One year ago this week, I was sitting in my friends craft room and we we talking about our plans for the year to come. There was talk of being upper classmen, taking AP Bio, AP 11 English, and just about school in Madison, Wisconsin.

There was snow covering the grass, we were inside sipping on hot tea, and preparing for the weekly AP World History test. I remember vividly talking about traveling... and then we started talking about going abroad during the summer time. All of us agreed that we never could do a year abroad because it was too much of a commitement, and it would screw up all of the classes we were planning on taking. Sometime in the conversation, Malina Piatt was mentioned. They told me that she was hoping to go to Italy for an entire year. I KNEW Malina Piatt. She was a student at my school who I ate lunch with every single day. She seemed smart, normal, not really anything out of the ordinary. I couldn't believe that she would throw all of her high school career to be an exchange student. She would have to learn a new language, go to a new school, make new friends, and totally RUIN her high school career. I couldn't believe she was willing to leave EVERYTHING! her grades, and family, and friends...

......and then it happened- I started to THINK. I pictured myself in a foreign country. I pictured myself in a completely DIFFERENT setting, with NEW people, a NEW language, a NEW school... a NEW family. The thought intruiged me. What if I didn't go to James Memorial High School in Madison, Wisconsin? What if I left everyone? what if I went to school in a completely foreign language???

I must say that this day I didn't learn the slightest bit of World History. The only thought on my mind was foreign exchange... I felt compelled to give it a shot. I felt like it was my calling... like I was meant to do it!

When I got home that night I told my family everything. I told them that I was interested in going abroad. They respected the idea. (which I know am soooo thankful for... so many parents are so stupid. The hear their child wants to go on exchange and they immediately reject it... they never think about the benifits, growth and knowledge their son or daughter will gain- all they think about it safety, money, or their own plans for their child... THANK YOU mom and dad for understanding) My parents told me that if I could find information about it, they would consider it. THANK GOD FOR ROTARY YOUTH EXCHANGE! I asked my French teacher the next day and she recommended Rotary... I looked online, got the information, read the reviews, and started the most amazing process of my life.

Right now I'm sitting in my room, listening to a song that I never would have understood one year ago. I'm thinking about the homework I need to do for tomorrow- It's not in English. It's in a language that last year, had heard only a handful of timess. This langauge surroundes me everywhere- at home, in school, in public... everywhere- GERMAN!

I LOVE GERMAN SO MUCH! I alway thought that I was meant to go to France. French was my LIFE! I studied it every NIGHT! I thought it was what I was supposed to do... but after living in BERLIN for the past 3.5 months, my thoughts have changed. I LOVE GERMAN! It works with my mouth. It seems natural. Sure I can't understand everything people say, but I feel like I was meant to be here and speak this language. I now am wayyy better in German than I ever was in French! I can't imagine life without it. My home is here in Berlin. I can't imagine it any other way. Whenever I think about going home in the summer (which is a longgg ways away I know) I just CAN NOT. It seems so weird. I can't and won't imagine it. I've finally got settled into this new home here, I can't even think what it will be like going home.

can you believe that I am 1/3 done with my exchange !!! It feels like just yesterday when this whole process started!!!

WELL.... enough with all of the memories- this last week has been pretty amazing. It's that time of year- CHRISTMAS TIME! and everything seems so festive. sure there isn't any snow, and there are a TON of tourists everywhere, but it is a really special time of year. I finally feel like I belong here. I feels like my home. I can understand the main topics that are discussed at school, and I relate to my classmates and friends here.

This past weekend was REALLLLLY special! My friend Stina Seaberg who lives in Middleton, Wisconsin (5 minutes from where I live) and is an exchange student in the near from Hannover, visited me in BERLIN! It was suprisingly realllly cool to actually talk with somone who knows what UW, Mad-Town, Memorial, Middleton, State Street, and Farmers Market are. It was such a great weekend. We went to a party on Friday with my host brother in the farrrrr east side of Berlin- which was really interesting. We had to follow glow sticks to find it. On Saturday we went all around Berlin, then we went up to Sömmerfeld-Beetz to go to my exchange student friends birthday party. it was a lot of fun as well... Sunday we went back to my house for St. Nikolaus. My Shoes were full of candy and Stina became a cup with chocolate in it. It was so cool! Sunday night, it was really NOT COOL to say goodbye to Stina. I felt like I was back home when she was here... when she left, I was back to my normal life.

Sunday night, the whole family gathered around the table and talked about St. Nikolaus day while eating Chinese food. It was really cool. I was really tired from the weekend, but I felt like a family. It no longer is awkward or weird to refuse something, or say no! Just yesterday I got mad at my younger brother for the first time (because he was being really annoying), and we had a little "fight." Its really weird, but things like that make me feel closer to the family. I feel like we can be more real if we are comfortable enough to disagree with eachother.

Today I found out that the first 2 hours of class were church so I didn't go to school because I had no idea where the church was. At third hour I had Englisch, and got my final back- 15/15 points! A+! That was cool to get :) After that I though we had 2 hours of Religion, then 2 hours of Englisch, but turns out both of the teachers weren't there. SWEET! I had only 1 hour of school today! It was great. I also just feel like German is going sooo well! During the breaks I talk with all of my classmates, and to and from school I talk with the classmates that take the same bus. It feels like th language barriers are falling... soooo exciting!!!

So I better get going pretty soon... cause me and my host mom are going to be driving to an elementary school to see if I can do my Social Praktikum there (instead of going to school in January we need to go to help the community in a social way ex. school, hospital, old folks home) I 've been looking FOREVER to see where I can do my Praktikum, and I'm hoping that a Kindergarten will accept me! That would be sooo fun to work with kids for an entire month instead of going to school!!! I'll let you all know ASAP when I figure out where I'll be for school in the month of January.

Until next time- hope everyone is having a pleasant holiday season :)