There and Back Again: An Exchange Student's Tale

Well ladies and gentlemen, this is it. I am officially one week away from being finished with the most nerve-racking, terrifying, vivid, wonderful, beautiful year of my life, and by extension a phase of my life that began two and a half years ago in November 2010 (when I went to Israel on my first exchange trip). I cannot believe I made it through, and I want to share my emotions, thoughts, and advice with whomever may be reading this.

I spent the last five days in Germany's wunderbar capital, Berlin. I saw the sites, I drank the beer, I flirted with girls, I played chess with life-sized pieces. The Brandberg Gate was magnificent, the Wall tragic, and the currywurst amazing. As well as experiencing the city, I participated in a seminar with my exchange organization, and many of my interactions with my friends and fellow students maybe realize how truly happy I have been here, despite all the hardships. I realized how lucky I was to see what I saw and did what I did. I've seen so many cities, skied down the slopes of the Austrian Alps, saw the tragedy of Auschwitz, and made an unbelievably large amount of memories with my friends and host family.

I've never fallen in love with something so fast, after seemingly tolerating it for so long. I truly feel now that Germany is my second home, and I will truly miss it. I will miss it's people, I will miss the food, I will miss the culture. But I think the thing I will miss the most will be me being in it. Just the day-to-day interactions, at school (when I was there), at home, at the REWE. I will miss going to the same trashy clubs on weekends and waking up with the same regrets. I am going to miss everything.

In case you haven't noticed, I've changed. A year ago I would described myself as what I was, a Catholic, American, normal white kid. But now, now, I would say I have no idea who I am; my religion has taken the backseat and I have decided to keep it there for a long while yet, my nationality is more important to me then it ever was but what I define as "patriotism" is beginning to change, my skin color never changed though, but I am anything from normal. I am an individual, one who is built up from these experiences, and they are now what define ME, and will never cease doing so. I am who I am, not what background is, what I was known for, or how I acted in high school. I am a person on the edge of a rapidly changing world, along for the ride.

As my journey nears it's end. I note how curious how it feels like the beginning, not just the beginning of the program, back in D.C. but also in October 2010 when I started my trip to Israel. The more and more I think, the more I realize, this was one big chapter of my life. A beginning and an end, of what I am unsure. But, hey, I am along for the ride.

I laughed, I cried, I loved. I completed a CBYX Exchange Year. I am changed.

“Life is short, break the rules, forgive quickly, kiss slowly, love truly, laugh uncontrollably, and never regret anything that made you smile. Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

― Mark Twain

"Breathing comes in pairs, except for twice, one begins and one's good bye" - The Fray, "Enough For Now" 

Fragility of Life.

I officially have somewhere between two and one and a half months left in Germany. For anyone who has been reading these blogs, you would know have been down, up, back down again, and finally found a happy medium. As my time begins to wind down, I am forced to realize how much I've changed, both willingly and unwillingly, where I have been, what I've done, and where I am going. 

I've seen so pretty amazing stuff here, castles, beautiful countryside, more thousand-year-old cathedrals than I can count. I've been to Cologne, Frankfurt, Nuremberg, and Krakow, among other famous cities. I have also seen some not so amazing places, the smokey interiors of bars and clubs, sketchy alleyways, and dark corners of Germany. However right now, I want to talk about the most memorable places I have been so far: the Auschwitz Concentration Camp, the sight of countless lives lost because of the brutal Nazi regime of World War II. 

Before, Auschwitz, and the Holocaust in general, held only academic, historical meaning to me. As a white, Catholic American, living four generations after my ancestors stepped of the boat, there was little to no personal meaning in it for me. Sure, I have Jewish friends (mostly from Israel) and I understood why it was important to them, but never was anything emotional for me. That has all changed, after seeing the camp and attempted  to grasp how one million people had died in the general vicinity of where I stood, it became terribly personal. I realized the horrific fact, that unless prevented, history repeats itself, and that it has with the Holocaust.  Countless genocides in Africa, the Middle East, and Europe have taken place then. Both subtle and blatant racism (one of the root causes of the Holocaust) still permeates culture in Europe and the Americas, and acts of terror take place all the time, everywhere from Syria and Afghanistan to the United States. 

Which brings me to what happened in Boston. 

The Boston Marathon was bombed, with three people dead and one hundred injured. the city was on lockdown for a week. I was shocked when I heard, I felt powerless because I was half a world away, unable to help in anyway. I couldn't donate money or send some sort of condolence, all I could, and can do, is pray. It's the worst I've felt in a long time. 

