Saturday, October 29, 2011

almost two months gone by now

It’s amazing how different I feel now, compared to at the start. I remember how hard it was the first couple nights to fall asleep, thinking, “I am so far away from everything I know. Can I really do this for one year?” I was nervous the first couple mornings to go downstairs to my family for breakfast, worried they may not like me, that we would not get along, or that I would make some horrible mistake due to cultural differences.
Now, I really have started my own life here. I am confident in my basic routes around Augsburg and in how to the public transportation. I love having to be responsible for myself and doing things because I want to do them, not because there is a big popularity contest that I have to buy into. I am a foreigner, and this idea of no one knowing me is very empowering.
Yes, I do feel homesick now and then, but not in the sense that I want to return to Illinois. Rather, I miss the encouragement of my family and friends, but I know they are rootin’ for me from a few thousand miles away. I just hope they are feeling as good as I am; the happiness continues.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

In Constant Reflection

I am so happy to hear that my school football team back home is going strong this year. Initially, it is hard to look at the pictures of my friends back home looking so happy and having so much fun, but at the same time, I remember how bored I was of life in the suburbs of Chicago, how under stimulated I felt. Each day is a challenge in one way or another in Germany - understanding the language, learning how to use the public transportation system, finding places on my own, etc. - and because of this, I am never bored. I feel like I am making the right decisions for the most part, that I am pleasing my host family and being smart about what social things I take part in. I hope in this first month that I have set myself up for another successful month and more to follow after.