Caitlyn Carnell

Mia Intagliata, opinions writer| May 10, 2023

Coco LeGrand

From a young age, due to her father’s job as a professional soccer player and coach, Caitlyn has traveled the world.

Caitlyn Carnell, senior, has never lived a stable life. From a young age, due to her father’s job as a professional soccer player and coach, Caitlyn has traveled the world. Caitlyn said that with this privilege, she was also forced into a life full of ever-changing environments, wavering friendships and has never been able to call a country home for more than six years.

“It was really hard at first for me [to adjust] when we moved to new places, [especially] to New Jersey,” Caitlyn said. “I was [mocked] for my accent and cultural differences, it felt like the only reason people wanted to be my friend was because I was new and different.”

At first, Caitlyn said that life in America was hard, because it’s primarily an English-speaking country. Caitlyn learned English when she was six-years-old, but still prefers to speak in German because it is her first language. She said it becomes frustrating when people assume she doesn’t understand what they’re saying, when she is just taking the time to translate the conversation from English to German.

“I hate it when people think that I’m not as smart [as them] just because I take a second to find the right words,” Caitlyn said. “They don’t know how smart I am in my own language.” 

Despite living in Germany for a shorter amount of time, Kiera, Caitlyn’s younger sister, a freshman at KHS, also struggles with language barriers infrequently. Although they lived in Germany for only six years, both sisters still consider German as their first language because they were raised around it.

“Spending time around my sister [and family] is really relaxing,” Kiera said. “I don’t have to [worry about] talking in English or translating anything in my head.” 

Though it is still hard for Caitlyn every once in a while, she said she still loves being able to hold onto her travel experiences and looks forward to continuing exploring the world after college. Caitlyn said that at the end of the day these are small annoyances that come with her lifestyle, but she wouldn’t trade it for anything. With that, Caitlyn also hopes to move back to Germany someday.

“Living in Germany is extremely [freeing],” Caitlyn said. “I know that I want to return to my family and that [Germany will be] my home in the future.”