An Introduction to Lucia: Who, Why, Where?

Hallo und Willkommen in meinem Blog!

Hello and welcome to my blog!

My name is Lucia Hoerr and I currently living in Berlin, Germany, thanks to CIEE’s Gap Year Global Internship program! Even though I am only writing my introduction post now, I have actually already been in Berlin for two weeks. I find it both very sad and incredible how quickly 14 days can fly by when you're having the time of your life. As your CIEE student blogger, I will be bringing you along on the rest of my journey as I explore what it's like living and working abroad for three months. 

Now, back to the task at hand: introducing myself!

I was born in the quaint college town of Charlottesville, Virginia, and I have lived there for all of my 18 years. My family consists of two parents, an older sister, and a pair of crazy dogs who all occupy a vast majority of my heart. (The rest of said heart is split between friends, reading, engineering, scuba diving, my nonprofit Backpack Buddies, and gluten-free baked goods, respectfully.)

I'm on this CIEE program as a gap year student, which means that although I graduated from high school in June, I will not be attending college at the University of Virginia's Engineering school (Wahoowa!) until next fall. Instead, I decided in April to defer my acceptance for a year and spend this time after high school traveling the world and exploring everything it has to offer. Even though I'm a total nerd and love school more than most 18-year-olds, the possibility of having a full year of uninterrupted adventure was simply too good to pass up!

The most difficult part about taking a gap year these days, in my own opinion, is deciding between all of the programs offered. The vast number of life-changing opportunities were almost too much to handle. Luckily, I immediately thought of CIEE because I studied abroad in Spain with them in 11th-grade and I recalled how safe and reputable the company is. When looking at all of CIEE's amazing gap year trips, I was drawn to the global internship programs due to my passion for entrepreneurship and economics. Berlin, in particular, piqued my interest because the city is known for its vibrant startup and tech scene. After doing a lot more research, I was hooked and sent in my application right away. 

So far, just two weeks in, this decision is turning out to be one of the best of my life.