Welcome friends!

Most of you are just now finding my blog because I've finally shared it so, HERZLICH WILKOMMEN :)

I haven't been able to post since arriving in Washington, D.C., because I'm bad at internet connectiony type things but hey, here I am. Today dad is dropping me off at the hotel and, as sad as it is to think about, it's also super exciting to know that today is when my journey starts. I'll go ahead and post the addresses to contact me at while I'm there so I don't have to send them to 57 people. 

*Language camp- 

Experiment e.V.

Zoë Grayson

Schloss Wittgenstein 6

57334 Bad Laasphe 

Germany

*Host Family-

Zoë Grayson/Loers

Vogelskamp 78

40822 Mettmann

Germany

*Texting

If you have iPhone or android, get the "whatsapp" application and TO YOUR CONTACTS add my number. 781-927-9193. After adding me to your actual contacts, the app will add me to your favorites list. After that, you're all set to text me. :)

*Skype

prettyraveegirl

Make sure that you send me your address before Saturday if you want any snail mail or german souvenirs :P AND WRITE ME. I love letters! And I'm going to feel very homesick around holidays and whatnot so letters are absolutely positively 100% always welcome. 

Tune in tonight for my post while at the Hilton Washington Dulles Airport hotel place of meeting fabulous students. 

Tschüs! :*

On the road

An hour ago: Bowling Green, Kentucky

Eight hours from now: Bethesda, Maryland

Currently: I dunno, dude. Like, Springfield, Kentucky. Somewhere sunny and seventy-five~

We hit single digits this week, and I'm counting down the final week as of today. This morning was my last in Bowling Green for the next year, but that was much easier to handle than expected. All of my goodbyes were said last night, which honestly was really difficult, and now I'm sitting beside Dad while we drive the 9 hours up to Washington, DC. I'm not sure what to do with this post other than update on places and plans.

We, (being the exchange students OF 2014 WOOOOO GO CIEE), received plenty of emails from the program head since my last post. Here's our new details:

>Language and Culture camp is going to be at Schloss Wittgenstein. 

>CBYX Pre-Departure Orientation (PDO) will actually be combined with the CIEE German inbound students' Arrival Orientation. 

>We have addresses for mail, and I'll make a separate post for that.

>All of us officially have a host family!

>We're having dinner with our German counterparts in Arlington :D

That's all that's really worth sharing. A lot of my fellow exchange students are talking about how "it has finally become real that we're going to Germany" and I've gotta say, I slightly hit that moment last week and it is literally a sudden realization. Of course we've known since March, but that doesn't mean it had hit us yet. I was driving back into Bowling Green after spending a weekend in Columbia with some seriously amazing people and it hit me that that was the last time I'd drive back into my town or even see these people for the next year. It wasn't even sad at that point, just sheerly shocking. But believe, it didn't take long to become sad. 

I have one more big goodbye left, and after that there's no more being sad for me. It becomes excitement and awe. For anyone thinking of applying, or any finalists, here's your forewarning. It's a week until i leave, and the whirlwind of emotions has already struck. It's all mixed up and jumbly, but its just great. It's eager/sad/anxious/excited but all of that falls together to be a ball of GET ME TO GERMANY ALREADY. I know there will be homesickness and feeling out of place at times this year, but i'm resilient and determined to let the good stuff outweigh the rough stuff. 

Here's to one week, y'all!