The year 2011 was a good one for Johanna Schmidt. She graduated High School, had a fullfilling summer, and is now in Mexico having a blast. I am proud of this year.
Christmas this year was very strange without snow, I must say. It didn't really feel like Christmas until the day of, and even then I couldn't get over the fact I was celebrating it in just a longsleeve and tights...so weird! But overall it was good, and I had a great time spending it with my first adopted family.
Now tonight is New Year's Eve, and I will spending it again with my family, eating hamburgers by a campfire. Maybe I even get to go out after the new year has begun.
My New Year's Resolution:
Never take anything for granted, and live life to the fullest. We never know when God will take us off this earth, and there is so much to experience and to learn that we need to be yes people. Take the opportunities that are given to you, and never regret anything. Everything happens for a reason, so just go with it cause that's how God planned it.
Now I mentioned in my earlier posts that I will be having three families during my exchange, and the time with my first family has come to an end with the new year. I will be changing in exactly a week, going to a family that lives about 10 min from my current one. This is a plus, as I will be visiting them regularily!
Now I only have three more things to share with everyone...
Feliz Año Nuevo!
Frohes Neues!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Monday, December 5, 2011
Tlaxcala y el Tercer Encuentro de Estudiantes de Intercambio Puebla
It's December and I still have no snow. This is going to be one of the hardest Christmas's of my life. On the bright side, a little bird told me it has snowed in Wisconsin, which makes me proud =].
Now 3 weeks ago I had the trip to El Rollo. I mentioned about going to see a friend the following weekend which I did end up doing. Friday I slept over at a friend's house (she's from Germany) and then the following night I made the 50min drive to Tlaxcala with my parents, aunt and cousin. Tlaxcala is a fairly small city although still larger than Plymouth. The house that my friend Nici lives in is probably one of the strangest I have seen. Her parents have a little store that you walk into, and then you go up three flights of stairs, down a long hallway with rows of showers that people can pay to use until you reach a little door. Once you jumped up the two foot stop you find yourself in their house. Turns out this was the back entrance, and there is another one as well, more formal. After we changed we went to the Feria, which is like the fair. It was cool to walk around and people watch. We passed through the street with all the bars and music and got caught of there, seeing a few other exchange students which is always nice. The night ended with us hanging out there, dancing and freezing due to the cold.
The following day they returned with me to Puebla, dropping me off for my Uncle's birthday party. The following school week didn't happen for me because I got very sick. I had a fever, soar throat, dizziness, low blood pressure and I wouldn't leave my bed. The good news was that I got better just in time for the Rotary trip.
The really good part was that it took me 15min with a taxi to get to the hotel we would be staying in. I was told we were staying in three different hotels, and when we finally saw and met everyone we left and went to a type of theater. It was really cool because I got to see Keaton, which is a boy from my district back home. I also saw Courtney, Sara, Paul and a few others who were at Grand Rapids, the first big gathering we had. Friday we went downtown to the Centro and were in a parade. There are a lot of exchange here in Mexico. All I could see after the parade were yellow tshirts and blue blazers overflowing with pins. We did a city tour on foot and then with open-topped buses for most of the day. It was fun, but a little lengthy. Then in the night the Rotarians rented out a club called 'Classico' for us, which ended up being pretty fun. Everyone danced and had a good time. The following day we went to Africam Safari. This kind of reminded me of Disney's african area, except a little smaller. We took a group picture (which you can see on the side) and had a sort of treasure hunt, free time and talent show of the districts. All in all it was a wonderful day. Sunday, unfortunately, it all had to end. We had breakfast in the hotel and then everyone made their way home. My dad came for and we went home. I had to accompany my sister for some of her homework and then finally I got to sleep at night. I was not looking forward to school, and I didn't end up going because guess who got sick again. I had the same sympotoms and went to the doctor on Tuesday who is a family friend and the Godfather of my brother in Thailand. I didn't go to school until Friday, Saturday I went to the University to shoot a school video and Sunday I went to a differnt school for a sort of carnival to raise money for the school. Today is Monday and laid back. I am sitting next to one of my better friends Roy, who is rapidly finishing his homework for the class we have in exactly three minutes. Yesterday we got our Christmas tree and today I am going to help my mom decorate it after I go get a mani and pedi with my older sister....should be fun! Until next time, when I have stories to tell about how going to a Mexican Six Flags was.
Now 3 weeks ago I had the trip to El Rollo. I mentioned about going to see a friend the following weekend which I did end up doing. Friday I slept over at a friend's house (she's from Germany) and then the following night I made the 50min drive to Tlaxcala with my parents, aunt and cousin. Tlaxcala is a fairly small city although still larger than Plymouth. The house that my friend Nici lives in is probably one of the strangest I have seen. Her parents have a little store that you walk into, and then you go up three flights of stairs, down a long hallway with rows of showers that people can pay to use until you reach a little door. Once you jumped up the two foot stop you find yourself in their house. Turns out this was the back entrance, and there is another one as well, more formal. After we changed we went to the Feria, which is like the fair. It was cool to walk around and people watch. We passed through the street with all the bars and music and got caught of there, seeing a few other exchange students which is always nice. The night ended with us hanging out there, dancing and freezing due to the cold.
The following day they returned with me to Puebla, dropping me off for my Uncle's birthday party. The following school week didn't happen for me because I got very sick. I had a fever, soar throat, dizziness, low blood pressure and I wouldn't leave my bed. The good news was that I got better just in time for the Rotary trip.
The really good part was that it took me 15min with a taxi to get to the hotel we would be staying in. I was told we were staying in three different hotels, and when we finally saw and met everyone we left and went to a type of theater. It was really cool because I got to see Keaton, which is a boy from my district back home. I also saw Courtney, Sara, Paul and a few others who were at Grand Rapids, the first big gathering we had. Friday we went downtown to the Centro and were in a parade. There are a lot of exchange here in Mexico. All I could see after the parade were yellow tshirts and blue blazers overflowing with pins. We did a city tour on foot and then with open-topped buses for most of the day. It was fun, but a little lengthy. Then in the night the Rotarians rented out a club called 'Classico' for us, which ended up being pretty fun. Everyone danced and had a good time. The following day we went to Africam Safari. This kind of reminded me of Disney's african area, except a little smaller. We took a group picture (which you can see on the side) and had a sort of treasure hunt, free time and talent show of the districts. All in all it was a wonderful day. Sunday, unfortunately, it all had to end. We had breakfast in the hotel and then everyone made their way home. My dad came for and we went home. I had to accompany my sister for some of her homework and then finally I got to sleep at night. I was not looking forward to school, and I didn't end up going because guess who got sick again. I had the same sympotoms and went to the doctor on Tuesday who is a family friend and the Godfather of my brother in Thailand. I didn't go to school until Friday, Saturday I went to the University to shoot a school video and Sunday I went to a differnt school for a sort of carnival to raise money for the school. Today is Monday and laid back. I am sitting next to one of my better friends Roy, who is rapidly finishing his homework for the class we have in exactly three minutes. Yesterday we got our Christmas tree and today I am going to help my mom decorate it after I go get a mani and pedi with my older sister....should be fun! Until next time, when I have stories to tell about how going to a Mexican Six Flags was.
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