When Torrie Parker (12) tells her friends about her time living in Germany, they genuinely don’t believe her. After all, even Parker is astonished by her new life: biking down cobblestone streets lined with charming houses, working at a food and beverage booth in the lush garden of a palace, and strolling through the picturesquely-lit town at night. Despite only spending a month and a half abroad so far, Parker has experienced more than she could imagine and has never been happier.

“I’ve already grown so much as a person and seen how much potential I have to be the best version of myself,” Parker said. “It’s so amazing and beautiful to see.”

After a difficult semester in her junior year, Parker felt disconnected from her environment and knew she wanted to find a way to get back in touch with herself. Unexpectedly, the idea of traveling abroad sparked during a conversation she had with her father.

“I had kind of jokingly told my dad, ‘I wonder if there was a way where I could just leave all my problems and just go stay in Germany?’ And my dad jokingly said to me, ‘I mean, why don’t you just graduate early?” Parker said.

Parker had never considered graduating early as an option, let alone spending the second half of her senior year in Germany. However, upon mentioning the idea to her counselor, she realized it was something she wanted to pursue.

“When we sat down with my mom and my counselor, we mapped out what my senior year would look like, and I just knew I had to jump at this opportunity,” Parker said. “There was nothing holding me back but myself, and I knew that this experience was going to be so powerful for my self-growth and coming to terms with all I had gone through my first few rough years in high school.”

Parker took many high school courses online and over the summer to ensure that she is able to graduate a semester early. On Jan. 12, Parker attended her last day of high school and began to pack her bags for Schwetzingen, Germany, where she will live with her grandparents until late May.

Parker’s daily life now consists of working a booth job where she serves food and beverages in the spacious garden grounds of the Schwetzingen Palace, a medieval castle rich with historical culture.

“The gardens are miles long, and I work next to a huge pond,” Parker said. “I meet a lot of new people there as well, so I’m constantly having conversations to expand my language acquisition.”

Parker, with her grandparents, also explores the small town of Schwetzingen. Additionally, she has also biked or taken the train to neighboring cities such as Mannheim and Speyer. By spending more time with her grandparents, Parker’s time in Germany has strengthened her relationship with them.

“I only ever saw my grandparents in America because it was a lot easier for them to travel,” Parker said. “My Opa [grandfather] specifically is not really good at English. I’ve noticed how talkative he is around everybody. I was able to really see my grandparents’ true personalities and how they interact.”

The most notable difference that Parker has experienced from living in Germany is her newfound perspective in appreciating life’s slower pace.

“Now, I see the beauty and minimalism and having everything that I need and not wanting to fish for more like I used to in America,” she said. “I’ve appreciated just the simple clothes on my back and the hair tie that keeps my hair up. I walk down the streets and people are talking, nobody’s on their phones, nobody’s checking the time. People are just genuinely enjoying each other’s presence. I’m holding eye contact and my attention spans are much longer now than they used to be.”

Though graduating early meant that Parker is unable to be with her peers in the months before graduation, she said she would not trade her experience in Germany for any other.

“There’s definitely times where I feel like I’m missing out on an event that I could have attended,” Parker said. “But I also have to look at the bigger picture in this: how many people get to be 17 years old and temporarily move to a different country to travel and experience a different world of culture, language, and ideologies? I just can’t overlook how amazing this opportunity is, and that is when I’m able to feel like this is all worth leaving behind half of my senior year.”