Ok people. It is happening. The semester has started and I am gearing up to go to Europe. I have a lot of exciting information to tell you!
So far, I can tell you my schedule for the two first weeks of the trip. Let's get started with the first week!
So on February 18, I am flying out of Missoula at 7:40 ish a.m. I go to Seattle, where I have a layover until 3. Then I get on a plane to Reykjavik, Iceland. When I get there, it will somehow magically be 6:45 a.m. I am assuming this is where I will have jet lag feelings and also look like this. Once I get to Iceland, I will be going to KEX Hostel to check in there. I made the mistake of accidentally scheduling my flights to have a 24 hour layover in Iceland. Oops. So I will go there and probably explore Reykjavik, maybe I will purchase a hair dryer because my American one won't work in Europe. The next morning I will wake up, if I sleep that is, and get to the airport to catch my flight to Frankfurt (Germany finally!).
This is when many more exciting things will start to happen.
Our group is all meeting at the Frankfurt Airport. At this point I will probably buy a prepaid phone so I can talk to my new cool German friends and/or Americans who are also on the trip. Then we are all going to catch a train to Neckargemünd, which is Missoula's German sister city. In this city we will be staying with host families for a week. These families will pick us up at the train station.
I messaged my host family and told them a little bit about myself and about how nervous I was. They wrote me back! Here is a translated version of what they said:
Dear Shannon,
We are also excited for you to arrive. We are a family with two kids (Son: 16 years old, Daughter is almost 14 years old). Both learn English in school and would like to practice- I think and I hope. My husband works in Heidelberg, in an institute and I am at home and in Geopark Odenwald as a geographer. We do not have animals, but we live directly next to a forest...
Our house is in Neckargemünd, a small city of 13,000 residents. In 15 minutes you can take the bus into Heidelberg.
In 2007 we visited the Western Americas, we liked it very much!
Great, that you laugh a lot, that we also like to do! Max listens to music and Hanna does all day. Hanna goes to the high school in Neckargemünd, which you visit on 2/26/14.
By the way, Alexandra, Emily, and Tylyn live here, in Germany, only 5-10 minutes from us! (She is referring to other Americans on the trip.)
See you soon, I will come to the train station and get you.
Frauke
I was so happy that she responded, and that I could also translate her letter (I was slightly surprised how much I knew.)
Ok back to the schedule, so I go home with Frauke to meet her family. The next morning is Friday the 21st. On this day, we go to the courthouse to meet the mayor and to have a reception welcoming us to town. Then we get a tour of the town!
Next day, Saturday the 22nd, and Sunday the 23rd, we are free to hang out with our new families. I am hoping to God I don't do anything to offend them. Also I hope I can speak with them.
Monday, the 24th, we are going to the University of Heidelberg, which is the oldest university in Germany (It was build in the 1380's, I think). We are getting a tour of campus (which of course is awesome because I am a tour guide at UM!) and watching a film about the city.
(Side note, I am writing this schedule off of the German one that Professor Arens gave us, so I am sorry if I mess something up or can't tell you what I am doing because I have no idea what the schedule says.)
Tuesday, the 25th, we go on a city tour of Heidelberg.
Wednesday, the 26th, we visit the high school in Neckargemünd. Apparently we are visiting the English classes so finally I will be able to understand what the heck is going on. After this we have been invited to Kaffee und Kuchen, which translates to coffee and cake, by the Pohl Family which is one of the host families. YAY!
Thursday, the 26th, we meet at the train station and tearfully say goodbye to our host families to head off on our next adventure.
From looking at the schedule, I can already tell I am going to be exhausted, culture shocked, jet lagged, and everything in between. But it is gonna be totally AWESOME and I cannot wait.
