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!!

German Birthday!!

Last Wednesday I celebrated my 17th Birthday, and it was probably the best birthday I've ever had! I went down for breakfast like any other day, but instead I was greeted by some German traditional Birthday song, and then a hug from everybody and they just wished me the best with everything. Then we had cheesecake because they were trying to make it as American as possible.

At school I got hugs and handshakes from everybody, including the teachers, they sang to me in practically every class, and I even got two cakes from people in my class! Very legit German cakes with Haribo inside!! They tasted amazing!

Then I met up with Adrian, another American, and we bought Reese's Peanut Butter cups at KaDeWe, and just chilled for a few hours. Then I went back to Fredrichshagen, and met my host family, and we went to some American Restaurant and I tried to be as cheap as possible, but my host dad took my water away when I got it, and said that I have to drink beer on my only birthday in Germany, but I didn't complain. First time eating a legit American burger in a while too!!

Afterwards, we went back home and I opened up all my presents. I got a cd from 6kornbrot, German candies, legit puma soccer shoes since I play soccer now, flowers, and of course a beer glass and more beer. So I had another beer with my host dad, and then I went up stairs to skype with my family to end the night. A pretty legit Birthday to say the least...

Then on Friday I went to my first Abitur party with my school! It's a party put on by the Graduating class, and practically the whole school went. It was a great time, I really can't explain that well because it was just dancing and chilling with friends the whole time. There was also a pirate theme, so pretty much everybody dressed up. Someone drew a scar on my face before I went in, so I go in for a Euro cheaper!!

Then yesterday I met up with the exchange students, we didn't really do much, and I also wasn't really in mood for anything. But it was still a good time, and nice to see everyone again....

Nichts Besonderes

Nothing special has been really going on lately, in all honesty it is finally a little bit boring...

But since the conference there has been nothing at all going on. I play soccer now on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday with one of my neighbours. It pretty much suck because I have play now for a week, and I'm playing with people who have been playing since they were 3 and are older than me. But it's finally nice to do something active, since I'm probably the fattest I've been in my whole life. I love German food, but I miss playing sports every second of the day!!

I also said goodbye to my favorite oldie Guilia, which would make it officially the last of my oldies to be gone! It's sad because I've learned so much from them, but it's really cool because I'm now at the part of my exchange when I met my oldies, and now I can really see how much I've changed!

I officially have my flight information home. I will be leaving from Germany at 8:45 on the 4th of July and arriving back the same day at sometime around 5 or 6 in the afternoon. I'm actually starting to get a little bit excited to go back. I'm excited to see my friends and my family again, but at the same time I still don't want to leave Germany. I'll be back in 4 1/2 months now, and I'm going to try and make every second count!!

But nothing to really look forward to, I have my birthday on Wednesday, and the next exciting thing is going to be Eurotour on the 4th of April and that is the beginning of nonstop doing stuff. I went thru the schedual with my host mom, and I'm pretty much doing something every second in April, May, June, and then I'll be gone in July...So this next month will just be a chill month, and preparing for the all the adventures about to happen!

Bad Saarow

Bad Saarow....THE BEST ORIENTATION SO FAR!!! I still don't get why it was there...but here is a little recap of what went down...

On Friday I went to school, then had to run back to my house and ended up meeting one of my host sisters on the tram and it was the most we had talked in a long time! Then we went home together and I grabbed my stuff and headed out again. I rode with the bus to Fürstenwalde and meet up with the other exchange students who were waiting for the bust to Bad Saarow. It took us about 10 or 15 minutes to leave because we had so many people and the bust driver was frustrated with us! Apparently the first bus driver refused half the group, which is why my group was so big!!

We all made it there on time and the just ate dinner and waited for the other district to show up. This conference was a combination of two districts...1940, which is my district and most of Berlin, Brandenburg, and ever a little north of Brandenburg...and the other district was 1890 which is Hamburg and others regions near Denmark.

The got there at 8 and they were all right. We never really clicked with all of them, just a few like some of the ones that we flew with from Philly to Frankfurt. But we still chilled with them that night, and it was very fun and relaxing night because Rotary let us throw a party for one of the girl's Birthday!

The next day we headed to Berlin. It sort of sucked that we had to go to Berlin and that we didn't get to go some place new, but we still got to visit places like were Valkyrie took place, and we also got to go in the Reichstag!! It is very interesting how relaxed they are compared to the U.S. This is the equivalent to our Capital Building, but practically anyone can go in if they have an appointment. It was better a couple months ago, but now with terrorist threats, it's appoinments only!

It was sort of boring at first. Some lady explained for an hour about the history of Reichstag and normally what I would do was translate for one of the newbies what she said because it makes it more fun, but I was in the front row so I could sleep or do anything! But afterward we got to go in the big dom and see over the entire city! Berlin is really an amazing city!

