Why Germany?

Why Germany? Some people have asked me the question "why Germany?" I have a lot of reasons for choosing Germany. Germany is a thriving, developed modern country, an important ally to the US and a pillar in the world economy. Germany is a more off the beaten track for tourists compared to say Italy or France but is brimming with just as much culture and history. I have had German since 1st grade and I am fairly fluent in it. I wish to become compltetely fluent in it and be able to speak like a native. The only countries where German is the main language are Germany, Austria, Switzerland Liechtenstein and Luxembourg. The last two arent an option so I had to choose between Deutschland Austria and Switzerland. The last of those two speak German in dialect (moreso than in Germany) so the best place to learn standard German is obviously Germany. My school officials also felt that to go on exchange, I would have to go to German speaking country since I could handle the school work much better. I want to become 100% fluent in Germany. I already speak it very proficiently and have a wide vocabulary. However, I sometimes can't understand radio and TV broadcasts, (they speak so quickly.) I want to learn to understand everything and be able to talk effortlessly about any topic. I have heard of exchange students going to places like Hungary and Vietnam with no prior language knowledge and leaving proficient. If they can do that, I can learn fluent German in a year!