Das Ende Ist Nahe!!!!

Hi all! I'm entering the end of my trip. My remaining weeks can be counted on one hand and the number of days are frighteningly few.

As I blunder closer and closer to the end of my trip the more I'm heart broken to know I have to leave it. It feels... Right here. Like home. I finally figured out how to work what I need and how to accomplish what I need, and what I want, and all of a sudden I'm running out of time! Its so scary to think that I have 1 or 2 free weekends left and that my dad will be here in less then a month, and I'm going to see my mom in about a month and a half and I'm going to see my home and my friends and that thought is crazy. It's going to be so.... Bittersweet. I don't know that I'm quite ready to go home yet.

Lets see, what did I do this month... It was kinda busy. I had my second AFS camp and that was just a blast! All the Austrian kids that are going abroad next year were there and it was way fun! It was different from my last camp. It was so nice to know all the people and have friends. I'm so much more confident. It takes being put into a situation that would have made you nervous and want to curl up into a ball and not talk to anyone, and now finding yourself thriving in it, making new friends and laughing and having fun to see how much you've grown. Its something else. It's a nice feeling. It was part of what I was hoping to achieve.

I also saw my bffl Chris a few times this month as well. He stayed with my host family for a few days in Wien (<-Vienna auf deutsch) and then the following weekend I was with his family in Bregenz. It was so much fun to see the other side of Austria. The train ride through the mountains 100 % blew my mind (although 8+ hours on a train alone was a bit intense). It was absolutely mind-blowingly beautiful. And it was really cute to see his little town (little compared to Wien.) And I finally went to Germany and had some magically delicious Spaghetti Eis (pretty much just ice cream through a play dough mold with random sauces and toppings and deliciousness on top.) We also went swimming for the first time this year! Well if you could call jumping in and gasping and running back out again swimming. But I did finally get some color so I don't look quite so bioluminescent. =) I also saw the caves that are in Bregenz and that was absolutely beautiful. We did a lot of hiking and biking and that kind of thing and it was a ton of fun.

I also started taking ballroom dance lessons and I got my nose pierced (with the blessing of both biological and host parents, everything was sterile and the guy who did it had a degree. It was totally within regulation and I'm thrilled I did it! It's super cute!) and I joined my friend in her art class which was a ton of fun!

As I run toward my last month in Austria I'm starting to take stalk of what I've done and what I have yet to do. It's something amazing when you can confidently walk through a once-foreign city with your head held high and know exactly where you are and where your going. It makes you feel old, and mature, and like a whole new person.

Enjoy your adventure and enjoy you ride!