How I got here:
I joined the circus in 8th grade, at the start of 2007. In the summer of 2008 I got to spend 3 weeks in Germany during a circus exchange thing. During that time over there I did a lot of growing and learning. It was during this period that Sven the owner started talking about sending a German to the USA for a year and hosting an American for a year, I was instantly interested. When I got back to school I transferred out of Spanish and in to German. I planned to go to Germany my first year out of high school and then come back and go to college. But three years is a long time and thing can and did change. I dropped out of circus and started perusing a different career. Although circus always held a place in my heart, I was not doing it until the winter of 2011-2012. I ran in to Paul Miller and he offered to take me to Germany again for 3 weeks, something I thought I would never do again since I lost touch with my circus side. I was so excited to be going back and to see all my friends from there. While over there I reconnected with them and the director there, Sven. He was still talking about hosting an American (he was already working on sending a German for a year), and I still wanted to take him up on the offer. At this time I was in college and I thought I would go spend a year in Germany after I got my degree. Well life happened again and things changed. In the summer of 2013 I found myself unemployed and out of school (I dropped out), Sven was in Chicago with his circus troupe to see the Gym wheel world championship, and asked me when I was going to spend a year in Germany. So I said I had nothing going on and would love to do it any time. So the planing got started and now I am about to leave in 6 weeks to spend 14 months in Germany.