Preparing to leave. Again.

Uwe, Martina, Uli, Gabi, and me

     Well, the time here has certainly flown by.  Now I'm to the point where I've gotta leave this family and head on to my new family.  This next time, though, I won't leave.  Until next July, that is.
     I just realized that I never put up a picture of me and my host family.  So, here we are, in Ulm!  My eldest brother, Jens, wasn't with us in the picture.  We all are there, other than him, though.
     Like I said before, the time has simply gone by way too fast.  Tomorrow morning I'll say farewell to the Schumachers and jump on the train and head up to Hannover!  And there I'll meet my new family, community.... everything.  The past four weeks here have really made me comfortable with my German.  Well, at least, more than I was before.  That's the good thing about this Orientation course; you are getting used to life in Germany, but yet you have a bit of contact with Americans yet.  And, if you are too nervous about your German, the teachers can help, because they all know English, and can give translations, and explain when you would use this word versus a different one.

The YFU students here in Mindelheim, and our teachers

     Even so, leaving the whole group of Americans is difficult.  I've grown close to them, and we all know each other very well.  We know what annoys one another, what we all like/dislike, and, for the most part where we're from in the US and where we're going in Germany.  They're all awesome, and even though there were a few times when I got fed up with some of them, I'll definately miss each and every one of them.  We have a lot of inside jokes, and I know we have even more memories that we've made.
     Last night, of course, was another party.  If there's one thing I've learned, it's that Germans love to have parties for all occasions!  This particular occasion was our departure.  Each of us students made an American dish to pass, and the Germans made some type of German dish, so we had a huge buffet with all sorts of foods, from peanut-butter cookies to Schwartzbrot.

     We sang some songs, and then us students did a little skit about school that we had prepared.  One of the host families also taught us a traditional Bayrish dance, as well.  So, we, of course, had to try it!
     Last week in Augsburg, us girls all bought matching T-shirts (I think I mentioned that, but just in case).  We had all agreed to wear them last night, and we did.  With the exception of one.  This picture isn't all of us, but it's more than half of us.  It was really a bit funny how we all came in and commented on each other's shirts, and everyone else was confused about how we all had the same shirt!!!!

     Now I'm mostly all packed, except for the outfit that I'm gonna wear tomorrow.  And the stuff that I'll still need before then (i.e. toothbrush, journal, Bible).  But that I can pack tomorrow morning.  I'll have time!  I hope.  : )