One More Week

That's all my time left in America

It's kinda sad to think that I will be away from everything I know and do for a long time, but everyday I remember more and more my time spent in Germany. Today was really nostalgic.

After my freshman year of high school, I went on an exchange program to Munich called GAPP (German-American Partnership Program). 12 students from my high school and 4 from another all participated in this trip back in June 2005. 16 students from a German Gymnasium (high school) came to stay with their host families in April and we flew to Munich as soon as school was out for the year.

It was my first time to travel outside of the US, so everything was extremely foreign (obviously) to me. My foreign exchange partner was named Max and he was kind of the opposite of me. He liked different music, did a lot of biking, rode a motorcycle and had long hair. Adapting to his life during my three weeks with him was a huge learning experience.

I did lots of things I had never done before. Mountain biking, listening to Guns 'N Roses and drinking beer at the age of 15 were just a few. I saw snow for the first time and throughout all of my travels, I took nearly 1200 pictures. After I left, I knew I would miss everything about the place.

That brings me to the summer of 2008. Initially, my high school German teacher asked me to come and speak to a bunch of parents about the program and what I got out of it. While I just came to talk about GAPP, the possibility of going back to Munich and Olching (a small village where the high school was) piqued me. A few days later, I talked to my teacher and I was signed up to go back to Munich. Pretty simple

In 2008, I had an even better time. Everything was different. I was the oldest student, not to mention, I had also been there before. My exchange partner was again named Max. It seems like every teenage male in Germany is named Max. I'm just going to put that out there. Anyway, this time I was the leader of the group. I had more friends out of the American students just because I knew them before we went on the trip.

Since it was only two years ago, I had flashbacks today about places I traveled, things I ate and the experiences I had. I remember the general layout of downtown Munich still, along with the streets and rail system of the small village. It makes me feel good to know I remember how things were.

I've been called dismissive before. And to think about it, I kind of am. I forget small things, like my keys or what were assignments for classes. I accidentally take things for grains of salt that are important. That is why remembering turn by turn directions from a train station to my first exchange partner's house three years after the fact pleased me.

In just one week, I will be in Munich and Olching again. I will be staying with Max 2 and his family, as my family calls him, for 10 days. I will have the chance to visit Max 1 and my old stomping grounds in the village. Time for a refresher course in Munich, Germany. I'm very excited. I get to go to Oktoberfest, so be jealous.

Just one more week...

Adam