Two Months Fast Approaching

I've been putting off posting for so long, that I don't even know if I can include everything... 50 days down, which means 1/6 of the year already. I honestly can't believe it's been so long; only nine months left! I've done so much already, from day trips to Switzerland and Austria, to working in the garden with my host family, that I couldn't possibly write it all down, but I can truly say that I'm having the time of my life. I have enjoyed just about everything that I've experienced so far.

I can tell that my German has improved, because I'm having an easier time understanding my teachers in school, and can carry one-on-one conversations for a much longer time (depending on the subject). I love it when I can just sit with one of my classmates and simply talk for a while. It's really the best way to improve one's speaking and comprehension abilities in any language. Language classes in school just don't cut it. It's one thing to be able to sit for an hour and fill out verb conjugation sheets and grammar exercises, and quite another to experience the language and culture first hand. I can't even truly describe it.

My class is really, really nice. Halloween has spread to Germany, and I went to a Halloween party at Helli's house yesterday with a bunch of others. It's really exhausting listening to German all day, so I'm always tired, but I managed to stay awake through two of the movies. Even though AFS told us we'd be pretty tired for a couple of months, I didn't really expect it. I guess it's because, at home, I'm used to being able to do some things mindlessly without having to concentrate much. Here, everything is in German, and my brain has to be more engaged for a better part of the day. It doesn't really get a break. But hey, I'm not complaining!

After school on Friday marked the beginning of Herbstferien! One whole week off of school! But it's going to be a pretty full week. :) After a full weekend of baking cookies for Advent, hanging out with the family fiends from Holland, and playing a lot of board games, we're off to spend the week in a camper in Bayern! We're leaving in a few minutes, so I'm going to end this post now. Hopefully I'll have time to write when we come back, because this post was only the tip of the iceberg!

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