Wilkommen!

Finally heard those magic words this morning...(or was it last night?)...still can't figure it out... either way, I do know that I am running on very little sleep!

Temp finally lowered to under 100, packed everything up quickly, and rushed to the airport. Almost had a mental breakdown at check-in cause my bag was five pounds overweight but they luckily waved the fee. Almost passed out rushing through security and to the gate, but made it in time! Said goodbye to mom, met Dan who's a guy also on my program, and boarded! Unfortunately, picking the very back seat was a baddd idea because there was actually a lot less room... but the flight wasn't full so after about an hour I moved up a few rows and sat with Dan, and we talked all about Germany and stuff which helped the time of the long flight to pass

FINALLY landed. (I've used that word a lot in this post!) and flu seems to be all about done. Went through customs, spoke my first German words in a looong time (Guten Morgen!--I know, I'm fabulous, right?) and then what did I spend my first euros on? A "large" cup of coffee. Dan and I sat around for a couple hours and waited and then met up with the program heads and the other students, and met more and more students, and after like five hours, we finally headed to Heidelberg! Got to our dorms woo!

So it's in the new part of the city, unfortunately a 30 minute bus ride from classes, but that's okay! 4 single rooms with 2 bathrooms and a kitchen, and a balcony! In my own room! Pretty neat! Haven't met any roommates yet though... quick shower and freshened up, and then Robert and Becca and I got on the bus to make the journey to the Study Center to use the wifi because we don't get wifi in the rooms until the semester actually starts next month :( (but no different than Newton, right?!)

Now just catching up on email and updates and letting everyone know I've arrived safely, pizza party soon! Then BED. And a whole day of Orientation and stuff for the weekend, and then we delve right into that German which I have...forgotten.

Tschuss!

Die Grippe

The day is finally here, the day I leave for Germany!!!!!! I have been waiting NINE WEEKS for this day, and what have I been doing to prepare for it? Well, I've been bedridden tackling the flu. I don't even remember the last time I got the flu, the last time I was even this sick was like five years ago and that was due to food poisoning. But alas, like everything in life, this virus waltzed in with perfect timing. At the worst stage, my fever was up to 104.1 and has been lowering for the last few days, and this morning, approximately six hours before we are to leave for the airport, it's down to 100.5. But I am stubborn as a horse (is that even a phrase?) and I am getting on that plane. We changed my seat to the very back of the plane next to the window so I can be sickly without bothering anyone.

I guess on the bright side... I've lost almost four pounds in just a few shorts days, and I am usually never able to sleep much on red eye flights, but all I have the energy to do is sleep! So I can just sleep the entire flight and then it'll be over. Now, tackling my hefty luggage will be another task considering I've lost basically all my muscle functions... maybe being an old man isn't all it's cracked up to be...

So! I am GETTING ON THAT PLANE. I WILL FEEL BETTER. I WILL MAKE IT OVER THERE IN ONE PIECE. (I mean, I am heading over to Germany, where they're famous for barking orders, right???)

(less than sign) ONE WEEK!!

The time has arrived...MY COUNTDOWN!!! Hahaha, it's not time to go just yet... though I am finally home for a few days at one time to finally get packed and ready! I'll be on the plane in FIVE DAYS! I can't believe it's finally here (almost)!!

The last time I wrote, I was waiting to board my plane at Logan. Got home and had to unpack and pack again! Thursday, mom and I headed to Reagan for our flight to Miami and then to Punta Cana. Got to Punta Cana around 10:30 and unfortunately our luggage was lost (the two times I have flown American internationally, they have lost my luggage...hmm...as much crap as I give United, I guess they're not that bad after all!) but THANKFULLY I had packed my swimsuits and some coverups in my carry on. Got to the resort close to midnight, grabbed some burgers and some beer, then headed to our beautiful room on a beautiful WARM night and got some sleep. Next day I headed to the beach for about six hours while mom ran around trying to locate our luggage. Being me and believing myself immune to sunburn (and every summer I learn that I am indeed not immune to sunburn...when will I ever learn?!) I lay on the beach for about SIX HOURS in the Caribbean sun with no sunscreen...needless to say, I am still recovering. It was the absolute worst sunburn of my life, all the way from my forehead to my thighs, but the peeling has finally begun to subside! And after nearly 21 years, I'll start wearing sunscreen before the burn.

