One month down . . . two to go!

I am quite pleased to say that summer has come to sweep us all by surprise with its warm weather, sunny skies, pink lemonade, beach towels, sunblock, and even pesky mosquitoes. However, that doesn't necessarily mean things have begun to slow down in the slightest. I still find myself waiting everyday by the phone in the afternoon; hoping, just hoping, that this might be the day I'll find out about my German host family. And yet I seem to make friends with this newfound afternoon silence of mine and go on disappointed, but knowing that the Lord has it all worked out already.

Summer school has also come to dominate my summer vacation (or at least the mornings from 8-12). As of today, I am officially more than halfway finished with U.S. Government! But this doesn't mean I'm off that easy; I still have to take Economics (starting mid-July). Although I dread waking up at these ungodly hours of the morning (at least for summertime), I'm glad that I have the opportunity to get these classes completed and the credits taken care of before my departure.

Anyways, on a much more uplifting note (yes, school isn't always a happy topic to write about), last night my family and I went over to one of the couples from our church for dinner. They were hosting an English teacher from Germany for a week, so it was definitely awesome to talk about Deutschland! I was able to get an insight into the German school system and, of course, enrich my cultural knowledge.

However, all this talk of Germany has made me wishing that summer was already over. I know I should cherish the remaining time I have with my family and friends, but I just want to get on the plane right now and leave! One of my good German exchange student friends who had just completed her study experience here in the States left for Köln, Germany, on Saturday. If only I could've found a way to sneak on the plane! Oh well, 70 days folks . . . 70 days. And after tomorrow, only 69. Hmm, 69 looks like a much smaller number. Maybe I should just count 69 days as my countdown for tomorrow and let it be until time has actually caught up with it!

Anyways, this post is seeming to ramble on into nowhere, so I believe it's time I ended it. And before I forget, on August 18 I'm having a Going Away Party. Everyone (and I mean everyone) is invited. I'm not entirely sure of all the logistics yet, but I'll post more of the details as time gets closer. And so, with that, I wish you another two great months of summer! August will be here in a heartbeat!

As always,
Danny

¡Bienvenidos a Cuba!

On Wednesday, Dad and I returned from our week in Cuba. We went with a group of 3 adults and 3 youth (including me). Even though this blog is about Germany, I thought that I would include a little post about Cuba and tell you about what all we did.


We arrived in Havana and stayed at the bishop's office the first night. In the evening, we walked around town and visited some of the important monuments/attractions such as the Hotel Nacional, El Moro (a colonial Spanish fortress), and Habana Vieja (Old Havana).


However, the majority of our week in Cuba was spent on La Isla de la Juventud (the Isle of Youth). Known for its pristine beaches and marble mountains, the Isle of Youth was the inspiration for Peter Pan and Treasure Island!


While on La Isla, we stayed in Nueva Gerona, the provincial capital. The island was actually quite large (about 40 X 40 km) and had 4-5 towns. To get to La Isla de la Juventud from the main island of Cuba, we had to take a ferry from a small port town, Batabanó, to Nueva Gerona. The security on the ferry was actually as tight (if not stricter) than on the flight over from Toronto. Supposedly many ferries have been hijacked in the past and taken to Miama or Mexico.


Anyways, while in Nueva Gerona, Dad and I stayed with Pastor Javier and his wife, Ana. They had two boys (Javierito and Alejandro) and lived right across from the church where Dad taught in the morning. While on the island, the other two youth and I walked around town and visited some of the places nearby. On our last day on La Isla, we were taken to one of the prisons where Castro was originally put when trying to spread the revolution. We also went to the home of José Martí (one of their famous national heroes) and some of the old tourist attractions when the island used to be a more popular destination for the average tourist/vacationer.



Overall, Cuba seemed to be a land of paralleling contradictions. Beautiful black sand beaches, but bare and empty - untamed by man. Boardwalks along the ocean with shops and beach houses in the background - boarded-up and fading away into the mountains. Antique streets of Habana Vieja (and the rest of Havana) - gorgeous and yet filled with old cars (none newer than 1960 allowed). Religious statues dotting the city skyline - and right across from them, statues of communist figures.


In spite of all this, I can't stress how wonderful the trip was and the beauty that Cuba had to offer. To state it shortly and to the point, I would go back to Cuba in a heartbeat without any hesitation at all! And so, I will leave you tonight with some of the images of "Habana Vieja."

Summer has begun!

I am officially finished with school! Although I am leaving a week early for a mission trip to Cuba with my dad, I feel that this is a great time to start posting periodically about my feelings of Germany and also to update all of you who are reading throughout the summer.

On March 6, 2007, I found out that I was selected as one of the CB (Congress-Bundestag) scholarship winners and have been awarded a full scholarship to study abroad my senior year at a "Gymnasium" (German high school). As of right now, I still don't know my host family or where I'll be staying in Germany, but that doesn't mean the excitement hasn't started to build up yet. Through a multitude of conference calls and orientations, I have begun to realize that this will truly be a life-changing experience. Although I will be leaving Ashland behind for a year, it still is hard to comprehend that my dream of going to Germany is coming true! I just want to say thank you to all of you (teachers, friends, family, etc.) for your support and encouragement.


Currently, I do have a basic agenda for events that will take place and when I will be departing for Germany:

Late August/early September: CB/AFS orientation in Washington, D.C.
September 5-9: Departure to Germany
September 10-early October: Language Camp in Germany (location still unknown)
October-July: Residence with permanent host family, attendance at a German high school


As of now, this is the majority of information that I have about the trip. But don't worry, I will certainly keep an update of my status and let you know as soon as I find out anything new!

Danny