I can now fully appreciate how fragile Life really is.  

DFHSDJKFHDJSHFJDKHF SPRING.

Endlich!

Finally spring has arrived in Germany! Woohoo! As promised, an actual post about Germany!

A quick update:
1) I have two-and-a-half months until I come back home.
2) I am currently on my first day of "Osterferien" (Easter Break).
3) it's confirmed I will be going to visit Dredsen over break, Poland in May, and I may be having an opportunity to go to Paris.
4) Apparently sunshine in Germany isn't a myth.

So where to begin? right now I am in the "homestretch" part of my exchange, from what I gather, I will be doing a lot of sightseeing, outdoor recreation, and partying as the well gets brighter and warmer. I am pretty excited, but reaching this milestone in my exchange has forced me to meditate on how exactly I feel about being almost finished, to be going home to family and friends, and to finally say goodbye to Germany. To be honest, I will be happy to leave, not because I hate it here or that I have had a bad exchange experience, but the closer I get to the deadline of departure, the more I realize "it's time" to leave, it's time to go back home to my country, my people, and my family. My reasoning behind this is, through living in Germany, I have discovered how lucky I be an American, this exchange has proven to me that no matter how my personality, beliefs, or worldview may change, I will also be proud of where I come from. Also, one of the  reasons I signed up for this exchange was the homecoming, the though that I had gone out somewhere and done something most wouldn't do, and then return into my family and friend' welcoming arms. It is a feeling I am sure will be something I will never forget.

Germany it's self is a wonderful country, despite all the things I found uncomfortable or intimidating, Germany is home to wonderful people, culture, and even most of it's history can be viewed in a good light. But most of all, the land itself is just plain beautiful, I often finding myself wishing that America's open spaces and Germany's natural beauty could be combined, forming something resembling Toilken's Middle Earth. I am going to miss it.

In conclusion, I know I have enough time to really sink my teeth into my exchange, to really do dumb, crazy, adventurous things, and to be able to forge even more great relationships with the people of Germany than I already have. 

P.S - Apparently people actually read this, even some who are trying to be in the CBYX program next year, so if you are one of those people, here is a quote for you:

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

We Are Getting Cheated: An Exchange Student's Social Commentary

We, the youth of the world, are getting cheated. We are being sold fake love, cheap drugs, and crappy music at the expense of thousands of years of human development and wisdom, of our natural resources, of our national identities. Why? Because we want to be like the people on MTV. We think that this oversexed, overhyped, overdrugged reality shown on our TV screens and getting it blasted at us on the internet, is what life is about. We are getting cheated, and we aren't even putting up a fight.

And we are supposed to be the one changing the world for the better.

Why don't we fight? What is preventing us from ending the destruction of the rainforest? From putting an end to oppressive governments? It's ourselves, we just are too busy smoking the next joint or sleeping off that last hangover. We, as a generation, are counting ourselves out before the fight even starts. We have the potential to change the world, some of us get and already have (the Arab Spring, the campaigns against SOPA, and the countless young people from around the world defending their countries by serving in their countries armed forces), but most of us haven't. Most of us are perfectly content just playing the next Call of Duty or buying a new snapback from some overpriced store at the mall (which probably was built on some cleared out patch of forest, and the hat made by a 5 year old in China). We are to busy securing our own needs instead of securing a future for the planet and the rest of the people who will live there in the future. It's honestly, disgusting.

We, instead of being the generation who collective shout,"No, we aren't going to let consumerism consumer us, we aren't going to live like this, we will stop it." Instead we are just going to rollover, listen to the newest single from Lady Gaga, and let the world destroy itself.

We could change, we could dedicate ourselves to something greater then us. Whether that is an ideal, or your people/country, or God, whatever inspires us. We could change this, we don't have to destroy ourselves, our society, our culture, and our planet. We can prove humanities worth.

But it's up to us. It's our world now, getting freaking motivated. Get in the fight.

P.S I promise the next will actually be about Germany, and not a social commentary.

Thoughts on Sandy Hook....

Hey guys, so I know it's been a bit of time since it happened, but I really wanted to throw up a blog post about my views concerning the shooting at Sandy Hook, gun control in general, and the state of our society.

