Midyear Seminar and more!

As many of you know, language camp was basically the best month of my life. I spent my first month in an American bubble with teamers, teachers, and other exchange students who hugged me and made me laugh. However, I was not ready for the amount of joy and sadness that midyear seminar would bring. First off, I would like to say that today is my 6 month mark which means I only have 5 months until I am back on USA soil. Realizing this fact has made me want to cram as much travel, adventure, and learning into my last months. On the train to midyear I was really calm, and I don't think I had totally grasped the fact that I was going to hug all of my friends again. Once I walked through the youth hostel's door, at least 30 people came toward me and wrapped me in tons of hugs! It felt amazing to be hugged, to have my hair played with, and even to speak English. Three of the teamers from language camp made reappearances at midyear, and there presence was amazing. Not only do I look up to them, but I also really enjoy talking to them and hearing their advice.

On my first night I just enjoyed seeing everyone, had some dinner, and then had a short group meeting in an upstairs room. By day two I had spoken more English than I have spoken in months. In fact, there was a point in the second day where I attempted to tell one of my friends something in English but forgot what words to use, so instead I had to speak German to get my idea across! That made me really happy and feel a lot more confident in my learning progress. On the second evening we went into Bonn, went to a history museum, and got to have free time for dinner. I found my first Mexican restaurant in Germany, and it actually was pretty good. I also stopped by the Haribo store, and was amazed at the number of items you can buy there. On day three we worked in small groups and played games together. Not only did I keep my small group from language camp, but also one of my my favorite teamers was my small group leader, so our meetings were filled with laughter and good memories. We walked into the small town center and enjoyed a huge snowball fight. Then, of course, I slipped in the ice two times in a row and had to walk back to the hostel in soaking wet clothes where I then tripped over a table and was safely escorted to the large meeting room. We promptly got into our pajamas and played a hug scavenger hunt game throughout the hostel. Because it was our last night with each other, I stayed awake until 4:00 am talking to my favorite teamers and some of my friends. We played Uno, and then slept for about 3.5 hours. I was actually still excited to wake up at 7:30, but I have never been so sad to say goodbye. It was so amazing to see everybody, and the closer we got to leaving the more I felt like crying. Saying goodbye took a long time, and I hugged everybody multiple times. 

Riding home was also hard because I wanted to stay with my amazing second family so much! Once I got home I was so exhausted from the lack of sleep as well as the emotional goodbyes, and I promptly fell into bed. I still miss my big, awkward exchange family, but feeling their love and support and hearing their stories made me feel much more confident and happy. I can't wait to see them again, and I truly believe that they will always hold a place in my heart as my strange family of puzzle pieces that are all different but somehow fit perfectly. 

I will definitely be posting more pictures as soon as I download them, so never fear. Also, I would really appreciate it if all of you could sign this petition: http://savecbyx.org/  My program is facing budget cuts which means that less kids will be allowed to go in the next coming years. I really want this program to continue sending as many kids as possible. It has done so much for me, and I truly believe I am a stronger and better person because of it. Please help save CBYX and allow other kids to experience this life-changing adventure!

After Christmas I got to travel throughout Germany a little bit, and it was so much fun!

First, I went about 5 hours south to Bamberg. My cousin lives in Bamberg, and I stayed with her. I got to go sight-seeing throughout the town, eat at an American diner (absence does make the heart grow fonder), and play in my first German snowfall! Bamberg is a really pretty city with lots of historical buildings and cathedrals. I got to go to museums and go bike riding throughout the city center. I even got to hang out with my cousin's cat who slept on my legs every night. My mom, sister, and brother then met me in Bamberg. Seeing them was the best Christmas present ever! My mom sent me a package for Christmas, but unfortunately it got stuck in customs, but I finally got it on the 31st. That was really fun because it was filled with stuff from home.

I got to see how Nürnberg celebrates New Year's Eve, and it is the craziest thing I have ever seen. I think it is crazy all over Germany though because fireworks are usually illegal, but on New Year's Eve they become legal for 24 hours. There were so many fireworks coming from all directions, so it was definitely a once in a lifetime experience.

