Karneval!

This Saturday was Karneval in Ronshausen and it was certainly a unique experience. I don't konw that I can really explain Karneval or even really compare it to something in America. Everyone was dressed up (the theme was the 70s, but you could really just dress how you wanted to) and there was quite a bit of alcohol. The program included lots of dance performances, stand up comedy, and lip synching. By the end most everyone was standing on the chairs and cheering. Afterwards there was an After Show Party, which was just more drinking and dancing to music that wasn't really all from the 70s. I was honestly a little disappointed and had expected a lot more from the evening, but I'm still excited that I was able to experience it and take part. They also played Sweet Home Alabama, which made me really happy and sad and homesick. In exactly one month from today my family will be here visiting me. I am unbelievably excited and yet I already know how sad I'm going to be when the leave. We're making big plans and I honestly cannot wait to really see them face to face and be able to hug them and just share with them a little bit of my life here. I hope that everything is good back home. If anyone has any questions or comments feel free to let me know!

Golden Twenties

Last Friday one of my good friends from youth group turned 20, and to celebrate she had a twenties themed party. The party was complete with costumes, swing music, and a photo room! It was a lot of fun and everyone did a great job dressing up!

I'm Still Alive I Promise

I would like to apologize for not updating my blog in almost a month. I know. I'm the worst. But I promise I'm about to post like 3 times today just to make up for it. The last month has been pretty routine. I'm doing well and I'm alive and I'm happy. I've got less than 4 months until I go home. But I'm starting to get really excited for college! I'm 97% sure I'm going to UAB (unless Johns Hopkins accepts me and then decides to give me all the scholarships) and I'm really looking forward to it. Yay growing up!!

Hey winter! Where've ya been??

We got our first real snow yesterday!

My American Bubble

Ahweiler

This past weekend was our Midyear Seminar and we spent it in the beautiful little town of Ahrweiler. It was a much needed break and one of the best weekends I've’ve had in a long time. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed all of my exchange friends and speaking English and telling jokes that people actually get, but I certainly realize it now. Four days was just not enough time to catch up on what’s happened in the past five months and it was actually really difficult to leave my little American bubble so soon.

Bonn <3

The weekend actually wasn't anything like I’d expected it to be. I wasn't even that excited to go besides the fact that I’d get to miss a little school, but before the end of the first night I knew I wasn't going to be ready to go by Sunday. I was ready for a lot more lectures and A LOT more sleep than we ended up getting, but I think I learned a lot. We got to go to Bonn and see the city and there was yet another wonderfully messy crepe to add to my memories. We also had a ton of free time to just hang out and talk and tell stories. It was great. Words can not accurately describe the relationship I have with my fellow exchange students. Even though each and every one of our experiences is different, no one understands how I'm feeling better than they do and to have access to 47 other people who know what you're going through is invaluable. Our connection is so strong and I don't think I could imagine a better group of people to be here with.

I know I can't wait to see everyone again in Berlin at our End Year Seminar, but yet again I can. That’s only a short four months away, and those months are going to fly by. I have so much to look forward to in each and every of the upcoming months, weeks, and days. And I don’t want to waste one moment of it wishing it’d go faster.

Happy New Years!! Frohes Neues Jahr!!

So to start off I'd like to apologize for taking so long to write this. I realize that new years eve was like last week and everything.. I'd like to be able to say that I've just been really busy, but it's more that I'm just lazy. But anyways I'm writing it now and hopefully that's good enough.
So I was able to bring in 2014 in a very special and memorable way. A few weeks before new years eve I had thought that I'd be celebrating the new year with my host family. But then they decided not to have a big party, so I ended up deciding to celebrate with my youth group. I was really torn because I really wanted to spend the night with family, but I also wanted to do something big for my one new years in Germany (or maybe I should just say my first new years in Germany. Who knows?). I thankfully ended up getting the best of both worlds and was able to eat dinner with my host family, and then go hang out with the youth. So in Germany most of the families eat a dish called Raclette for their new years eve dinner. It's a little bit like fondue in the sense that you're eating food covered in melted cheese. But the two differ in the method by which you get the melted cheese on the food. So instead of melting a pot of cheese and then dipping food in it, you fill up a little tray with food you want to eat, cover it with a slice of cheese, and then set it in a grill thingy which then melts the cheese. It takes a pretty long time and they're pretty small portions, but it's yummy!
So after dinner I went to the church, where the youth then proceeded to eat dinner. I was already stuffed, so I mostly just watched. After dinner we hung out for a little while until it was closer to midnight and then we proceeded to hike up a mountain with torches. I was taken a little off-guard at first since it was cold and dark and outside and everything, but I got to carry a torch which made me feel epic and adventurous. After we reached the end of our journey, we did a little bit more waiting. Then the clock struck midnight and the magic began. From our spot on the mountain we were overlooking at least 3 cities, and at midnight all throughout these cities people began to shoot off fireworks. From where we were we could see them all at once, and it was probably one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. 10 out of 10 would recommend. I wish I could share pictures, but I only had my iPod, which is a terrible firework picture taking apparatus. (If anyone reading this happened to be there and take pretty pictures, I'd love for you to send them to me so I can share).
But of course nothing can be completely perfect. When we got back to the church I realized I had lost my cell phone somewhere in between the top of the mountain and the church. My host parents picked me up short after and I was certain all hope was lost. But the next morning my host mom received a text from my phone saying that someone had found it while walking their dog and we could come pick it up that evening. Which just goes to show that there are good people all over the world. That is actually the second time I have lost my phone in the middle of the night and had someone find it, get in touch, and give it back. (The first time was at a haunted corn maze in America.)
I have one more week of Christmas vacation, and then I have to go back to school. I'm not particularly looking forward to it, but hopefully it won't be too bad. No big plans so far this week. I did cut all my hair off on Friday, but other than that things are pretty chill. I hope everyone had a wonderful new years!!

Christmas Season. Take 2.

So I bet I don't have to remind anyone that this last week was Christmas. Which means that this last week was hectic and full of family, presents, and, of course, food. I know that beforehand I was super worried that that Christmas time would be a really hard time for me to be away from my family. I thought homesickness would hit me hard and that it would be really difficult for me to enjoy Christmas time here. Thankfully, that wasn't how it went down. I mean of course I missed my family back home and would have really liked to have been there to celebrate with them, but it was such an honor to get to experience what Christmas is like in Germany. 
Last weekend my host family drove down to Leipzig with another exchange student and his brother. I'm considering studying in Leipzig for a semester or two of college, so it was nice to get to walk around the city. They had a huge, christmas market and so many beautiful buildings. We also got to meet with some other Americans and it was such a wonderful day.

So in Germany Weihnachten begins right after church on December 24th and a lot of parents hire Santa Clauses to come to their house and deliver presents. I actually was in our church's play for the Christmas service, so I like said stuff in German in front of a lot of people. I was pretty nervous, but everyone said I did well. Afterwards we went to my host mom's parents' house to celebrate. We all ate together and then opened presents. The 25th we celebrate with my host dad's family. We went to a Christmas buffet for lunch and then had coffee and cake a few hours later and then had dinner a few hours later. I was able to skype with my parents for a little bit during the day, just long enough for them to watch me open my presents, but it wasn't until late that night that I was really able to skype my family back home, and man was that wonderful. I ended up staying up until 2am, but it was so worth it just to get to watch my sister open presents and play a few rounds of bingo with my family. 

I am luckier than I can express, and I have you all to thank! I hope everyone had a wonderfully Merry Christmas and has big plans to bring in the new year!