Other than the lost luggage (which we got 23 hours after we arrived) and my awful burn, it was a lovely vacation. I didn't turn on my phone or go on a computer for 6+ days and it was wonderful to just be away from contact from anyone I knew and be away from technology. Our normal day routine was wake up, go to beach, eat, lay on beach for a few hours, eat, drink, lay on beach, drink, go to pool, drink, lay at pool, drink, shower, drink, dinner, drink, sleep. Not bad, huh? There were bars IN THE POOLS! And buffets EVERYWHERE. I managed to fit in a few beach runs to offset my caloric intake and came back only one pound heavier, but I would've priced the vacation at probably five pounds hahah

Back home Wednesday night, some errands Thursday (including brand new running shoes!) and headed to Richmond yesterday afternoon to see Darrell and Iva, and Marianne came from JMU as well! Had a nice visit, especially considering it was getting up to 78 DEGREES in FEBRUARY! Headed back home this afternoon, and I've got just a few solid days left to get the things on my mammoth to-do list done, but it's all the more exciting that way!

goodbye, Boston!

I am currently at my gate at Logan waiting to go home to DC. I got here super early because Mark accompanied me to the airport, but we had to leave early enough that he'd have time to get back to school for class. I'm glad he came with me, we had a pleasant goodbye. I was at school for a week, and it was a wonderful visit. Despite the mountains of snow, I loved being up there and I somehow tolerate winter more up here than at home. One thing I loved was that the second I stepped foot on campus, I felt right at home and not weird at all which is always the sign that a place is truly your home.

I switched most of my time between 522 and 523, and spent lots of time in the rat and the plex. Got my fix of rat coffee but unfortunately missed out on pistachio muffins :( One thing I am very happy about is that I got the closure I needed for the year so I am now definitely ready to go abroad with regard to leaving BC for the semester. Last December, I wasn't mentally ready to leave BC and all my friends there, but I got to see everyone this week, say my proper goodbyes, and see them all involved in their lives this semester and realize that I am so ready to get started with the incredible semester I have ahead of me!

Quick turn around these two days though, since mom and I are going to Dominican Republic TOMORROW. Cannot wait to bask in the 80 degree sun and hopefully leave for Germany with a nice tan! Got my arrival information and there is another kid on my program on my same flight which is good, so we can figure out Frankfurt airport together. Just gotta figure out how to find him at Dulles haha...

So I leave two weeks from TOMORROW! FINALLY! And when I get back from DR, it'll be one week until I leave! Still so much to do... but now gotta fly home! So, until August...goodbye, Boston!!

Getting there...

Okay okay okayyyy, my dreadfully long winter break hasn't been all that bad. Last weekend, Kelsey and I drove down to JMU and I got to see Marianne, and we got to celebrate Kelly's 21st birthday with her which was a lot of fun. I got a kick out of saying very loudly again and again, "I DON'T GO HERE!" ....something very fun about partying at other schools where you don't know anyone, and most you will never see again.

Last night Kelsey had her housewarming party for her new apartment and it was nice to meet all her friends. I love meeting all my friends' friends so I can finally put names to faces. I just wish some people would come visit me at my school and meet my friends!! :( (That's a hint to some certain people reading this...)

On Wednesday, I'l be going up to BC for a week...it's supposed to snow here though and there on that day, so I'm really hoping I'll be able to get up there...maybe mom can work some magic.

And the exciting news--the day after I get back from Boston, mom and I are going down to Dominican Republic for a week! I am soooo looking forward to it. We'll be staying at an all-inclusive resort and I cannot wait to just lay on the beach and feel the SUN. I've still got the winter blues, so I told her that all I want is to feel the sun and go to the beach (WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO ME?!) and we made it happen. We'll get back the 16th and then I've got a week until I leave for GERMANY!

I got my housing assignment a couple days ago which has definitely added to the excitement of going. http://www.jwp-architekten.de/13.htm That link shows a picture of the building I'll be living in for the next five months...it is GIGANTIC. But a girl who went on the program last semester said a lot of students live there and it's fairly new, the only downside is that it's about a 30minute commute to campus, but that's okay. It's just all becoming very real! The email I got about housing explained all the amenities and such in German, and I realized how rusty I am =/ but I guess that's what that three-week course is for!

