Spanien!

The German word Spanien (aka Spain) looks like the German word spannend, which means thrilling, which is just what Spain was. My friend Sarah and I - perfect travel buddies, eager to see everything a city has to offer and like the same foods.- took a long weekend trip to Spain over the past week. A little getaway. A little girl time. A whole lot of mediterranean.

It was such a great weekend. We saw La Sagrada Familia - a cathedral that has been continuously built (architect - Gaudi) since the late 1800s and expected to be finally done in 2020. We went to Parc Guell - another Gaudi creation that was originally going to be a housing development for the affluent but turned into a public park after the project bottomed up. We laid topless on the beach (okay obvi, that is joke, but everyone else did!). We experienced Barcelona winning the first game of the Champion League finals. We drank Sangria (to die for) out of liter glasses. We had girl talk. We ate everywhere and everything and stuffed ourselves with yummy Tapas.

You can put me on a plane and literally fly me anywhere in this world. God you have such an artistic hand.

Total Immersion?

I love German, but I don't find myself speaking it that much. Surprising, right? You would think that study abroad is the key to fluency but now a days that just isn't so.

I tried to make my study abroad experience as "immersed" as possible. I did an exchange, didn't come with UVA, found an internship and yet I still spend over half my days speaking in English. Gah frustration. I really wanted to come back fluent - and don't get me wrong, my German is way improved (really thanks to Schwarzwald Park Hotel and my two months there), but it isn't where I wanted it to be.

So many people go abroad today that you will always find people who speak your mother tongue and it is actually hard to meet real Germans as an exchange student. Almost all of my friends here are other exchange students. I mean that in itself is a cool experience too. I have friend literally all over the world now, but still I wish I was coming back more fluent than I will be.

Sad tuba.

On the other hand, I can't believe I only have a month and a half left. WEIRD. Where did the time go?

Sidenote: I am supposed to fly to Spain on Friday and Ireland on Wednesday. With the whole Volcano thing going on both trips are pretty jeopardized. Please pray! I really want to go and am not sure I will get my money back if the flights are cancelled :(

Busy, Busy, Busy

So I feel like I have been MIA for a while, which honestly must be a good thing. Too much free time and blog time means that I am probably missing home more and bored.

A quick little fill in on what I have been up to...

Last weekend, I went and visited a family friend, Abram Rodd, who is serving in the United States Army and stationed here in Germany. He lives in maybe one of the best German towns I have ever been to, Bamberg, Bavaria. I think I was supposed to live in Bavaria. When you think typisch Deutsch, you think of Bavaria. Nine breweries within the city alone, a castle on top of the hill, a winding river and canal through the town, little tiny roads with houses older than America, hosted Napolean's army for a time, insane Cathedrals that tower over the city, beer gardens everywhere... it was amazing. Abram and Nena (his German girlfriend) were wonderful hosts and I had an wonderful time with them.

Nena invited me to her father's birthday BBQ which was easily one of the highlights. Her family welcomed me with open arms and taught me all kinds of bayerisch, frankonian German. (Germany has insane dialect differences. It is extremely possibly that two Germans who have lived in Germany their entire life cannot understand each other.) The German people, especially from the south, might be some of the most open and hospitable people I know.

This week has been busy with tons and tons of homework, studying for the GREs, and hanging out with friends. A week from today I'll be starting a crazy amount of trip taking and traveling (Spain, Ireland, parents, Rome all in one month) and unfortunately have all of my projects and papers due during this time. It has been good to be distracted though because currently all my friends are at beach week together and my wonderful boyfriend is graduating on Sunday.

It is kind of crazy to think about. This past week I finished four full months here and despite having two to go, I feel as if my time is really winding down. This weekend is the last weekend I'll be in Jena until July 2nd, which is the weekend before I go home. YIKES. I am still unsure of what kind of impact this experience is going to have on me and I feel like I will have a lot to process when I go home, but I am starting to get in that home type of mindset.

OH YEAH. Three weeks today my parents and sisters will be here. CANNOT WAIT.

Yellow fields of flowers

I took a little tour to Bad Landensalza with my two German(y) besties, Dianne and Sarah yesterday. We went to a small little tour that was in full bloom and headed to a spa (which are super cheap here). We took a little girls day off and just went relaxing.

However, the town isn't what I want to tell you about. While going there I was sitting on the train (I love train rides... no other better way to reflect than a long ride staring out the window at the country side) I noticed all the fields of rapeseed (makes canola oil) and I realized that I have literally spent the past month and a half regretting my study abroad program and being disappointed in it that I was letting that override the fact that here I am LIVING in Europe. Yes, honestly, this program isn't what I envisioned or what I wanted, but I.am.living.in.Europe. Like shut up, Amy. It was the first time I got the "you are really going to miss it here" feeling.

In life things are going to disappoint you and you are going to have regrets. I really wish I could have just stayed at my internship (which was literally the best experience ever) for the whole six months, but I couldn't. I am doing this program and being challenged a ton (well not by the school, that is kind of a joke). I will never have this opportunity again and while it is good to vent frustrations, I had let them come in the way of enjoying and making the most of this once and a life time opportunity. Dumb.

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:28-34

Sum sum summa time

So people have been asking what my summer/rest of my time in Europe looks like and I thought I would just share some plans.

May 27 -May 30 Barcelona
June 1 - 6 Ireland
June 10-20 Cindy, Mick, Emily, and Stephanie Pompelia will be taking on Europe
June 24 - 27 Italy
July 7 - last day of class and last exam
July 10 - home!
July 11 - Bryan
July  23 - GREs
July 28-30 Ligonier Camp
July 31 -  Aug 6 Virginia, SML
August - home/camp some more

This is the first summer in a long time where I have been able to attend family vacation and spend uninterrupted time with my family. Also, scary thought, it will probably be my last summer home ever (who isn't ready to grow up?!) It will be such a perfect time, after such a crazy, good, and hard experience.

Saturday morning farmer's market? YES.
Movie nights with the parents? You bet.
Being with my sister one last summer? Wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

Home is underrated and not nearly appreciated enough.

Shameless plug - Europe drains bank accounts especially with 1.48 exchange rate. If anyone has babysitting leads, let me know!!!

A reblog of someone much more intelligent than me..

Whose Death Does God Cheer?

http://www.redletterchristians.org/whose-death-does-god-cheer/