Alles Gute........

The title translates to all is good....but the hesitation is that there are some not so good things to be said in this post. Not to worry I am not going just rant and complain about everything I don't like. And to make this clear, life is perfectly fine and everything is OK, but these are just normal exchange student problems and are a part of the whole experience, and I feel it relaxing to vent in this blog. For those of you who know me, this is not a normal thing for me to do, and write about feelings and yeah enough said. I also wanted to write about some things, for the outbounds who may read this in some months, because I remember being there and wanting to read about peoples exchanges. But I knew when I signed up for this that it wouldnt be easy, and I wanted to read about that and what difficulties lied ahead, but I couldnt find anything. So this is for that purpose as well.

Homesickness, I didn't think I would feel it, but I do. It hits me when I come home after school and we are preparing dinner, and I just miss my family. The way WE did it, it is perfectly fine here, but I miss our way of preparing a supper, or the way we didnt really, and how we would just have pizza and watch tv. They also have a dog, and it only reminds me of my dog, and how I much I miss mine. Also just being at the supper table with a different family then your own every night. My host family will eventually be my second family, but it is in the stage where the newness is worn off, and it still isn't familiar, so an awkward stage almost. But it is still fine, and they are nice. But it always reminds me of home, and I am homesick.

Making Friends. For me, it has been difficult. The language barrier has proven to be the toughest part of exchange for me. I want to be a part of the kids at school, and they talk to me. But i feel separate from them, like I just tag along, and wait for someone to translate something for me. They are nice, and it is definitely not their fault. Maybe mine of just wanting it to be like....home. But exchange students are my best friends, and I think it will be like that always. It just is. I will try my hardest to make german friends, but for this to actually occur and for me to actually be what I consider friends with my classmates, I will have to learn German. Which brings me to my next topic.

The Language. I guess I underestimated how hard learning a completely new language is. I thought, oh yeah well I will be able to pick it up, and within the first few weeks I should be talking mostly in German. I was soo wrong. It is extremely hard, and you have to put in the effort everyday to just keep on trying. I know how to construct some very basic sentences, but I cant really understand whats being said to me. I catch a few words here and there, but it is still very challenging. I have been here for 11 days, so I guess progress is good? It is exhausting and german as well makes me home sick, because I feel like I just would like to be home, where everything is in English, and I know exactly what is going on.

But while I miss home, I do not want to be there. I signed up for this, I want to do it, and I want to defeat these challenges ahead of me. I am ready to do this, and I already feel way more independent here, and I feel like when I come home, I will be completely 100% different, in a good way. I feel this transformation taking place already. Just the way I do things, and how I act, towards other people and life in general. Exchange already is the best decision I have ever made, and honestly I have only had a ok good experience so far. But I know what is ahead, and it only gets better everyday.

So far I have tried some true bavarian culture things. That was a bad way to word it, but I probably shouldnt explain these on here. Some are very..... different. And I am enjoying the new culture and change. I am going to visit some caslte of Bavaria and its for to learn about an old king of Bavaria. More culture, yumm :D And the weekend after that is another Rotary one!!! And did I mention that I went to oktoberfest last weekend. What a blast. There really isnt much to write about it, other than a big beer fest, with a fair mixed in, and thousands upon thousands upon thousands of people. So yeah rollercoasters and and fair food, and BEER. But it is soo expensive, and the tents are crowded, but who cares, because it is AWESOME.