Week 27: It's my Birthday💫

Hello out there,
on Monday during 5th hour my Marketing class and me made Cake Pops for the next day.
Tuesday was Valentine's Day so we sold our Cake Pops because we did it for fundraising for DECA. This day is really a big deal here and every couple got each other something, the bigger the better. I went to the workout after school again and when I got home I showered and got ready for going to the Senior Night of the Lamar Basketball boy's. It was pretty emotional and they won all their games!
On Wednesday evening I went to Youth Group again and I just love it!
On Thursday I went to the workout after school and in the evening I had Show Choir practice.
Friday was my birthday so I'm 17 now and some of my friends got me really cute gifts and I got a lot of (for me super emotional) messages from Germany. After school my host family took me to Joplin and I could pick where we eat dinner so we ate at Red Lobster and when I got home the had an amazing birthday cake for me that tasted so good!
They surprised me with a trip to St. Louis so on Saturday morning my host mom, my host sister and me went up in the morning and when we got there we went to a Contemporary Art Museum and afterwards to a sculpture park. We ate at the Old Spagetti Factory and I got a picture with the arch and then we went to Ikea. And after that to our condo.
On Sunday we went to the St. Louis Art museum and it is probably one of the best museums I've ever been to. Then we went to a few Mall's and we had dinner at Red Robins which I really liked. We wanted ice cream so we went to Ben & Jerry's. After that we went back to our condo and went to bed.

That's it for this week,
Isabel

Week 26

Hey guys,
this week I worked on catching up with all the tests and quizzes that I missed last week.
On Tuesday after school I went to the workout again and after that I got a ride home and watched a movie with my host mom.
On Wednesday I had to be at school early because we were going to a DECA District 10 competition at MSSU in Joplin. I competed with one of my best friends in Sports and Entertainment Marketing and we did pretty good but sadly we didn't place. In the evening I went to Youth Group at church for the first time and I enjoyed it a lot!
On Thursday I went to the workout again and in the evening we had Show Choir practice again.
On Saturday morning my host mom, host sister and me went to Neosho for looking for a Prom Dress but we didn't find anything and afterwards we went to the Joplin Downtown and took my Senior pictures. After that we went to the Mall and when we got home my host sister and me took more pictures.
On Sunday morning we went to church and for lunch we went to Chicken Mary's in Kansas. We also went to Walmart and tried to figure out the schedule for the next weeks.

That's it for this week,
Isabel ♡

Week 25: Washington D.C. & Homecoming

Hello guys,
this week was amazing! As I said on Sunday, I went to D.C., because they provided every CBYX student with a Civic Education Week this year. So on Monday we went to the Newseum and then had an Orientation walk around Capitol Hill and took a lot of pictures even though it started to snow in between. We also went to the botanical gardens and the Roosevelt Memorial. On Tuesday we visited  the State Department and after a conversation we did a diplomacy simulation on refugees. After that we went to the Smithsonian museum of African American Culture and History and had lunch there as well. Then we went to see the Jefferson, Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. Memorials and went to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. Afterwards we went to the Verizon Center and watched the NBA game Washington Wizards vs. New York Knicks. As we got home we had another workshop to prepare us for the next day. Wednesday was mainly our Capitol Hill Day where we had meetings with Senate and House members or their staff. In between I also went to the library and the capitol and it was so impressive! Then we went to the National Gallery of Art and got to see the White House. We went to a mall for dinner and had an hour for shopping. We went to the Air Force Memorial and when we got back to the hotel (in Arlington, Virginia) we went straight to bed. On Thursday morning we first had workshops and then went to the Smithsonian museum for American History. After that we went to the Ronald Reagan building and after eating lunch we had a interview or conversation with 3 people over current issues. Then we went back to the hotel and had final workshops and 1.5 hours of free time to get our stuff together for the next day. After that we had a final dinner and a disco which was amazing, I enjoyed it so much!❤ On Friday I had to get up at 3am. because the bus left at 4am. Our plane was supposed to leave at 8:45am but we got moved to a 6:45 one. Another girl which I got really close to was on this flight so we were able to change seats and sit together! In Dallas we had to wait for our flight but we were back in Joplin by 2pm. We grabbed something to eat and got back home by 5pm so I hurried to get ready for the Homecoming Basketball game against Cassville. We won the game! On Saturday we had a Show Choir competition and as I got back home at 6pm I got ready for Winter Formal/ Basketball Homecoming 2017. ❄ It was not as fun as Football Homecoming but it still was a good night! On Sunday I had to work on make up work and we watched the Super Bowl which the New England Patriots won against the Atlanta Falcons 34-28.

I wish you all a amazing next week!
Isabel

Week 24

Hey guys,
this week on Tuesday I went to the Off-Season workout after school again but before I got my finger taped because I hurt it during weights class.
On Wednesday evening we I went shopping with my hostmom and hostsister because I needed a warm jacket for the Washington D.C. trip and some other stuff.
On Thursday evening my hostfamily took me to Golden City and we watched the boy's and girl's Varsity from CHCS play against them.
Friday after school Tara and I did our German Club again and after that we had a tailgate for Show Choir at the Girl's Basketball game against Monett. This week we had a whole bunch of tests and quizzes but it all went pretty good.
On Saturday morning I went to Jasper with my hostdad and I volunteered at the Concession Stand for 7 hours which was a lot of fun. When I came home I finished packing my suitcase and went to sleep later than I wanted to.
On Sunday I had to get up really early because my flight left from Joplin at 6:05am. Tara and Victoria went with me (since we are all from the CBYX) and we first went to Dallas and then to Washington D.C. This day we didn't really do a lot since everybody of the 93 students had a different arrival time so we talked a lot and after dinner we had first welcome workshops. I met people from the Berlin week again and also others I knew so it was pretty awesome to meet them again after a long time.

