A little update...

It’s been awhile since I’ve updated this blog, sorry! I’m down to three more weeks in Heidelberg and I’m trying to soak everything in. I’ve realized that, although I have absolutely loved living in Germany, I haven’t taken full advantage of what Heidelberg has to offer. I’ve become numb to the cobblestone roads, the cute shutters, the vines growing on the buildings, and the outdoor cafes. I’m definitely going to try and take more pictures of Heidelberg and take advantage everything for my last couple weeks. The weather has been crazy – it’s t-shirt weather now, but it was snowing a couple days ago. Two weeks ago, we were all catching rays out on the back balcony in between classes! After a sunny Spring Break in Croatia, I’m very much over winter weather and ready for some sunshine. Winter had it’s chance. The thing I love the most is that Heidelberg becomes alive in the sun. The gelato shops are up again, the accordion man is back on the Hauptstrasse, people are having picnics on the Neckar river, and there are families walking in the parks and throwing Frisbees on the castle grounds. I love it! Yesterday, Pam and I finally got the chance to climb the stairs of the Holy Ghost Church (the main one in the middle of the Alt Stadt) and got a great view of Heidelberg from atop to the steeple. We could even see Moore Haus! Last night, we were all up at the “Schloss” for Jimmy and Alex’s birthdays just hanging out with each other and having fun. I love moments like those because it really doesn’t matter where you are, as long as you’re with good friends. But it doesn’t help that we were hanging out at the castle up the street. Who does that? Hah! Life is crazy. This year has definitely been the fastest year of my life. Traveling is slowing down. Since my last update, I’ve been to Croatia, Cologne, and Ireland…I think. I took a break last weekend to catch up on some schoolwork, but my last trip will be to Rome. I have absolutely no regrets about this year and it’s a great state of mind to have. I’ve been almost everywhere I wanted to go…and everywhere else, I figure I can wait until I’m older. After this year of traveling, I’m just excited to do it more. I think I have gotten the “backpacking” bug out of me – but I’m really considering living in London or something for a year. Out of all the places I went, it was one of the cities that stood out to have the most to offer me. I wouldn’t feel the urge to go travel out of the country because there are so many hidden treasures in London. So much funk and so much personality. I could just spend days exploring the different districts, finding new restaurants, going to different pubs, seeking out different music venues, meeting interesting people. It was nice that there wasn’t a language barrier, but it still felt very international. I NEED to go to China, Australia, Thailand, S. Africa, Morocco, Argentina…all those places are on my list! I can’t really pinpoint my favorite traveling destination yet. I had so many great weekends, and so many different experiences (and many stories to tell!). I went with very different groups of friends every weekend. Sometimes we wanted to go see museums, other times we just wanted to hang out, and other times we just wanted to explore! All of these different factors combined made every weekend so unique and incomparable. I’m sorry that I’m not going to summarize all that I’ve done since my last entry – there’s just too much! I’m sure I’ll get the chance to tell you all about it individually sooner or later. But, I just wanted to send in a little lovin’ to let you know that I’m still alive, I’m still loving life and loving Germany. But I’m also really excited to be coming home shortly. I have BOBA and SUSHI and MALIBU BEACHES and GUITAR CENTER and MOM’S COOKING (yep, mom – even YOUR cooking!) in mind. At least, those are the immediate things I’m going to do when I get back to America. But until then, I’m going to try not to think too far ahead and enjoy every moment that I have here. I’m a very VERY blessed girl to have friends and family that check up on me and I love you all very much! Can’t wait to see you soon… Tscheuss und a bientot!