Okay, I intended to post this on Thursday as a little "count your blessings" post from Germany. But, as you may have noticed, I didn't post on Thursday, Friday, or yesterday. So just pretend for a minute you're reading this on Thanksgiving day as that is when the idea came to me and i began mentally composing this post :-)
On Thanksgiving week, there are so many opportunities for me to dwell on things I'm missing and it's quite tempting to began longing for the familiar traditions and culture that make the American holiday so special every year. I'll even admit to forcing back tears as I day dreamed through classes that I couldn't understand on Wednesday while the majority of my American friends began their five day weekend. But then it struck me--I'm going to be in Germany for Thanksgiving. I'm not going to get a turkey and the family I'm surrounded by is one of German culture--not American. So, why not focus on the many blessings I've been endlessly raving on and on about instead of the few things I'm missing?
So that's exactly what I did. As soon as I felt my mind start drifting off across the Atlantic, I'd pick up my pen, and began adding to my list of why i am so thankful. So let me share with you the joys in my life and the reasons I am so thankful to be exactly where I am--even if that is Germany on Thanksgiving. (I'm only posting about things in Germany so don't be offended, I'm thankful for you too!)
*A host family that has accepted me as their daughter. The love me and they scold me; they care for me and they tease me. I wouldn't trade them for anything.
* Evening cups of chai with Mama while sitting on the warm stone fireplace. Talking about the ups, the downs, and everything in between.
* Friends who are more than nice--who genuinely care.
* The fact that I'm four months into my exchange and the number of pounds I've gained has a little minus sign before it.
* That Mama and I share a love of healthy food
* That my host sister who plainly told me she didn't have any desire to host an exchange student, has finally decided I'm worth getting to know. :-)
* That my teachers at school are so understanding when it comes to my lack of understanding
The list goes on and there are many things that really have impacted my exchange for the better....but as I kept thinking, I realized how many itty bitty little things I had to be grateful for so I'll also share a bit of that humorous list with you as well!
* I found a comforter in the closet that is longer than me so I can sprawl out on my bed without freezing!
* I don't have to sit through, or find out how to occupy myself, during the Thanksgiving football games :-)
* My host family could care less how often I straighten my room.
* That I've developed enough motivation to actually straighten and clean my room on multiple occasions.
* I live in a place where bread consists of more than just air and chocolate labels read "made in heaven".
* I have the excuse "I'm an exchange student" that can be used in nearly every situation.
* My German is finally good enough to know when people are talking about me.
* German teachers don't hand out tardies the way teachers in the U.S. would
So there you have it. I could expand many of these short little sentences into complete blog posts...but in case you haven't noticed, I've not been the most faithful blogger in the last few weeks and am going to try to get back into my 2-3 posts a week before I take on anything that big :-)
On Thanksgiving week, there are so many opportunities for me to dwell on things I'm missing and it's quite tempting to began longing for the familiar traditions and culture that make the American holiday so special every year. I'll even admit to forcing back tears as I day dreamed through classes that I couldn't understand on Wednesday while the majority of my American friends began their five day weekend. But then it struck me--I'm going to be in Germany for Thanksgiving. I'm not going to get a turkey and the family I'm surrounded by is one of German culture--not American. So, why not focus on the many blessings I've been endlessly raving on and on about instead of the few things I'm missing?
So that's exactly what I did. As soon as I felt my mind start drifting off across the Atlantic, I'd pick up my pen, and began adding to my list of why i am so thankful. So let me share with you the joys in my life and the reasons I am so thankful to be exactly where I am--even if that is Germany on Thanksgiving. (I'm only posting about things in Germany so don't be offended, I'm thankful for you too!)
*A host family that has accepted me as their daughter. The love me and they scold me; they care for me and they tease me. I wouldn't trade them for anything.
* Evening cups of chai with Mama while sitting on the warm stone fireplace. Talking about the ups, the downs, and everything in between.
* Friends who are more than nice--who genuinely care.
* The fact that I'm four months into my exchange and the number of pounds I've gained has a little minus sign before it.
* That Mama and I share a love of healthy food
* That my host sister who plainly told me she didn't have any desire to host an exchange student, has finally decided I'm worth getting to know. :-)
* That my teachers at school are so understanding when it comes to my lack of understanding
The list goes on and there are many things that really have impacted my exchange for the better....but as I kept thinking, I realized how many itty bitty little things I had to be grateful for so I'll also share a bit of that humorous list with you as well!
* I found a comforter in the closet that is longer than me so I can sprawl out on my bed without freezing!
* I don't have to sit through, or find out how to occupy myself, during the Thanksgiving football games :-)
* My host family could care less how often I straighten my room.
* That I've developed enough motivation to actually straighten and clean my room on multiple occasions.
* I live in a place where bread consists of more than just air and chocolate labels read "made in heaven".
* I have the excuse "I'm an exchange student" that can be used in nearly every situation.
* My German is finally good enough to know when people are talking about me.
* German teachers don't hand out tardies the way teachers in the U.S. would
So there you have it. I could expand many of these short little sentences into complete blog posts...but in case you haven't noticed, I've not been the most faithful blogger in the last few weeks and am going to try to get back into my 2-3 posts a week before I take on anything that big :-)
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