To Germany, From America

Well, here I am sitting with my dog like it's just another day.  Except, obviously, it's not.  Today (in a few hours), I leave my beloved United States of America to hop across the pond for a semester in Germany.  How am I feeling?  Well, I'm glad you asked.

The bottom line is I am absolutely, irreversibly, 119%... actually, I don't have a word to describe it. I've been trying to take everything in these past few days: my family, my friends, Florida sunsets, driving around town, familiar and unfamiliar American businesses, the twists and turns of the roads that I know like the back of my hand, the familiar landmarks - basically just life as I have known it.  Life has been good, but I'm looking forward to turning the page and starting another chapter now - one entirely my own.  Studying abroad isn't something everyone gets to do, which is partly why I'm determined to make this semester the best it can be.  The other reason is that this is something I've wanted to do my entire life - I didn't know how, I didn't know when, and I didn't know where, but I've known I wanted to study abroad for a while now.  I'm excited to get back to Germany as well as other European countries, to immerse myself in the culture (especially the food) and learn impossible new things.  However, I don't just want to learn things about people and places, I want to learn from the people I meet.  I want to understand their lives, their views, their hopes, their fears.  I hope I can return with plenty of stories not just of places I've seen, but people I've met along the way. I want to take a lot of pictures, but not lose the moment by being absorbed in preserving it for the future.  I want to try every piece of food put in front of me.  I want to meet and befriend my host family and really make them my home away from home.  I want to see what God has in store for me.  Side note: I really don't like using the word "want" so much, 'cause it sounds a bit demanding, but I honestly mean it in more of a desiring way.

After that long-winded response, you may be sorry you asked, but oh well.  Better luck next time:)

Also, I hope it snows. Really, really hope it snows.

Claire

Quote of the Day:
"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." ~ St. Augustine

Song of the Day:
The Best Day ~ George Strait