November November November
I'm sorry it has taken me so long to write another blog post. I just had to wait for something exciting to happen so the post would be worth it!
On Friday my family celebrated Thanksgiving. I found it important to bring some American culture to the Germans, and boy did they learn something about America. All I could say to them was, " America has never really been know for being a 'healthy' country".
Our Thanksgiving was lovely, complete with turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, potatoes, veggies, and apple and pumpkin pies. It went surprisingly well for what I expected and it definitely tasted like home. It was also the first Thanksgiving I have actually participated in preparing, so I am proud of the work my host mother and I did to make such a great meal.
Saturday I went shopping in Cologne with a few friends. It was a great day, riding the train and exploring the city. I saw the Cologne Dom, went to Urban Outfitters, and saw the Rhine for the first time. It was good to see a large and well- known German city for the first time. I am looking forward to visiting more major cities (such as Berlin next weekend!)
Other than that, my November has been pretty average. I have had made a few "Ausflugen" to Munster, Paderborn, and the Dortmund Zoo. All were short day trips, but it was nice to see more cities in Nordrhein Westfalen.
I am starting to see preparation for advent which makes me very excited for Christmas!
I also recently just switched into the 10th grade. The 11th was too hard, so I made the executive decision to do what was better for me. I think it is going well and all the change will definitely pay off in the long run.
It's already crazy to see that 3 months have gone by. I am definitely getting a lot better with German speaking, while my writing a reading could still use some practice. I am really enjoying my time here, and though sometimes I miss home, I know that every minute of this experience I learn something. Every minute I am building myself up. Every minute I find another piece of who I am, knowing that this exactly what I was meant to do.
