Yay for Flughäfen!

"Where are you going to school now?"
"Schiller Gymnasium."
"Is that an athletic school...?"

I talked to my second host-Dad the other day who so kindly pointed out to me that I am flying into Bremen instead of Hanover, which would not be a problem except for the fact that Bremen is 200 kilometers away from Hamlin, while Hanover is only 70 kilometers. He assured me that I would get picked up no matter how far away it was, but we was confused nonetheless (keep in mind this entire conversation took place in German. I don't speak German. That was fun. :p ) Nonetheless after a lot of chaos and time deadlines, we switched my flight so now I will be flying to Hanover from Frankfurt, which I am extremely grateful for because the less traveling I have do, the better. I'm already looking at at least 22 hours plus a 9 hour time change. Talk about the journey of a lifetime.

Danke schön

I CANNOT BELIEVE I AM ALREADY PACKING! It insane! 15 days until Germany and I have finally opened my beloved blue suitcase to begin packing it! As crazy as this might sound, it almost seems too big! I really don't use that much stuff because I am easy going... so I wonder how this will work out! It feels like I have nothing to wear because most of my decent clothes are packed away.

But that's not the point of this post. I wanted to dedicate this post to everyone who has helped me bring this dream to reality. So thank you EVERYONE! Though I do have some special people I want to personally thank.

Glenda

Glenda, without you, foreign exchange would not be possible for District 5130 and I think I can speak on the behalf of every inbound, outbound, and rebound that you are AMAZING! Thank you so much for everything you have done for us and all the help and you support you have given us. Thank you for believing in the outbounds for the 2011-2012 year and congratulations on Rotarian of the Year.

Valerie, Carolyn and Gay

Thank you for interviewing me November 22, 2010 and for all the help you have been, as well as the support you have given me. Also thank you for going through the trouble to have me sponsored by the Rotary Club of Middle Town as well as Valley of the Moon. And a special thanks to Gay for playing piano with my while going through the extremely long process of form signing. (Sorry for the lack of picture).

Gary

Thank you for introducing me to Delia and Tawny as they are both amazing people. Also thank you for going through the trouble of accepting me as an outbound through your club and for helping organize everything. I will miss you dearly and I hope you have a fantastic year.

Mr. Emery
Thank you for constantly checking up on how my exchange progress was coming along and for constantly encouraging me to look into different programs that I could travel the world with. You are one of the best history teachers I ever had and definitely the one with the biggest influence on my life. Thank you for traveling the world and truly being passionate about the subject you teach. I am lucky to have had you for two years.



Greg

Greg, it's almost safe to say I would not be here without you. On Summer Cruise the Summer of 2010 when all you did was talk about your exchange for the entire week, as well as during Parking Lot, I became inspired to make a difference just like you had. Thanks for all the encouragement and for being there. P.S. I love swing dancing with you!

Mother and Father

I remember when I first told you I wanted to be an exchange student, you told me to ask again next week to see if I was still interested in leaving my friends and family for a whole year. When I asked again, you kept replying with "tell me next week" until you realized I was serious. Thank you for supporting me and allowing me to go travel through Germany for this upcoming year.

Family/Friends/Rotarians

Thank you to anyone and everyone who has helped or supported me in any way with this trip. I cannot begin to describe how thankful I am to embark on such a life changing journey.

<3
Angie

Where Has the Time Gone?

Less than three weeks until my flight to Germany! I received my flight itinerary two days ago while on Summer Cruise with my sailing crew (my mom texted me to tell me it came in the mail). I'm good to go though! I will fly out of San Francisco, California on 9 August 2011 at 8:45 a.m. to then land in Pennsylvania, where I will then fly to Frankfurt, Germany and then to Bremen, Germany where I will finally drive to Hamlen from there.

Overall not including transferring of flights or anything to that sort, I will be traveling for approximately 16 hours, not to mention the additional time to check luggage and all that good stuff. It will definitely be a long day(s).

My first host family as well as the siblings from my second family (my host parents will be working) will greet me at the airport as I arrive and then I will go from there to live with my first family in a room that is apparently bright green and has dolphins on the wall.

I left summer cruise a few days early (I got home today) so that I will have a few extra days to say goodbye to my family and friends and so that I will have more time to pack because I have barely opened my suitcase. I have been so busy the past few weeks and I have not even been hone the past seven days.

This will truly be the experience of a lifetime. I cannot wait to officially meet everyone in Germany in mere days.