The Final Countdown!

The past week has very much been a week of "lasts". People are not joking when they say that leaving on exchange is bittersweet. Last night, I got to have dinner out for the last time before I leave, with my Oma, Opa, Mom, and Dad. I so enjoyed being together with all of them, but it was also really difficult to think that I wouldn't get to be with all of them again until I get back next June. It's such an odd feeling to know that every place I go, I probably won't be returning to until next year. And many people I see, I won't get to see again before I leave. As I have mentioned before, I'm heading to Springfield, Missouri with my Envirothon team for the North American Envirothon on July 24th. Once that is over I will go directly to Washington DC to meet the ASSE CBYX group for our orientation, and then we'll all go to Germany. So...only 3 days left until I leave Oregon and start my journey east. I am so unbelievably excited for this whole adventure, but I am also nervous. It is a feeling that I've never felt before and it is honestly hard to describe. I'm going to end this now so that I can go work on packing some more. I never did know how hard it is to fit a year's worth of stuff into one large suitcase and 2 small carry on bags until now. For anyone who is interested, I'll be guest blogging on the Logos Envirothon Team blog during my time in Missouri. Here's the link: envirogirls2015.wordpress.com
Bis Später,
Dana

With Oma and Opa after dinner on Sunday. 

With my Mom and Dad after dinner on Sunday. 

Favorite German Words (So Far)

While learning German, I have come across some really great words. My vocabulary is still very basic, so I'm sure this list will grow a lot. :)
Here's 10 of my favorites (in no particular order)!

• Kartoffel = Potato
• Gemüse = Vegetables
• Flugzeug = Plane
• Fahrrad = Bicycle
• Kaninchen = Rabbit
• Ferien =Holiday
• Nachmittag = Afternoon
• Pferd = Horse
• Sonnig = Sunny
• Mittwoch = Wednesday 

Not much else if new, except for that I'll be arriving in Germany in only 44 days!! Can't wait! :)

Meine Gastfamilie!

This post is way overdue, but with the end of school and Envirothon prep, I really haven't had much time for blogging. Anyway, enough with the excuses! The most exciting news (which most of you probably have already heard) is that I got my host family! I will be living with my host mom, host dad, and host sister in Neuss, Germany. This is a medium sized city (about 150,000), located just across the Rhine from much bigger Dusseldorf.  Neuss is one of Germany's oldest cities, so I am really excited to explore all of the historical (and modern) sites! I will be going to school (Gymnasium) with my host sister, which I am super happy about. I have been emailing my host family often, and I cannot wait to meet them on August 6th. For my first three weeks in Deutschland, I will be staying with my host family and attending language camp in Dusseldorf each day. Can't wait to find out who else will be going to the Dusseldorf language camp! 
Aside from my summer classes (trying to get extra credit so I don't have to stress so much about transferring credit from Germany), and Envirothon fundraising/studying, I have been doing a lot of research to find out details about bank accounts, unlocked phones, electrical plug adaptors etc. Just glad I'm getting started on that early so it doesn't end up being a huge last minute push to get everything done! 
Can't believe I'm leaving Oregon in 42 days (10 days early for the North American Envirothon in Missouri). It seems so soon yet so far away. 
Bis bald! 
Dana

75 Days until Germany!

In exactly 75 days, I will have just landed in Germany. I will be getting off a plane to begin a new life in a new country. There is so much to do before I leave, but it will all be so worth it! I still don't have a host family (or town), but hopefully that news will be coming soon! I have gotten a lot of information by mail and email in the last few weeks though!

As some of you may know, my Envirothon Team won the Oregon Envirothon on May, 8th! This added a whole new dimension to my summer because now I will be traveling with the team to Missouri, for the North American Envirothon, at the end of July! Then I'll be going right to Washington DC for the CBYX Orientation! That will be one whirlwind of a week.
Before the competition, we need to learn about the environment of Missouri, and review a lot of the concepts that we've covered during the year.

Here's some photos from the Oregon Envirothon:

Evening before the competition!

After the win!

The beautiful Oregon Garden.

Our Awards! 

I'm Going to Germany!

On March 23rd, 2015, at 6:30 pm, I received the call from ASSE that I had been accepted for the 2015/2016 Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange! This means that I will be spending my junior year studying in Germany on a full academic scholarship! Spending a year in Germany is really a dream come true for me. My grandmother on my dad's side of the family and my grandfather on my mom's side of the family were both born in Germany, and I have wanted to learn more about the German culture for years. I know that I'll miss everyone here a lot, but it'll definitely all be worth it!
I have already been lucky enough to meet two other 2015/2016 ASSE CBYXers (shoutout to Mila and Kacey for coming to visit!), and I have talked to lots more through Facebook. I am SO excited for the regional orientation in June and the full orientation with everyone, in Washington DC, in early Aug! After the DC Orientation we'll all fly to Germany together and go to temporary host families near one of ASSE's three language camps (Aachen, Hamburg, and Dusseldorf, I think). I haven't gotten many details yet, but I'll update this blog as soon as I do. I should get info on my town and host family between May and August. I can't want to find out where I'll be living next year!
I'm working hard to learn German, so hopefully my basic skills will be reasonable by the time I arrive. I am so lucky that I have my amazing Oma (grandma in German) to help me with speaking. I am also doing my second year of Rosetta Stone German and supplementing that with Duolingo.
I have just over 5 weeks of school left, and then I'll be able to focus on getting ready for Germany! So exciting!

Auf Wiedersehen!