Sandy Hook was beyond tragic, it was pitiful, a pitiful waste of human life, including the students, teachers, and the madman himself. What drove this young man to murder young children is beyond my understanding. I was shocked by the news, hearing from across an the ocean, I spoke about it in school, with my friends, and with people back home over Facebook. I wanted to feel a sense of unity from my country, an Earth moving cry saying: WE WILL RISE ABOVE THIS. But I didn't.....

The first things I saw on Facebook where statuses pointing fingers at guns, at the government, at video games, at movies, even at God. I am sure, caught up in the partisan wave, I commented on a few statuses, trying to point the blame in a direction (I honestly don't remember). But looking back I am disgusted, disgusted we let a madman with a weapon divide us, revealing Americans as a fractured people, when they should be united.....even my generation, the ones who despite what political, religious, or whatever views that we have, still manage to rise above it everyday, remained divided, pointing the finger at the other side. Most of all, I feel defeated, I feel defeated because the U.S to me was always different. We were the noble ones of the world, we fought to preserve our lives...but now we don't. We need to unite, before it's to late, before the next school shooting (several have occurred since), before the next big natural disaster, before the next terrorist attack (though, by all means, this was an act of homegrown terrorism). If we don't we fail. Simple as that.

So, in conclusion, Sandy Hook for me, was an exposition, showing how truly petty and fickle we have become, how our nobility was lost somewhere, and how we are just a step away from chaos. If the United States became truly united again, we could not only overcome this vile act of cruelty, but we could truly make the wrongs right again, regain our purpose as Americans, and lead the world by example once more.

Sean D

It's been awhile...

So here I am, I have posted since early October, so before I rant...a rundown:
I am now heavily addicted to sci-fi movies, shows, etc....when I have enough time to chill out
Gillian Craig is my exchange student best friend
My German class is awesome
Spent Christmas with my (real) older brother at an Army base in Bavaria
School is meh.
I am now reading Lord of the Rings in German
I have yet to go to H&M and not buy anything
I own four scarves
I have eaten one metric ton of Gummy bears
Met with fellow CIEE/Experimenters in Cologne (went to a prayer service inside the cathedral)
Christmas markets...Christmas markets everywhere
I have yet to seen the Hobbit
German exams suck

So that is pretty much everything from the past 3 and a half months.

Wow, it has been a long time since I posted. I apologize for leaving whoever reads these in the dark, only with random, nonsensical statues on facebook, along with some pictures. Taking an mental, spiritual, psychological assessment of myself and I am in awe of how much I changed in this time period. Although the more I progress into this exchange I am not sure if it is for better or worse. Being here in Germany has made me wonder so much more about the future, where I, humanity, and this planet are headed. I am of course hoping for what I am consider the best, but I feel maybe just a little bit pessimistic then I used.

Overall, I feel so much more different, my opinions, behavior, even how I understand my religious beliefs as a Christian-Catholic. There are times I wish I could go back to understanding the world as it was, before all this change started taking place. It just seemed like so much more of a bright, colorful place then, now with me thinking the way I have been, I would say it far enough to say this world is still bright and colorful, but constantly changing, constantly under threat from a sudden social change or technological discovery, or even industrialization of what is left of undisturbed, real Earth. I just wish the world, even with it's problems right it has, would stay just as it is, for eternity, but it won't, and it can't.

Now you have and idea of what goes through this exchange student't head on a daily basis!

I'll give a detailed rundown of the Mid Year Meet Up in my next post.

The September Slump

I am typing this one from my iPod in front of a warm fire, in Germany. Sounds all cozy and European right? Well it is, but since this isn't on my laptop, please for give any typos, misspellings, or grammatical errors. I've cranking out these things about every two weeks now, mostly because Sunday's or afternoons in Germany provide ample opportunity to do so. So first thing first: I have it the infamous "September Slump" that it is common for a Cbyxer to experience. I miss my family, friends, and my state. I miss my church, my school, the frequent use of the English language, the American mentality, and I am rather upset to be missing string of concerts with some of my favorite artists visiting VB (Matt Maher, Ike Ndolo, Needtobreathe, Ed Sheeran, etc.) I am missing out on Senior year, the first legit homecoming dance in recent Talllwood history, and yes even the THS band program, with my verrückt band director and two good friends as drum majors (Sara and Heather) running the marching band this year (and was given the chance to be in the top ensemble for the first time before I left last year)

To be honest I am telling myself that I am having the time of my life here, that I shouldn't want to trade it for anything, but I am not quite believing it. However, each day is a challenge, and I can feel myself becoming more and more skilled, not only in the German language, but in how I handle myself around people of all kinds (the typical Euro teen is definitely different from how they make them in America, much more akin to college students the. American high schoolers). I am not going to lie, I have failed multiple times already to keep to true to a promise to myself that I was going to stay grounded, not get swept in the moment and compromise what I believe to be my integrity.

