looking back at the time when I first came to this country, attending Baruch College is an even bigger challenge for me, probably one of the biggest in my life. It has been 11 years since I graduated from high school. After high school I did an apprenticeship to become a certified paralegal. Which meant, I attended a specialized school and would work in a lawyers office for three years. Because I haven’t been to any school in the last 8 years it sometimes seems hard for me to get back into the pattern or you could say more get back into a routine of actually going to school. The language barrier is also one of my concerns here at Baruch College since English is not my first language, I have to pay even more attention to not miss out on any given information. Misunderstandings or interpreting things differently could also be an issue I hope to manage well. Another one is finding the balance between attending school during the day and going to work at night. Which is just one of the big challenges. But its just part of getting myself through school. Striving towards an education and a degree keeps me going.
My perspective on certain things, especially school has extremely changed over the years. Back in high school I would have never thought about attending college or high school, especially not in a foreign country. That would have never even crossed my mind. I think now, that I have worked a couple of years and lived and enjoyed my life by doing all kinds of sports and travels, I am at a much more experienced point in my life where I feel ready to take on this challenge.
Today I can say about myself that I am an independent, outgoing, hard working, responsible, trustworthy, reliable, honest, very organized, industrious, respectful and funny (at least I think so) individual.
I am really looking forward to improve myself, to learn and to study. My horizon will be extended to a different level and I will always strive for more. I am capable of achieving higher goals in my life.
