My name is Molly Evans and I went to Regensburg in 2009. Tempe Sister Cities did a lot for me. It changed me after just one, extremely short summer. I was a very shy, withdrawn kid in most public situations and rarely went out for anything. The interview process (as well as the rest of the program) really opened me up and was, to this date, the most frightening interview I have ever gone through. But, it helped me; it made me realize how badly I wanted to be a part of the program and I began open up. After making it into the program,

I made a whole new group of friends who I am still close with. Of course, spending an entire summer vacation in another country with your friends is enough to make anyone say they had the greatest summer of their lives, but, apart from that, the experience of leaving my own little world in Arizona was enough to turn the experience into the greatest summer I’ve ever had. Not that I had ever been deprived of traveling or seeing interesting things, but, I was finally free to explore the world around me; and I was expected to. Before the program, my world was limited to my home in Arizona. After just a few, short weeks, my world consisted of my Arizona home and a completely new, comforting home in Germany. I highly encourage any teenager I meet to do the program. Not just for the free trip half-way around the world, but for the experience of finally opening their eyes to the bigger picture and the bigger world that surrounds them. That was the greatest lesson I’ve learned from the program: there’s a bigger world out there that needs to be seen and experienced. I believe it’s important for anyone to go out on their own, away from most everything they know, and live in a completely new environment; it opens people’s eyes and the world needs more open people. Choosing one specific thing that I will never forget about the experience is nearly impossible. The lasting friendships I’ve made were one thing, the whole new family I’ve become a part of is one thing, my other home in Germany is one thing, and just getting to experience a new life is one thing. Choosing from that list just can’t be done. So, with all of that said, TSC gave me the greatest summer I will ever experience and I can never fully repay the program for such an incredible time.

Thanks for doing this!

Molly Evans