Footprints

eight

Merry Christmas.

All month I've been having a hard time being away from my family and friends for the holidays. I haven't shown it, though. I just kind of bundle up all my emotions inside.

Winter break started last Friday, thank God. School is okay, but like any normal teenagrer, I'd give anything to get away from it. I recieved a bunch of letters from family and friends last week that basically made my heart melt. I ended up crying (out of happiness) and reading them over and over again.

The days leading up to the 25th passed quickly. Somehow it's already Christmas day, and soon enough, Christmas day will pass as well. Whenever I get sad about being away from home for the holidays, I keep telling myself that this is just one Christmas, just one holiday season, and I'll bink and it will be over. Unfortanately, that doesn't make it any easier.

Honestly, my first few months in Germany weren't easy. I came into this whole exchange student thing blind- I wasn't even near to fluent in German. I remember boarding the plane and walking away from my parents, terrified and alone. Most people my age couldn't do that. Most people, in general, don't travel to another country for a year. Especially not thirteen-year-olds. You've got to have a lot of guts to do that. But I think that this winter break is sort of like a turning point for me.

It took a while for me and Lea to get used to each other, but now, I think we get along pretty well. It also took me a long time to start speaking German freely. In the beginning I was just quiet and overwhelmed with it. Now my friends and host family are telling me how far I've come with the language. I definitely still have so much to learn, but it is always progressing. It will be amazing for me to see how far I've come by the end of July.

Most of Europe celebrates Christmas on the 24th, so on Christmas Eve we went to church and then over to my host family's Grandma's house for dinner. We had a big meal and then opened presents. I got a huge, blue, plaid onesie that matches with Lea's red one and chocolate. I also got a paper saying I will visit Paris with my host family sometime this year. That got me really excited. Paris is one of the places I've always wanted to visit, and it'll be so cool to go with having started French. I'm not sure when we will go, but I'm definitley looking forward to it, and I'll probably take a billion pictures.  

Today, Christmas Day, we haven't done much. My parents sent us a Christmas package and we opened it this morning to add in a little bit of American Christmas tradition. Along with a few other presents from them, I got a picture of my class from last year that I will put beside my bed. I was so happy when I opened it because they literally mean everything to me. Later I will skype with my family and watch, or record, the Doctor Who christmas special. 

This whole day I've tried to keep my spirits up. My family has probably already woken up, or at least my younger sisters. I can just imagine them jumping out of bed and shaking my parents awake to see what Santa has brung them. I miss being apart of that, but there will be next year, and the other years to come. I think today is actually the hardest day of the year to be away.

But like I said, everything passes. Pretty soon it will all be over.