Pre-Depature Orientation

So yesterday, at 8:45 I had a pre-departure orientation (PDO) with AFS and everyone in our region and spent the day talking  about how to prepare ourselves for our journey. This wasn't just for CBYX scholarship winners, it was for all people who plan to study abroad this summer, upcoming semester or another year long program. I met many about 6-8 other students who are anxiously waiting to begin their journey as much as I am. It was neat to see what some of the places people had picked, there was a boy going to Egypt, a girl going to Switzerland, her twin sister was going to Paraguay, I believe one was going to Argentina for the summer, and a couple other places like Belgium.
Besides that the content that we talked about was a series of scenarios that we had to do right with our non-dominate hand to show how we can be taken out of our comfort zone, and we are just going to have to accept it. I also took from this activity that it also means that we need to be patient, when you right with your hand that doesn't normally write its not going to be easy, its also uncomfortable. Since I don't speak German, my first couple of months are going to be very difficult, and I will probably become fustrated with it but with practice comes perfection. The more you do trial and error the better you get at it, and your learning and growing as you do it.
After that then they separated parents and students.... It was about 70 degrees that day but in the building it was freezing, I thought my fingers were going to fall off. So the students (me) and the AFS volunteers went outside and sat in the sun to do our activities, we talked about adjusting to our host families, and our life at home. When I think about how my life is going to change drastically it really sinks in, I'm 18 years old and my parents give me the all the freedom of it, I have my own car, I go to school, go to lacrosse practice or games, and then I hang out with friends. As long as my parents know what I'm doing and that I'm safe they are pretty much fine with it. Although my parents used that as part of an excuse as to why I may not want to go because, they didn't want me to go, they do but they don't at the same time.... They know it will be a once in a lifetime experience and they are so proud that I did get this opportunity but on the other hand they don't want to see me go. Another thing that is going to be different is that my life will litterally change COMPLETELY in the week from leaving home and getting to my host family house. I've lived in the same house all my life, went to the same school with all of the same people pretty much all my life, never been on an airplane and I wont until I'm on it going to Germany! Its so exciting and nerve racking thinking about all of this but I can handle it.
So I've been starting to get a lot more papers that I'm going to hold on to and probably take to Germany with me.
Also; one good thing about me is that I'm so mellow, everyone is worried about what they are packing when they go to Germany and I'm not worried about it at all.
Back to what I was saying before..... I SPEAK NO GERMAN! The scary part of it, I've been using duolingo.com, and I'm on German Level II which isn't far at all, I'm writing down paper of words I may need that way I don't forget them and I've also been skyping with a girl from Germany that will be staying in America next year as a foreign exchange student. She has been helping me out with my German.

But overall, I feel the PDO helped prepare me more for my future endeavors  and it made my dad more nervous, it's really starting to sink in, and now all I can think about is GERMANY.
Still waiting for a host family, but hopefully I find that out next month or the one after that! I hope someday I can host students it seems so interesting having students bring their culture into the families they enter.