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

Goal Setting

Hey everyone,

Again sorry this is a day late. Today I am going to set out some goals which I hope to accomplish. With that I will also give my usual update on how things have been. Although Rosetta Stone has progressed, I still lack the necessary motivation required to prevail. Even though getting caught up in the social norm around town has been exciting, it will soon come to a close. Leaving this country with a plan in hand and thoughts roaming is only the beginning of this long and highly anticipated journey.

The last two weeks have become a norm to me with a few added sparkles. I have gotten used to working now and can honestly say "STAY IN SCHOOL!" I have been lucky enough to get a job working at a place called Edukits packing boxes of school supplies. However, this can be quite boring and dirty at times. Go to school, pass your classes, and most of all get a job you love to do. By doing this, you allow yourself more time and money doing activities like the Ice Bucket Challenge.

I would like to also thank the person who commented on my last blog. This is the first comment I have received and am glad to hear your recommendations on places to visit and thing to do. I have created my own list as well including Skiing, Neuschwanstein Castle, and riding on the Auto Bon. My main goal though will be to try to fit in as much as possible.

As some of you may know, my flights start the 4th of September which begins this long journey. With such a short time left, there are only certain activities which I will be able to take part in. I am planning on having a going away party before I leave as a final fair well. With little to do, I plan to go to the restaurant Edelweiss before I leave. I also am planning to go back to school for a few days to catch up with some of last year’s teachers. Most of all though keeping in contact with my host family in these pressing few weeks.

These past two weeks I have been trying to keep up on my Rosetta Stone. I have finally finished the first level, and about time I must say. Even though I have been lacking motivation for about the last month or so, Rosetta Stone really does work to get you thinking in another language. My next goal it's to get through two more Units before I leave.

With short term and long term goals set and a basic run down on the past and future couple weeks, I am going to end this blog with a thanks to everyone at DCC for an awesome time there, and a thanks to the person for my first comment. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions please leave them in the comments below. Also look for my next blog on either the 2nd or 3rd of September.

Thanks everyone,

Michael Steiner

Getting to my head

Hey everyone,

Sorry this is a day late. For these past few weeks I have been saying my good byes. It is sometimes harder to say good bye to the people you see the least, rather the ones you see more so. With about 25 days remaining, I have a lot to do and know very little about. I can honestly say my job is easy, and somewhat painful. Also my German has been coming along slowly, especially with Rosetta Stone. With my job still going strong, and taking over all my time, there leaves less time for friends, family, and personal time.

The past two weekends my grandparents have come down from Illinois and Nebraska. It has defiantly been fun to see them again before I leave. I can't really compare my grandparents though, if you were to ask me which one I like better, it would be like asking me whether I like camping or robotics more. They are both extremely fun and I love them both, but there is no way I can compare them. After a short few weekends with them, I will defiantly miss them while in Germany. 

Alongside of my Grandparents leaving, my brother headed back to Nebraska yesterday. Not only did he just return, but he took my bed! Well now that he is gone, I guess I just get his room. It will certainly be different with not seeing him for a year. I mean who will keep me inline while I'm gone. With all joking aside, not being with him for the holidays will feel strange and as if something is missing. 

I have had the chance to meet up with some more of my friends before they begin school and I leave for Germany. Actually, the reason why I did not right yesterday was because I did not get home until 11:30 pm and was with some friends. I figured that it might be wise to make my writing better, unlike the last time I wrote at 1 am. On the drives home from all of these fun activities though, I get lost in my head thinking about everyone I will miss. All the activities such as movie marathons, playing games until 4 am, and other activities will feel strange with out my friends now.

I received an email this week with basics on what to do for travel. I am predicting that they will tell us more about our personal arrangements and accommodations during our departure orientation. I am just going to have stick with what they give me and hope that things turn out OK. 

For the past few weeks I have been working at Educates packing boxes and cutting my fingers. I never knew that cardboard was so sharp. Today though, I was able to be a line lead and make sure the boxes were getting the right items. However, not only did I fail to complete the school completely, but also messed up on one of the boxes I worked on. Great start for a new position, however, the school was fairly large and I only had one other person helping me on it, which we stared on later in the day. I hope for redemption on Monday though, to finish the kits before Lunch. When I am not leading a line though, I am usually packing the boxes. Getting handed items and putting them in boxes is a fairly easy and mindless task. 

As for my language learning, I did not complete my goal and finish this next Unit. I made it about half way through, and I have started to learn materials. For instance: "the table is made out of wood" is "Der Tisch aus Holz." Overall the language is fairly easy for now, but I expect that it will become harder as time progresses. Even though Rosetta Stone is the main way of learning a new language for me, having friends who speak German can be better. They give you practice with normal conversations vs. how to describe something. They also can show you when to abbreviate and when to explain your self.  

 As I progress in my language skills, keep on top of my job, and maintaining a healthy social status, I only hope that things will turn out better than I can hope for. I have decided to keep this one a little shorter as my last two have been fairly lengthy. Again I will be posting my next blog on Friday, August 22. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions leave them in the comments below and I will do my best to answer them!

Thanks everyone,

~Michael Steiner~