Unpacked and Settled In

Ok, so I'll have been back in the states for a month on Monday. It was a little weird to come back, even though I've lived in the U.S. my whole life...and I find myself missing everyone on the trip, nutella, traveling, public transportation, and many other things. I actually had the chance to go and visit the Tielos (the German relatives that I visited in Dresden while I was on the trip) in Alabama right before school started. I had to use German again! My grandmother (who is German) even started speaking to me in German (which she's never done before) because I was using the few words I picked up on my trip. It was funny, because I was able to anticipate some American things that they found weird,and so I think that I was able to make them feel more comfortable. I was also able to teach them a few American things (like how to eat fried chicken and how to break open a biscuit) since they taught me some German things (like how to eat a soft-boiled egg from an egg cup). Their visit was a nice way to ease back into American life, because I wasn't required to act completely American again. I think I definetly bored my family and friends with my pictures and stories. It was funny, because even though I took over a hundred pictures, they couldn't possibly tell the story of my study abroad trip. I have run into quite a few of my classmates in my classes this semester, and its weird, because we all know each other so well. We shared such a unique experience, and I feel like I know some people on the trip better than I knew some friends back home. My roommate and another close friend are both interested in studying abroad, and I'm really encouraging them to do so, because it was such a wonderful experience. I think that I really gained confidence and the ability to laugh at my stupid mistakes when I was over there. I think I'm also more open to meeting international students here, and I wish A&M treated international students better. The Germans were so welcoming to us, and I think A&M could learn from them. This truly was a wonderful experience, so thank you to Dr. Musser, Dr. Wasser, Miriam and the other AIB staff, and my classmates. Auf Weidersehen!