Depending of what life stage you're in there are different ways of realizing the dream of living abroad. One of Sarah's and mine greatest passions has always been traveling, but at some point we craved for more than just a simple vacation in another country. To really get to know another culture and learn a new language it's great to move abroad for a longer time period. That's why when I was 15 I decided that I wanted to take part in a highschool exchange. My dad and his siblings all spend a year in the US during their highschool time, thus I learned early on that this actually is a possibility. Especially, since my dad always told me stories about his time in Maryland and all the fun stuff he did, I've always wanted to embark on this kind of adventure as well.

Source: AFS

The organization I chose to go on exchange with is called AFS and they offer spots on every continent. It's one of the oldest exchange organizations in the world and is also a not-for-profit organization. Initially, AFS (which stands for American field Service) was a group of American ambulance drivers who operated during World War I & II. However, instead of just helping their soldiers and allies, they picked up everyone in need of help. In the hospitals they then noticed that all soldiers, no matter which side they were fighting for, started talking to each other and sharing experiences. This inspired the AFSers to create an exchange between different cultures in order to foster understanding leading to peace. First, the exchange was mainly between German highschool students and US students, but soon it grew and now there are AFS offices in more than 50 countries and even more countries are participating in the exchange program. To this day I still volunteer for AFS and counsel exchange students.

But now more about my personal experience: So after I applied and also got selected to participate in the AFS program to Quebec, Canada, I've had three preparation weekends and lots of paperwork to do. Then, a couple of months later, on the 20th August 2010, and after lots of hugs and tears, I finally boarded the plane that would take me to Montreal. Upon my arrival there, my hostfamily picked me up and we drove to their place (about an hour drive east of Montreal) where I've got to meet everyone and see the house I'd be living in for the next eleven months. Since AFS is a not-for-profit organization the host families aren't paid for hosting students, but solely do so for the experience. To qualify as an AFS host family you just have to have a spare room and a welcoming household, you can be a single parent, retired, childless, gay, of any religion and so on. The only thing that matters is that you will take good care of the exchange student. My hostfamily consists of a mum and dad as well as three little boys and still to this day I consider them my second family and home.

Neighborhood of my host family's house

Parc Nationale de la Yamaska - 5 minutes from my host family's house

After a few days it was my time for my first day at school and it was super exciting. I know, it sounds scary to fly to a continent where you don't know anyone, live with a family you don't know, and then walk into a high school where you don't know anyone while not speaking the local language (In Quebec people mainly speak French), but it's also one of the most inspiring things I've ever done in my life. I learned French in a couple of months and quickly I started to adapt to my new life. Because that's what an exchange year is really all about: creating a life in another country. As soon as the snow started falling, I spent most of my time on the mountain snowboarding with my friends and hostfamily and I have to admit that I ditched school more than once to enjoy some fresh snow.

Give me a mountain covered in snow and my snowboard and I'm the happiest girl alive

Backyard fun

The year I've spent in Canada definitely was one of the best in my life, but I also went through phases of homesickness. There were times when all I wanted to do is go hop on a plane and run into my mum's arms, but I guess every exchange student sometimes feels this way. After all, I have the most amazing hostfamily that always made me feel welcome and appreciated. Especially my little host brothers are just the cutest yet annoying little guys.

Road trip with my hostfamily

Early morning at the St. Lawrence River

Together with my hostfamily I've got to see quite a bit of Quebec and we also went on a trip to New York City together. I also went to Toronto and Ottawa, but definitely still need to go on a trip to the western part of Canada. Even though, eleven months sounds like a long time, looking back it feels like the time passed a lot quicker. Once you're actually able to follow conversations, start getting invited to everyone's birthday parties and start getting annoyed by school, the time just flies. Before you know it you're on a plane back home and then once you get home you'll be "homesick" for your exchange destination. Or at least that's what I experienced. Of course I was super excited to see my family and friends in Germany, but the first few weeks back home were quite tough on me. Canada simply became my second home. Since coming back from my exchange, I went to Canada two more times to see my hostfamily and friends and each time it's nearly as tough to leave them as it was when I first went back to Germany.

The parents of one of my friends kindly invited me to go on a boat trip with them

Old streets of Montreal

Road trip to Toronto

Anyways, long story short: An highschool exchange is an experience I recommend to everyone no matter for how long or where. Unfortunately, it can end up being quite expensive, but if you plan ahead and try to score a scholarship (and there are lots!) it gets easier.

I'll be forever grateful to my parents who supported me in my decision to go abroad and lived through some teary Skype calls, to my hostfamily for making me part of their family, my Quebecer friends who still make fun of my accent, and the other exchange students with whom laughed about weird Quebecer traditions. My exchange year in Canada has had a huge impact on my life decisions and I wouldn't trade all the fun memories I've made in Quebec for the world. So I hope this posts shows you that going on exchange is not as scary as it sounds. It taught me to depend on myself and showed me that your origins do not define who you are. What matters is what you do with your life and what impact you have on other people's lives.

- Svenja

One thing you will always come across when you go abroad all by yourself is spending a lot of time on your own. This can be intimidating but don't make the mistake to confuse being on your own with being alone and lonely.
For me, this was one of the most important things I learned when moving to Ghana. As a child, I could be pretty solitary, spending hours on end alone in my room, playing, reading or drawing. However, as soon as I was changing the environment and leaving home, I would feel more or less uncomfortable going there by myself.
Naturally, this is something a lot of teens experience and something that automatically gets better as time goes by. Ghana has done more for me though. Now, I don't just feel comfortable doing things on my own, I feel perfectly happy. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy spending time with friends as much as anyone else, but being on your own also has its unbeatable perks:


1. You can do whatever you feel like doing without having to adjust with someone else.

2. You get to spend quality time with the person you know best in the world: you

3. You will see yourself, who you want to be and what life means to you more clearly than ever

4. You can lean back and just listen to your thoughts as they wander around in your head

5. Your relationships will benefit from it: you know you're spending time with that particular person
because you thoroughly enjoy it, not because you depend on it, which will make you appreciate the ones close to you even more

I have made the experience that you are far less lonely being on your own, than wasting time with people you can't connect to. So get out, do things without inviting anyone else to join you, hike through a forest, take a swim and float quietly through the water, or just take a good book with you to your favorite places.

