Is It That Time Already!!??

Only four days to go until my mom drops me off at PDX Airport, waves goodbye and says, "well see ya!. Have a good time and behave yourself." Followed by hours of leg cramps, turbulence interrupted sleep and terrible jet lag. I'll wobble off the plane and find myself transported to another dimension, parallel to the world I know.

Maybe that's a little dramatic. I'm sure there will be many drawn-out, heart-felt farewells, possibly a few tears at PDX airport. And I sleep like a rock so the flight won't be too bad. All in all the first step, or lift-off, as a Rotary exchange student is bound to be an unforgettable, terrifyingly, exciting, EPIC moment of my life.

I just got my flight itinerary and I leave August 7^th (less than four days from now! That’s crazy!!) at 9:50 a.m. from PDX airport. From there I’ll go to Seattle. Really exciting huh? After all the goodbyeing at PDX I’ll hop on a plane and get off an hour later in the familiar city of Seattle. But oh well, the next plane ride lands in a little more exciting place. From Seattle I go to Frankfurt. And finally the last stretch of my flight is from Frankfurt to Graz!

All together I’m in planes or at airports for a total of about 16 hours. That’s exhausting just thinking about it. But at least I got a few movies on my laptop, some books I’ve been resisting to start, and all my German books to do some cram-studying. Yay! There’s also going to be other exchange students who are going to Austria or different places so I’m looking forward to making some plane buddies.

This has been such a busy week. Trying to do everything before I go. I’ve been seeing a lot of friends, camping, I stayed in a super fancy apartment in downtown and shopped, and I’m going water skiing tomorrow so I have yet to pack. And I can only check one fifty pound bag so it’s going to be hard sorting through my clothes deciding what I can and can’t live without for a year. I’ll let you know how that went in my next entry which will be from my new home, Austria!

Sam

Hello-Hallo

Wilkommen to my blog!

Here's a brief introduction to me and the stories you'll be reading from me throughout the year.

I live in Portland, Oregon, the City of Roses, one of the best cities on earth, I think.

I was ready to continue my high school education at Grant High School, in September 2013, with all my friends, but along the way plans changed and my life is about to take an extreme turn, instead I will be spending junior year in Graz, Austria as a Rotary exchange student!

The thought of leaving everything I know behind; my family, the greatest group of friends known to mankind, and this wonderful city is absolutely freighting. But at the same time it’s like Christmas, when you spot the biggest present under the tree but can’t open it, so you just look at it and think about what might be inside.

I applied to be an exchange student through my Local Rotary Club of Downtown Portland, at the beginning of my Sophomore year, I was accepted, and it seems like the next day I was being told "You're going to Austria!” I remember not even knowing how to feel. What do I know about Austria? It's where the von Trapps lived. Thats pretty awesome. It's like the classical center of the world! This is good. And there will be tasty food there, OK let's go!  And my excitement continues to grow exponentially as I learn more and more about my soon-to-be home.

There are a lot of people who have been involved with my exchange so far and I thank each and every one of them for their support and love that give me the confidence to take this great leap. My mom especially, who has been there for me forever, helping me grow and always supporting me in everything I do and also just being someone I can be silly around. Thanks mom you’re the best!

I have my amazing Rotary club who sponsored me and the wonderful Youth Exchange Committee members of district 5100 to thank for their worldly advice in helping me help myself make this the best year I can.

Honestly the list goes on and on, but I guess I should stop talking, so I'll leave with this: "Life changing." That seems to be the unanimous description for what I'm about to do and I can't wait to experience it. Soon I will be settling down into life in Austria. New family, new friends, new language. This is going to be the most challenging thing I’ve done with my life so far and I’m ready to take it on!

 You haven't heard the last of me,

Sam