Weihnachtsmarkt Time!

And as Month 4 of my exchange here in Germany has already begun, I can hardly believe how quickly the time is going by. My life here in Germany is truly like a movie - I've experienced so much already that I'm just waiting for someone to write the screenplay for it! Exactly one year ago I began filling out the CBYX (Congress Bundestag) Applications and this year has been, without a doubt, more amazing than I ever could've imagined. It is with such realizations that I can't help but thinking, "Wow! What an opportunity!"

But anyways, as I conclude my philosophical rant and merge back into the real world, nothing too "blog-worthy" has happened within the past week or two. As assumed, most of my weekdays are spent at school, with the occasional surprise of being able to leave school and head home when the teachers are absent. Already I've had the opportunity to make some chocolate chip cookies for the family (something that was very quickly devoured, if I may add) and therefore add my contribution to the Christmas cookie pile.

And as you've most likely noticed back in the States, it won't be too long until Christmas arrives. Here in Germany things are quite similiar, although the holiday doesn't seem as commercialized as it is back home. Every Sunday we celebrate the weekly Advent leading up until Sunday and with each new day I get a little surprise from my own personal "Adventskalendar." Another interesting event in the holiday season is Sankt Nikolaus Tag. Supposedly this is the day when St. Nicolaus first comes to Germany and all the children leave boots out for him over night, hoping for a treat in the morning of December 6th. The town itself has also managed to get some of the Christmas spirit and everyday there is a Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas market) that stays open until the evening (something that most shops normally don't do here in Germany).

On to other topics, this weekend itself was quite enjoyable as I had the chance to get together with all the other exchange students in the area (there are 3 other Americans) for a "Halbzeitcamp," or Midstay Camp. After 2 days of discussions over school, culture, and families in Germany, we finally headed back home and so began this current week. I suppose that is about all for now...I am by the way attempting to read "Nathan der Weise," a book written almost 300 years ago in German class, so I'm having quite a few interesting "adventures" as I try to plow through this text.

Anyways, I won't try to ramble on too much more....so, with many holiday greetings from Germany I end this post for now!