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

Week 20: New Year

Hey guys,
HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of you! I hope you started good in 2017 and that your year is going to be awesome!
This week I still had holidays so I didn't have to worry about school. On Monday my hostmom, my hostsister and me got up really early in order to be in Joplin by 6am to start Christmas Shopping. We shopped at many different places and just interrupted for Breakfast and Dinner.  We came back home really really late in the evening but it was an awesome day.
On Tuesday my hostmom and hostsister took me to Springfield and we went shopping in the Mall and got ice cream at 10pm at ColdStone. On our way home we stopped at Walmart in Carthage and Lamar so that we were home around 2am.
Wednesday and Thursday we just stayed at home, relaxing (what I really enjoyed) and I continued watching Netflix.
On Friday I slept in and at 1pm I went to the Lamar Greenhouse and Florist and volunteered for a few hours. Now I have my required 50 hours done (50.5 exactly) but I would really like to do 100 so I will see what I can do.
On Saturday was New Years Eve and in the afternoon we went to Pittsburg in Kansas for late Dinner and watching the movie "Sing". When we came back home at 9pm we played The Settlers of Catan and simultaneously watched the New York Time Square celebration. At midnight we wished each other a Happy New Year and that's about it. New Year is nothing special here but I got to know a new way of spending New Years Eve.
On Sunday we went to church and afterwards we drove to Joplin and ate at the Texas Roadhouse. Then we went to the Mall and when we came back home we played games that my hostmom bought till 2am. I really enjoyed it, although I always lost the one game because my vocabulary in specific areas is not the best.
That's it from me for this week!

Isabel :)

Ice Cream *-*