New Year

Better late than never!

I will tell you guys a little bit about my american new year's eve.
So on the 31st of December I left Washington to drive to Mt.Pleasant. Franzi and I decided to spend new year together.
After I put all my stuff in her room, we only had about an hour until her parents took us to a little party. It was more an adult "come together", but it was really really nice. The people there asked us a lot of questions and we felt like in an interview.
The state of Iowa doesn't allow fireworks without a special permission, so we didn't have fireworks for New Year what was really strange. At home our neighbors start with fireworks around 5pm and we join them at about 11 and let go fireworks until 1am or so. I can remember one New Year's eve when my friend, her mum and I went sledding from the mountain. We got up there in the evening and spend the time until the start of a new year in a little house on the mountain which served hot chocolate, beer and meals. From there we could see all over Innsbruck and had a wonderful view on all the fireworks. It was amazing! We were up there until five in the morning and then sledded down the mountain to the car.
I just love fireworks so much, because I think they look so majestic and wonderful! I really missed them this year. Also we didn't have a countdown on the TV or something like that. If I wouldn't have said that it's 11:59, nobody would have noticed. I taught the people there my "new-year-wish-ritual" and we wished each other a happy new year.
At about 1am we drove back to Franzi's house and Franzi and I were awake until 7 in the morning, taking photos and talking about life. It was good to talk about everything in our lives and laugh.

It was a unique New Year's eve for me!
I have to say that 2013 was really MY year! So much happened in those 12 months and I am very thankful for all the things. I met so many new people, not only on my exchange, I have grown so much (mentally, physically I still have short-probs) and more. I hope 2014 will be awesome too, but I don't want to force it. I have learned to just let things happen, because I noticed myself that I think too much sometimes. Also: The "New Year - New Me"- trend doesn't count for me. I think we all grow a little bit each day and you can't change yourself from one day to another only because it's new year. The "2014 - please be good" stuff is also not really mine… YOU have to make it happen. With this I wish everybody a wonderful and happy 2014, even I am late!!!

Franzi and I did the "2014" with flashlights. The rest is edited

a wonderful last sunset of 2013

Omnomnom some snacks

The more people, the more coke 

Franzi, her hostdad and I being all hyper

Just some pictures of the photo shoot we had

Wishes for half-year-exchangies

This post is especially for all the young people who are doing the same crazy thing I am doing right now.
I know that some of my friends back home are reading my blog. So I really hope you are going to read this here as well (sorry, I don't want to sound like an old grandma telling her grandchildren stories about the good old times or whatever, all I want to talk about are the mistakes I made and which you can prevent):

A lot of you will be on an airplane soon like I did a few months ago. You will find yourselves on the way into your biggest adventure in about one to three weeks (I don't know when every single one of you is leaving, but I think most of you leave in January). You guys are going on exchange too and it doesn't really matter if you are going for 11 months like me or 6. You will experience so many things that the time doesn't matter. I tell you, you will be like a magnet, trying to absorb everything you can.
All I want to tell you, when you're one of them: I know that you are super excited for your exchange, but don't forget about the important things you already have - your friends and family. I made a mistake when I had only about two weeks left. At that time I thought "I can't wait to leave. Finally out of here! Just a few days left and I can leave all this behind". Appreciate the time you have left with your friends and especially with your family. Appreciate every single and sometimes annoying thing - every conversation, every fight and every hug. You won't have it for half a year and believe me or not, you will miss it. Family is the most important thing we have in life. So enjoy the time you have left with them, okay? At the end you will only regret all of your thoughts like I do now.
And then: Have fun on your exchange! It doesn't matter where you go, it matters THAT you go! Make those six months to the best you've ever had in your life! I wish you all the best and I wish I could skype with every single one of you just to make sure that you are alright and not exploding because of being all excited :)

That may sound arrogant for some people (I don't know what some people understand wrong sometimes) and it also may sound like I know everything (what I really don't, sometimes I can be stupid like a cow), but I just want you to know that you can always contact me and talk to me, when you have problems or when something goes wrong or even when it's something awesome. I love listening to the stories of other exchange students and how they experience all the crazy things happening. So whenever you feel like talking, just message me. Sometimes it's important and helpful and I have certain people too that I call when I feel bad.

I think that's all I wanted to say for now…
HAVE THE BEST SIX MONTHS OF YOUR LIFE!!

