Just an Update!

Now that the realization of what I'm about to encounter has finally hit me, my head is full of questions. I find myself awake at night, trying to picture myself next year, and kinda freaking out about all I have to do to prepare. AFS has a rule that you can only bring one carry-on and one 44 lb. suitcase -- I can already see this is going to be a huge problem! I have a lot of clothes, and I love all of them so much, its gonna be hard to decide which to take and which to leave. Last night in bed, I mentally mapped out what I'll bring in my carry-on, and I think I have a pretty good list --

-Laptop w/ charger
-Harmonica
-German/English Dictionary

-iPhone w/ charger

-Camera w/ charger

-Sketchbook/notebook

-Small gifts for my new family (!!!!)

-Book or magazine for the plane

...and that's it. It's amazing to think that when you truly have to boil down your possessions to only what you'll need for a year, you start to realize how much 'stuff' you have, that you don't really need. For instance, right now my room is completely filled from floor to ceiling with random things, but I just proved to myself I only need 5 of these dozens of things to actually live for a year.

I've recently joined a few different Facebook groups pertaining to my year abroad: one for all the AFS kids going all over the world in 2013-2014, one for just the kids going to Germany, and one that's a general AFS group. Meeting all these kids online is amazing so far. It is so awesome to talk to kids who will be experiencing many of the same excitements and challenges as me in the next year! Most of them are really nice, too! 

So, I guess all I can say is that right I'm really excited for my year, but also really nervous!

Welcome to my blog!

Hi everyone! This is my first blog post so I guess I'll begin by explaining who I am and what this blog is for. First of all, my name is Ethan. Here is a picture of me. I got lucky here, and don't actually look this nice in real life:

So very recently, today actually, I was accepted by AFS Germany to be an exchange student in Germany for the 2013-2014 school year. AFS Intercultural Programs is an international, volunteer-based organizations that sends hundreds of kids on semester and year-long exchanges all over the world. I was already accepted by AFS USA about a month ago (which means they agreed to sponsor my exchange), but now that I have been accepted by AFS in my first choice country, I am guaranteed to be leaving for Germany come September. I am too excited to express it in words, but I think the most accurate phrase would be kjsdfnlkjbndg,vdsbnxv,mbnKJDNFN!!!!!!!1111 

I have a very busy summer ahead of me before I leave. I need to complete an internship during the month of June for my school, attend AFS orientations, mentally prepare for leaving, take German classes twice a week in NYC, work for my mom at her new office, babysit, possibly get another summer job, and somehow fit a social life and seeing my friends into all of that. On top of all that, I also have two goals I have been working on accomplishing before I leave. The first, more important one, sounds like a joke: I'm learning, just now, how to ride a bike. Yes, I know it's embarrassing. When I was little, I was too scared to learn, and that was that. Now that I'm heading to a country where biking is as common as breathing and eating, it's pretty important that I learn how. So far, I can balance on the bike and ride straight perfectly fine, but I need to figure out how to steer in traffic, and also get up hills. The second goal I have is getting into running. Although I've never been into sports, I really like to be active, and love hiking and taking walks. So, I figure I'd get into jogging. I'm really liking it so far, even though I can only jog about a mile right now :p. I'm pretty sure the 2 1/2 years of smoking and no sports didn't help...(if you're reading this, mom or dad, it was in the past, I quit!). But I have a nice new pair of running shoes, and I'm slowly improving, so maybe I'll pass the mile mark pretty soon.

So this blog will be where you can read my thoughts and rants, and see pictures, from my year abroad, as well as the hectic summer of planning and packing leading up to it. 

Bis bald,

Ethan

p.s. I was asked this a few times already -- I have no idea where in Germany I'll be going...most AFSers don't get their host family/city/school placement until shortly before they leave. Sometimes, AFSers leave for Germany without having a host family yet, and stay with a temporary one until a permanent best match can be found. I don't find this annoying, I find it nice because I know that AFS doesn't just match you up randomly, they really spend time and effort trying to find families that are compatible with your personality and interests. Considering I'm outgoing, and interested in everything from cooking to backpacking to painting, I don't think it should be too hard to find me a match!