That's it for this week,
Isabel

Week 23

Hey guys,
this week Monday we were still off from school because of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. So on Tuesday was the first day back and on Wednesday after school my hostdad took me to Liberal and I got a few volunteer hours in by working at the Concession Stand for their Basketball tournament.
On Thursday we went on a Field Trip with my Marketing Class and we got information about a company in Lockwood. After school I went to the Off-Season workout for the second time and I really enjoyed it even though it was hard. In the evening we had full dressed Show Choir practice.
On Saturday we had to leave Lamar High School at 6:30 in order to go to a Show Choir competition in Mt. Vernon. We performed at 10:05 am and then we stayed there and watched the others perform until the price ceremony at 10:30 pm. Sadly we didn't place but at least we had fun and a good day. Right after midnight we were finally back to Lamar.
On Sunday morning we went to see family in Arkansas and we went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. After that we went to my host grandparents and played games. When we got back home we prepared everything for tomorrow and relaxed.

Love you guys,
Isabel

Week 22: Halftime

Hello out there,
this week there is not a lot to tell.
On Monday it was my first day in Weights-class and it was pretty good except of that I can't lift as much as all the others can since they have done it before. In the evening we had our rescheduled Winter Concert and it was actually better than we thought it would go.
On Tuesday after school and during Homeroom I went to the Off-season workout and it sucked, even more because I was not feeling well. But the others pushed me through the workout which was probably one of the hardest, if not the hardest, in my entire life.
On Wednesday I my whole body was sore and then on top of that in 3rd hour I started not feeling good. I got picked up by my hostdad at the end of 5th hour and I started a fever and could also not go to school Thursday because I wasn't feeling better.
From Friday on till Sunday at noon the weather forecast predicted an ice storm so all the schools around here canceled school for Friday so we had our first "Snowday" this year. Luckily it didn't hit us that bad at allso we still had electricity the whole time. My hostfamily and I played a lot of games together and watched a bunch of movies I've never seen before. Especially Friday I slept a lot as well because I was not (still not am) feeling good.

Today is halftime for me here in the USA! I am here since 5 month and I have 5 more to go. I changed a lot during this time. In the past 5 month I've met amazing people, visited breathtaking new places and found a second home at the other side of the world which I love so much that I don't even want to think about leaving them. I already know that a part of my heart is always going to stay here. I am so grateful for everything and I can't even imagine what would have happened if I wouldn't have got the amazing chance to go on an exchange year and you can probably also say the travel to find myself. I love my life here and I don't want to miss a single second of it but I will not act like my exchange year is perfect. I have my struggles here, with my friends, my hostfamily and also with myself. But I truly do believe that everything that happens to me has a reason behind it and it'll make me grow. I do miss my German life with all it's freedom and my family and friends but I will try to make the next 5 month here perfect because that's the only time I have left here in Lamar, with exactly this people. And I will try to make the best out of it and live every single second as if it is my last here in the USA.

Love,
Isabel :*

Week 21: 2nd semester

Hello guys,
this Monday and Tuesday I just stayed at home and prepared myself for getting back to school on Wednesday. We played a lot of games together and just enjoyed our last days of our break.
On Wednesday school started again and with that my 2nd  (and last) semester during my exchange year. I changed my schedule for one hour and wanted to change another but I wasn't allowed to.
On Thursday was my second day of this semester and it was pretty good as well. In the evening we were supposed to have Show Choir practice but since there was a lot of Snow that day it got more or less cancelled. So my hostfamily took me to Liberal to watch College Heights play against them. The CHCS Varsity boys won against Liberal by one point so it was a super exciting game.
On Friday during homeroom all students that were interested in doing Track and Field had a meeting and I went there because I really want to do another sport during my exchange year. So I went to the meeting and the whole room was full with people. The two coaches talked a bit about who is doing what, when practice starts and that we are supposed to go to weightlifting class two times a week until practice officially starts. So I signed up for doing Track and I'm probably going to do discus and shotput but if I'm going to be horrible in it I might be the manager. The I went to councelling center and asked the teacher for the second time if I could not change from Anatomy&Physiology to Weightlifting and then she allowed me to change. So from tomorrow on my schedule is going to be:

1. Language Arts III
2. Photography
3. American Government
4. Spanish II
5. Marketing
6. Strength and Condition aka Weights
7. Show Choir
8. Homeroom: Mon,Wed, Fri:A Cappella Choir, Tue,Thur:Weights

So overall I only changed 2 hours this semester and tomorrow is going to be my first time in Weights and I just hope that I manage to improve a lot while I continue doing it over the semester.

After school I went home for an hour and then my hostmom drove me back to school because I was volunteering at the Basketball Concession stand again. In between I sometimes went in the gym and was able to watch a bit of the girls and boys varsity games. They both won and the boys game was super exciting since we were losing till the end of 3rd quater but then we came back and won the game! 

On Saturday morning my hostsister and I had an appointment to get our hair cut and I cut 5inches. After that I had Show Choir practice from 10 to 2 and we worked on our choreography since we have our first competition next Saturday. Then we had an exchange student trip (mid-year orientation) and my hostmom and my local coordinator took us students to Incredible Pizza in Springfield. First we had to talk about stuff and then we could eat from the All-you-can-eat buffet. Afterwards we went to the gaming area and played games, drove Go-Karts just enjoyed our times as our exchange student squad. I really enjoyed that day and I am once more so grateful for all the people I met here. 

Today my hostsister and I slept pretty long and I did my homework, read and relaxed for the rest of the day. 

I wish you guys a good week,

Isabel

Girls Varsity

Boys Varsity

Guljemal and me

Exchange student squad

*love*

Sofiya and me