The Seventh Month Mark....

This is a little late, but as of last Friday I have officially been in Germany for seven months....seven months away from Marysville, seven months away from Americans, seven months away from English, and mostly seven months away from my family. But I have made it! I have made it this far without regrets, and there is only about 3 months left, and I am still not looking forward to go....

Aside from my opening note, it has been the same old same old. I actually had no idea what to post in the last couple of weeks, so I'm just going to do a little more of an update. I have only hung out with my German friends in the past couple of weeks. I only met up with the exchange students once, and that was to meet Adrian's mom who came to visit. I think we are all just releasing that we don't have to rely on eachother like before. We all have friends now, we all have a very good understanding of the language, and we're all just having fun and realizing that the point isn't to be with other exchange students, but to be with Germans and do as the Germans do.

Two weekends ago was Jonas' Birthday and we just hung out and stayed over at his place. Then the next day we played basketball and then we to Tobi's(another German Friend) for a little bit. Then I went home relatively early and the next day skyped my mom and aunt to figured out if they were coming to visit or not. My host parents were present as well, so I got to work on my translating skills!!

Then this past weekend we were literally at a party in my little village, Schöneiche. We showed up and there was a fight going on and we just waited until it was done, then went to lock up our bikes and my friend got a glass thrown at her, so it almost broke out again until they pushed us inside and the other people got kicked out. It was a pretty legit party, other than that. It was a birthday party for a few people from my soccer team. My older host sister was there, and her friend and my friends. My old host brother's girlfriend was there too, and it was nice talking to her since we hadn't seen eachother since December. It was probably one of the funnest nights I had here. It's really annoying though how eveyone wants to speak English to me and then I respond in German, and it always goes back and forth and it doesn't help us improve our languages in anyway, but that's just how Germans get at these parties....Then Saturday I went to Sarah with a few friends and we stayed over. Then the next day we played basketball again. I love how I'm finally the best at baskeball!!

But over these past weeks there is a lot going through my head. I don't feel like an exchange student anymore, and I don't feel like Germany is all that foreign. I will admit, the language still feels very foreign, especially because I am not fluent yet, but it still doesn't matter, I feel like I belong. I feel like I understand my friends here, better than most people in the U.S. There has already been moments in which we've almost started crying because we've only known eachother since January, but I already feel close, and I don't feel like I could ever leave my friends. I wish there was a way that I could graduate here, but I know that wouldn't fly with my mom. But I just don't think that leaving will be as easy as I thought, this reverse culture shock already appears to be growing as a spend more time with my German Friends, making leaving harder and harder....

But on a brighter note my mom and sister come next Wednesday for a 4 day visit. I wish it was longer, but I have to go on Eurtour the following monday, so they will be leaving Sunday, then I will be leaving for 18 days! I'm excited for my eurotour, but I'm a little disappointed too. I feel like were getting cheated in the places were going. Of course Prag, Vienna, Venice, Rom, and Munich will be cool, but there are many other places like Zuruck we could've gone to over these little villages that we are going to and also two days in Berlin!!! Half of us live in Berlin, and the other half was already here...this makes not sense!! One of my friend's eurotour will go to 12 different countries, for only 400 euros more...I am still very excited, but this is just how I am feeling....

But now in June, along with going to Holland with my class, we can now go to Auschwitz in Poland!! This may sound weird, but I've actually always wanted to go there, and it should be extremely interesting. June will be an amazing month, and I can already say that!!

I apologize for this very poorly written post, I can't really think so well in English anymore, and I sort of was writting what poped into my head....

I will try to post next Sunday when my mom leaves, and when I'm getting ready for Eurotour!!

Nothing New...

The title pretty much sums up everything that has been going on since my Birthday. I'm still going to give a little recap anyways...

Last week was sort of boring in school, I was sick on Monday, then my host mom gave me a note to give to my teacher next day but I forgot, and he never asked either. I sort of makes me wonder why I even go to school if it doesn't matter to the school, but whatever, I still love all seeing all my friends everyday! School is only sometimes boring, but my friends make it all worth it!

The on Friday I went to the bookstore to get my host mom a birthday present, I wanted to ask the lady for a book, but I told her I didn't know the German title, just the author. So I told her "Harper Lee" and she knew what I was referring too. Then she got it for me and asked if I had just gotten back from an exchange in America, and she was suprised when I was actually an exchange student....pretty good feeling right there! Then I got two more books for myself, "Der Kleine Prinz" which is called "The Little Prince" in English. It's sort of a little kid book, but it's perfect for me since I'm still not amazing at reading. I also got "Berlin Alexanderplatz", it's a German book too, but a lot more difficult than the other. I've really been enjoying reading in German, espeically when I can read for a while without having to look up a word. I've been reading "Anne Frank" and I can read it faster and faster everyday!

Then later that day, I went with one of my host sisters and my old host brother to Kreuzberg for a going away party for a family friend, who was also in Austria. She is going to Ghana for a charity project and for her University. My older host sister from Düsseldorf was also there because it's her best friend, and as a birthday suprise for my host mom. Pretty interesting night, and suprisingly, the most fun thing at this party was a little board game where you just try to keep an airplane up. It's funny how interesting somethings can be...

Saturday was very chill, we just had to get ready for my host mom's birthday party. But only my host mom and one of my host sister's were cooking, so I did nothing. The party was nice. I didn't really do much because they were all older, so I just hung out with my host siblings. Then at midnight everyone sang, gave my host mom a hug and presents, then it was already over. Nothing really all that special.

On Sunday we went to this place in Berlin-Dahlem called the Botanischer Garten, where we got a tour and listen to classical music and drank Coffee. It was a little boring for my taste, but it was perfect for my host mom, it was everything that she loves put together...

This next weekend I'm hanging out with Jonas the whole weekend. He's probably my best German friend and he had his birthday today, so were just gonna chill and celebrate. The next two or three weekends will just be simple, then my mom will hopefully be here, and then Eurotour!! I'm suprisingly not too excited, but that is because the day it starts, I will be at officially three months left!! It goes way to fast!!