My USA Home!

HELLO EVERYONE! Do you know why this is an awesome post...no I don't think you do. This is awesome because....MY HOST FAMILY IS GOING TO READ IT!! My host brother Neels had asked me what my house looked like and I said that it would be better for me to take pictures and that's exactly what I did. Yes, my house is electric blue, and yes I chose the color when I was six. This will be great to look back on when I'm in Germany missing home and also it will be a good visual to compare my German home with when people ask well what's different and what's not. You know the normal questions people ask when you tell them you went abroad. Okay so let's start off....

This is my mail box...we had to get a new one a few years

ago because someone drove by and bashed it in with

a bat.

Now this view is from the driveway at an angle.

My house :)

My LONG uphill driveway that I walk up

everyday after the bus drops me off.

My tree house and my shed in my backyard, oh and

also the woods that extend really far back where A LOT

of wild animals live!

This is my back deck and you can see my neighbors house!

This is my dog Snapple he is an English Mastiff and

and he is 5 or 6 years old.

This is my dog Sebastian he is 11 years old and 

I love him to death, he is a Boxer.

Martini the cat, we call her Tini and she is

2 1/2 years old and is EVIL!

And finally this is baby Titan, he

just turned 1 and is a Rottweiler.

Okay guys so I know that there isn't a lot of writing at all in this post, but I just wanted to get some pictures out there for not only my German family to see, but for you guys as well. :) I have been hearing about all these kids getting their luggage tags and travel notifications and they are just making me REALLY anxious! GAH!! I just really really really want to know this stuff. Well I do know I will be leaving from Washington D.C. that's official, but when I don't know. I think I will post again tomorrow about my learning of German and all that I am doing because...well I can. :)

xoxo

Kendra Rose

Techno-Techno-Technology

hello my friends. ou bonjour mes amies pour mon ami Kevin. please remember that I going to Germany and that I know more French then German...interesting right...anyways I am just going to be doing a post on technology but first I am going to give a quick update on life....I have made a friend who is going to Germany as well her name is ELLIE!!!!! and she is awesome. i'm not sure she wants me giving away her exact state because you could stalk her BUT she is from a more rural place where they show cows and feed chickens whereas I am from the suburbs of Connecticut so it's so much fun to talk to her especially when she tells me she has to leave to go pick strawberries because I just find it so much fun...I guess it's hard to describe. We have just honestly become fast friends and we are going to be forces to reckon with at orientation I really hope we share a room *fingers crossed* and then there's Kevin who is just awesome and here's the one thing I have to dedicate to him, he sent me this after our discussion about German food, this isn't even what schnitzel is apparently but it gave us a good laugh:

So technology here's the low down on this: I will not be bringing anything over with me...except an ipod and charger. No phone, no iPad (don't have one just stating), no GPS. What I am still debating over is my laptop. I will have one at some point whether I bring it over or I have it sent by my parents, this is because I need a Mac for just things that I do, its hard to explain and for the fact that it would be easy not having to figure out a new way to upload and skype and stuff. I know that AFS suggests you use your family's computer BUT I have a friend in Spain who is in Spain who got a laptop shipped over to her just because her family computer wasn't working I could be wrong though. One thing though if you are going to do what I do make sure you establish rules with your host parents of when you can use it because abusing your power would just be stupid. CELLPHONE: I am not bringing my cellphone I am just buying a cheap one over there because honestly unless you have a ballin worldwide plan there is no point and it saves you the hassles of finding their sister company in your country. QUICK TIP: Most people don't know this but for those that use hair straighteners DO NOT BRING THEM no matter where you are going. It doesn't matter how much you love yours the converters and all that don't work and even if you buy one that says it works...it just basically blows up so once again your chances are better by buying one that's over there and actually the one that you buy over there might even end up being the one that bought in America. Everything else is fine though it's just hair straighteners....weird right? And for cameras I vote bringing a smaller one that you can pop from bag to bag because you don't want to be lugging a huge one around Europe/Asia/S.America/Africa where ever your travels might take you. So I think that is it...I have been writing this for like 3 hours....because I am chatting with Kevin and Ellie. Until Tomorrow..?

xoxo

Kendra Rose :)

Packing Packing Packing

Hello everyone! I know that I will make several of these posts about packing throughout the 2-3 month period I have before I leave, but I guess that this is my first one! To be honest I'm not even sure WHAT to pack. I have something I like to call and addiction to shopping...like a crazy...uncontrollable...NEED to shop and buy things, whether it's clothes, makeup, or even storage units....I just love to shop. Probably a lot more then your average teenage girl, but you know that's life. So I don't feel that I will actually be taking a lot of clothes over with me, because I mean I will be buying A LOT! Right from there I cut down on space because that definitely would have been all 44 pounds that we are allowed to bring. I think that I will fill a good amount of space with my toiletries like specific things that I know I most likely won't be able to get there. a.k.a. my contacts, face washes, CREST WHITE STRIPS 

I have a passion that can't be explained for these things!!!!! 