After Nürnberg, I went to Munich for the second time this year. I visited a lot of the places that I visited last time such as Neuschwanstein Castle and Marienplatz. I also got to see the toy museum, Dachau, and Hohenschwangau Castle. There was even more snow in Munich, and it was very nice. Coming from Tennessee, I will never complain about beautiful snow; however, I never miss out on a chance to complain about cold temperatures and windy weather.

We visited my great aunt in Wiesbaden and walked along the Rhein river. We also went to a vineyard in Johannisberg. There is a restaurant that sits overlooking the vineyards, so we had tea above the vineyards and watched the sunset.

On our way up to my host home in Stemwede we stopped in Bad Laasphe. I showed my mom Schloß Wittgenstein where my language camp was. It was really fun to see it again, but it also made me really miss language camp. There was snow there too, and our GPS decided to take us on a scenic route through the woods. My mom even said "Wow! This is so much nicer than the autobahn." Then our car got stuck in the snow and we were in the middle of nowhere. Thankfully, two very nice people saw us and met us in their jeep. They got out with their shovel and started shoveling the snow for us. My sister and I kicked snow out of the way while my brother and mom used coffee mugs to scoop the snow away from the tires. Then my sister, brother, the two strangers, and I pushed the car while my mom steered down the hill. Once we were back on the road my sister said, "Sometimes you meet people who are so insensitive that you question humanity, but then you meet people like that who drive through snow to help strangers push their car." They even drove their car in front of ours to help us find the right road that was free of snow.

Once we got back to Stemwede we had dinner and handed out some belated Christmas presents. My family stayed for a couple days and then went to Amesterdam when I started back to school.

Christmas break was really fun! I spent so much time relaxing, exploring, and visiting museums and cathedrals. I remember being really nervous about the train system when I learned more about it at language camp, but now I feel super confident traveling alone. I definitely am able to stay calm when I am lost and remind myself that every mixup and misunderstanding is just another adventure that I'll get to tell someday. At the moment I am getting ready to get back on the Deutsche Bahn and head to my midyear seminar on Thursday. It will be near Bonn, and I am so excited to see all of my friends and hug everybody that I haven't seen in months! I'll definitely post some pictures from midyear, and there will be a ton on facebook because most exchange students are huge shutterbugs!

I know Christmas has come and gone, and I am a little late. Still, I will tell you about Germany during Christmas. Before coming to Germany I heard of many stereotypes. Some of them are accurate; however, most of them are not. The one thing I did hear about that has been pleasantly confirmed is the Christmas markets. Before coming I heard about how beautiful they are and how much they put you in the Christmas spirit, but you really have to see it to understand. 

The first Christmas market I went to was in Levern, another small village next to my own village. The market was tiny and adorable. They had some food stands and a few stands for jewelry and handcrafted goods, and in the Grundschule (primary school) there were many people selling quilts and clothing. 

The second market I went to was in Oldenburg. I went with my local coordinator and her family, and it was one of the coolest things I've seen. The streets were full of stands for food and handcrafted goods. The thing that impressed me the most was the lights! They were so beautiful, and the streets were covered with them. Basically, it seemed like the whole city came together to transform their city into a winter wonderland. 

I also went to a third market with Mahalia, another exchange student, and her host family. We went to Bremen, one of my favorite German cities so far. It was huge and gorgeous! Once you step out of the train station there is a huge arch of lights and bright chandeliers. Throughout the city there are lights in the shape of stars and light up signs that read each street's name. I actually got to go to this market a second time with my host family, and it was still just as beautiful the second time. The first time I went on a Thursday, and the second time I went on the weekend. I have to say the crowd is probably doubled on the weekend, so it is probably a better idea to attempt to see the markets on weekdays. 

Even though there are amazing booths to look at, I spent most of my time holding a cup of hot chocolate and looking up at the lights hanging above the streets. I got to try several traditional German drinks and dishes, and everything was very delicious! All in all, I have to say that Christmas markets are the epitome of a Christmas in Germany. They definitely lived up to my expectations.