What's in a Name?

Actually, a lot. Sometimes.

If you've been around a minute, you might have noticed I changed the name of the blog and the URL. (I hope that hasn't messed anything up...) You might be wondering why. Well, it's simple. The old name just didn't really fit anymore; it wasn't broad enough. I suppose I could have started a new blog; left this one as-is and began again from scratch. But that wouldn't have reflected reality.

You see, just as I can't bundle up my exchange year and keep it separate from my life today, I can't pretend the old posts are unrelated to the new. They belong together. The past has led to the present.

Honestly, I probably could have kept the name for the same reason. "Jaymee's Germany Journal." The journey isn't over, and it all started with Germany. Didn't it? But, sometimes you need to freshen things up. Open the windows and let things breathe. So, I've changed the blog's template, updated my profile photo, and gave the blog a new name. I hope it's good.

Buckle up. Dhein Abenteuer Awaits. (Ooh, puns and cheesiness all in one.)

Bis bald

NPDO 2018

Moinsen

In the last post, I mentioned volunteering at this year's National Pre-Departure Orientation (NPDO) with YFU. Since this is the event that's spurred my return to the blog-osphere, I wanted to begin there.

Showing some team spirit for my crew

The NPDO is a weekend program designed to prepare the year's outbound exchange students for their upcoming journeys abroad. Over the course of three days, students are led through thought exercises designed to get them thinking about how to handle some of the difficult aspects of exchange, and give them the tools needed to make the most of their time abroad. As a team-lead, the two days leading up to the orientation were spent going over the session material, and practicing how we wanted to present the lessons.

When I went to Germany in 2011, NPDO wasn't a thing. As a CBYX Scholarship winner, I attended a pre-departure orientation in Washington D.C. with the other scholarship winners from YFU. Looking back, I can remember the material being similar, but ahead of the NPDO, I didn't know what to expect. Sure, I had the material to review and attended the Skype calls before arriving, but I had never seen it unfold. I was excited and apprehensive.

During our two days of training, I got to know my fellow staffers better. I began linking up more names and faces, getting to know each person's YFU story. Where did they go on exchange? How long ago? Was this their first NPDO? I quickly learned I was the only one who was an NPDO-virgin. Everyone had either attended NPDO prior to their own exchange, or had helped as a staffer in years prior. I felt a little more concerned.

When Friday came around, I began the day on airport duty. I was to drive a fellow staffer to the airport and then assist in bringing the arriving students to where the shuttle would be picking them up to take them to the orientation. Honestly, I was a bit bummed by my assignment. Part of the students' arrival involved speaking only non-English to them as soon as the got off the shuttle. Directions to registration, registration itself, navigating to the next building, and then hanging out until everyone arrived was to all be conducted in non-English. It's designed to simulate their few weeks (or months) in their host country. I had hoped to be a part of that. From what the other staffers had explained, it sounded like a lot of fun! However, I ended up not having to spend all morning at the airport.

Pink Team thought the Red room needed some redecorating

I got back in time to be able to relax a bit before getting involved with the second wave of students getting off the second shuttle. I helped hand out the students' YFU t-shirts. All in German, of course. The confusion on their faces was priceless!

The rest of the weekend was mostly filled with sessions for the students. Both Friday and Saturday evening were spent on team-building games. The finally event on Sunday was a chant competition, where each team had to come up with some kind of cheer or chant and present it to the other teams. The team voted to have the best chant won some candy. My team (Pink Team) won with a little ditty inspired by our friendly rivalry with Red Team. It went a little something like this:

I don't know, but I've been told,

The Pink Bandits

That Basic Red is getting old!
A brighter shade is what I think!
For me, I'll take the color PINK!
P-I
N-K
PINK! PINK! PINK!

I was really proud of my students for getting on board and coming up with that all their own. They build a little drum out of a box of granola bars, decked themselves out in pink stuff, and even put on some pink face paint. That final day was so much fun!


The whole thing ended up being quite emotional for me. It was a hot five days with high humidity and rain for two days straight. Nights were late and mornings were early. Many meals consisted of a fun-sized candy bar and coffee, because there wasn't time to sit down and eat. Even when there was time to take a breather, I never could really relax, because there was another session to start prepping for. I ended up having to take Monday off work, because I just could not keep my eyes open when I started getting ready for the day. Since I had driven to the orientation, I was literally the last to leave. Tears started welling up as I waved "goodbye" to the staffers on the bus and turned toward my car. More tears sprang up when began reading the messages written to me by the other staffers and my students.

The whole Pink Crew

It all brought me right back to my exchange. I became greatly nostalgic for that time again. The time when I was truly embarking on something new. Getting on my first plane, by myself, to go to another country for a whole year. It's something I know I'll never be able to do in the same capacity again. I envy these students. I wish I could relive the experience again and again.

