Why become an exchange student?

Back when I was in elementary school and middle school, I would hear the words "exchange student," and I would always think of a kid from Japan, India, Sweden, Brazil or Australia, and it would never cross my mind that maybe someday it would be me who would become the exchange student. In fact, it never crossed my mind 'till I received my confirmation e-mail for my flight from DC to Germany. BUT I think I like the title "American Junior Ambassador" a lot better than foreign exchange student. Now let's begin by telling you a little about this program.
            How did I hear about this program?
I found out about this program in a presentation from former exchange students in my German class. They came to share their experiences in Germany and were convincing us to apply so we could experience the trip of a lifetime. Well, it did interest me but I was a sophomore at the time and decided it would be better to just wait. BUT later I found out about another program called GAPP exchange. The difference between CBYX and GAPP was, GAPP was only a month program. You receive a German student for a month and then you go to Germany for month with the family of the German student you hosted while here. Sounds interesting, right? The only bad thing about this one was that I had to pay 2,000 dollars or something like that. I asked my parents about it, and they said no, because we didn't have enough money. I still knew about CBYX but it was a lot more difficult to get than GAPP.
            What is CBYX?
Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange is a scholarship by the U.S. Congress and the German parliament that send 250 American students to Germany and vice versa, I think. Anyways, the point of the program is to be an American Ambassador in Germany, just so they would know that we are not they way they portray us to be. This scholarship is very prestigious and not everybody can get it, one has to represent the United States very well and be open-minded.
            ...and Why?
I decided to apply for CBYX because it was an all expenses paid trip to Germany for a year. It's an experience that I know that I will never forget an maybe it will change me in someway. However, I do know that it will change the way I see the world, because I'm going to experience a whole different culture and customs.
Well that's it for now, PEACE!!