A summation

So the days are running out, and even though I am excited to go home, I still don't really want to leave. Now is the time to sum up my year, and I am going to do it out from my beautiful present I got from my host family. My host family has reached me so much, and my year wouldn't have been the same without them. They gave Mink and me each a special designed pandora bracelet. All the charms each represented something from our year. 

The empire state building stands for America, since it is here I had my exchange. The snowflake stands for all the snow we got this winter. And that was a LOT!

The heart says Mom on the side, which is specifically from my wonderful host Mom. The cheese says Wisconsin on the side. Wisconsin is very well known for their cheese, so that is why it is a cheese.

The fish is because I leaned how to fish this year, and I love it! The music nodes are for my love for choir. I have done so many amazing things with choir this year. It was one of my best classes.

The heart says family, because I have a lot of that now. 2 full sets of grandparents, 10 siblings, 1 niece and 1 nephew. The 16 says sweet on. I had my sweet 16 here and it was a lot of fun. We went to Mall of America right before my birthday. 

Ice cream!!!! I love Ice cream, and of course I have aeten a lot of that here. And I do love bags too! Therefore a bag.

Around christmas I got that funny idea that of course I wanted a dog. I didn't get it though, but I do still love dogs. Here lately I have had a love for old keys, and I have made a lot of fun with them. Therefore a key and its lock.

The basket ball is because I played basketball all winter, and I loved it! It is the only sport so far I don't absolutely stink at. Perhaps it is my tallness. The plane is because I took some trips this spring. First I was a week in Hawaii, and then 10 days in Florida. I do love to travel too. 

It has been an absolutely an amazing year! With ups and downs of course, but overall it has been a lot of fun!

- Troldungen

Prom and a little yard work

So i just realized I never had posted pictures of Prom, or other things, so here is a bunch of the pictures:

Prom:

Me and Marie:

Yard work: (now there is a little more leafs on the trees)

We got cows:

Mink is workig hard:

One of my host dad's work trucks....

AFS pre-departure:

May 5th:

Me and my american friend Sadie:

Having fun at Walmart:

-Troldungen

New years! and a perfect definition of exchange students

A new year, a new start. Well that is anyway what everybody says. I, on the other hand, don't believe in a new start and in the new years resolutions. Why is it a new start just because you had a holiday break and it changed year? You are still in the same school/work, and you still have the same friends. The only time I believe in a new start is when something has changed. Like when you start in a new school, or in a new job. I don't believe in new years resolutions, because nobody ever achieves them. Everybody is like: This and this will I do better this year, but when February arrives, everybody has forgotten the things they promised themselves. The worse thing is then, they don't really care, so they let themselves down even without thinking it over. 

I had a nice quiet new years evening. We were celebrating it at home with some guys over from the church. It was nice, and a lot of board games was played. I love board games. Over here fireworks, jumping into the new year, and toasting the new year isn't a tradition. At midnight we saw the ball drop on Times Square, and I went to bed at about 2, so nice and quiet. 

Yesterday we had a basketball game. We lost again, not a big surprise. Even though the score was not something we had hoped for: 6 to 53! The worst so far. We can hardly be any worse, but it is still fun to play.

Over here January, the coldest month of the year, has started, and they have already cancelled school on Monday because it is apparently going to be the coldest day they have had for over 20 years! We are keeping warm, hope you guys are doing the same! Happy new year!!!

Found this amazing picture. It describes us exchange students quite well!

- Troldungen

Des Moines and a visit

So it has been a while since i wrote here, but as you all can recognize, you get a life over here, and with a life there is normally a lot of things to do. 

Last weekend we took a trip down to Des Moines. That is the capital of Iowa. The trip was because of Minks birthday, the same as I got a trip to Mall of America. The drive down there took 6 hours, a little getaway. When we went down there, we had no idea, that we where going to a concert. There were 3 bands playing at the concert. First up was Dustin Lynch, a country band, with a big C. Next up was Little Big Town, two men and two ladies also from the country. This band was playning music closer på pop, and it turned out Emilie was a big fan of them. Finally Keith Urban came on. Everybody was so overwhelmed, and I was just standing there with absolutely no idea of who he was. It turned out to be an Australian man with way too long hair. His music was actually okay, and something I recognized. The next day (Sunday) we took out to look at bridges. No it wasn't just bridges, it was covered ones made of wood. Some of them were actually pretty.