But hey, this isn't some epic tragedy, this what being an exchange student is about, to expose yourself to a new culture but still maintain who you are as a person, and in a place that retains some qualities of home, but is yet vastly different, is hard. I am still waiting, praying even that I will come into what I thought was going to perform like here, and go much further from the tourist-like form I have as an exchange student to something much more profound.

In other news...went to my first German club on last Friday. Fun time with a good group of guys, retained my sobriety, and enjoyed myself. Until The group of guys I was with spent two hours getting a cab home, I guess teenagers being bad planners in universal. Wann in Deutschland.

Memories.

Hey y'all.

So right my favorite song is "Souvenirs" by my perpetual favorite band Switchfoot.

This song envokes the thought of memories, life decisions, and loved ones. Everytime I here this song I think of how blessed I am that I have received two different groups of people in my life since July. One is of course, the group of American students/fellow crazy people that I spent three weeks of language camp with (those weeks would be the second, third, and fourth best weeks of my life). The otther would be the 2012 Steubenville Atlanta LEADers. Both groups are some of the best friends I have ever had.

The first group helped me prepare for the totally craziness of life in Germany. The culture shock, homesickness, lonliness were all partially or totally erased over the course of those three weeks. I have never had a group of close friends with such a broad spectrum of beliefs, traits, and interests in my life. They are my primary support group while I am here, be always the first I run to when I encounter a problem or a conflict.

The second group, the LEADers, are just plain awesome. I grew so much spiritually in the week I spent with them. I truly think they are something I miss the most, along with my family and close friends. It never truly hit me how much I learned that week until I came here to Germany, how much I developed and matured. That week in Georgia before the Steubenville conference was probably crucial to spending my time well here.

But, "it does not do well to dwell on dreams and forget to live" and despite the fact that I dream where I can have all these people in my life again, here in Germany, it can't happen. So as I type this, the song ends, quickly picked up NEEDTOBREATE's Something Beautiful. A fitting song, considering, that is what I am here for. To see, to live, to expierence, to learn something beautiful. However, I have learned that because I maybe easily hitting the high point in my life so far. That doesn't mean I feel good all the time, or enjoy myself.

This is something I can parallel with one of my favorite books, "The Hobbit", Bilbo begins his adventure on an inkling, a thought that going on some mad trip to a mountain filled with treasure guarded by a blood thirsty dragon would somehow be worth it all. As it began, he felt lost, confused, not having a single idea what he was doing. Feelings I expierence everyday. But then the story progressed, Bilbo came to love the adeventure. So it is with me, and (to tie this whole mess of a blog post together) what kept Bilbo going in those early stages were his memories of Bag End, Hobbiton, and the Shire, alike my memories with those people keep me going everyday, all day.

Memories are a support, but can also fell a person so easily. One must be glad that those expierences, those people, are what carried him here, to this moment in time, in this world. But be careful not to get addicted to the drug of nostalgia, as that what causes men to wish they live in the past.

Praise and Thanks always,

Sean

Sunday Morning in Germany

Sup guys,

So here I am in Germany, on a Sunday morning. I got up, realized I just missed Mass for the second time in a row (let's not get into that) and was like "hey I am gonna blog."

Not like I spend enough time on my laptop as is, but no worries it's just a time filler until things really start to kick off (first swim practice in Germany this Monday, so nervous/excited, plus I am starting to get a good group of friends going, but wish me luck) which are is starting this week. Right now my main two concerns are: 1) I need to start getting on top of my game as far as getting in with the "good" crowd (really hard to tell, it's like being a freshman all over again). 2) Last Friday (or two Friday's ago, I forgot how to phrase it) my class wass discussing something about an extended trip (week maybe?) later in September, it would kinda be nice to know what is going on, especially if I have to tell my parents to drop 200+ Euro (which should be interesting considering how my Visa card works here).

