Hola everybody!I just came home from school, it is 12.15, and it is Christmas Break! I am so ready for break. Honestly. It took me some effort to get up this morning. I´ll tell you all about it.
Tuesday, Wednesday and today was our Finals Week. On each of these days we only had 3 or 2 class periods, which were about 1 and 1/2 hours long. In every class we either wrote a final test or did a class discussion which would be the final part of our grade. It was kind of scary. But overall I think I did pretty well. For my Literature class we had to write a multi genre essay, which means writing a story in form of poems, diary entries, articles, pictures etc. I wrote about you, Lina, and the carreer you will have on Broadway when you grow up. It was quite fun. On Finals day we had to present our paper and when I read it out I was so proud of you and all the things you have accomplished and I started crying. The greatest thing about this finals was that I will never ever have Trigonometry in my exchange year and I am so excited about that. I might regret not taking any math classes in my secon semester once I come back to Germany and have to study over the summer, but right now I´m not worrying about that yet.
There is so much to do here, s many opportunities, so many nice people; I really don´t feel like wasting my time here with math. After Christmas Break, the second semester starts and I´ll have great classes.
1. Bacteriology and Genetics
2. Shape up / Fitness
3. Young Adult Literature and Composition
4. Women´s Select Choir
5. Theatre 3
6. Public Speaking
7. Broadway Dance
I´m so excited.
I also can´t wait for christmas. I´m sitting on my favourite couch in the word right now, in the living- room, looking at the Christmas tree. It. Is. So. Beautiful. You know me, I really get into all that christmas stuff and the decorations, the music, and the baking. Today mom drew all our names on the stockings and put them up over the fireplace. Yesterady night dad brought the real christmas tree inside (yes, everyone, we have 3 christmas trees!) and it smells amazing. Then the awesome powdery white sparkling snow makes the Christmas time perfect.
Mom and Dad bought the cutest tree ornament ever. It´s a little ceramic plate ith 6 snowmen on it and each of them has a name tag, which say Jamie Corena Zachary Kaylah Emma and Insa. That is so sweet.
I also sat on Santa´s lap at the mall! I think it was the real Santa, his beard really didn´t look fake. He wore knee high socks and I bet Mrs. Claus made them for him. I told him I´ve been a good girl this year.
Of course we also had an other choir concert. We sang Santa Baby, Cool Jule, Bashana Haba´ah, and two latin songs; Jubilate Deo and Gaudeamus Hodie. It was again a great concert. Dad, Mom and Emma came to watch, which was really sweet. My friend Tarah and I sang a solo, which was Hallelujah from the movie Shrek. It was so amazing to sing that song on stage, because it is one of my absolute favourites and singing it with Tarah in harmon just gave me goosebumps.
I didn´t write about church yet, did I?
the church here is so much fun. We go to Southeast Christian Church, which I would explain as a mix of the protestant faith, baptist church, and (now I have to use the german term) der Freikirchlichen Evangelischen Gemeinde. The services are so touching. Last sunday we talked about the Grinch and what other factors can be that can "steal" Christmas or the feeling of it. The band and the choir are singing on stage and we always stand when we sing and just raise our hands or palms, people close their eyes and clap their hands. At church we sing songs of Hillsong and Chris Tomlin and I was so surprised that I knew all the lyrics by heart on my first time at church! It is such a great feeling to stand there and feel like being a part of the song.
I also went to some christmas parties at my friends´. At Lauren´s and Jessica´s party we watched Polar Express and then they gave all f us a little bell on a necklace and when we were able to hear it jingling, we believed in Santa Claus. I found that really sweet.
Thank you for all the christmas cards and packages that you sent to me. It´s nice to kno that so many people think and care about me, whether it´s here or back home. Getting mail always makes my day.
I wish all of you a merry and blessed Christmas time!
Frohe Weihnachten.
I´ll send you some snow over occasionally.
Love and kisses,
Insa
