SO it has been quite a while since I posted and a lot has happened since I went to Germany for Christmas.
I had a wonderful experience while I was in Germany. I was with the exchange student (Johannes) that stayed at my house for a year in high school. His family was so wonderful and welcoming. German’s a very loving people. I felt at home as soon as I arrived in Koln (Cologne). I visited lots of awesome things in Koln, like the very famous Koln Cathedral.
We spent the christmas days at Johannes Grandmothers house. It was such a family holiday. In Germany, they celebrate 3 days of christmas. On December 24, they spend the day together and then go to church while Baby Jesus brings the presents for the children. (Who brings the presents in Germany depends on each family. For example, some German’s say that Baby Jesus brings the presents while others families celebrate Father Christmas bringing presents) Anyway, after church we went back and had a nice big family meal followed by opening presents. It was such a wonderful experience. On December 25, which is called Christmas day 1, we had a very large brunch.
I would say it was about 7-10 courses. It was very delicious. The rest of the day was spent having fun with the family and drinking and snacking. On Christmas Day 2, December 26, we once again spent the day with the family, had a very very large meal and relaxed. For the duration of my trip to Germany we travelled around Germany like to Munster.
and even went to the Netherlands one day because it was very close to Lette. I feel very lucky to have had such a wonderful experience for Christmas especially since I could have been all alone in Paris.
When I got back to Paris I only had a week until I left and I spent the week running around to finish up all my loose ends. For New Years I went to the Eiffel Tower with some of my French friends. It was so crowded but it was a great experience. I had a really fun time that night. The only bad thing was one of my friends got pick pocketed. 🙁
So my trip home was a very unforgettable experience. I got to the airport and had them weigh my carry on. It was more than the 8kg limit so I had to pay 160 euros for a 3rd checked bag. Then my flight was 2 hours late leaving which made me miss my flight from Munich to JFK. So Lufthansa’s earliest flight to JFK was from Munich to Frankfurt then Frankfurt to JFK. By the time I got home it was 2am the following day and I had left for the airport the day before at 4:30 am after pulling an all nighter. Needless to say it was a very long trip.
I was only home for 3 and 1/2 days before I had to head back to Oswego. I got to relax again, but I needed to pack for Oswego and see my family and boyfriend who I had just been away from for 5 months. I was lucky because my family threw me a 2nd Christmas. It was so thoughtful of them and I really enjoyed myself.
The 3 weeks at Oswego for intersession were exhausting. I played Hockey day in and Day out and all I did on my free time was sleep and eat. That is a normal intersession but it was even more exhausting after changing 6 hours of time zones less than a week before.
Classes have been going on for two weeks now. I am student teaching and thus far it has been a great experience. I love being back at Oswego. I missed it so much. I know that I am a student that will bleed green and gold for the rest of my life. I love Oswego. I am so happy with my choice to come here. I have had one of the best college experiences and I have enjoyed every minute here. Though life has been very stressful and busy since school has started I really want to enjoy my last semester at Oswego.
I will be posting more often now that I am getting into a routine. And I hope my blog is just as exciting when I am not in Paris 🙂