Okay I lied, I have three, the third is 3)So my plan for my birthday is to have a small party with my host family with cake and coffee (a German thing?) and then head out for a brewery tour later that evening with my host brother and a couple guys from school (not quite friends more like "hey your English is good, want to chill). Things is I am constantly being told to "live it up" and "party" by a lot of the guys in my class, I am not against having a few beers and heading out to a club, but there is a line that I already know I don't want to cross while I am here and that might turn into an issue next weekend (unlikely though if I keep my head straight).

To be honest, I am truly having a great time here, I do miss home and I look forward to when I can speak English, surf, speak more English, and actally be able to drive a car. BUT I am having a great time, and those pleasures from home can take as much time as they need to to return to my life.

As far as German is concerned, it is improving, I am noticing the more relaxed I am in a situation, the better it is. Mind you this is still two weeks (what?!?! it's felt like two DAYS) in and I still (after three years of studying German, sleeping in German II) sound like strongly American accented toddler.

but yeah, that it's for now!
Cheers
Sean

P.S-my "looking forward to" list of things I am pretty stoked about for the next couple months and getting me through the hard-ish times (going to school and not being able to particpate...grr..just...grr)

1) Birthday party
2) Going to my favorite German city so far, Marburg the day after my birthday.
3) German swim team (little nervous too, I was decent back in the states and the coach asked me to try out and I don't want he/she to think I am Michael Phelps...or Tim Hupp for that matter)
4) When all the CIEE kids in Hesse MEET UP (if that ever happens before mid-year)
5) Mid-year seminar in Bonn (January, loooonnng ways away)
6) German Christmas and New Year #momnobodydoesthepicklethinghere
7) Seeing my brother at some point (Thanksgiving)
8) AMERICAN THANKSGIVING Chaa....hopefully either with all the Hesse kids or with Rachel Tempesco and Mrs.G in Stuttgart +host famalies (still working out the whole conversation of "hey, can we go Stuttgart to spend a holiday that isn't even celebrated here in a catle with people you don't know but I do, yet we are in Germany")

...and publish

Why I think Hessen, Germany is the Shire and Why I am coming back to Tallwood for another year of awesome.

Guten Tag ya'll

First off, I want to start of this blog by giving a shout out to the one and only amazing Sally Pryor (aka my best friend) for surviving Hell Week at Virginia Military Institute. I know you did well Sally and I am really proud of you!

Okay so, the state I am living in, Hessen, Germany is the Shire. Reasons include:
1) It is unrealistically green.
2) Hungen looks like Hobbiton
3) It rains only when it is the proper time to do so.
4) I am pretty sure I saw Gandalf yesterday.
5) Did I mention how green this place is?

Second, I would like to put it out there that I am coming back to Tallwood next school year. I am really excited to join the class of 2014, and I am sure my senior adventures with the likes of Caroline, Aidan, Elle, Chase, and Patrick will be most epic.

okay, this was short one.

Cheers,
Sean

First Week with the Host Family

Guten Tag everyone!

Okay, so I am sitting here typing this blog on my first Saturday morning with my host family, that's right I have so managed to last a week through all the insanity that comes with being the new American student in Hungen, Germany. I am going to list the major  points:

1. My host family is wonderful, hands down, I am really blessed to have them.
2. I was lucky enough to time my arrival with a small group of students from Buffulo, N.Y visiting Hungen. They have been here for about a week before me, but they are leaving this Monday. They have made it a lot easier adjusting to culture shock, and I am have some friends as a result because the group is staying with host students. Jive.
3. I think I have gone to school less then I have ever in my life for a week that was intended to be a full week of school. I think we are all aware that in Germany, if the teacher never shows up, you don't have class.
4. I have officially decided to return to Tallwood High School for another year of school after my time in Germany. It was pretty clear to me that I will only be learning German in school this year, and that I may only be able to understand what is going on towards the end of the year in most of my classes.
5. I have a newfound musical addiction to Owl City.
6/ Nutella and Ice Tea is a great morning-after-the-party meal

oh, and cheers!

Sean

 

 



First Day of School.

The vulgar version of the phrase "It just got real" would be befitting of the day I just had. German school is different, period. It is totally crazy, However, there is hope for this slightly overwhelmed American surfer boy. The school director set me up so I would be in some classes with an American student who lives in Hungen, who speaks perfect German and English. Awesome. That considered, it really feels like I didn't learn anything in German classes for the last three years. Lovely. So here was a breakdown of my day:

English class: easy.
Math: Not even trying, teacher is letting me do homework in classes, also he has a son who swims, and he says he can set me up. Sweet.
Politics: Crazy dude, understood a lot of what he was saying though.
Bio: We watched a movie.
History: I zoned out and noted how pretty German girls are.
Sport: Got canceld, headed home from the gym, got losted, go figure.

