I Have Something to Tell You—For Young Adults: a Memoir: A Memoir by Chasten Buttigieg

Author:Chasten Buttigieg
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Published: 2023-05-16T00:00:00+00:00

7 How Do You Say “I Think I’m Gay” in German?

It was a seemingly normal day in Frau LaBonte’s junior-year German class when an opportunity to emerge from the bubble of Northern Michigan presented itself. (I had been studying German since the seventh grade, as it was well known that the jocks took Spanish, the sophisticated and popular kids studied French, and the geeks ended up with German.) Frau LaBonte was attempting to get through her end-of-class announcements as the bell rang and students loudly packed up their belongings. In her hand was a flyer for the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) program. Moving against the sea of students heading toward the door, I listened to her explain that this particular program was an all-expenses-paid scholarship to study abroad in Germany for a year. A one-way ticket out of Traverse City? A year abroad and the end of my stint at this high school? The opportunity to travel, make new friends, and see a part of the world I had only dreamt of? An impressive anecdote for my college applications? This opportunity was checking every possible box I could think of!

Now I just had to figure out how to get it.

CBYX is a joint effort between the American and German governments that sends a group of American high school students to spend a year abroad in Germany, attend a German high school, and live with a local host family. Overseen by the US Department of State, Congress-Bundestag students serve as “citizen ambassadors” who “represent the spirit, values, and diversity of the United States.”

When it came to spirit, I had a lot of it—jazz hands and all. Diversity? Well, yes, but, uh, not in a public way. I wondered: Was I worthy of representing the United States? If I were selected, what would that say about me? Was I a model American?

When I asked Frau LaBonte to clarify that the program was a scholarship and that the year abroad was free, she confirmed that it was while reminding me that getting the scholarship was a really big deal. As she handed me the flyer, she looked me in the eye and said, “I really think you should consider applying, Chasten. This would be great for you.” For once, I felt that an adult was taking me seriously and pushing me to consider what I wanted for myself. I was a hardworking and dedicated student with a report card that reflected it (well, mostly—ugh, math). I didn’t have to stay in this small town forever if I didn’t want to. Now a teacher was pushing me to the edge of the diving board of possibilities. I just had to decide if I wanted to jump.

I took the flyer and immediately began preparing the sales pitch for my parents.

As the dinner table conversation came to a lull that night, I mentioned that my German teacher thought I was a great fit for a study-abroad program next year and that, wouldn’t ya know it, it was free! A single eyebrow was raised; they were skeptical.

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