First Post of the Year!

This is a short but brief first post of the year. Please enjoy the attached photos and words on the screen. I hope you had a wonderful Holiday and a spectacular new year. Keep being you, you wonderful person *insert winky face here*

A Poem Poemy experience written "last year":

Daily Thoughts

There are gray days,

But you've learned by now;

There's a shining sun

Behind every gray cloud. 

Some days leave you low,

Others pick you up.

You try to brace the coaster,

But you never give up.

And when you have a full conversation

Without speaking a word of your mother tongue,

You feel like your whole being

Will explode with joy.

Slowly you see,

Things may be paying off.

Slowly you start to speak,

And find your voice once and for all!

You love all the exchange students you've met so far.

You can't believe all the fun you've shared in.

There's been smiles and laughs, listening ears, and kind sweethearts. 

You're proud to know you're friends for life.

And you giggle at the fact you convinced everyone to keep the friendship bracelets you bought! 

School's so scary. You're shocked and taken aback.

Never did you think there'd be a day you would get nothing,

But nothing is literally all you get...

And then you breathe and realize;

"I am courageous, and I can only get better. I WILL continue on!"

And when you got the question asked in music class correctly, 

you literally cheered, 

and blushed with excitement 

when everyone laughed and clapped along. 

Now you're making friends,

Things are looking good.

Every day has its challenge,

But you keep pushing on.

You want to cry with joy when you're welcomed home after a hard day. 

Filled with happiness when you enjoy an evening's meal together.

You laugh together at the jokes and how you keep placing the knife in the wrong position.

Appreciate all the patients you're host family has had for you, 

And appreciate them even more, when they continue to teach you all they can. 

And when you lay in bed at night, you can't help feeling that life is just right. 

And when you lay, you think...

A small victory is something you learn to appreciate.

It's all the small victories you have that you're able to see your growth.

So you keep going in order to keep growing.

You accept everything about yourself,

The failure and the victory.

You get things wrong, mess up, maybe even cry a little.

You always recover, and once you do,

you look forward to doing it all over again! 

MY FAVORITE WINTER SNAP

LET'S EAT CHRISTMAS DINNER GERMAN-STYLE
GANS (GOOSE), PASTNAKEN UND KAROTTEN (PARSNIPS & CARROTS), KLOESSE (POTATO DUMPLING), ROTKRAUT (RED CABBAGE), SUßKARTOFFEL (SWEET POTATO)

MY CHRISTMAS GIFTS!

CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET?

                                                                                  

Geschenke, these are the gifts I gave my family. Chocolate for my host dad, a bath set for my youngest host sister, a necklace and earrings for my other host sister, a remote-controlled car for my host brother, and a heated blanket for my host mother. They all loved the gifts. I even caught myself.