The week I learned all nighters can be fun

The weekend of the 7th and 8th was probably one of my favorites. Saturday, Mithchell, Madeline, Emily and I spent the day in the Rhinaue park. We rented a pedal boat and spent two hours on the pond listening to music, people watching and taking in the sunshine. While on the boat we spotted a soccer ball and a football floating along the edge. In an eventful rescue mission we salvaged both balls and went back to shore. We started threw the football and used the soccer ball as a volleyball until our arms were sore. Tired and hungry we went back to our host family's for a barbecue. When we arrived, all the neighbors were outside sitting around a long picnic table. There were freshly blossomed flowers on the table complimented by colorful table runners. We ate barbecued cheese, sausage, vegetables, fresh bread, fruit, and salad. It was the perfect way to spend a sunny day.

The rest of the week was packed with enmodes preparation. I was glad that my other classes were de-emphasized so more time could be devoted to enmodes. With the big presentation approaching, stress levels were definitely on the rise. The last two days we spent a total of probably 36 hours at the AIB rehearsing our presentations. As the nights got later and later, people started to become more sleep deprived and delirious. We got to the point where we invented a new ping pong game called "around the world". This allowed more than four people to play ping pong at a time.

Friday was presentation day. I was slightly nervous to be presenting but I knew what I had to say. I implicated some of the alexander techniques I learned from Jane, Dr. Wasser's wife, to stay calm. Overall I think the presentations went very well and we all left feeling proud.

The following weekend was full with Big Event and Marathon activities. Saturday we woke up super early to get to our Big Event project. I was stationed at a non-profit that collects and distributes clothes for  the homeless and refugees. It was really uplifting to learn about the type of work that they do, especially with current stigmas against Syrian refugees.  Sunday was the Bonn Marathon. I was a little nervous to be running the half marathon. I had never run that much before and did not have enough time to train with all the enmodes preparation. Nevertheless, I was able to finish. Seeing my host family and the Bonn community cheering us on really kept me going. By the end I was completely exhausted, my legs were about to give out and the only thing I wanted was a nap. Still I was extremely proud of myself and happy that I was able to conquer this challenge. It taught me a lot about my own strength and tenacity.