Friendship isn't always easily described. The Eskimos, they say, have a hundred different words for snow. Unfortunately, the English language isn't quite as innovative, though it has vast opportunities to differentiate meaning. Certainly, Love is one of those opportunities. And so, too, is Friendship.
Instead of different words, however, we're stuck with simple adjectives. Close friend. Best friend. Childhood friend. Intimate friend. Trusted friend. Beloved friend. But whether you use adjectives or different words, few could deny the nearly infinite meaning in such a simple word.
Friends are special people. We can't pick our family, and we're sorely limited in the number of them at any rate. Society and mores (and often our own conscience) dictate we select a single mate. But our friends can be as diverse and infinite as the adjectives we choose. Our friends, in a very real sense, reflect the choices we make in life.
Instead of different words, however, we're stuck with simple adjectives. Close friend. Best friend. Childhood friend. Intimate friend. Trusted friend. Beloved friend. But whether you use adjectives or different words, few could deny the nearly infinite meaning in such a simple word.
I thought i would dedicate this post to all of the amazing friends i have made here in Germany...not just within in my school, but within my host families. When i first arrived here, i was thinking it was going to be really hard to make friends, because i had that in Germany, people aren't as open.minded as we are in America. So, for the first few weeks, or even months, i really depended upon my first host family, to make me feel welcome, and included. My first host family was amazing, they took me all over the place, and introduced me to so many people, and really helped me learn to not be so shy, and how to make friends here in Germany. My host mom, Martina, and my host dad, Rudolf, became great friends of mine by the end of my stay with them. I can not thank them enough for everything they have done for me, and i am just so lucky, to have been able to have such an amazing family like this. <3
I haven't written in a long time. I have been super busy, and just haven't had much time to sit down and write. Well, i ended my last post talking about my trip to Hamburg, so I'll begin with that.
I went to Hamburg with my third family for 4 days, and had an amazing time! We got up early, and my host sister, Laura, drove us to Hamburg, a 6 hour drive! Our first day, we went on the Reeperbahn...if you don't know what that is, its super interesting, take a look on google. We also went into a wax museum, it was crazy how some of the statues, honestly looked just like the real person!! (I will load pictures, as soon as my new camera gets here, the other one is broken, and i cant get my pictures off of it) Then, we went to the first musikal. Heiße Eck. It was 24 hours at the reeperbahn. It was a little bit hard for me to understand it, because of the Hamburg dialect, but i got the point of it. It was really interesting to watch, because i had never really seen something like it in America. But, by the end, it turned out to be really funny, and i ended up understanding the entire plot...not something i was used to, but it was really funny. The next day, we did some shopping, and some sightseeing. The City Hall is huge!!^^ At the end of the day, we went into the Hamburg Dungeon, which gave a full history of Hamburg, but in a horror house setting. It was really interesting, because you learned too, i really enjoyed it, and had a great time! And i honestly thought it was going to be a lot scarier than it was, but it wasn't so bad. At one point, there was this one room, full of mirrors, but you couldn't really tell it was mirrors, because it was so dark, it was one the weirdest feelings, i would walk, see myself, but keep walking thinking it was a mirror, it was one of the weirdest/coolest feelings ever! Then,w e saw Der König der Löwen (The Lion King) It was AMAZING!! The costumes were done fantastically, they actually had people as the giraffes, and elephants, and as Simba, it was the most amazing thing i had ever seen in my entire life time!! I'd love to see it again sometime! And the vocies were amazing, it was my favorite part of Hamburg!!!!! =) The last day, we visited an Animal park, and it was really cool, becuse the animals really had a lot of space, and plenty of freedom, and you could even feed the elephants!!!!!! =)
This past weekend, i was at my last rotary conference! It was really sad having t say goodbye to all of the other exchnage students, because we honestly dont know if we will ever see eachother again. It was really sad...and i am not looking forward to having to say goodbye to my friends, and my host families here...
This weekend, i will be with my counselor, going to a wine festival. I m quite excited, to see if i can taste the difference between the different wines. And see if i can tell the difference between the grapes =) I'll be there for the weekend, and will be taking another boat ride/tour...it shall prove interesting. I had my first experience on y big boat...and it was okay...i just didnt like it when they turned around....