And now you actually are one

That's a good definition for us

You will experience that - and enjoy it

That's pretty much it

Life of an exchange student

You can use this excuse for pretty much everything
Or just "sorry I am foreign"

Ice Hockey

I really need to write more posts…

Yesterday I was at my first Ice Hockey game. Federico came and we drove to Cedar Rapids together with Don.
There were a lot of people and it was soooo loud in the hall! I nearly lost my hearing ability haha
I like ice hockey.  It is crazy, like everything when it comes to sports in the U.S. I have never seen a game though. At home we sometimes were able to see the guys practicing when my friends and I went ice skating. The game itself is really brutal. They smack the other players against the walls and at the game I saw they started to beat each other up two times. They really started fighting and punched each other.
I really miss ice skating and I think I should organize a group of people so that we can drive to Iowa City and go ice skating in the mall. I just love ice skating so much and want to do it so badly!

The news are that I will get to spend New Year's Eve with my friend Franzi in Mt.Pleasant! I am so excited for that and can't wait to see her after such a long time! She is in Florida over the break so we couldn't meet, but she'll come back on the 30th and I will come over on the 31st so it will be much fun!

Also I started going to the fitness studio in town. We exchange students don't have to pay. Probably because they know that we get fat and that we really need to exercise. I ran two miles for the beginning (1 mile = 1,6 km) with my friend Emme and then we did a workout for our abs. Now I can't get up when I am laying somewhere, I can't laugh and I can't even touch my tummy, because I am sore. Exercising in the fitness studio is way more fun than doing it at home. First because you have all the different machines and secondly, because you can go there with a friend and because you have more people around you what is nice (and when you see an old lady "running" on the treadmill next to you, you feel better, because you run faster than her hehe)
I have to say not all weight I gained is only because of the food. I also gained muscles and muscles weigh more than fat as it is generally known. Well, I used to be a really weak person, lost every arm wrestling, even against my 9-year-old sister what is really embarrassing. I think now I reached the stage in which I could at least beat her. I tell you, I'll become strong one day!

Mascot of the Cedar Rapids Roughriders

The stadium

Ice hockey players beating each other up

in action

This cat just makes my day. And it's so true...

Christmas

Jolly old St.Nicholas
Lean your ear this way
Don't you tell a single soul
What I'm goin' to say

Christmas Eve is coming soon
Now you dear old man
Whisper what you'll bring to me
Tell me if you can

Christmas is a really big deal here! My ears have enough of all this christmas music and my eyes are blind from all the lights and decoration. I think I have never been a real Christmas-lover and the christmas spirit is not here this year. I don't know what it is. Maybe it's because Christmas is a time to be together with your family - and this family is not here with me. Also the cookies of my grandma are missing and this special smell in my house back home is not the same as it is here. I don't know what makes Christmas so special back home; I really don't know. All I can say that it is not the same and that I wish I could have spent at least this one day with them, but what we did was special too and I will probably never experience it like this:
On the 24th I skyped with my family, because noon for me is 7pm for them and that was the time when they lightened the candles on the tree and started to open the presents. It was just so special for me. My dad showed me the tree and then he played the song we always play on christmas: So this is Christmas - John Lennon
Then I watched my family unwrapping their presents. It was also different for them this year, not only because I was gone, also because Nicole, my exchange buddy from Canada was there with them. (She has a youtube channel where she talks about her exchange. Please check it out here). The box I packed for them with a bunch of stuff came in time. All in all i put 29 little presents and 5 letters in it - all for my family and some friends. It was a present for me to see them smiling at the things I sent them. My grandparents were also there what made me super happy.
My host family had a Christmas lunch and I also went to church with my first host family that day. There a family friend invited me for dinner and so the Horaks and I drove there and had a wonderful time. They gave me presents and I was so overwhelmed, because I didn't expect that. That evening I realized how much I actually miss them. They are like a real family for me and I don't feel like I am just a girl that stayed with them for three months, no, I feel like I have always been part of their family. They said they miss me too and that made my heart crack a little.
On the 25th I skyped again, but this time with the other part of the family. My family always comes together on the day after Christmas to have coffee and cake and to talk about the presents they got. They just thanked me for the presents I sent them and asked how I am. It had to go quickly, because my family is huge and they wanted to give everybody the chance to talk to me.
Later that day my host family's son and his fiancé came and we started to unwrap the presents. I got to choose what I would like to have before Christmas, so I knew what I would get. There were a few surprises, because my host parents bought some other things too. Some of those things didn't really fit my style so we drove to Iowa City a few days later and gave it back. I got to choose other things instead what was nice.

Now it is time for pictures.
I have a bunch of the Skype session, because there were so many unique and special moments I had to capture.

I got to sit on Santa's lap what was a little bit weird, because I was probably the only one in the queue who was over 5 years old.
When he asked me what I want for Christmas I said "a boyfriend hahaha just kidding" and then he answered "If I would be 50 years younger I would be your boyfriend" what actually sounded like a pedophile :P

That's how we had to dress up for our Christmas choir performances

The package I sent to my family

My box all set to travel its way from Iowa to Tyrol, Austria

So I promised my friends in school to make Austrian Christmas cookies. They didn't turn out like they should have. Actually they didn't even taste like grandma's and they also melted together so at the end I had one big cookie...

