Hey everyone,

Again sorry about this being a day late. As this trip begins, I feel a rush of excitement flow through my body as well as a hint of sadness. I didn't manage to get to my goal within Rosetta Stone, which is a bummer, but soon I will find myself in a world of German speaking people. As I begin to travel on my own for the first time, there is a hint of fear strobing though my body. As I embark on this journey, I can only hope for the best between my friends, family, and what this trip has in store.

For the past week and a half, I have been focused on saying my final good byes to all my friends and family. With a going away party over, and the last time I get to see them in a year, I feel a hint of sadness come over me. I would also like to congratulate the girls volley ball team at DCC with their spectacular win last night. This was also the last game I will be able to go to at DCC. As with my family, I said good bye to my mom and dad this morning, and that was the last good bye or a while. Although it is sad in a way, I can not wait to see what I will have in store for the next year to come. I already know my host mom is ecstatic to meat me in person as well as my host dad and sister. With plans like Portugal and Skiing in the Alps at mind, I can only imagine what will come about.

I realize in my last blog, I had set a goal of getting through two units of Rosetta Stone before I leave. This unfortunately did not go to well. I had made it through a couple lessons which is good. I can honestly say I like Rosetta Stone and it is very effective. The only downfall is that it requires motivation to keep practicing. It offers a multitude of ways to practice including games, live chat, stories, and there regular lessons. I would defiantly recommend this to anyone trying to learn a new language.

As I am typing, I am also currently on my first flight by my self. So far so good. It is defiantly scary to fly alone for the first time, but I can over here Nemo from the passenger in front of me which is calming. I also know that I have a bad time when landing due to the pressure changes in my ears, but I am curious to see how bad it really is this time around. I also feel a little bit of fear roaming through my body after hearing about all of these plane crashes recently, but if the odds are with me, I will be just fine.

Even though I feel bad for leaving my friends and family, I always know they will be right there beside me. With everything that I have in store, I can not wait until I meet up with my host family, and learn about a whole other culture. I also know I can use my resources at hand with barriers such as language and school. With a long couple flights ahead of me, I can only hope that everything works out in the end. I would also like to thank my friends and family for being by my side for this exciting journey.

I will be posting my next blog on the 19th of September, so make sure to keep an eye out for that. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions please leave them in the comments below.


Thanks everyone!

Michael Steiner