Wow, how fast the time goes by...

 Hi!

First of all, I'm sorry... I know, I should write more updates, but I simply don't have any time...

Anyway, so many things happened in the last couple of months. I don't even remember when I wrote the last Post...

If I'm telling you something you already know, I'm sorry.

So, from the beginning (I guess I'll take October?):

I changed my schedule in school. About ten times. Literally. I had several reasons, but the point is, I’m happy now, even though I don’t enjoy school as much as I did during first semester, but later more about that.

I dropped out of ELL (which was basically just Study Hall, so I could have done my homework) to get into Weights. It was kind of fun, until (a week after I finally got into that class) I hurt my finger (left hand – and yes that will get important). How? Well, that’s a very stupid story, so I won’t write it here.

So, I couldn’t really do anything in Weights (it was okay though, it was 2 weeks before Christmas break, anyway), but I still participated in Team Sports. And then I hurt my thumb on the right hand. I couldn’t use both of my hands for about 2 weeks. My left hand is completely alright now, but my thumb still causes me troubles…

I don’t even think I wrote about Thanksgiving. Well, it was AWESOME!!! So much food, so much good food, I have to say. Stuffing, Turkey and Chocolate Pie. It was pretty fun. We celebrated it a week before the actual Thanksgiving-Date, but we were at a friend’s house on Thanksgiving Day. That was pretty fun, too, because they had 2 exchange students (Wichita State University) from (I’m pretty sure it was) India and Saudi Arabia. It was interesting to have 4 nationalities in one room.

My classes went well, I had all A’s last semester…

Christmas was absolutely awesome, too. I got a giant Teddy bear! I have no idea, how I will get him (his name is Brandon) back to Austria…

It was so awesome to see (almost) the whole family. If you’re reading this – Thank you for letting me be a part of your family! You guys are absolutely awesome. (And I’m sorry for still mess up your names, I’m really bad with names…) Time with my family is by far the most precious thing here.

New Year’s Eve was different. In Austria you can see Fireworks all over the place. People are celebrating it with (mostly way too much) alcohol, parties and little figures (they should bring luck), like pigs. Here we basically watched a movie. It was fun, though.

The second semester started not like I thought it will. Because I still had no idea what was (or is) Weights. I also dropped out of Team Sports. Well, now I have:

English 11

Creative Writing
Theater
English 10
Teacher’s Assistant (for my Creative Writing teacher)
U. S. History
U. S. Government

The reason I don’t enjoy school not quite as much as last semester is Government. This class is even hard for Americans, and for me it’s even harder. There are so many words I’ve never heard of, and so many things that don’t make sense to me, because we do it completely different in Austria. I still have a B in this class, but I have to work really hard for it. That’s the only class I really do my homework and study for…

I also went to the conditionings for girls’ soccer since the beginning of this year. I couldn’t really do anything because of my thumb, and I feel really bad about that. Everyone was working hard, and I wasn't. However, the season started and now we have practise, which is so much fun. The first game will be in about 2 weeks.

A few weeks ago I saw a beach for the first time in my life! Not in Kansas, though. We went down to Biloxi, Mississippi and I met so many new people. It was an awesome time.

I can's believe how much time went by already. 14 weeks left. Can you believe how fast this schoolyear will be over? We just have next week, then one week off because of spring break. And then there are just about nine weeks of school left...

So, yeah. I think that's it. I'll try to write more often, but as I said time goes by so fast, I just don't have time for anything :D

~ Dani

Life as an Exchange Student / Thoughts / Time

Hey guys!
First Post in English :D
Sorry, I really don't have time to post more, but I will try to. Yesterday, I wrote my thoughts down, so, it's not really an update...

I asked several exchange students from all over the world which thing changed the most for them since they’re in their host countries. The most common answers were “Myself”, and “Time”. Time is something, you can hardly define (Wow, first rhyme in English). Time is something that’s always around us. Time is also for me one of the things that changed the most since I’m in my host country. Time has become the most precious thing for me. The time with my friends at school, the time at church, the time with my host family, because my time here is limited. I won’t have a “next week” to go to Dillons with my ‘new’ mom. I won’t have a “next day” to watch a movie with my ‘new’ dad. I won’t have a “next month” to spend time with my ‘new’ sister. I won’t have time for all these things after I’m back in Austria. Before I came here, I didn’t really care about time. I played video games, sometimes for hours. I spent so many hours sleeping or just lying in my room. Or watching stupid TV shows, or movies. I missed so many things, so many memories, because I didn’t realize how valuable, how precious time is. Time has become a whole different thing. If you learn something during exchange, it’s to live your life now, to live in the here and now. That you probably won’t have a second chance to make that one special experience.

