Moved

I have moved to another blog adress, http://somewhatmagnificentent.wordpress.com/ This is the one that I will be posting to through out my year abroad.

Ten great reasons to donate to my foreign exchange fund.

Ten great reasons to donate to my foreign exchange fund.

1. I would love to be bilingual, German is the tenth most spoken world language and there are many important works written in German including...

2. The classical music of Germany. I play classical guitar and am interested in studying it seriously in Germany. Many important pieces of classical guitar theory are in German and many guitarists study German to help immerse themselves in this literature.

3. Germany is one of the strongest countries in the world with a export based economy and a stable government.

4. I belong in Germany, I have been there once and Germany and I fit together perfectly, the style, the music, the cities, all of it.

5. Being an exchange student gives people social skills, teaches them how to handle new situations and attracts colleges and employers.

6. Going on exchange is also expensive. Even with scholarships it will cost my family about $10,000 dollars.

7. If you donate I will link you to my blog where I will post stories, pictures and videos of my experiences.

8. Poseidon already gave me a high-five in Berlin, so I'm welcome there now.


9. (This one is important) I really want to go to Germany. I've been there once and I love it.

10. I can't guarantee this one, but it might make you feel good to know that you helped me get to Germany and you might like the photos I post online and the stories I bring back.

Intro to my Exchange

This fall I am going as a foreign exchange student to Germany. I will spend an entire ten months somewhere in Germany, I don't know which city yet which I'm ok with because I don't really have a preference yet. I will be traveling with AFS-USA which is the leading International Student Exchange program in the U.S. I have been interested in Germany for a long time. It started in about fourth grade when I decided that sausages were my favorite food, and that I would go to Germany and eat sausages. I have come up with better reasons since fourth grade. I truly resolved to go on exchange to Germany the beginning of freshman year when it was decided that the Homer High School Choir would be traveling to Germany. Since that time a year and a half ago I have researched the culture of the country, read about the education and politics of the country, studied the language, and of course, toured and sung with the choir. I am ready to go to Germany for several reasons. Firstly over my stay I would become fluent in German. I have always wanted to be bilingual and so exchange is like a dream come true to me. Secondly Germany is economically one of the strongest countries in the world. It has a strong manufacturing economy so it is very stable as a nation. Thirdly and easily most importantly Germany has a flourishing modern arts and cultural scene while at the same time it maintains the historic art and culture from the Renaissance, Baroque and Classical eras.

For those of you who haven't seen me in a while or know me only through my parents, here is a little recap of what I am doing nowadays: I'm fifteen years old and a sophomore at Homer High School. My favorite classes are World History, Choir and Language Arts. Out side of school I participate in Drama Debate and Forensics club, I participate in theater, play guitar, draw comics, and blog.

I am actively working on fundraising and finding a summer job to help raise money for my trip, which, taking everything into consideration will cost my family about $10,000. I received one scholarship so far but I still have a long way to go. Will you please help sponsor this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? A donation of $25 would be wonderful. (Anything extra would be even more wonderful!) In gratitude for all the donations that have been made/ I hope will be made, I am going to be maintaining this blog, full of pictures, stories and maybe even video of the people I hang out with and the things that we do. If you can't make a donation at this time I would love any job referrals, because I am still looking for summer employment. If you can't make a donation or help me find a job, its fine, the blog is for you too.