On her first day back at The Columbus School in August 2023, after spending one year in Germany, Mia Hodek realized how much things had changed. “I noticed that people look very different. They were all very grown up. We were also in high school now, not in middle school anymore” [00:11]. It was like stepping into a familiar place that had kept moving without her. While the building was the same, the people inside had changed, and so had Mia.
Mia’s time abroad wasn’t just about academics. It was about adjusting to a new culture, finding comfort in unexpected ways, and learning to live outside her comfort zone. Her story matters because it shows what it’s like to connect two worlds, returning to Colombia with both the challenges and rewards of a year lived differently.
At first, settling into Germany felt overwhelming. It was colder, both literally and socially. Mia remembered how different the students seemed: “The people are a lot colder, the kids were very different because it was a very different kind of school, so everybody was from different countries, it was difficult to interact with people I had never met before… it was very weird,” she explained [00:42].
Instead of a fast-moving city, Mia lived in Salem, a small town in Lake Constance region, known for its historic Salem Abbey around the 12th century, almost out of a fairy tale. “It wasn’t really a city, it was a little town called Salem and the school was like the ‘castle’ of the town, and it was really down south almost next to Switzerland” [01:42]. Being surrounded by strangers in a boarding school wasn’t easy, but it pushed her to adapt. She told me how living with people from all over the world forced her to open up, even when it felt uncomfortable.
Daily life at boarding school came with challenges, but also moments of joy. Mia explained, “It was very different because first of all I lived all the time in the school, it was a boarding school, so living with a bunch of people you have never met before wasn’t easy” [02:13]. The workload was heavy, the rules stricter than at TCS, and independence limited. Still, she found ways to bring home closer. Food became her comfort zone. “Food wise, did you miss something specifically? Yes, arepas… Once we even ordered harina PAN to make arepas” [02:51].
Even small habits revealed cultural contrasts. “I was very shocked because here you shower every day before school and in Europe and most of Europe they shower at night” [03:22]. These details could seem small, but to Mia, they showed how deeply daily routines reflect culture. She often said how the little differences like food and showers, were what made her most aware of living between two worlds.
Mia was quick to respond when asked to describe her year spent abroad. “I would describe it in the least words possible as eye-opening” [03:36]. She explained that the experience not only gave her independence but also friendships from around the globe. Her advice is simple but powerful: “Go. It’s 100% worth it. The first few weeks might be horrible, but after that, it’s really good. You meet new people. You make new friends. So then technically, you have friends all over the world which is really cool” [04:45]. For Mia, the struggles were temporary, but the lessons will last far beyond high school.
Mia’s story shows how studying abroad is about much more than switching classrooms. It’s about learning to navigate daily routines, cultural habits, and friendships that stretch across borders. Her boarding school became that cultural hub.
Returning home, she didn’t just bring back memories; she carried a new perspective on identity, resilience, and what it means to belong in more than one world.
As Mia returns to her everyday life, she carries Salem’s castle walls, midnight arepas, and friendships that stretch across continents. Her journey reminds us that stepping away doesn’t mean losing your place; it just means expanding it.