Everyone says, the best thing to split our time is to trisect between friends, host family, and school (with homework and studying), which isn’t possible at all. You have to split between a whole bunch of things. You have to cover class, family, homework, friends, sleep, hobbies, time for yourself (which you absolutely need, even if it’s just to read a book, or listen to music), and sports (if you play something), while you need more sleep than usually, because everything is much harder for your brain. It takes a lot more energy to translate everything like I did in the beginning. It’s getting better, but it takes time. Time, you don’t have. So I tried to push myself through the days without enough sleep. It works for a very short time, then you have to choose another thing is the most neglectable. Hard decision, but I had to make it, more than once, when you’re like me, because I tried to come back to less sleep whenever I could (It doesn’t work, it really doesn’t).

I’m already afraid of the last day I will spend here. I’m afraid of the things I wouldn’t have done on this day. That’s why I try to make every second countable. I’m grateful for every second I can spend with my classmates, my friends, and my host family. It makes me so sad to think of the time after my exchange. On one hand I will have the best experience a person can make, on the other hand I have two homes, and I will be homesick. I can’t imagine how to wake up in the morning, and not looking forward to go to school, because of the teachers, because of the classes, because of the classmates. I can’t imagine how to come home from school, and not looking forward to a hug from my host sister, and to respond to “I’m sure, school was really exciting today?”, with a sarcastic “Yeah, what else?” I don’t know how to do homework without expecting a movie after (or during) we have dinner together. I can’t believe how much I will miss this family. No one can imagine how much you can love people who open their home for you after just a couple of weeks, even if you don’t speak the same language. I’m so thankful for being here. Every second I can spend with them is a gift. Every second I’m with them, I’m happy. Every second I’m not with them, I will regret. I enjoy every second of being with them. Even if we’re not doing anything, even if we’re just sitting in the same room. We don’t even have to tal. Even their presence makes me grateful. I love to play a game with my mom. I love the way my dad explains history. I love how my host grandpa says Daniela instead of Dani. And I love to discuss and compare politics with my host sister. I love being with her, it’s just like I’ve found my lost twin in most things, that’s awesome.

I’m afraid of the day I have to say goodbye to the people I got to know. I’m afraid of the reaction of my friends and family at home. It’s like I’m not the same person anymore. I’m afraid, they don’t except me. I’m afraid, they expect the same person then before this year. But I’m not the same person anymore. I’ve changed like never before. Nothing will change you and your personality more than an exchange year, but only exchange students will understand it.

I can’t believe how long I’m here already. Almost 3 months. I have just 7 months left. The time flies way to fast. Every time I think of how fast the farewell comes closer I get sad. But then I try to think of all the experiences I will make until then. It mostly works. But sometimes it makes me even sadder (and I didn’t know that this word exists, a cheer for the spelling check in Word!). But as soon as someone begins to talk to me, I’m happy again. I can’t say why, I can’t describe it. I just know, I have to speak with someone to get happy again.

At the beginning I was afraid of making mistakes. I didn’t speak much, and I’m so glad for the people who made me speak. Without them I wouldn’t have spoken at all. And without trying you can’t improve your language. You can improve your language only in one way, and that’s speaking. I know now, that no one cares how much mistakes you make, the most important thing is to laugh about your mistakes. I’ve made so many mistakes since I’m here, I can’t count them, and the most of them are in school. I think, US people are the most open minded people of the whole world. That’s probably, because the already have like every culture in their country, but no one will laugh at you. No one will say “Haha, that’s wrong.”, or something like that. That’s another big difference about Europe and the US.

As I wrote this text, I realized, I have 8 siblings. And I realized I’m in the middle. I’m the oldest one in Austria, but I’m the youngest in the US. And I love both. I hope I can spend many more hours as the youngest sister. Now, I’m fighting with tears. Again. I just realized how much I will miss them, I won’t miss them like I miss my sisters in Austria, I will miss them much more. I didn’t expect to get such a great family when I was in Austria. One week before I flew here, I didn’t had a family. I didn’t expect, I will get the best family, I was the last exchange student from Austria who got a family. 5 days before I began this journey. 5 days and 3 emails from my new family later I came here. I knew they’re nice, but this family is just awesome. I’m so glad I got the "last" family. Some of the others got their family a couple of months earlier, and they had already to change them.

