The End

Saying goodbye to my american life was a very hard thing to do.  After building up a new  life for a whole year, it feels impossible to leave all that behind.
But I had to, so I had to say goodbye and see you again to my host families, my american friends, my host country, that now I can call home and my new self, my american me.


"You get a strange feeling when you leave a place, like you'll not only miss the people you love, but you miss the person you are at this time and place because you'll never be this way ever again."

After school ended I had 2 weeks of my American summer break and had the chance to meet my friends from school to say goodbye. June 23rd my host parents brought me to the airport in Philadelphia,PA to send me off to the West Coast.

I had the chance to do at the end of my exchange year a west coast trip with the organization called BeloUSA. It started in Phoenix, Arizona. I met 62 foreign exchange students from 23 different countries. I made the best experiences in my life in these 2 weeks and it was definitely the highlight of my exchange year. We also were also hiking the Grand Canyon when we had 47 degrees celsius, Had a ride in a limousine in Las Vegas, Went to Hollywood in L.A. and went to a famous beach where I was the first time in my life in the pacific ocean, Went on rides in Disneyland, did water rafting in Yosemite National Park and Walked across the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

All together I had the best 2 weeks in my life and met incredible people, that I could call my best friends after only 2 weeks, because we grew together and turned into #BeloFam!

Even though it wasn't always easy, I had the best year of my life by now and I made experiences that not everybody can have. I am very proud to say that I was in the U.S. for a year. 

After my 11 and a half hour flight home, my parents picked me up from the Airport in Munich. It was weird talking German again. It took more time than I've thought it would till I got used to everything again that used to be so normal to me. 

Sometimes it still feels like I don' fit quite in anymore, but now I have to find a new spot for me, maybe even a new me, because I can't deny that I didn't change. In school I'm going to do a year more than my friends, so I'm going in 10th next year in a new class. 


Thanks to everyone who read my Blog over the past year ! 

Pittsburgh

Remember when I said that Boston is my favorite City here ? I'm not sure about that any more.

Last weekend I had the chance to go to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with my host dad and my host sister to visit family.

We stayed at Kurt's sister's house in a town about half an hour away from Pittsburgh. She was super nice and I felt like I was staying a hotel, because she made herself so much work just for us.

West Pennsylvania is amazing. They name Pennsylvania means actually "Penn's woods", so how the name says, there are so many trees! West Pennsylvania is very green and it was really beautiful with all the hills and woods.

Saturday we went to the actual City of Pittsburgh. First we went through a really long tunnel and after the tunnel we were right in the city. And it was so pretty, because before we drove through the tunnel, there were everywhere trees and after the tunnel we were in the city. 

We went there to see Melissa's exhibit in the museum she worked last summer. I learned that Heinz Ketchup comes from Pittsburgh! The part of the museum that we were looking at was especially about the second world war. Melissa could explain everything very well and after my U.S. history class, I'm even interested in history.

Sunday I met Kurt's 97 years old Father. He talked to me a little in German and showed me an old German instrument he had at his house. I also met the rest of Kurt's family. They are all really nice and I had a really nice day at his father's house.

me in front of a very old Pittsburgh train in the museum

Heinz Ketchup

Melissa in front of the museum

The colors of Pittsburgh are black and gold. I knew that before because the Pirates tricot is black and yellow and I saw that at the Baseball game I went to. So even this bridge is yellow!

Melissa's cousin found a baby cat. She feeds him  with a bottle and called himDexter.

Kurt feeding the baby cat

Dexter

Melissa and I 

When we were driving through the Tunnel to Pittsburgh

On our way home we stopped at a place to get lunch and from there we had this amazing view!

PROM & Graduation 2K15

I went to Prom with 5 friends.  Lindsey, Kathleen, Alyssa (she's not on the pictures though), Shirin ( Foreign exchange student from Germany) and Martine (Foreign exchange student from Norway.

We took pictures at Martine's neighbor. She has a farm, so we could take pictures with a really great back ground.