My students have left for Germany today. I hope they cherish every moment of it, the good and the bad. Ich drücke ihnen die Daumen, and can't wait to see where their adventures take them.

To the right, I've added one of my student's exchange blogs. Feel free to hop on over and see things through fresh eyes.

Bis bald

(written August 6, 2018)

Inspired

Ach ja, sich ändert nicht viel, doch nichts ist wie es einmal war. 

It's been a minute. Hasn't it?

Last month, I volunteered at YFU's National Pre-Departure Orientation (NPDO). I was a team-lead, and helped prepare this year's group of ambitious, young minds for their own adventure abroad. For two days, we trained and readied ourselves for the orientation. Three days were spent with the students, learning, playing games, and building bonds. I met some really incredible people, both among the students and the other staffers.

It was a terribly beautiful experience.

I feel nostalgic. I feel motivated. I feel inspired.

Bis bald. 
Versprochen.

New Year, New...

Motivation? Maybe...

Soo... I seem to have not changed much in my blogging habits since last summer. Whoops. However, I finally got myself a new laptop, and have finally uploaded all my photos from my trip to Germany onto it. So, I really don't have any excuse not to blog about my adventure. Hopefully, I'll get it all done before the next year.

Anyway, here's my plan. I hope to make a post at least every other week. Ideally, every week. I don't know if I'll post city by city, or do some kind of grouping of days... We'll see. I'll probably play it by ear.

I hope everyone has had a good start in the New Year!

Bis Bald!

Up, up and away!

So, endlich ist es so weit!

This time tomorrow, I'll be in the airport, getting ready to board my plane. And thus begins a six-week adventure into the great unknown! Okay, "unknown" doesn't exactly fit. I'll be going to Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Austria and Belgium. Only two of those are completely new to me. However, nearly every city I'll be staying in is a city I've never visited before. That is the goal of this trip. Though I have lived in Germany for a total of two years, but I never really was able to explore the country on my own terms. Now's my chance!

I can't promise I will be able to post regularly while I'm traveling, but I hope to be able to post about my journey when I'm home again. We'll have to wait and see, I guess. I'm not too known for keeping my blog-related promises... :-D

Bis dann!

Oops I did it Again...

Well, not only do I suck at posting regularly, but I also apparently suck at posting in general. This is "Jaymee's Germany Journal". So, one would think I'd make a point of posting about it whenever something Germany-related happens in my life, right? Wrong. I failed to mention one of my closest friends from Germany coming to visit me. Someone revoke my blog privileges, please...

Anyway, Jana (who has a blog of her own - be warned, it's in German) stayed at my house for two weeks in April. She is finishing up a work-and-travel year in Canada, and had a number of places this side of the border to visit. One of those places just happened to be my house (proximity to Chicago helped).

For two weeks, she tagged along with me to work (since I couldn't really take two weeks off), and on the weekends, we visited Milwaukee, among other things. We had a lot of fun together, and it was great for me to finally be able to blend my two worlds, in a way. In just a few short weeks, I'll be able to do something similar, but in reverse. It's going to be so much fun!

One thing I regret about Jana's visit is the fact we seemed to fail at taking a picture of the two of us together. This is the only one we have to actually prove she was there!

EDIT: There are more pictures!!! I don't know how I forgot that we took these, but I visited a Dave and Buster's with Jana and another friend. So, of course, we had to do the crazy photo booth there. I just hope neither of them kill me for uploading this! :D

Aren't we cute?!?! :D

Whoops...

Hey all! Guess who has two thumbs and sucks at keeping to a schedule? This girl! Sorry...

Anyway, things have been going well. I've been pretty busy the last few months with work and my personal life. My trip to Europe (well, mostly Germany) is coming up in just over a month to the date. Which is really exciting.

Actually, did I even mention my trip before now? In case I haven't, here's the gist of what I've got planned.

On May 20th, I'll be flying out with a friend for Denmark (to visit another friend). After a few days with her, we'll be traveling down to northern Germany and then over to Amsterdam. At the beginning of June, we'll head to Munich to pick up my boyfriend from the airport. About a week later, my friend will head home, and my boyfriend and I will explore together for another week. Once he heads back home, I'll be going to parts of Germany I've never been before as well as Belgium (budget permitting). I'll be ending my adventure back in Hamburg. All told, I'll be spending about six weeks across the pond.

I am really looking forward to my next great European adventure, but I've still got a lot to do before then! (Which I'll talk about later.) I just wanted to stop in and let you all ('cause I've got so many readers put there) know I haven't forgotten about my blog!

Bis bald!