'Til the bitter end

So, I am pretty darn sure that I am the last one to post here but there have been multiple crises (lost passport, issues with ticket reservations, clothes going missing, phone dying, computer dying, etc.). I don't think it would have been nearly as interesting had everything gone swimmingly and as long as everything that goes wrong happens over here instead of over there it will have been a very successful trip. Unlike most of you I chose to room with college students instead of a full family, and as a consequence of this and the fact that teenagers are typically distracted I know very minimal info about my living situation. Here is literally all I know: I am rooming with Dustin who is 20 and Lisa, the only thing I know about Lisa is her name and the fact that she is from Hanover. I know a little more about Dustin though most of it I gleaned from some rampant facebook stalking. I am living 1.3 km from the AIB in the 2nd or 3rd story of a townhouse (I say "or" because some things were lost in translation) that has a beautiful back yard which backs up to a train track which I actually think is pretty cool.

That's my house and all of my stuff by the way. Anyhow, I am pretty determined to learn how to speak german at least competently and I have the whole rosetta stone and all that so my roommates will probably be hearing some pretty poorly pronounced german and frantic typing deep into the night but I suppose it will all be for the better in the end. Keeping grades up is my first priority though and I think that with the remarkably small class sizes I really have no excuse but to learn. Though it may not be what most would consider a truly important goal I am going to make a point of it to travel as much as I possibly can, I mean it's what I'm going for anyhow. I fancy myself a climber and as such there are three places I am required to visit before I eat it, Hueco Tanks, Texas, Rocklands, South Africa, and Fontainebleau, France and though it is six hours away I will be making the trip to Fontainebleau. Skiing and ice climbing in Austria and the like are also pretty darn high on my list.

Packing has been quite the experience as I am sure you all know. I have wool socks out the wazoo and more than a few waterproof items, to tell you all the truth I had most of the stuff before the first meeting simply because I like to get myself into some crazy situations outside, but hey, any excuse to buy more stuff. I'm actually going to stay pretty formal on this trip in a desperate attempt to not look like a horrible dirty American tourist so that should be interesting.

All in all I've managed to stay pretty calm but my parents are freaking out, which I suppose is pretty natural, I tend to take pretty crazy trips like this fairly often though not for nearly as long.

Looking forward to seeing all of you tomorrow.