This is my documentation for my family and friends so that we can keep in touch while I spend a year half way around the world. I will do my best to document the good times, the bad times, the happy, the sad. Hope you enjoy!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Airplane Ticket and Slow Moments

I purchased my airplane ticket to DC today :)...well technically my dad did but yea same thing. Yesterday we had another pre-departure orientation, this one seemed kind of short... we talked about packing, host family gifts, etc.
You are probably wondering what the 'slow moments' in the title of the post means so here it goes. Well just about everybody I know that is going to Germany with AYUSA has gotten accepted by Partnership International... but I never got an e-mail saying I was accepted. So after the orientation I called Jeanne only to find out I have been accepted MONTHS ago haha. Yea, so jokes on me. Anyways that is pretty much all for now.
Bis später, Jenaé

Monday, June 14, 2010

Orientations etc.

So I had orientations 12 days ago it went well. It lasted for about an hour, we talked vaguely about what to expect and what is going to be going on once we arrive in Germany.
Here is a list of what we talked about:
  • Travel to Germany
  • Arrival in Germany
  • Language Camp
  • Mandatory Seminars
  • End of Program

We recieved more details about our flight to Germany. Language camp is held in a former monastery/cloister. English is strongly discouraged from Day 1. NO English is a frightening idea but oh well its all part of the program. We got to see what our daily schedule would look like one word to describe it. Busy. Basically composed of classes and eating. I am totally ok with the second part, I mean who doesn't love food? We talked about some of the 'fun stuff' we would be doing which consided of a Talent Show, Dance lessons, Excursions (can I hear a woot woot for traveling?) We found out when Language camp ends :( but on a bright note we travel by train to our host family... Maybe it's just me but I have never traveled anywhere by train and the idea seems really exciting. Ok moving on... we have mandatory seminars the first one is in Januar (January) and will be held in Köln then at the end of the year in June we have one in Berlin and we get to visit the Bundestag (aka German parliament). On a not so exciting note we found out when we leave.

Well anyways, having this orientation has got me really exciting and actually I have another one tomorrow. I can't believe there are only 62 days left until I start this mind blowing adventure. It seems so far away yet so close but there is so much that I want to do before I leave. First things first I need to get an airplane ticket, hopefully within the next week. It's impossible to express how excited I am right now but at the same time it still seems surreal like when we had the orientation you just get so excited and then after it seems like everything goes back to 'normal'.

Hopefully this blog gets more interesting. Until then.