Life as I know it

"I absolutely love it here!" I find myself saying that a lot lately. Everyone always asks, "hows your time in germany?" or "hows your semester abroad going?" and I respond with "It's awesome!" I know that may sound cliche, to describe your time abroad as awesome because that's how other students at U of I would describe their experiences abroad, but it's so true! Every day I come home thinking, wow this place is great! I have not had a dull experience here yet! It helps that I never feel bored here and there is always something to do. Living on the ocean provides for some fun days :-) Friday, Linda & I went to Laboe, a small town northeast of Kiel also on the sea. It was very touristy and reminded me of being somwhere in California or on the east coast in some sort of resort town. Saturday, we went to Lubeck which is a town southeast of Kiel. It was gorgeous! Unlike Kiel, it survived the war and many buildings were built in the 1400's. I've discovered that I really like the architecture from that time period. And the history from the Middle Ages is remarkable. Today in Kiel we had a big flea market and there was a festival with a band playing by the harbor. The weather was nice so we ate lunch outside by the water.

I enjoy meeting new people all the time. And being here has allowed me to learn about so many new cultures and lifestyles. I have also learned a lot about the United States' impact on the world, and also the Europeans outlook on Americans which is very generalized but still provides us with some laughs. I also enjoy reading/learning about history and luckily Germany has a lot of it! haha! I am also looking forward to the trip we are taking to Sweden in a few days and I am also in the works for planning a trip to the western part of Germany (Cologne and Dusseldorf). I want to see as much of Germany and Europe as I possibly can while being here.

I can also say that God has blessed me with an amazing family. Moving across the world for a few months has been a big change in my life, but with the love and support of my family, it has been a successful and wonderful transition. I know they support me and will always be here for me. Also with the help of technology, I am able to talk to them daily on Skype. I think because of this I feel connected to them and vice versa which helps me because I have not felt homesick. (Which is good because some of my friends here are feeling really homesick since we've been here over a month now and it's a terrible feeling). Sure, I miss all my family and friends at home and everything about the states that europe does not have, but I know that I can go back to all that in a few months. So for now, I must live my life, see sights, and learn about different people, cultures, and history as much as possible and that is exactly what I am doing. :-)