It’s the educational experience of a lifetime.

Instead of finishing up high school on the Plateau like many of her peers, Enumclaw High School senior Macie Bosik will be finishing high school in Germany as part of a year-long exchange program with ASSE International.

Bosik, who traveled to the state gymnastics competition last winter, will be leaving for Leezen August 8, and plans to return next July.

Leezen, a city of roughly 2,000 people, is about 45 minutes north of Hamburg.

Bosik said she’s looking forward to meet new people and spend a year immersed in a new culture, but is especially excited for the opportunities she will have to grow in her education and as a person.

“I want to grow up. I feel like everyone has to grow up at one point, but for like me, it’s hitting me sooner because it’s my senior year,” Macie said. “Most people go to college and wait it off, so I just want to go now, see the real world.”

Since being accepted into the ASSE program in spring, Bosik and her parents have been gearing up for cultural differences, especially the ones surrounding her new educational institution.

“I’ve heard from teachers and friends over there it’s a lot harder and there’s a lot more work,” Bosik said. “I’ve gotten emails about it, being prepared to work harder.”

Bosik has traveled internationally for her education before, and before she was away for three weeks in June 2017, her parents Jennifer and Steve hosted a German student, who was stunned at the differences between their school system and ours, like being able to even chew gum in class, or have access to their cell phones.

On top of her German education, Bosik will also have to continue her American education by taking online American History and English classes with her teachers at Enumclaw High.

This is partly why most students graduate their high school first, and then go overseas, her mom said, adding it’ll be tough for Bosik to end her high school gymnastics career early and not be able to walk for graduation.

But Bosik seems eager to break the mould, despite missing out on some traditions.

“I feel like, in my generation, people feel like, ‘this is it. This is all you can do — you grow up, you go to college, you start a job or you start a career,’” she said. “I think it’s cool to not follow the rules… go out and take a different route.”

Bosik said she has plans to enroll with a community college and become a volunteer firefighter when she returns, and work on becoming a police officer, but she knows she many opportunities await her.

“If I meet cool people and want to stay there, I would,” she said.