This last week was definitely one of if not the absolute best week of my exchange. I was on a school trip the whole week in Schloss Noer on the Baltic Sea. It was a band trip, so the 95 students from my school (from Grades 5-11) were split into bands, and spent the entire week playing music instead of normal school classes. This led to us preparing two songs to play on Saturday at a concert in the School's Cafeteria/Auditorium.

One of the most common questions I receive is "What is school like in Germany?". This post will attempt to answer that question in as much detail as possible.

As my time in Germany sadly comes to an end, I thought it might be interesting to talk about some aspects of German Culture different from those of US Culture.

For the past 6 months I have been taking dance lessons. Dance Class for most men in the US is often viewed as anywhere from ridiculous, to subtly acceptable as wedding preparation. Here in Hamburg however, it is not only widely accepted, but seen as a right of passage for both boys and girls.

Letzte Woche, habe ich die Gelegenheit gehabt, ein Praktikum bei meinem Bundestagsabgeordnetem im Büro zu machen.

Two weekends ago, I had the opportunity to go see the Hamburg Haspa Marathon.

At the beginning of my exchange year, The American Field Service, or AFS (my study abroad organization) told us that Germans are sometimes a bit like coconuts.

Looking back on my exchange so far, I think I've really done a good job of getting the most out of my time here. Without giving it a second thought, some people might think that means I've travelled all around Europe or taken a trip every other weekend. However, what that means to me is that I have lived my life here in such a way that it doesn't feel like vacation, but instead, simply as if I am living my life in Germany instead of in the US.