New Years

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!

2009 has come and gone, and what a roller coaster of a year it has been. Let me put my year into a nutshell for everyone. (I am gonna copy my friend Lisa here and make a list...hehehe, you know they say copying is the most sincerest form of flattery : ])

January: Interviewed to become an exchange student. [I honestly didn't think much of it at the time]

February: Found out I had been accepted, and that I was going to Germany; but still didn't really believe I would do it.

March: I found out which city and district I would be put in. I even started to e-mail my new future host family.

April: Still e-mailed back and forth between my new host family. I got some German books and started to look at the language.

May: GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL!! State mandated education is finally finished for me, all other education is up to me.

June: Started taking some crash German courses with Mrs. Laumer. Spent lots of time with my family. Saved money through working.

July: Still working and saving money for Germany. Spent the last month with my family doing all sorts of crazy things.

August: Made the biggest move of my life to Germany. And... once again started school...

September: Still getting the hang of German lifestyle, still couldn't really understand what was being said to me.

October: Learning more and more, finally used to school again. I could understand a lot of what was going on around me.

November: Switched host families for the first time. And it is the first time I have ever been in weather so cold.

December: I now understand almost everything!! I am working on my grammar and ability to speak back to people.

^ Me in the snow right after the new year came^

^Some of my friends getting ready for the fireworks^

^Poliana and I, we are still getting used to the weather...^

I had a great time with all of my friends here. I look forward to the New Year!!

I wish everyone a Happy New Years. I have a Skiing trip to Austria coming up in about two weeks, so I really look forward to that. Then I get to celebrate my birthday here!

~Amanda