Me, Lindsey, Kathleen, Shirin and Martine

Me, Lindsey, Kathleen, Shirin and I 

The foreign girls 

My host parents and I

Posing with the horse

How my hair looks like right after I got them done

The flowers my host parents got me

Ryan and I 

We went to Prom with Kathleen's van, so we could all fit in one car. Prom was in a hotel called Dover Downs in Dover. It was really pretty there. First of all we had Dinner from a Buffett. After that I took some more pictures with my friends. (If you want to see more picture, you can see them on my Flickr Account).
After that we listened to a few speeches and then we danced.
Prom was over at 11.00 pm, so we went to my house, drunk a cup of coffee and got changed in to normal clothes.
Then we went to school, because After Prom started there at Midnight.
After Prom was Crazy! The whole gym was packed with moon bounces (Hüpfburgen) and there was a lot of food, they even had a chocolate fountain !! We also had the chance to get a Henna tattoo and win something.

I was finally back home at 4 a.m!!

My old host sister Ashley and I 

2 Weeks later Ashley's Graduation was in Dover at the University of Delaware. It was so american and exactly like in movies, just longer! So many people made speeches, so we had to listen a lot. The Graduation was about 2 hours long. After all the speeches, the Seniors went to the stage and got their diploma. 

Graduation

Senior Chorus

Graduation

“the hardest part during the exchange year: make friends. remembering how we used to have fun makes us homesick.”

I had a hard time finding friends and I think that was especially, because I felt like I annoyed the people and they actually didn't want me to be with them.  That's why it took me pretty long to find friends. 

Lauren was already in my Bio/Chem class in the first semester, but we didn't really talk to each other. Then in the second semester I had plant science with her. Since then we talked and she let me sit at her lunch table. She is super nice to me and she is probably my best american friend here. I'm so glad that I met her, because without her, my exchange year probably wouldn't have ended up like it is now.
When I'm with Lauren I don't feel like I'm the foreign kid. I always feel like I'm actually her real friend and she wants to be with me.

Lauren and I when we made flower arrangements in plant science

After TEN months, Caitlin was the first one who asked me if I want to come over to her house. She also sits with us at lunch and she's really cool. I love her personality and how she looks at things.
I really liked her house and she lives on a little farm. She has 3 horses and I think 7 goats.

When I came over to her house, Lauren asked if she can come over too. We had a bonfire and were talking all night long. It was so much fun.
I'm so happy to have those 2 people ! <3

Caitlin, I and Lauren

Animals

I collected all these pictures since I moved to my new host family. I took all the picture of the dogs when I went for a hike with my host mother's shelter dogs. There was a a fund race hike. 

This was a little puppy that someone just pushed me into my arms. She was so fluffy and really cute. I totally fell in love with this little  dog!

This is my host mom with the Dog she's voluntarily working with at the Shelter in Smyrna. Her name is Doody and she's in the shelter for over a year. I can't believe that nobody took her yet, because she's such a lovable, cute, energetic dog!

Doody <3

One day after school I went with my foreign exchange student friend, Martine from Norway, Horse back riding. It was so much fun and I hope that I can so that again soon. Sadly it was pretty cold, so I am wearing to Hoodies over each other, so I look pretty packed on the pictures. My horse was called Mocha.

A few years ago my host mom bought a goat from FFA, because after the goat grew up, they wanted to bring them to the butcher. Chris, my hostmom saved his, Jojo's, life and brought them to her girl friend's farm.

When the goats from FFA got babies, I was allowed to pet them and carry them on my arms. They were sooo cute!

My friend Caitlin lives at little farm, so she has 3 horses a few goats. Some of the goats had blue eyes!

american experiences

In May I have seen my first Baseball Game ever. We went to Wilmington to the Blue Rocks game. Because they won, there was a pretty big firework! About a week later my host family brought me to a big Baseball game in Philadelphia, PA. Phillys vs Pirates.

The Pirates are the Baseball team from Pittsburgh, PA. Both of my Host parents come from Pittsburgh, so they are really big pirates fans.

At the end of April my host parents, their friends and I went to a Beer and Music Festival. We brought our own camping chairs and put them in front of the stage. At the beginning it was a little weird to be excluded of the whole Beer part. Americans are really strict about the whole alcohol thing. But happily they really good Root Beer, which is my new favorite Soda. I'm going to miss that so much!

At the Festical they had little stands ( a little like a market ) where you could buy things (especially food). I likes this stand. They sold Clocks made of CDs and records.

At another stand I found Beer SOUP. Isn't that crazy ?!

At the end of April we had also our first Bonfire. I love bonfires!

In May we went the first time of the season to the Beach. The place was calles Rehoboth Beach and it is about an hour aways from where we live. We went there with a club from school called "Best Buddies". I hang out there  a lot with Grace and Angelica. Sadly it was way too cold to go into the water.