Over the hill and through the woods...

I have arrived!
 After a long day or two of traveling I am finally in Rotenburg Germany.
Everything is so green and beautiful, I love it here. Yesterday I went to Bremen with my host sister Lea. We went shopping and say some of the tourist things like the Bremen town musicians.

Right now it rains all the time but I really don't mind. Lea leaves this Thursday for Argentina and I start school Wednesday. I am trying to keep busy and it's working!

As far as my German goes.... it's not as great as I would have liked. My family is extremely helpful and quizzes me all the time. It is almost like a game. I can understand what others say more than I can speak things back but I am learning how to say things I say often. for example, I'm full and me too.

That is all of my news for now. Check back soon!

From Germany, have a great day today :)

Shannon 

Before I fly I'll say goobye

Yeah that's right! It is now 3 days before I leave and I could not be more excited. Last weekend some of my friends threw me a going away party that was really fun! They are great friends and I know that they will be here when I get back.
I am almost done packing! There are only a few more things that need to be tucked away before I am ready to go. I am taking one check in luggage, one carry on and a backpack. When I look at whats in there is all I need and then some.
Yesterday I purchased a new camera. Samsung wb210! It is fantastic with its touchscreen and all. I can't wait to capture all the fantastic moments I have this next week and year.

This is my last post before I leave this beautiful place in California. Here are some pictures I took in my backyard yesterday with my new camera.





Again, thank you so much Rotary for everything you have done to make this possible, I wont let you down.

18 days

"Hey what are you doing this summer?"

"Ohh nothin, just taking some classes at the JC."

"AWW man that sucks"

At the end of last year that was daily conversation. Later they found out home much it really didn't "suck" it is actually one of they best choices I have ever made (or at least I think that now). No in 6 weeks I completed all of my requirements for junior English in high school and now I have the privilege of going to Germany for a year. The class was fast and I learned a lot. Yeah it took up some time but it was totally worth the effort!!!!! I now know that working hard really has its benefits.

In 18 days I will be on my way to Germany and I couldn't be more excited! It is crazy because I haven't even left yet and I have learned so much. I have already been in contact with some of the exchange students that are already there and it feels like we have known each other forever.

Last weekend I had a going away party with family and some Rotary adults (and Leo the inbound exchange student from Belgium). Above are pictures of me and my family (except my brother).

Thank you so much for your love and support!

Tschüss!

Meet the families

Alright well I have shared a little bit about one of my families but I think I should show you the other one I know about too.

The Domhardts

The pictures below are of my first host family in Rotenburg. There is the house I live in and my host brother and sister. Mortiz is my 18 year old host brother that likes to study languages including Spanish and English. He went on exchange two years ago to Chile. I am told that he also likes sports. Lea is 15 and likes french and Spanish. Lea plays piano and dances. Right after i get there she is going on exchange to Argentina! Frank (my host father) "likes music very much, he has studied violin but also likes jazz and so on.He loves to work in his garden, sitting at the pond and watching what`s on."  He teaches music and biology My host mother Martina  teaches German and religion at the high school I will be going to. For more information on the school go to http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.ratsgymnasium-row.de/&ei=uAQFTsPEH4GisQPX4vHIDQ&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CDIQ7gEwAA&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dratsgymnasium%2Brotenburg%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1R2GGHP_enUS437%26biw%3D1366%26bih%3D612%26prmd%3Divns

The Holstens

The second host family I will be staying with is the Holstens. They have two sons, Jannis and Malte. Malte is 20 years old and Jannis is 16 years. Jannis is an exchange student in
Minnesota near St.Paul/Minneapolis since last August and will come home at the end of July. I have skyped whith Jannis a few times and I am already happy to know him. they live in Waffensen, a little village with 900 people, near Rotenburg. My host mother told me, "Waffensen is a beautiful place which won a price called "Unser Dorf hat Zukunft". That means "Our village is the future". In January 2011 we drove with over hundred people to Berlin (capital of Germany) receiving our price. Only 8 villages from Germany earned this honor."

It sounds like a really special place to me and I feel lucky to live there.

Above are some pictures of their family.

 Kirsten is my host mother and Andreas is my host father.

I can not wait to get there. Bis Später!

Awkward pause...

Whenever I hang out with anyone other that my immediate family, they usually only talk about my exchange. Don't get me wrong I love talking about it but I don't love talking about it when they really aren't interested.  I think that people think it is only polite to ask my about my exchange and I don't the edict it just seems thats all peole ask me about. I feel a disconnect from my friends and I'm sure they feel the same. It is weird knowing that you wont be going to school or seeing these people again for a year.
School has been ok. I like my German class I just have to get used to all the extra work in the summer. My english class is kind of sucking the life out of me and I almost wish i only took one class but i know it will be worth it.

A little out of the ordinary

Right now most 16 year old in my town are either at the beach or hanging out with friends or many other fun things... I on the other hand am not. I am taking a break from doing homework :). Today was my first day at the JC and it really wasn't bad because I got out early. In the mornings I am taking German and in the afternoon I take English so that I can graduate on time. My English teacher scares me! She said it was going to be on of the hardest classes that we have taken at the JC especially because it is only a six week course. I am worried I wont have any time to work on my German and when I get there I wont know anything. Goodbye folks! Now I have to go read a bunch of stuff on writing and I'm going to love it because I know it will all be worth it in 57 days. By the way thank you so much to every ones support it is making my life way less stressful.

Tschüs

Why should you be 18 to leave home?

As you probably already know, being an exchange student takes a lot of time, effort, paper work, patience, and preparation for your year to come. Luckily, I don't have to deal with all the visa paperwork because of Germany's foreign policy towards America. I actually don't have to get a visa at all (as far as I'm aware). Right now I am calling this little break I have my second winter vacation, this is for several reasons. For one, because of the winter like weather, and two because it is only two weeks long. In one week I start school again at the Santa Rosa Junior College. I need to take extra classes to graduate high school on time with the rest of my friends. I have already completed an extra history class so this summer all I have to take is English and of course German. It should be interesting going to the JC during summer but I know that it will pay off in the end.
My feeling towards leaving are a little mixed because right now my family is building a new house in town that we plan on moving into right before I leave. That means that when I come back I will be going back into that new home.
The pictures below are pictures of one of either my second or third host family in Germany! I am very exited to meet them. After skyping with the youngest son Jannis for about an hour I felt so relieved and it began to feel real. He made me feel a lot more comfortable with the whole idea of leaving everything behind for a year.