Also just a note, I changed the title of the blog to more properly fit the whole..."abroad" experience. I saw this quote, or one similar, at Kelsey's apartment this morning and really liked it and the way it applied to a lot of the things I've been thinking about lately. I'm not scared to go abroad or anything, I'm not going anywhere new, but I just can't be worried about what I'm leaving back home and at school, because I'm going to be having my own adventures!

A New Year

I am officially the last person left here. HOW DEPRESSING. Jennie left this morning to go back to Notre Dame, and here I am.... and here I will be for another FIVE WEEKS. Everyone at BC is moved back in, they start classes tomorrow... hey guess what? Yeah, I'm still here.

I had been prepared for my nine week winter break for a while, but the true test of boredom is about to begin. These last four weeks, all my other friends have been home, albeit at different times, but all home, all available because we're all on break from classes. And now...nobody! Luckily I have some friends at schools in the area...but they're now occupied in their school lives. My gym membership expires on Friday and then I'll really have nothing to do...

Luckily, I've got many excursions planned! Next weekend, Kelsey and I will be going down to JMU until Monday for Kelly's 21st birthday, and I'll get to see Marianne as well. I'll be up in Boston from Feb. 2- Feb. 8, a time to say my final goodbyes to everyone... and the next day, I'll be going down to JMU again and then Marianne and I will be going to VCU to see Darrell, and then moving to UVA for Joyce's 21st birthday! So...lots planned, and I'm sure the time will fly by... but any day now the weirdness will hit that everyone's back in school and I'm not.

Everyone I know that's going abroad is already there, already becoming immersed in foreign life! I JUST WANT TO GO NOW!!!!! The more time I wait, the more I get nervous, but the nervousness switches to excitement, and then back to nervousness...just let me goooo!

Another weird thing is that my last day of classes is July 22nd. SO LATE. So once again, I'll be the odd man out. Everyone will be enjoying summer, and I'll be....studying. Yes, I'll be studying in Europe, but it's still kind of a sad thought.

On a happier note though, YAYA in Europe is officially happening! Mollie will be there until mid-June (I'm also hoping to go visit her in early April during my break and we can go to Paris!) and Jennie will be arriving in June and will be doing her summer internship in a town only about an hour away from me so I'll be able to easily see her on weekends and such, and Marianne and Liz will be coming to visit for the first two weeks of June. All so exciting! I have no idea how we're going to get everything to work out, especially since I'll be in classes, but we know it's happening, which is always the first step.

I recently deactivated my Facebook because I was spending an unhealthy amount of time on it. It's been surprisingly easier than I expected to not have it... the only bothersome part is being away from the Yaya and CARS threads. I can see what they all write...but I can't respond. As a result though, I've been living on Twitter and am now finally updating this blog. I'm still debating whether or not to use this blog while I'm abroad or the Tumblr I just created...we'll see.

Sad note-- Patriots lost to the Jets last night in the divisional playoff round. I nearly cried. I really was expecting them to win hands down. And that on top of BC Hoops loss and Ravens loss the night before, and BC Bowl loss and Saints loss the week before... very depressing time for sports :(

Anyways, there's an update...we'll see how long it takes boredom to sink in.

Hallo!

It's been almost two months since I last wrote, and I talked all about my worries about going abroad...well my feelings have since shifted.

One month ago I traveled to Montreal with BCMB and that was my first time out of the country in about 9 months, but being in a foreign environment (especially since Montreal speaks a different language) started to get me so excited about going to Germany. Also, volunteering at the Boston Symposium on the Arms Trade Treaty three weeks ago got me in the spirit to go abroad because I go to meet a lot of diplomats from all over the world. I was helping with something that has to do with the world today, rather than just sitting in a classroom studying which gets soooo boring after so many years.

So! Needless to say, I'm getting really excited about going to Germany. I got officially accepted to the Heidelberg program last Friday, so I'll be leaving on February 24th (so late!) and coming back July 27th. Short summer but long winter to bum around McLean and find something to do...

Fall is in the air... I smelled that first true scent of fall tonight at rehearsal and was in love! Halloween's coming up and before we know it, it'll be time for hanging Christmas lights! Gotta get through midterms first though...