Hey everyone,

it´s weekend, finally!

I arrived here in parker, Colorado on July, 31st, and just stated my second month living in the USA. It feels like so much longer - but in the best way. I feel home.

My American family is amazing and perfectly fitting to me. They all have a great sense of humor and like to have a good time. Exept for Sage, Zacks cat. She seems to be kind of aggressive. But no offenses - maybe she´s just shy. ;)

We have made some very fun trips - we went on a hiking trip to Castlerock Canyon, Estes Park and Vail - , went shopping for the Homecoming Dance and so much more.

I´ve been at Ponderosa High School for one month now and I love this school. Everything looks exactly like from High School Musical, especially our gym, that´s really funny. Sometimes I really feel like just dancoing through the hallway, but they are so crowded that it´s hard to find the way to the classes, not to mention dancing. It´s so huge! I think there are about 2000 students at Ponderosa.

I took really good classes; Young Adult Literature and Composition (a great class, we´re reading our favourite books and writing an essay about them), Shape up/ Fitness (we´re doing aerobics and Kaylah, wo takes this class, too, and I , are dancing the Hip Hop Choreo everywhere everytime and making fun of it and ourselves), Trigonometry (sooo much homework!), Women´s Select Choir (we´re singing "You raise me up", "When I am silent", "America" from West Side Story and some other beautiful songs), Theatre III (My favourite class), Contemporary World Issues (my teacher is the best) and US History since 1945. History classes are much fun, because everyone is asking me weird questions. One boy just asked me whether I`d hate foreign people. I just answered: "Yeah, that´s why I´m here!" Or i got asked if all Germans would have blue eyes and blond hair. This was really confusing me, because I´m German and have dark eyes and hair? :) and a boy asked me whether I´d know "Sebastian" :D and whether I could speak fluently German.

I joined the Cross Country team and it is so much fun! I just came home from my second race today, it was in Leadville, about 3 hours from Parker and 5000 feet higher. I had an amazing time. You really need to see the pictures of our black Football-player make-up, which was really cool. I love the team.

Everyone is so motivating and fair. It´s so much fun to cheer for the others and it feels good when the team cheers for you on a race. We had music with us today and we were singing and dancing and cheering for the others.

It´s very interesting to be here during the time when there will be a new president elected. The Democratic National Convention was in Denver (right here!). I heard that John Bon Jovi, Cameron Diaz and Mel Gibson were here (I just wanted to show off a little.)

Some people are actually listening to Rammstein ("Du hast mich") over here. It´s great that they listen to German music, I´m just wondering why not to the good stuff?

Corena cooks really delicious. I love her brownies, I bet they are the best in the world. And I love Starbucks! I know there´s no Starbucks in Flensburg. But when you go to Hamburg or Kiel, search for Starbucks and have a Double Chocolate Chip or Vanilla Bean Frappuchino. You´ll love it. I do. ´

I´m sorry if I can´t answer all of your mails. This is because I come home everyday at 5.30pm and then showering, eating, homework... the time is going by so fast. I´m thinking of you and keeping you in my heart.

Every new day is a gift. That´s why we call it the present.

Insa