This past weekend was probably the best time I've had so far here in Germany. From Friday to Sunday (today), all of the Exchange Students here in District 1890 traveled up to Heide (about 1.5-2 hours north-west of Hamburg with a car) for our first Orientation. We got to officially meet Jochen Barckmann, Gesa Völkl,  and Karin Gutjahr, who are different Rotarians, and also a few Rotex people who are also here for the Inbounds. I absolutely love meeting with Exchange Students, and have actually been looking forward to this weekend since pretty early in my Exchange. Never before meeting the 2 girls that I got roomed with (Rachel - USA, and Georgia - Australia), we became extremely fast friends, and I already miss being able to talk to and joke around with them.

Saturday morning continued like the night before with a couple different Exchangers from Brasil playing guitar, and everybody singing different songs from their Heimatland (home country). After a cool and windy 2.5 hour boat ride from Büsum, we arrived at Helgoland which is a small island in the North Sea. There, we got to walk along the beach, take pictures of the Grey-Seals, and then have lunch in a small restaurant, before riding to the other island, Heligoland. Here, we got to walk around the small city, shop, and take pictures before having to to finally head back to Heide.

Grey-Seals on the shore of Helgoland in the North Sea

The restaurant on the beach of the island 

Crazy Exchangers<3

The second island, Heligoland

Overview of the island!

Later that night we got to do presentations for each country, which included singing, videos, and a lot of dancing! There are people from Brasil, Mexiko, Ecuador, Columbia, Paraguay, Chile, Argentina, Taiwan, Thailand, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, America, Canada, Russia, and also Finland; for a total of 58 inbounds (which is a pretty big group). The Americans all said their state (theres about 9 of us), and then we decided on singing 'Sweet Caroline'. The rest of the night afterwards was so much fun being able to have a party with all of the Exchange Students, as well as Rotex, and have an amazing time together. 

The way I'm explaining parts of what went on during the orientation could never do the weekend justice. People you never even knew 2 days ago suddenly become your best friends, and even though we know we'll see each other again soon, goodbyes here are never fun. I drove to and from the orientation with my YEO (Youth Exchange Officer; Herr Schulze), and I remember on the way back as we were leaving, feeling this huge pulling sadness in my stomach, and how I almost wanted to cry because I already missed them all so much. I couldn't help but think that this was just the beginning of what it's going to be like months from now, when we know we won't see some of our best friends for a long time. Talking to Exchange Students afterwards, all we could say was how much we wanted to go back, how we couldn't wait for the next meeting and orientation, and making plans together for the time inbetween. Exchange really does give you the most incredible friends in the world, and from all over the world. It gives you something unique between each other that I know you would just never find any place else. There really is nothing like Exchange friends.

D1890 Inbounds 2013-14! 

P.S. Tuesday, (Sept. 24.) is officially two months for me here in Germany. You don't believe time really does fly until you begin watching it disappear. Being on the plane feels like yesterday, but the difference between where I was, and who I am from then to know in really incredible. And I honestly wouldn't trade that for anything.

This week has gone from cold to colder, with wind and rain almost every day. I'm trying to decide if the weather has something to do with me finally getting sick. Typical head cold for the past few days, but unlike at home, I really can't do anything for it here. And I'm still going to school as usual, but I kind of wish I wasn't. But just like when I'm at home, I still just kind of deal with it, and go as normal. 

Earlier this week I got to Skype with my real mom, sister, and dad for the 2nd time since I got here, exactly seven weeks ago. It really was great to talk to all of them. There's not quite anyone here that I'm that close to yet in comparison to my family, and it was nice to almost catch up with what's going on in their lives, and also my little sisters new life in high school (which I still can't really believe she's old enough for..). We talked for over 3 hours, which for me, definitely flew by. I understand how my sister must've felt. Being connected back home for a while, but when you finally hit the red button; you're left alone, without your family, in silence. It wasn't necessarily a 'bad' thing, but it was much different than I remember it being on the other side of the calls. One of the Exchange Students in my district here told me that he Skype's with his family almost every day. Granted I was able to learn German before I came here, so it's easier to communicate here, I'm happy with Skyping or really talking on a less frequent basis. I think that it's probably a lot better (at least for me); so I'm tied into my new family and friends much better, instead of my computer. 

Also during the past few weeks, I've had my first private German lessons with a friend of my host mom's who's gotten to study languages. My first lesson was with another girl in the district who's from Colombia, but my second was just Frau Fröhlich and I. The beginning of the lesson's was just an overall assessment, but she said that my German was already very good, and she was surprised at how much I could speak and understand. Our lessons are about 20 minutes from my school (by foot), and we've read, written, spoken, sang, and of course laughed. I already like going to the German lessons (1-2 hours), and I'm also beginning to read short Märchen (fairytales) for us to work with. I think that I was one of the only Exchange Students in the area that didn't actually attend a language course provided by Rotary, but I'm glad now that I'm getting extra help to hopefully get me speaking and understand everything so much faster!

Just a little while ago we got a call that my Rotary allowance was finally in my account here for July, August, and September. Later this month we have our first Rotary Orientation, and I've been making plans with Exchange Students, and my friends from school. Now if only I wasn't sick!

I realized a few minutes ago that I'm in my third month on Exchange... July, August, September... August seems to have definitely flown by. I'm sitting here astonished, thinking there's no way that that much time could have already passed. I'm passed the first stage of Exchange, and now I really have settled in, gotten closer to my family, and kind of begun a day to day routine here. I get to school on my own, I know how to help around the house, and my mom and I have our favorite bakery that we love going to. 

This past week I got to meet with a group of Exchange Students again in the city! Meeting with them is easily one my favorite things to do. I'm already good friends with a few guys that I met from Brasil, as well as people from Mexiko, India, and others. Someone that you've never met before, know nothing about, and just start talking to can become your best friend in a matter of hours. One of the girls here (from India) just started upa conversation with me, and five hours later we were still talking, knew more about each other than some of the people I've known for years back home, found out so much that we have in common, and have already made plans to hang out sometime soon. Already, I've made such amazing friends, and talk to them on a regular basis. Exchange gives you a connection to people that you could never get any place else.

            L --> R: Juhie (India), Yuri (Brasil), Me, 劉克薔 (Taiwan), David (Taiwan), Mathues (Brasil), Carlos (Mexico)

Also this past week, I went to the 'Big Band' that my school has. There's no way that I could play an instrument for 6 years, improve so much, and then somehow just stop for a year without losing so much progress. I definitely took my band class back home for granted. Here, there were 17 people including me (compared to about 60-70 at home). I didn't even play because the instrument they had for me was such a different make that I couldn't even do it. I didn't realize how good our program at ConVal really is. The director here is also my Deutsch, and DSP teacher. They don't focus as much on intonation, beat counts, dynamics, etc., and their 1st clarinet part was about equal to our 3rd, or maybe 2nd. Because schools in Germany don't have sports teams, unlike at home, there are no pep rally's, no big events to play at, so the band itself is a much smaller ordeal, and for the most part the atmosphere is just so different.

I finally filled out my first Monthly Report for Rotary yesterday. Everything I'm experiencing now was once just stories I'd heard about from Rebounds at meetings in my home district. I never knew how they would come to life for me, and I've definitely learned first-hand to put any expectations away, and just embrace everything that happens just as is comes.