And so it begins...

Hey everyone!

This is the beginning of the adventure blog, as I like to dub it, for my three-month stay in Germany. I am now approaching about 90 hours until I depart from Louisville. I am starting the ever-so-delightful packing process tomorrow and hopefully getting the majority of it done during the day. As I have traveled to South Carolina and UK to visit people and say goodbye for the semester, a vast majority are curious about what my program includes exactly. If you are curious, didn't know, or have forgotten, here are the basics:

1. Cultural Immersion Program through Rotary International
2. Taking only German classes at a language institution called the Goethe Institute
3. Living with a host family--a husband and wife named the Haugs
4. Studying for three months, Feb 1st-Apr 30th are the dates I'll be in class
5. I will either return in mid/late May or early Aug depending on a few possibilities
6. I will be in Schwaebisch Hall, Germany. It is close to Stuttgart in SW Germany

As I prepare for my travels, feelings of apprehension, excitement, and surreality set in. I cannot fathom the fact that this time next week I will be walking the streets of a small town in Germany. I am nervous based only on the actuality that there will be a language difference. Obviously, a good number of Germans speak English, but the fact remains that I will be required to speak a language that I am still learning. I mean, I am going on a cultural immersion program in order to greatly improve my German language skills, so it will be an awesome and highly educational adventure. Becoming conversational is one of the biggest goals of my expedition. But...it still is a little nerve-racking. Despite the nerves, the experience of being in a foreign setting, both linguistically and culturally, is probably the most exciting aspect of my trip, too.

To be completely honest with you, I could talk for a decent amount of time about the things I am expecting to think, feel, and experience once I set foot on that plane and the subsequent events. However, I have NO IDEA what to expect, so my postulations of these expectations are well...worthless. My imagination just doesn't have enough similar experiences to draw from to form a complete conjecture of the things waiting for me overseas. So I'm just going to go with what happens. My mantra at the moment is: "If something strange or difficult happens, it will be a good story later." That being said, I do hope that I don't acquire too many stories in the first few days...

More to come once I'm in Germany!!