My Final Days in the U.S.A.

It has been four days since I left Oregon and right now I am sitting in the DC airport waiting to board my flight to Frankfurt Germany--but don't worry, I haven't been stuck in the airport for the last few days in the world's longest layover. So, let me give you a picture of what exactly my last few days in the United States were like.

Sunday the entire CBYX* group--all 50 of us--arrived in Washington and after reaching the hotel, most of us collapsed from exhaustion. After a two hour nap, I went Starbucks hunting and was quite successful :-) Sunday evening we began our orientation which consisted of classes to prepare and equip us for our exchange in Germany. After the session I rent for a run in the workout room and went to bed.

Monday and Tuesday both consisted of more sessions of orientation and as many sightseeing opportunities as the organization could squeeze in for us. The weather in DC was....nothing like the Oregon coast with temperatures creeping towards 100 and humidity kept everyone feeling sticky and gross!

The highlight of the trip for me was the meetings at the Senate and House offices. Due to the current debt ceiling bill that was being voted on by the Senate while we were visiting, we were unable to meet with any Senators :-( I guess the debt ceiling is more important...;-) However, we were able to meet with the staff and aids of Rep. DeFazio, and Senators Wyden and Merkley. The meetings were interesting and Senator Merkley's staff organized a private tour of the capital building for us. :-)))

Now I'm at the airport, soaking up my last few hours of America, but also excitedly awaiting my flight that will take me to my new life in Germany. At the moment my butterflies are sleeping and the only thing I feel is excitement...and some exhaustion....although I sense the butterflies may wake up when the plane lands in Frankfurt. But for now, I'm still at the top of the roller coaster, the height of the honeymoon period, and soaking up the complete awesomeness I'm experiencing.

In 2 hours--at 5:23 east coast time, my flight will depart and will land on German soil 8 hours later!!!! Once we land the 50 students will split up into three different groups based on what language we'll attend. I'll be traveling by train to Dusseldorf where I will live with a temp family while attending language camp for 3 weeks.

It is actually happening. I'm SOOOOO excited!

*CBYX--Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange. The CBYX program is a scholarship sponsored by the State Dept. for high school students to study abroad in Germany for a school year. CBYX students, such as myself, are students studying in Germany through the program