My sister playing the flute and my grandpa taking pictures in the background

The proof that my guinea pig is still alive. She has got a little bow 

My box. They even wrapped it - how sweet is that?!

My mum singing and me laughing about her

Nothing, not even distance, can keep us sisters from being foolish

My sister totally freaking out about a present she got

So my dad got a sweater from his mother and we all said it looks  like a "Grandpa-Sweater" and that's how he imitates an old man

Kissing my sister goodbye

The mess at home. I am on the iPad next to my mum

This year's family portrait

Grandma! Grandpa!

Oh how I love Nicole!

American churches are warmer and much more modern than the ones back home

Mary Kate never smiles when I take pictures of us. Like never ever

Even the Christmas tree is different: Back home we have a real one with real candles and way less ornaments

For the end: Here is a little video about Mary Kate and me being stupid.

4 MONTHS

Damdamdadammm! - Anniversary time!

The last month was pretty cool! I really enjoy my time here!
I haven't been homesick yet. Actually I have never been homesick in my life what is pretty cool. I think I have always been an outgoing and independent person, haven't I mum (I know you're going to read this)?!
Over the last days I realized that I improved my english humor. Back in German I would consider myself a funny person, telling jokes, being silly and making a lot of sarcastic comments. Well, I don't get this english sarcasm thing yet, but I would say I am funny again. I got out of this "being all quiet" and "appropriate"- phase and into the me again. My friends here tell me I am hilarious and my foreign-being makes it all better, because sometimes I just wonder about american things and say what I think out loud. One friend in my PE class, her name is Maddie, and I are a good team when it comes to being funny. I think our teacher kind of hates us, because when she plays music, we sing very very loud and wrong. Oh well.

It snowed a lot the last weeks! That makes it feel a little bit like home. I like snow. Even I am freezing cold like all the time I enjoy the winter time. Maybe because I was born on a really snowy day...

Last week I had a sleepover with Franzi again. We went shopping (what we always do), but this time more for other people: We bought Christmas presents!!
Then I had to cheer at a Basketball game and after that we watched movies, ate Chinese food and wrapped presents. It is always so much fun to hang out with this girl!

So Cheerleading is really good! I love it! My team mates are the best!
Even the games are long, it is always fun to be there and cheer for our boys and girls. I really admire them, because I could never ever play that well. They are freakin awesome.
On Friday we played against Fairfield, the town where my exchange friend Federico from Italy stays. We had a bet (like we had with Football) who is going to win. They are really good so I prepared myself for losing the bet, but surprisingly we won! I was so happy that I jumped around and as a cheerleader I am not hidden in the crowd of people, because I stand at the edge of the field, so everybody saw me and some people started laughing as I was totally freaking out about our victory.

Another awesome thing that happened was the following incident: A biology teacher randomly walked into our Kinesiology lesson and what was around his neck? A snake, right. He told us some things about Stella (that's her name) and then asked who wants to hold her. I don't know what made me do it, but I volunteered. I don't even know if I have ever been afraid of snakes. I have never been confronted with one, so I can't say. Snakes are actually really cool animals. I thought they were slimy, but their skin is so soft and nice to touch. The teacher said she would never try to bite us humans, because she knows that we could beat her up and that she would die. So I was just standing in the classroom with a snake chilling on my shoulders.
The same day he fed Stella with a big white rat. It was cool to see how she did that, even we didn't see the whole process. She struggled a little and bit the rat in the tail instead of the neck (what can be very dangerous for the snake) and there were so many people that she got nervous and didn't want to eat with all those people starring at her. She wrapped herself around the rat (that's how they kill it - they produce a lot of pressure and make the heart stop) and slowly wandered to the sink where she hid from all the observers. Then the bell rang and the teacher took her to put her into her cage where she finished her meal (she gets fed about four times a year).

I have some more things to tell, but I think about doing a Christmas-post and that stuff would perfectly fit in there.

That's all for now. I hope you all are fine at this wonderful time of the year. Happy "Advent"!!!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

That's what I see every morning when I get ready for school

Action in PE
Yes, I am this girl moving her arm like a weirdo

Just me dancing in PE, you know

Successful shopping day with Franzi

This girl <3

My Cheerleading team

My dad says I look american. I guess with the uniform I kinda do

Today's game against West Branch. Our boys getting ready

I love Stella!

You can't see it very well, but that's Stella's attack

That's when she hid in the sink.