And then I went to the lake with my host sister's friends, which I kinda hope is the group I hang out with while I am here.

Also going to Frankfurt tommorow instead of school, excellent.

First Day

I have no idea how to accurately describe my first day at my host family. I still have butterflies in my chest, due mostly to uncertainty about the year, but I can say this: I have been assigned one of the nicest host famalies anyone could of hoped for. By my first day I have been set with all of my basics (wifi, cell phone, etc) and I feel like they were very well prepared to take me into their home. My host dad has been extremely kind, he knows a lot of English and so he has helped when I am tripping and falling over my German to get my point across. My host mom is super nice as well, she has made the point of slowing down her German so I can fully understand, instead of still catching the point of a conversation but perhaps missing a few key details. My host brother and sister are great, my brother's English is not so good but he's been doing a lot to help me get settled in and even acting a bit of the part of older brother as well. I didn't really get to know my host sister my first day, we talked a little bit about music on the way when my family picked me up from the Schloss, but she had friends over and I was busy unpacking and/or trying to catch my breath and process what was happening to try to join here and make some new German friends.

I did, however, talk to her friends a little bit, which was a bit intimidating. The result of the conversation is either A) its really geil or cool if you drive a pick up truck or B) my sister's friends are very saracastic and I just couldn't pick up on it. That was a bit rough, but I am going to have a lot of those situations in the next few weeks.

All in all, I would rate my first day a "B+" mostly because I hoped it would lessen my anxiety about the year, and it has a bit, but not to the point I would like it to be.  But, I somehow got invited to go with my sister and her friends to Frankfurt today for (if I understood correctly) a music festival. Score.

Sean from Germany, signing off.

Last Week at the Scloss

Hey guys!

So its Sunday, at the conlusion of my second week here at Schloss Wittingenstein in Bad Laasphe, Germany for German language camp, I have one more week to go and then I am off to my host family which I will (God willing) be with till June.

This past week, I have walked around a 1,000 year old city (Marburg) to the point of foot amputation, watched a total of 45 seconds of the Olympics (Flag twirling, speed walking, and diving), and eaten so much incrediable German food to the point of my stomach remaking the famous scene from Alien. With all said and done, I have had a good week. However, with all this Deutsch wonderfullness going on I have still run into some major issues that I can predict will come up in my host year:

1) Religion. Germans often don't go to church, it's cultural thing. However I can really see myself struggling to maintain my strong Catholic faith when I may/may not be able or not be motivated to go to church every Sunday. I am sure being able to go to Mass as often I as would like is something that can be easily arranged during the "long talk" I'll have with my host family when I arrive at their home. But still, you never know when your body will try tell its okay to sleep in one Sunday and it becomes a habit.

2) Friends. I am quite worried that I will not be to make friends here. This is a typical exchange student point of nervousness, and all my friends that are German (all three of them) said I should be fine, fingers still crossed though.

3) Family. I awoke this morning with a horrible pang of homesickness, I am okay, don't worry, but it was there and it was bad. I have it easier then most of the kids here though, I have my brother stationed in Vilseck, Germany with the U.S Army that I can visit if my homesickness get's to bad. I am sure my host family will be wonderful, but I am still going to miss all of them.

That is pretty much it for now. I am looking forward to my year in Germany as well as that moment after having such an awesome year abroad when the TSA guy says "Welcome home" when he checks my passport.  

Auf Wiedersehen!

Concerning Germans.

Concerning Germans, they are a smart, industrious people, who like beer. So do Americans students. So naturally, it has been an interesting weekend. That is all I have to say about that.

Other wise, Bad Laasphe is a beautiful place. It is a little town not to far from where I will be spending my time with my host family in Hungen. Bad Laasphe is hilly, and we (the CBYX students) are on top of one of these steep, hard to climb hills in Schloss Wittigenstein or "the Schloss." A 16th Century German castle with a boarding school, essentially German Hogwarts. My first week has been filled with the fun, excitment, and certain air of magic that comes with living in the semi-rural areas Germany.