You catch my drift though. Next I believe I will pack my makeup not you have to understand that I am a crazy collector sssoo this is a big thing for me I'll post a picture right here of my collection:

that my friend is dedication haha this is COMPLETELY filled

So picking and choosing will be hard because I know that the products you get in the US are different then Europe. WOW I'm sorry if you are a boy and you are reading this because this really doesn't apply to you...unless you wear makeup and if so we might be soul mates!! AANNNNYYWWAAYYSS I'm not done yet but I believe my post tomorrow will be about technology and explaining like what I'm doing about it you know. There are clearly some essentials that I will pack when it comes to clothing but the thing is....you can buy boots for winter and a thick coat so you really don't need to take up space, and the little things you can send before you come so that it's either waiting when you arrive or you get it a little while into your stay. Apparently you should give packages like 2 months...but I feel like that's not true for Europe. I already started shopping for my trip! I bought a bag for the plane!!!! IT'S GREAT!!!

isn't it just...amazing like it's reversible so I don't have to worry

about someone stealing my money or passport because there

is an inside pocket!! also the inside is super fly..or maybe it's

the outside....you know the one with the zebra stripe fur.

ssssoooooo this is gonna be the end of this post but have no fear I'll be back tomorrow haha I'm also going to do a post on host family gifts because I mean aren't we all wondering what other people are getting? I know I am. Today was my last day of finals but tomorrow is my last day of school, we don't do anything except hang out, there is really no point in going, but whatevs. As a parting gift you can see a picture of what I did today....I AM PRACTICE PACKING....I think I am going to use the one in the front. Those purple things on the top are homemade, so those of you going to Germany will definitely be seeing them in person.

xoxo
Kendra Rose :)

What I Am Excited About

It would be easy to just say...everything, but now that would NOT be a very fun blog post. I don't believe I can express to you in words how excited I am sometimes I have to stop what I am doing and just breathe because I think...this time next year I'll be in ..GERMANY..speaking....GERMAN. It's crazy to me and it honestly does not feel real to me. Will it ever though? When you dream about something for so long and it actually happens it's like shock and you go into a dream like state where you question if everything is truly there and happening. I can't even focus on my school work anymore, I just honestly can't. 2sws2 <--- that is the result of my attack on this GIANT mosquito that was on my screen, like I'm talking HUGE the size of.... a walnut I would say...anyways we were talking about excitement. I had said in my last post that I had truly lucked out when it came to the fact that I HAVE a family so early and the fact that they are just so...great. They have been nothing but nice to me and accommodating, but also I haven't made any special requests. Another thing I am excited about is that fact that my host family is planning a vaca to Rome! It's not official but they are planning some kind of vacation other then Spiekeroog which are German islands. I just cannot wait my friend Kevin and I just keep going on and on about what we are going to do while in our countries, what we are gonna pack, what gifts we are going to bring like it's crazy. I met Kevin at our PDO and we are like AFS besties, I'll post his blog and a picture of him so once again you can get a visual at the bottom. I am at the moment kind of anxious about one thing...MY TRAVEL NOTIFICATIONS AND GATEWAY INFO!! I honestly need to know like NEED I might die w/o it. I am so so so so so ready to know my itinerary and all that jazz. I want to know everything because I like knowing and being able to prepare. I'm every other AFSer feels the same way, with knowledge comes power. Like I have no answer when people ask me when I'm leaving I have to say wwweelll you know...someday. I am posting this on June 21 but I really wrote it on June 20 so I am going to write something else that is actually for today.

xoxo
Kendra Rose

http://www.kevinschloff.blogspot.com/

KEVIN!!!!! :) 

AND NOW THIS IS ME! 

My Host Family!

Hello to all that read my blog, which is none at the moment but you know...in my mind millions are reading it. :) At the moment I am procrastinating from studying and finishing an essay for my last two finals! I am so excited for this all to be done because summer is where it's at. Don't get me wrong school is important but I just want to be on my Germany adventure. I honestly can't wait. I think I am just going to make a whole post next time on JUST what I am excited about. Moving on to our main topic of discussion though, mmmmmyyyyyy host family. I shall be living with my family in a village near Hamburg named Aumühle. I have a mother and a father, I know for other countries that's the norm but in America you have to specify because honestly you never know what you will get. My mother's name is Gabriela and my father's name is Suntke. My host mother is a teacher which I feel will be VERY useful when I have all my questions on my German homework and my host father is a judge which is once again kinda awesome. Next of course we have the lovely Frida formally known as Friderike who is 17 I believe. Frida will actually be coming to AMERICA!! This will occur though while I'm in Germany, but it's still pretty dang awesome. She is going to Texas and will live on a small farm right outside of Houston she has about 52..days I think until the USA. What's funny though is that she will come back before I leave so our paths will cross at the end which will be nice. Last but of course not least there is Neels. He's my host brother that isn't leaving and is staying to answer all my stupid questions that I KNOW I will ask. He is actually 13 days older then me which puts him in the '95s and me in the '96s but him and I will be in the same class (grade). A fun fact is that Neels has a girlfriend named Beke who is super nice and wonderful and she has already made it clear that when we go shopping together Neels will be holding our bags. I have honestly gotten REALLY lucky with my family because they have been just so honest with what they like to do and open to communicating that become close I can tell won't be a hard chore to do. Until tomorrow when I will cover even MORE stuff! 


xoxo
Kendra Rose




Here are some pictures because I LOVE taking pictures and looking at other people's so there will be a lot of these posts that end with visual aids. :)