Willkommen zu Hause, Maeve!

Imagine living in a country for a whole year, learning a new language, and then having to resort back to English after not speaking it for 365 days. That is exactly what Bassett was faced with. When she first got off her return flight to the states, she was shocked to hear everyone speaking English. Bassett had accustomed herself to hearing German. It was like learning English all over again. "I never knew how hard English was until I had to try and speak it again," Bassett says.

The language difference wasn't the only problem Bassett encountered. For Bassett, easing into a schedule was difficult at first. There is a six-hour time difference from America to Germany. When she first entered Germany, she had to take a five-hour train ride into Möhlau, the city she lived in. "I arrived at midnight and I was so exhausted," Bassett begins. "My host family and I shook hands and sent me to bed!"

While a schedule may have been hard for Bassett to get used to, the food was a breath of fresh, or sweet, air. "My favorite food was from the bakery," Bassett says. One treat she fondly remembers was kuchen, or cake. Like in America, there were assorted types such as chocolate or fruit. "My favorite was called a cloud cake," Bassett says. In Germany, the cakes were cut into small squares, each with a different flavor.

Holidays were also an eye-opener for Bassett. "(Germany) doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving," Bassett says. Although this meant no turkey or steaming mashed potatoes, it also meant no time off from school. "Having no breaks for three months was tough," Bassett says.

Christmas, however, was celebrated with a twist. In Germany, the Christmas tree is cut down on Christmas Eve. As if waiting a whole night was not bad enough, instead of children waking up to an array of presents, they wait until mid-afternoon for Santa Clause to come.

The event that grabbed Bassett's attention the most was "faschings" or mardi gras. "We would all dress up and have a good time," Bassett says.

While in Germany, other than the unique festivities, Bassett couldn't help but notice the stereotypes that surrounded her. "People would always ask me if I ate at McDonald's every day," Bassett begins. "When I told people I was from New York, they thought I meant the city." While Americans think Germany is a place to chow down on Bratwurst sausage and drink beer, Bassett noticed otherwise. "Germans learn to drink socially, meaning they don't drink to only get drunk," Bassett says.

"The most annoying question people asked me when I got back (to New York) was what the difference was between Germans and Americans were," Bassett says. After living there for a year, she learned that the differences are few.

Now that she is back in America, Bassett has had some time to reflect on her trip, and catch up on some sleep. Returning to New York was the hardest. "It still hadn't sunken in (that I was home)," Bassett says. Since it was such a different time change, it didn't hit Bassett until two days later that she was actually back home.

"It's not like a vacation," Bassett begins. "I gained a better view and understanding of the world." She made some life-long friendships and gained cultural knowledge.

"Overall it was a good experience," Bassett says.