My language, i feel pretty fluent in German now, even my grammar is getting better!! School is going well, we just finished our last exam today, so hopefully soon, i will be doing a lot with friends!! My friends, Kayla, and Lauren, from America, are going to be here in just 11 days, and i am SO excited to see them again!!!!
I'll write more in 2 weeks! =) (Hopefully) But check again sometime next week for the pictures! =)
To my friends:
A friend is someone you hold dear:
Someone who is always there, through thick and thin;
Someone who is only a phone call away.
A friend is someone you can always rely on:
Someone who is there to share your thoughts with;
Someone to listen, no matter the subject.
A friend is someone you can feel comfortable with:
Someone you can sit silently beside, without conversation;
Someone you do not need to fill the quiet moments with.
A friend is someone you can trust:
Someone who will guard your deepest secrets;
Someone who will never let you down.
A friend is someone who is not judgmental:
Someone who will gently offer advice and opinions,
Yet, someone who is not overbearing or critical.
A friend is someone who can keep you grounded:
Someone who can help you see through your obstacles;
Someone to shoulder you through life's trials.
A friend is someone who shares unconditionally:
Someone to laugh and to cry with;
Someone to lean on, through both the good and the bad.
A friend is someone you choose wisely,
For a friend is your own mirrored image:
Someone to compliment your own self;
Someone who indicates who you are as a person.
A friend.... is what you are to me.
Then, i moved on to my second host family in January. It was time to get used to a whole new house, and a whole new family. Of course, by now i had made some good friends in my school. We weren't as close then, as we were now, but knowing German really improved things. But, i was still shy to go up to them and ask them to hang out sometime. As i changed host families, i noticed immediately how different they were to my first family. I started talking with my host mom alot, we would go on a lot of walks together with Sally, and my host mom taught me a bunch of different german recipes, and we laughed, i really loved staying with this family. Gaby, my host mom, became a great friend too. For example, i had planned to meet up with some friends one weekend, but the weather was too bad, so i couldnt go. At first, i was pretty bummed out, because i was really looking forward to hanging out with them, but then Gaby and I tried to build a snowman, and ended up making a cheesecake together. It was so much fun, because the snow was too powdery, and we couldnt build a snowball, much less, an entire snowman! It was reallly cool to realize that it didnt matter i couldnt hang with my friends, that hanging with Gaby was just as much fun! I am so happy i had the chance to get to know her! =) <3 And i had the chance to get to know my host sister, and that was great. She is just like a big sister to me, she is so sweet, and extremely nice. It was awesome to hang out with her, go for a coffee, or just take a trip into the city to hang out. I loved hanging out with her! She became just like a real sister to me! <3 =)
Then it was April, and it was yet again the time to switch families and homes. At this point, i had great friends in school, and did a lot of different things with them. I switched host families, and again realized how different they were compared to my last two families. The biggest difference as having so many siblings. I had 3 host sisters! One, was 18, so one year older than me, and the other 2, are twins, and they are 14. The twins, Lana and Leonie are 2 of the funniest girls i have ever met. They say exactly whats on their mind, and i really admire that in them. They are truly the funniest, cutest girls i have ever met!!! It was really cool getting the chance to get to know them. I really got along well with my host sister Laura, she became just like a sister to me. We could talk about all sorts of different things together, and it was just great having the chance to get to know her, and being able to call her my friend. <3 =)
And of course, my amazing friends in school. I have had the chance to meet so many people in the school, but of course, there are always the few, that you always hang out with. Domi, Britta, Saskia, and Dany for me! I am so happy i got the chance to meet these girls and hang out with them.They are the most hilarious people i have ever met, and are always there for me. It was really cool, Britta, was in America for awhile, so we always speak English together, and it was like she was a little piece of America for me, and i was always able to talk to her about how i was missing something from home. Saskia and Dani, are some of the sweetest girls i've ever met. Saskia, i cant even explain how amazing she is!! I've loved being able to hang out with her!!! and Dani, she is such a sweetheart, i am lucky to have her as a friend, i'm going to miss her so much!! And Domi, she was one of the first friends i made here. She helped me get used to the German way of life...my first lesson was German clothes, she took me shopping,a nd showed me what people here wear, and then she gave me a lesson in how people dress for the diskos! Ha, i dont know what i would have done without her! I am going to miss these girls so much when i leave!!! =( <3
I haven't written in a long time. I have been super busy, and just haven't had much time to sit down and write. Well, i ended my last post talking about my trip to Hamburg, so I'll begin with that.