I don’t think, exchange is something for everyone, but it was the right thing for me. It was the best decision I’ve ever made so far.

~ Dani

1. Post aus Amerika!!!

Hallo!!!

Ich bin jetzt schon fast 2 Wochen hier, es ist einfach Traumhaft!
Ich gehe auf die Eisenhower High School, statt auf die Goddard High School. Die Schule ist brandneu und riesig! :D

http://ehs.goddardusd.com/

Ich sitz gerade in einem meiner Lieblingsfaechern: Graphic Designs.
Die meisten Austauschschueler, die ich kenne haben A und B Tage. Ich nicht :P Ich hab jeden Tag die gleichen Faecher xD Und mein Stundenplan sieht so aus:

ELL (sowas wie Study Hall)
U.S. History
Theatre Arts 1
English 10
Graphic Design Funndamentals
(Lunch C)
Team Sports
Human Groth & Development

Zur meiner Gastfamilie: ich kann mir keine bessere vorstellen! Alle sind voll nett und helfen mir :D Auch in der Schule: Alle wollen mit mir sprechen xD

Das war's von mir, ich meld mich wieder, wenn ich ein bisschen mehr Zeit habe :D

Dani :)

letzten Tage in Österreich / Packen

Hallo Leute!

Ich melde mich nochmal kurz ;-) In 2 Tagen geht es los, aber ich glaube, das hab ich noch gar nicht wirklich realisiert... Das kommt dann im Flugzeug :-D

Nja, ich habe von meinem Hostdad meine Flugdaten bekommen (ich werde sie wohl heute von YFU bekommen) und ich muss in Amerika 2 Mal umsteigen.. Ich fliege nämlich von Wien über Frankfurt nach Washington, dann (nach 4 Stunden Aufenthalt) geht's weiter nach Chicago, von wo aus ich dann, nach einer Stunde, nach Wichita, Kansas, fliege. :-P Also wird's ein anstrengender Tag werden! :-)

Heute werde ich mal meinen Koffer packen und mich von ein paar Freunden und Familienmitgliedern verabschieden, es können ja nicht alle mit zum Flughafen :-D

So, jetzt muss ich los,

bye!

GASTFAMILIE!!!!

ES IST SO WEIT!!!

Ich hab heute meine Gastfamilie bekommen, und auch schon mit meinem Hostdad geschrieben. Er hört sich wirklich nett an!

Mein Staat *-*

Das Wetter in der nähsten Stadt

Also ich komme nach Goddard in Kansas und werde auf die Goddard Senior High School besuchen!!

Die Familie besteht aus den beiden Eltern, 2 Söhnen (28 und 26) und 2 Töchtern (23 und 20), von denen nur noch eine daheim wohnt. Mein Hostdad ist Pilot. Sie haben 1 Golden Retriever namens Tess, 2 Katzen und 2 Ziegen. Und ich hab ein ziemlich großes, eigenes Zimmer ;-)

Ich freu mich so, meine Vorfreude ist glaub ich ums 1.000.000-fache gestiegen :D

Bye!

Visum

So Leute,
ich hatte heute den Termin beim Konsulat und bin jetzt, nach 13 Stunden, wieder zu Hause. :D

Ich muss sagen, ich war ziemlich aufgeregt und nervös, es ging dann aber relativ schnell. ;-)

Gastfamilie hab ich noch immer keine, und in 2 Wochen geht es los! 2 Wochen! Realisiert hab ich's noch immer nicht :D

Nja, bis bald!

lG Dani :D

Visum / Termin beim Konsulat in Wien

Hallo Leute!!

Ich hab mich endlich durch die ganzen Visums-Unterlagen gekämpft und mir fehlt jetzt nur noch ein Foto.
Den Termin im Konsulat in Wien hab ich aber erst Anfang August, weil ich früher einfach keine Zeit habe :-D

Nja, wie dem auch sein, ich bin heute zu der glorreichen Erkenntniss gelangt, dass ich in 6 Wochen um diese Zeit meine Sachen schon gepackt haben werde... und schon auf den Weg nach Wien!!! Junge, wie die Zeit vergeht!

Das war's auch schonwieder ;-)

Ciao!

PS: ach ja, Gastfamilie hab ich auch noch keine, ich hoffe, das kommt bald :D