I suppose I should explain exactly what I'm doing and why I'm writing this before I start talking about my feelings...
I'm leaving tomorrow to spend a year in Germany through a program called Academic Year in Freiburg (AYF). Along with a bunch of other students from MSU, Michigan, University of Iowa and University of Wisconsin-Madison, I'll be studying in Freiburg, Germany from September 1, 2008-July 31, 2009. For the month of September I'll be taking an intensive language course. For the rest of the year I'll be taking courses, both through AYF and at Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg (University of Freiburg). The German semesters run from late October-mid-February and then mid-April-July. I'll be back some time in early August 2009.
I'm living in a Studentenwohnheim (student dorm) called Studentensiedlung am Seepark (StuSie). I'll have my own room (with a sink!), but will share bathrooms, a common room and a kitchen with 9 other German and international students, one of whom is also an AYF student. I'm in StuSie Haus 44... there are 19 other StuSie buildings surrounding me. The StuSies are supposedly about 2 miles northwest of the university.
At the university I have to take 30ish credits. I don't know what I'm taking yet, but I have to take a bunch of German courses to finish up my major, and then can fill up the rest of my schedule with things I want to take. I think I'm just going to take a bunch of random interesting-looking stuff. The only course that transfer over as grades (instead of just credit or no credit) are my German classes, so I'm not so worried about doing horrible in random classes just because they're all going to be taught in German.
While I'm there, my main goal is to learn as much German as possible. I want to come back completely fluent. I also want to have the very best time of my life, but I have a feeling that won't be difficult. I plan on traveling as much as I possibly can without running out of money. Starting in October I'll be receiving 650 Euro per month from the German Academic Exchange Service (wooooo) and I'm also strongly considering working in one of the Irish pubs in Freiburg. I've heard that it's really fun and that they hire a lot of Americans, and I figure I can make a lot of money in tips... so hopefully between those two things I'll be super rich and can go all over the place. I'm not too worried, I know I'm going to have an amazing time anyway. :)
And now, on to my current feelings...
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There are only 14 hours before I leave, and I don't yet feel remotely sad.
For this entire summer I've had this constant weird feeling knowing that I only had a few months left in the US. It's a weird thing to know that you're soon going to be leaving (mostly) everyone and everything you know and love for a year. I was worried for a while about making friends over the summer and just having to leave them too. But in the last few weeks I've realized (as in, people have reminded me) that a year really isn't that long, and that mostly everyone is still going to be here when I get back. I think that really helps me stay as positive as I am about leaving.
Of course, there are a few people who will be gone when I come back, who I pretty much will never see again. And while it's sad that I had to say goodbye to them early, I'd have had to say goodbye to them eventually anyway, and I'm just glad to have gotten to know them in the first place.
I thought I was going to cry saying goodbye to a lot of people, but I've pretty much said goodbye to everyone at this point, and I haven't yet. I'm just waiting for it to hit me.
I'm trying to stay up as late as I can tonight so I can be super sleepy for the flight tomorrow. I'm hoping that if I only get a few hours of sleep and drink a couple glasses of wine on the plane I might be able to fall asleep for part of the ride. I still have to finish packing my carry on bag and straighten up my room and such things. Both of my suitcases weigh over 40 pounds (the limit is 50) and my backpack is going to be heavy too, so I'm really not looking forward to having to carry those through the airport, onto and off of the train, and to my room in Freiburg. Eek! Good thing I've been working out this summer. ;)
I really have nothing else to write, besides just to say that I'm so so so excited to get there.
Bis später... my next post will be from Deutschland!