One of these eventful adventures was a "night walk." Along the trails surrounding the Schloss. Split off into groups of four, we had to endure a pitch dark night, lit only by an eerie orange moon, while constantly on the alert for the "Schlossgeist" or language camp staffers who would like nothing more then to make an American student compromise their bladders. I was assigned a group with my fellow students Amanda, Allison, and Shareef. We started off the walk by loudly bellowing the American national anthem to the darkness. After being told to "shut up" by a staffer who did the splitting of the groups, we proceeded to quietly walk down the forest path in to the surely waiting arms of terror and death, somewhat figuratively. During the walk my partners and I scared ourselves more then we were scared by staffers. We swore multiple obsenities to Sven. Jonathan, Anna, and Martina, the staffers clearly trying to kill us out of fear.

They never responded.

At least not until the end. After hitting the halfway point in which we had to walk a length of the forest alone (multiple "Our Fathers" and "Hail Mary's" were prayed). With our confidence boosted we began to bellow camp songs. But after a few paces we were sprayed by a hidden Sven (he was called a compound word that I never would repeat in front of my parents), and then ambushed by a number of staffers that included Martina, who corrected us on our inaccurate lyrics, and Jonathan, who was attacked by a rabid teenage girl (Allison.)

And thus Germany adventures.

A few quick words on attending a Catholic Mass in Germany.
It is seriously wonderful how you will always know what is going on at a Mass anywhere in the world. I am proud to be a Roman Catholic and I am now motivated to keep my faith alive while in Germany.

Auf Wiedersehn!

Sean

Deutschland

Hey I am in Deutschland! So after a long flight, a Robert Downing Jr. movie, and getting through the German Customs. I got here! With that, one must note that jet lag has unforseen effects. When I first arrived at Schloss Witterstein, in Bad Lespha, Germany, I felt uneasy, tired, and hungry. If anyone had offered to fly me home at any point in the first twenty four hours, I would have accepted. When I gave up these intial misgivings, I then procceded to give an gloriously fail of an oral test to place me in German class.

I got intermediate.

Now I am a few days in, I have bought a few things in town, played the most intense game of soccer in my life, and aquired a taste for nutella that is insaitable.

Oh, and for those watching the Olympics, we all agree that Phelps could've done much much better. Yeah?

Cheers and Auf Widersehn,

Sean

btw DC pics:

This is it.

Well I am at Dulles International Airport, literally ten minutes until I and the rest of the CBYXers board. Our "D.C Day" was great, and I will post pictures later. But I want to touch on something profound that happend. The group went to the United States Holocaust Memorial/Muesum. As I wintnessed Man's ability to do evil, I felt sick and was in a very real cold sweat. It makes wonder a ton about good and bad, noble and black.

When we went to the FDR Memorial later that day, I noted mankind still has hope. The contrast was pretty insane.

Okay time to get on my flight.

More later.

The Night Before.

LESS THEN 24 HOURS! Wow, this is amazing. My life is about totally change; the people in it, my environment, everything. I honestly do know what I have coming, but conversely Germany doesn't know what it has coming. I know it will be fun, sad, boring, and exciting all at one point or the other.

So, with me about to step off into a great unknown, I, naturally, have been reflecting a lot about everything, especially my worldview. Through all that I have come to two conclusions.

1) I love this God-made, blue and green piece of rock that spins through the galaxy.
2) There will always be more questions then answers, because if not, we would have nothing to explore.

Sorry for the short posts, once I get all to Germany and things start happening, pictures and stories will follow.

-Sean D

There and Back Again.

Hi, my name is Sean. I am a 17-year-old living in Virginia Beach, VA. I was a junior last year, I am an avid competitive swimmer and surf in my free time. I attended a school that has a magnet program for international studies and foreign languages for the past three years. Since I've entered high school, I have gone on a youth ambassador trip to Israel (I'll get into that later), was a Model United Nations delegate, and won a scholarship from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Needless to say, studying cultures, countries, and people is one of the few things I enjoy academically. That is why I decided to take a huge jump into the dark by applying (and later getting accepted) to the Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX), a year long exchange/study abroad program in Germany. In Germany I hope to find friends, fun, and an adventure beyond anything I expected.

I already have a host family, in Hungen, Germany. It is a town of 15,000 (compared to the 500,000 of Virginia Beach). My host family is the Raabs. My host father is an IT consultant and my host mom is a nurse. I have two siblings, a brother is 20 and a sister that is 15. Pictures will follow!

“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.”

Me in Israel, November 2010