T-Minus One Day until Munich!

Well, it's finally here! One day until I jump on a plane and fly to Munich! I'm almost packed--well, almost starting to pack... :) I've got lists of things I need to pack. Now, they just need to find their way into my bags! That's my job for today and tomorrow.

I don't think it's really hit me yet that I will be spending three months in another country. Sure, consciously I know that I'm leaving, but I don't know if it's really hit me. It hit me a little leaving Sauk Centre on Friday, and it hit me a little leaving St. Cloud on Saturday. It also hit me a little seeing my brother, Benj, when he and his girl came up to see me on Sunday. But again, I don't think it's really sunk in. And I don't think it will until I'm in the air.

I bought a few books on Munich at Barnes and Nobel yesterday, so I'm taking those on the trip, along with another pile of books: a few history books, a few novels, my German-English dictionary and phrase book. I've got a lot of reading material! And I think between my two iPods and my laptop, I can keep myself pretty entertained on the flight. Plus it's an over-night flight, so I get to sleep too! 

I think that's all for now, I'll probably put another post up tomorrow before I actually head out!

T-minus 1 week...

In one week I will be in Germany. In less than a week, I board a plane and head out on, arguably, the biggest adventure of my life. In less than a week, I will leave my family, friends, and everything I'm used to and travel thousands of miles and seven timezones to a country where I barely speak the language and know just about no one. I'm terrified and excited at the same time.

My apartment is finalized. I signed the contract and got the deposit transferred. I've got a new webcam that I'm super excited about so I can skype home. I sent most of my clothes home with my parents over the weekend, now I have to start thinking about what to bring with, what I need, what I can leave home, and how much I really want to take with me. I've got a few lists going of things I need, things I want to do when I get there, and things I want to send home for people.

I can't wait to drink Apfelschorle (carbonated apple juice) again. I can't wait for Wiener Schnitzel (fried breaded pork/viel cutlet) and Weisswurst (type of bratwurst). I'm excited to meet new people, live in a new place, and see Munich again. I'm also really excited to start teaching at the school, see what their system is like, what the students are like, and what the subject matter is like.

I'm also sad to leave. Saying goodbye is hard, especially when I don't have another semester or year of school left. Not only am I leaving, I'm also finished with school. It's a difficult combination that makes saying goodbye to my college friends even harder. I know most of them have so many activities to look forward to in the coming months, and a part of me wishes I could still be a part of that. Alas, this is the hard part about change. I experienced it transitioning from high school to college, and I must experience it again.

So much to look forward to, so much to look back on. I'm mostly focused on the looking forward. I'm sure in Germany, I'll have plenty of time to look back.

Ups and Downs

It's hard to leave. I'm excited for Munich, but being around my friends hurts. I feel left out. I feel like I'm stuck in the middle, not quite graduated, but not quite a student either. I participate in some things, but not others. As of this moment, I don't even know if I'll be able to handle watching video of the Drag Show in the spring. I'm sure I'll probably feel differently once I get to Germany, but right now it hurts too much to think about.

On the positive side, I've found an apartment. I'm incredibly excited for this! It's tiny, one room with a little kitchenette plus a bathroom. It's fully furnished, chic, white, very European stylish. It has a futon, a small table and chairs, tv, and... a balcony!!!! It's also about a thousand dollars a month! :O *gulp* Thank god I have amazing parents! Mom said this is my graduation present, and what else could I ask for?

The apartment is in a part of Munich called Solln. It's going to be quite a commute to work every day, but I'm okay with that. I just figured out the commute on the Munich Transit website. It's going to take about an hour to get from my apartment to the school. As of right now, it's taking me 40 minutes to get from my house to Sauk Centre, so I'm okay with an hour commute. Especially if, for most of it, I'm just sitting and riding the trains. It'll be good prep/relax time. I'm probably going to get a bike while I'm there. The subway stop is about 15 blocks from my apartment, which isn't too bad, but I know a bike can help.

I just purchased a webcam, so I'll be able to skype with friends and family while I'm there. I'm thinking about setting up a weekly and maybe daily time when people can skype with me. Because Germany is seven hours ahead of us, I think it will work best to do "Lunchtime with Sara". So at noon in Minnesota, it'll be 7pm in Munich and I'll skype people during my evenings.

That's all for now. Look for another post soon!

T-minus 3 weeks until Munich!

First blog post for Munich! It is now three weeks until I'll arrive in Munich. Three weeks to find an apartment, and three weeks to finalize everything I need.
I'm freaking out about not having an apartment yet, though it's mostly my fault that I haven't gotten that done.
I still have to focus on getting all my student teaching requirements done here before I can imagine what Germany is going to be like. Luckily, I now have my contact information for my Cooperating Teacher and Supervisor at the school, which I am very happy about.
I'm trying to spend as much time as possible with my friends right now because I know I will miss them all terribly while I'm gone.

There's my first post. Look for more in the future as I get my thoughts together about this amazing adventure I'm about to embark on.