I went to Hamburg with my third family for 4 days, and had an amazing time! We got up early, and my host sister, Laura, drove us to Hamburg, a 6 hour drive! Our first day, we went on the Reeperbahn...if you don't know what that is, its super interesting, take a look on google. We also went into a wax museum, it was crazy how some of the statues, honestly looked just like the real person!! (I will load pictures, as soon as my new camera gets here, the other one is broken, and i cant get my pictures off of it) Then, we went to the first musikal. Heiße Eck. It was 24 hours at the reeperbahn. It was a little bit hard for me to understand it, because of the Hamburg dialect, but i got the point of it. It was really interesting to watch, because i had never really seen something like it in America. But, by the end, it turned out to be really funny, and i ended up understanding the entire plot...not something i was used to, but it was really funny. The next day, we did some shopping, and some sightseeing. The City Hall is huge!!^^ At the end of the day, we went into the Hamburg Dungeon, which gave a full history of Hamburg, but in a horror house setting. It was really interesting, because you learned too, i really enjoyed it, and had a great time! And i honestly thought it was going to be a lot scarier than it was, but it wasn't so bad. At one point, there was this one room, full of mirrors, but you couldn't really tell it was mirrors, because it was so dark, it was one the weirdest feelings, i would walk, see myself, but keep walking thinking it was a mirror, it was one of the weirdest/coolest feelings ever! Then,w e saw Der König der Löwen (The Lion King) It was AMAZING!! The costumes were done fantastically, they actually had people as the giraffes, and elephants, and as Simba, it was the most amazing thing i had ever seen in my entire life time!! I'd love to see it again sometime! And the vocies were amazing, it was my favorite part of Hamburg!!!!! =) The last day, we visited an Animal park, and it was really cool, becuse the animals really had a lot of space, and plenty of freedom, and you could even feed the elephants!!!!!! =)This past weekend, i was at my last rotary conference! It was really sad having t say goodbye to all of the other exchnage students, because we honestly dont know if we will ever see eachother again. It was really sad...and i am not looking forward to having to say goodbye to my friends, and my host families here...
This weekend, i will be with my counselor, going to a wine festival. I m quite excited, to see if i can taste the difference between the different wines. And see if i can tell the difference between the grapes =) I'll be there for the weekend, and will be taking another boat ride/tour...it shall prove interesting. I had my first experience on y big boat...and it was okay...i just didnt like it when they turned around....
My language, i feel pretty fluent in German now, even my grammar is getting better!! School is going well, we just finished our last exam today, so hopefully soon, i will be doing a lot with friends!! My friends, Kayla, and Lauren, from America, are going to be here in just 11 days, and i am SO excited to see them again!!!!
I'll write more in 2 weeks! =) (Hopefully) But check again sometime next week for the pictures! =)
To my friends:
A friend is someone you hold dear:
Someone who is always there, through thick and thin;
Someone who is only a phone call away.
A friend is someone you can always rely on:
Someone who is there to share your thoughts with;
Someone to listen, no matter the subject.
A friend is someone you can feel comfortable with:
Someone you can sit silently beside, without conversation;
Someone you do not need to fill the quiet moments with.
A friend is someone you can trust:
Someone who will guard your deepest secrets;
Someone who will never let you down.
A friend is someone who is not judgmental:
Someone who will gently offer advice and opinions,
Yet, someone who is not overbearing or critical.
A friend is someone who can keep you grounded:
Someone who can help you see through your obstacles;
Someone to shoulder you through life's trials.
A friend is someone who shares unconditionally:
Someone to laugh and to cry with;
Someone to lean on, through both the good and the bad.
A friend is someone you choose wisely,
For a friend is your own mirrored image:
Someone to compliment your own self;
Someone who indicates who you are as a person.
A friend.... is what you are to me.
Thanks so much for everything you guys! I love you, and will miss you SO much!!!
