Hello Guten Tag Bonjour
I guess I will start with the apology that you've gotten used to reading and I've gotten used to typing- sorry for the late update but here is what I have been up to in the past months!
(in an attempt at chronological order but really just a mess)
I guess I will start with the apology that you've gotten used to reading and I've gotten used to typing- sorry for the late update but here is what I have been up to in the past months!
(in an attempt at chronological order but really just a mess)
- I got accepted into the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech Honors, the William and Mary and St. Andrews Joint Degree Programme, and put on the waitlist at Cornell University this spring. As for decisions, I have accepted my offer to William and Mary in Virginia and St. Andrews in Scotland and am looking forward to spending the next 4 years at both schools studying International Relations.
- Spring break: a visit from my Mom and a trip to Paris! Absolutely wonderful, couldn't have asked for a better way to get some quality mother-daughter time! Pictures on Facebook :)
- Local Fun: A visit to Dusseldorf with a few exchange students and my local coordinator gave me the chance to see the capital of my bundesland, Nordrhein Westfalen, and see some gorgeous Japanese gardens! I attended a techno festival in Bonn, saw fireworks on the Rhien river, celebrated my host dad's and two sister's birthdays, joined a running group, started running through Windhagen with my friend Julia and enjoying the finally warm weather, saw Dortmund BVB win a game against Frankfurt in the home stadium, and have become a huge fan of picnics and grilling with friends.
- 18th Birthday: The 18th birthday is the biggest in Germany, you are allowed to do everything at 18 (driver's license, alcohol, vote, lottery, casino, etc., etc.), so when I realized I would be celebrating my 18th here, I was pretty excited! I went to school where I got not 1, not 2, but 5 cakes from friends and a few gifts. Everyone gave me a hug and smiles and exclaimed "Alles Gute!" wherever I walked. I felt so loved and couldn't have asked for a better way to ring in the year! That night, I went to a Farin Urlaub Racing Team concert with my host parents and sister, Sarah. It was such a blast! Although I could only sing along to a few songs, the dancing and jumping was something I will never forget! From the start of the chorus of the first song, everyone around the stage started pushing and shoving one another and jumping in a concert style called "Pogo." I thought I would die from both shock and laughter before joining in with Sarah. People were crowd surfing the whole night and the atmosphere was so fantastic. I left the concert covered in the sweat of about 5000 other people but couldn't have asked for a better night.
- The past week: I had a four day weekend right after my birthday that I chose to take advantage of. My boyfriend, Jackson, visited from the States and we made a tour through northern Europe. I showed him Bonn and Cologne before we left on Thursday morning to visit Amsterdam, Paris, and Bruges. It was such a wonderful trip and the memories will last a lifetime. Some of our favorite stops were the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Eiffel Tower and Versailles in Paris, and the walking and canal tours through Bruges. It feels like a dream when I think back on this trip (and honestly this year in general) and I am beyond lucky to be able to have and share these experiences.
Tomorrow night I will be on my way to Hamburg to visit my lovely best friend, Mira and enjoying another 4 day weekend (Pfingsten)! My host family said Hamburg is one of their favorite cities in Germany so I am looking forward to seeing it and making even more memories to tie off my last month in Deutschland.