- Sarah

Our own Garden Eden

From Shama I went further west and spent a day in Busua, which is an upcoming tourist site, due to its charming beach. It has loads of nice restaurants and guesthouses and is the right spot for surfers. If you want to spend a few relaxed days, this is the right place for you.

View from the walk to Butre

A friend of mine has once correctly said that Busua works like a magnet. Nevertheless, I soon packed my bags and did some hiking action to get to Butre, the neighbouring village, which lies behind a mountain about one hour foot walk away.

Butre is just as beautiful as Busua but far less touristic, though there are a few places to stay and enjoy the empty beach and peaceful nature.

In Butre I met some friends of mine who stayed with a Rastafari called Ellis. He will care for you in any possible way: cook great vegetarian Indian food, serve awesome lemongrass tea or even transform your hair to dreadlocks.


Ellis' place is a lush green heaven. You can spend all day long lying in a hammock and watching the birds and squirrels in the canopies or you just take a short walk through the backyard to a beautiful clean and unpeopled beach.
The only thing I hated about this place was that I had to leave it.

- Sarah

From Takoradi we continued our journey to Shama, a small fishing town located at the estuary of River Pra. The fishers there are very friendly and even though only few travellers find their way to Shama, a boat tour on the Pra can be easily arranged.


At the fishing harbour we met a nice young man, who had a friend with a small boat, which we could use for a tour.


The nature on the banks of the Pra is extremely beautiful and you see many exotic birds. However, the Pra is also one of the worst cases of pollution I have seen in Ghana so far. The thing is, if you see a lot of trash around, the problem usually is missing infrastructure or missing awareness. Yet, the Pra's pollution comes from the intense mining (which is supported by Ghana's own government) in that region. All kinds of sediments and chemicals pollute the water, which once has been drinking water for the inhabitants of the river banks. For me, this was harder to bear than the litter in towns, since this is a deliberatly caused pollution for economic gain.

Fort Sao Sebastiao

Shama also has a fort, which was built by the Portuguese when they came to Ghana for missionary purposes. Later it was used by the Dutch and the British as well. Especially the dutch colonialists used the castle for the slave trade.
At the entrance we met the guide, who gave us a very interesting tour, however depressing, tour around the castle. No matter how much you know or don't know about the West African slave trade, it comes as a shock to see the dungeons and hear about the inhumane methods used to exploit these people.
In a way, Shama showed us how Ghana was used for other nations economic gain in the past (slavery) and is used today still (resources).


Considering Ghana's colonial past, it is wonder how open and friendly most Ghanaians are towards Europeans: after our tour we had a nice chat with our guide about our favorite Ghanaian food and he even called a girl to show us where to get the best Fufu in town.

- Sarah

Viw of Sekondi from the Fort

During my last vacation I made a huge journey through the north of Ghana, waking up in another town and sitting in a tro for at least eight hours each day. That's why this time I decided to do a relaxed journey down the coastal area in the west of Ghana.

Black Star Bookshop

Fishing Harbour in Sekondi

Red Snapper

The fishermen still get a lot of Red Snappers and other big fish, however they are already complaining that the fish are getting less. The waters of West Africa have a richness in fish, something that didn't evade international interests. It's getting more and more of an issue for local fishers that especially European and Japanese fish trawlers catch huge amounts of fish in the deeper waters of Africa's West Coast. That's why I wouldn't recommend anyone in countries like my own to eat fish: In countries like Germany it's perfectly easy to have a balanced and healthy diet without consuming fish. In West Africa however, fish is an essential part of most people's diet and if these people can't afford fish anymore because the local fishermen cannot compete with the international trawlers, they are facing huge problems. The thing is that most people in Ghana still prepare their food in the traditional way and often they can't imagine a meal without meat or fish. The town where I live has a great supply of different vegetables, beans and fruits, so it would be possible for people to live a vegetarian or vegan life, which would be even cheaper due to the meat and fish prices. However, this would mean a huge change in the way people perceive and prepare food here, which is something I personally don't see coming in the next few years.
Apart from that, the prospect of completely overfished oceans should be a concern for all of us.

We said our goodbyes to the fishermen and the market women and climbed up the hill to enjoy the view of Sekondi. At the fort we by chance met the guide, who told us a lot about the fort and Sekondi's history. Back in Takoradi, while enjoying a huge bowl of Fufu and Groundnutsoup, we started making plans for the rest of our journey ...

- Sarah

Well,  the title is a slight exaggeration, but veganism is definitely a growing trend worldwide. Everyday there are new Youtube channels, Instagram accounts, and Tumblrs covering this topic. Reading our blogposts, you should have by now figured out that Sarah and I are doing our best to live a vegan lifestyle. But today, I want to take you guys a step back and show you the main reasons why we chose to live this way and why we are so passionate about it. These are the main reasons why we believe that living a vegan lifestyle is the most sustainable, ethical, and healthy way to live.

1.) Our Planet

Source: The Humane Society of the United Stated

Source

These sources below are all based on scientific research in peer reviewed journals:
Dr. McDougall shares his discoveries in treating patients through the implementation of a plant based diet:

Source: Lifehack