Here is Little Big Town:

Keith Urban:

Court house in Des Moines:

This weekend I had the great opportunity to spend with my AFS Liaison. She invited me over to spend the weekend, so I went to her house on Friday, and came home Sunday. Saturday we walked with the dogs, and we went to these little cozy and nice Christmas stores. It was so nice and quiet. Even though I love living with the Pope's, as an only child, I can always use some quietness. It is difficult to get used to all the noise at home. My Liaison (Lisa) likes to cook, and she is great at it, so that certainly made the weekend even better, as a lot of you know, I love good food! Over all it was really a nice visit, but I am also happy to be back with the Popes.

Today basketball practice started, so I will probably be soar tomorrow, but I really enjoy playing, so it will be fine.

- Troldungen

AFS post-arrival camp and my birthday

Last weekend I was on the second AFS-camp. You can't really call the first orientation a camp, because it was only a single day. This time we spent a whole weekend in the camp. This "camp" was a place were people can rent a cabin with a kicthen, a living room, and two big bedrooms with a lot of double beds (køjesenge). We were given a lot of information, and we got a lot of tools to adjust to local conditions and get over homesickness. I think the best part was to meet the other AFS exchange students from this region called North-Central Wisconsin. I really like AFS, because i know there is somebody who cares about me. Once a month you either just talk to your liason or otherwise meet with them. 

So here is some pictures from the good weekend:

The Italian exchange student the ached me this cool trick, to take pictures of eyes, without a micro lens:

You have properbly noticed that I now write in English. That is because even though I had the translate box there, it could lead to misunderstandings. Automatic translations doesn't always get the right twist.

This weekend it was my birthday. Sweet sixteen. We went to Mall of America Friday. That was a really good day. We spent the first half of the day going on rides and the second shopping. When we are talking about Mall of America, it is the biggest mall in US and there must be rides. You could say it has a built-in "Tivoli". Some of them was a lot of fun, and some a little too scary for me. I have figured out that the rides, that are not roller coasters, makes me motion sick. And we did shopping. Lots of shopping. And I still don't seem to get enough. I really needed some stuff, so it was good to get that off my shoulders, but because of my birthday, there were some things, that I wrote on my birthday list. 

Saturday we had a gun shoot here at our house, and I got to shoot my first shoot with gunpowder style. That was cool (and a little scary). Saturday evening I got an ice cream cake, and it tasted so good. I also got my presents from my host parents. A big world map to pin all the places I've been, and a really nice pair of leather boots. I couldn't have wished for more. Church was on the plan for sunday, and I wore my Lady-vintage dress, that I love. On our way home we ended up in a very little blizzard. First snow of the year on my birthday! Does that mean that I have been a bad kid? Anyway it was a really nice weekend, and thanks to all of you, who sent me a present and some thoughts.

- Troldungen

8 uger = 2 måneder

Jeg skrev et indlæg i sidste uge, men fik aldrig udgivet det:

Så er der gået endnu en uge. Jeg har før skrevet, at jeg har meget travlt. Det er efterhånden en sandhed med modifikationen. Nu, hvor jeg ikke har cross country mere, tager jeg bussen hjem. Det resulterer i, at jeg er hjemme kl. 4. Det giver mig halvanden time mere end før. Det giver mig også mere tid til bloggen. Udover jeg var på besøg hos en veninde fredag, har det været en stille uge. 

Jeg, den franske udviklingsstuden og en pige fra området havde snakket sammen et stykke tid, og emnet var faldet på Pitch Perfekt. Lydia (pigen fra området) og jeg var begejstret for filmen, men Marie (den franske udviklings student) havde ikke set den. Det var så grunden til, at vi tog hjem til Lydia fredag for at se filmen. Vi nåede også ud på en lille sejltur, og da det blev mørkt, et bål. Der var dog ikke marshmallow til, men det var super hyggeligt. Lydias familie ville også gerne have haft en udviklings student, men da var der ikke flere skolepladser i Webster. Man kunne godt mærke at de ikke helt forstår at Pope-familien har 2 udviklings studenter, og de ingen. Jeg er nu rigtig glad for at være hos Pope-familien.

I denne uge har vi haft 2 cross country meets. I Cumperland:

Og så i St. Crox Falls:

- Troldungen