After Reichstag, we had a city bus tour, so I just said with other Berlin people and we just talked and didn't really pay attention too much. We did have to get out to see the Berlin wall, but I had never seen this part before, and it was amazing to see.
After Berlin, we went back to Bad Saarow, ate some cold dinner, then we did our country presentations. We sang the national anthem and then talked about the superbowl for our presentation. It was probably one of the boring ones, especially because the person who explained it didn't make any sense, but it think it was somewhat funny. The other presentations went well too, and it's very interessting because everyone had to include music, and just the different types of music are so cool!

Then we had a little bit of time, and they set up for the dance. I went to a friends room and just talked about we completely missed the pin exchange, so I missed out on a lot for my jacket! But I still passed out what I had and then we headed for the dance. It was alright, but I left after the first 10 minutes and we just chilled. Rotary didn't really care what we did, so we all hung out the whole night and went to bed about 3. But it was possibly one of the best nights ever with my district! I finally feel really close with everyone, and it isn't the English speakers and Spanish speaks anymore. It's officially everyone together now!!

We have all grown so much in the past 6 months. We all can communicate with eachother in German, and we are all a lot more mature. This weekend was absolutely incredible and I really look forward to Eurotour with everyone. 18 days together will be a great time, and it will be amazing see Europe!! I don't regret not getting to know the other district so well because the fact that were clicky with lots of small groups, made it really difficult on all of us, and it then end that is what helped us come together! From all the districts I've met, I can honestly say that district 1940 in the best in Germany! I wouldn't want to be in anyother district!!

Also, while we were discussing Eurotour today, they came in and said that 200 Euros worth of alcohol was taken from the liquor cabinet...I'm sure that the other district had fun paying for that one!! ^^

Other news...I payed for my Holland trip and it's from May 30th to June 5th with my class on a boat, and I also replied to my Travel Agent and I plan to be home for the 4th of July....time is really ticking...

Winterferien

Austria....

possibly one of the most interesting, exciting, and painful vacations of my enire life!

Well, we got up at 3 in the morning and headed to Saalbach, Austria. That was the first time that I had ever been to northern Germany or Austria, and it was absolutely incredible. We got to make a stop Munich to pick up my host sister, and it was cool seeing what is the "sterotypical" Germany up close a.k.a. Bavaria. But it was extremely cool.

We arrived in Austria noonish and just chilled for the rest of the day, and met people as they arrived. There was about 35 people total, and one was an old exchange student from one of the families, and the other was a 3 year old. So I didn't have to feel like the only one that was slowing everything down!

For the first 3 days I attended a snowboarding course,and the instructors were mostly from Holland, so their German was relatively easy to understand. At first my snowboard was too small, and I had to run to the place and explain to the guy everything wrong, and then he had my type stuff into a machine, and of course I used the machine in English. Then I had a question and he told me I could use German, and then I had to explain to him that I'm not actually German and that my English is better. He didn't really understand, until I told him that I was an American, but that suprisingly happened a lot in Austria! I was complimented on my German more in Austria than ever before because they all just assume that I have a Berliner accent, wereas in Berlin they all know that I'm American...

Aside from that, I got back & probably experienced one of the most stressful vacation days ever. My class started out with 12, and ended with 5. Needless to say it was a somewhat intensive course. But I managed, along with the other little kids from Berlin who were only 8 and 10, who ended up being my good friends for the week, the second I heard their Berlin accents. But the next day of class was better, there was 5 or so new Berliners, and it was a lot of fun, but the third day sucked because the group got to big and I had a new instructor who was much better than the first, but I got stuck doing the same thing I had already learned with people that I couldn't stand. The third day was extremely pointless, but I did get to speak a little English because my snowboard instructor hardly new German!

After the class I met my host family at the top for a beer, and then we all road down together. I honestly didn't know that I could snowboard! I was extremely slow, but I made it home with only one major fall, where I also fell off the mountain, and it was suprisingly good! The next days went well too, I enjoyed riding with my family but they were extremely fast and they would always have to stop for me, and I was the only beginner in the whole group, so I tried to ride by myself for most of the week.

Aside from snowboarding, it was a very good week just hanging out with Germans and playing German games, and there was ever a few Austrian traditions thrown in. Even though it was often stressful with learning to snowboard, the nights were always a great time and unfortunately I'll probably never get to experience something like this again! It was possibly the best vacation that I've ever had!

Also, ROTARY COFERENCE THIS WEEKEND!!

Aufgeregt!!

I'm so excited to go to Austria now!!! I leave at 3 in the morning my time, so I still have 7 more hours and I don't know what to anymore! Everything has been going great and everything is going great with my host family too! I couldn't of asked for a better time to go snowboarding with my host family!! I am going to a city called Saalbach-Hinterglremm, Austria, for a week with a few other families and that is about a total of 35 people or so. My family makes up for 10 of them. But it will be a week of hopefully only German and I believe no internet!!! But apparently the Austrian accent is difficult and I have to take a snowboarding course for a few days with Austrian instructors, so hopefully it goes well!

I also got my report card today. It's probably the most dissappointing report card ever, but it doesn't matter to me because I was only there for a month....

Well I'll make sure to fill everybody in when I get back, and hopefully with some pictures!! This year of adventures just keeps getting more and more adverturous!