Das Wetter

Hopefully I'll miss all the rain in Germany and it won't be a drag hauling all of my luggage place to place.

In other news, my Grandma and Grandpa Johnson gave me some great advice on staying in youth hostels. It did come a little late in the game, so I don't have a membership card, but that doesn't entirely prevent me from staying at youth hostels - I just need to pay a little more, which will go towards paying for a membership over time. Anyhow, the one hostel I know of in Frankfurt ( where I'll land at 19:00 and be tired as hell ) is full for the one night I need it. Of course, it has vacancies the nights before and after. Oh well. C'est la vie.

I just hopped over to frankfurt.de and booked a hotel. I love the Internet.

Too scatter-brained to translate this entry for now.

I made a nifty draw-string bag for my new digital camera. It's pirate themed, but I can't find any black thread to make a Jolly Roger. All we have is purple and the other pirates will laugh at me if I have a purple Jolly Roger D:

Later.

I still cannot believe that I'll be in Germany by the end of the week.

Ich kann davon nicht glauben, dass ich bei Freitag in Deutschland sein werden.

Deutsch üben

Ah, I keep forgetting to mention about how this blog will work. I tend to skip from subject to subject depending on what suddenly pops into my mind. I'll try to work on organization so you can follow my whacked-out thinking process.

This blog will be in English and German, because I really need to brush up on my written and spoken German. I can listen easily, but responding to what I hear is more difficult. So each entry will be translated. And hey, maybe some German will be interested in what I have to say ::shrugs::

Wenn ich einen Fehler machen, zögert sich nicht eine Korrektur zu empfehlen.

Ich habe darauf vergessen, wie dieses Blog organiziert wird zu erwähnen. Oft springe ich von Thema zu Thema und ich habe nicht alles ganz erklärt.

Dieses Blog wird auf Englisch und Deutsch beschreibt, denn ich muss mein Deutsch verbessern. Ich kann leicht hoeren, aber sprechen und schreiben ist mir schwer. Jeder Eintrag wird übergesetzt. Und vielleicht ein Deutscher/eine Deutsche hat Interesse an mein Erlebnis in Freiburg.

I've been planning this trip for several months now.

I'm a student at Michigan State University, now entering my junior year. Entering MSU as a German major, I knew that I wanted to study abroad in Germany. Which study abroad program I would chose, I didn't yet know. But I knew I would go in my junior year. Surely that would give me enough time to plan and all that jazz, right?

Ha.

It's about two weeks before I leave for Germany. August 31st looms in the near distance. Que dramatic music.

I've got a lot of fears and expectations. My German has slipped over the past year and just looking at a grammar book sends chills down my back. I'm sure it'll all come back once I start using it, but right now I'm stumbling a bit.

My two biggest fears about Germany are neo Nazis and wild boars. However, considering that Michigan is chuck full of crazy white power groups, I don't think I need to worry too much. But those wild boars ... they've got crazy-ass tusks and will run you down and gut you. Beware.

Besides setting things up in Germany ( which MSU has done, mostly ) I also have things to wrap up here. I have to register to vote in my home town and then get an absentee ballot. I have to pack up all of my things, because with two chicks now flown out of the nest, my parents want a smaller home that's easier to maintain.

Small details are coming together. I try to imagine in my mind how things will go. Will I get lost at a train station? Will I be able to juggle all my luggage? Stupid details like that. My first time truly on my own.

We'll see how it goes.

Stay tuned.