Luggage Bags + Small Journeys

so, everyone, it's that time. the first round of those inevitable goodbye moments. this weekend is the last orientation camp. the first one, i remember, was where i first met many of the other exchanges students here in Germany with me that have become some of my very good friends. and, the second camp, it was a reunion of sorts. we got a weekend, where no one will end up having to miss out at the last moment because of something else that they realized they'd already had planned, somewhere else, with someone else. a weekend where the whole group is together again, where we raise some hell, and do a whole lot of crazy things that we'll talk about when we're older. when our time in Germany is no more than that wild year abroad, when we were kids.

with love,
- janeen

Berlin! Berlin! Wir Fahren Nach BERLIN!!

hi everyone! how's it going.

here, it's actually just getting exciting. With 5 weeks to go of this exchange everything feels a little like one nerve bending joy ride of ups and downs and laughter and tears. But, for the next four days i'll be in, drumroll please.....patterpatterpat....BERLIN! one of the oldest an the very biggest cities in Germany. stocked full of century old history, storyies, and past. it's a bit breath taking for me. this is one of the main reasons why i'm here ;) . i am just, super excited and, i honestly have absolutely no patience, i just want to get there. i'm not kidding, we're going by bus ( 10 HOURS ) and we're a bus full of hormonal teenagers ... end of May, start of June. if you don't get the hint, it's gonna smell. and it's gonna smell REALLY bad. so, i'll see you guys on monday, and hopefully, i'll have so real neat stories to share with you guys. 

bis dann!

with love,

- janeen

Highlights of 2012.

a really great summer. pre-deutschland. ( here, here, and here )

the long and paper-work filled ;)  road to Germany (1, 2, 3)

saying goodbye to this city that i love.

my first hiking trip (...ever) with my host family in Eifel.

getting to know Düsseldorf (remember this?) , one of the best states in Germany

one hundred percent concentrated awesomeness XD

made friends with an amazing group of people

my 16th birthday (in germany)!

Österreich.

discovering old things, new to me (this)

Deutsche Weihnachtsmarkts ( this right here)

my first German christmas :)

this year hast had it's highs and lows, like every year. but there is so much that happened this year that i never thought could actually happen. and there is just so much that i'm thankful for, and so many memories that i'm sure will stay with me forever. 2012 was a good year. i have good anticipation for what the next year will bring :)

sketch via. tumblr

with love,

janeen

BITS + PIECES // ARRIVAL.

bits+pieces (arrival)

one. a birds eye view of Deutschland via. plane. two. they saw me before I saw them ... and their camera is much sexier than mine. three. my first taste of a traditional german breakfast. Brötchen is delicious! four. they really like to go all out for every meal, so gorgeous.

I have never been so tired or excited in all my life.I can't really put enough emphasis on how draining two days with almost no sleep and a time change can bee but I can tell you that I now know the meaning of Jet-Lag. It was a lot of fun though, to meet all of the other students. I can imagine how the poor people in middle of the 82 students in blue AFS shirts felt when they were checking their luggage for the plane. Or the people that got stuck seated in between. :D

There was this feeling of anticipation and, of course, my shock at the fact that I actually made it! This time last year I hadn't even heard of AFS yet. And now, I'm beginning my year abroad in Germany. I don't know about you, but that sounds really, freakin' awesome to me.

I'm not spending much time on the computer her so... I 'll let you know when something interesting happens....which, for me, is everything.

-janeen mickayla

p.s. the cars here are so tiny. It's so weird! I love it!

✈ GOODBYE/HELLO

Hello Germany. Goodbye America!

I know,  and I apologize. I left you in aticipation for a little, but I have some news. I'm in GERMANY! I'M ALIVE! I'm here and I'm so busy! I have done so much stuff! I have so much to write.... but I have even more homework. soon. I promise to update very, very soon.

.... and so the journey truly begins. :D

- janeen mickayla

10 THINGS...I'll miss about America [#4. the smaller luxeries]

Hello. Yesterday, my mom and my baby brother took the bus to a nearby town and we went grocery shopping. I know what you thinking, "boring, much", but i'll tell you now, a day out with them is never boring for me. I absolutely love my mom and brother and spending time with them is ALWAYS fun. My mom talks about the silliest things when she out and my brother is....well, he's a boy. We were walking down the main street and the whole time my brother was pretending to be Optimus Prime from transformers. So sweet. And then when we got to Shop Rite he wanted EVERYTHING. every toy, cool looking fruit, he grabbed it. I was talking pictures and we were all laughing and having fun and then mom says, "Janeen, I'm really gonna miss you." that's all, and i wanted to cry. I know how much she loves me and this is going to be horrible for her, that is the only thing that makes me sad about this program. Mom. I love you. Thank you for yesterday : )

- janeen mickayla

10 T H I N G S...I'll miss about America [#3. MY BABY BROTHER]

41 days

until Friday September 07 2012

I should't even have to explain. He's four and he's the cutest little boy in the world. He starts kindergarten September of this year, and I'll be gone. LUCKILY, I believe I may be here for his first day, so, I'll survive. And we've already created a skyping schedule with mom. I'm gonna miss his hugs.

 - janeen mickayla

10 T H I N G S...I'll miss about America [#2. my mom]

mommy + me {my first birthday}

59 days

until Friday September 07 2012

When I am in Germany I will, of course, miss my mother. I  have never been away from her for that long of a time. She doesn't even know how much I love her. I am going to miss her like crazy! These are pictures of me in my my the first two years of my life. These photos are from the 90's so I'm super happy that I have them scanned. I want to make sure I have these pictures forever, even though the memories they give me are a little hazy. These pictures are very personal and my mom is one of the most important people to me.

 - janeen mickayla

10 T H I N G S...I'll miss about America [#1. New York]

61 days

until Friday September 07 2012

New Jersey is my home, beautiful and I will always love it, but I think that I will miss being in such close proximity to New York more. The city of lights, the city of $2 jeans, the city where anything can happen...this I will truly miss. I remember my first trip to Central Park. It was almost magical to. We went in the spring and I was just amazed by all the smells and all the different types of people that were all clustered into one place. I remember the funnel cake and hot dogs and the hundreds of personal food vender's and I remember my mom getting her portrait done, and doting over the horse we passed. I can't even explain what it feels like to be there. I know it's cliché but, only in New York, right?

- janeen mickayla

Pre-Departure Orientation.

So, last Sunday was the first orientation of my program! It was in Livingston New Jersey which is only a 45 minute drive from where I live. We left at 8.00 to get there. It started at 9:30 and we got there at 11:00. That's three hours.Oh my. We got so lost, it was horrible. It was my fault, I was navigator and - in a car - I have the navigational skills of a rock. But, OH BOY, when I got there, I was so very, very happy!

 The people there were very cool. There were four people that were presenting all the information to the student group. Two of them had  spent a year abroad in Germany, which is the same program that I'm doing! I couldn't have had a better opportunity to asked all the questions I did. It was fun and the people were great!

I still can't believe this is really happening. It's so surreal. =]

- janeen mickayla