I'm starting to pile up quite the stack of reports so... here ya go :)

1. August-
Today was absolutely wonderful.... well just like any other day here. I had pulled an all-nighter last night and finally got the gumption to jump in the shower at 10, waking everybody else in the house. then the festivities began! it’s August first and that means its Corvin’s 14th Birthday!!! We began with Corvin’s favorite foods for breakfest, which means cake, cookies, and Cola (a health nut that boy is)... then had him open his presents, i gave him Batman: the Dark Night, Ari gave him two gifts, he received a new ultimately awesome phone (Handy), and multiple other things. from there Corvin and I went off to Tibor’s house where he took us out for Italian Ice cream in germany.. haha odd concept... which was absolutely wonderful, pictures of which i extremely suggest you look at are both on this blog and on my facebook. We returned back to the house and Corvin had one last gift to be bestowed upon him... a brand new... 1000 Euro Bike.... see here, a bike is just as good, if not better than a car! yeah... wow. so we rode our bikes into Kiel to pick it up and pulled into an Imbisstube called, Cranks, once again, HIGHLY suggest you see these pictures, the Gyro that i got was heavier than a new born baby!.... and i ate mine, and finished Ari’s. On the walk home we encountered a set of Memorials for World War I and World War II, between that and the incredible sunset... i cried my eyes out.... well tomorrow we leave for our 4 day camping trip, Gesa will be driving, with the WohnWagen (camper) attached to her car and Peter, Ari, Corvin, and I are all biking the entire 50 KM to the campsite... FUN! well i wont have my computer so i will write in a journal and do a massive update next time but for now... Gute Nacht :)

2. August-
Today was the day that we left to go on a 4-day camping trip before we start school. Peter, Corvinn, Ari, and myself rode our bike to the site... which was an approximate 55-60 KM!!!!....... This journey gave me quite the “po-schmerzen” (butt-ache) considering those god-aweful European seats. None-the-less, we finally arrived after 2 ½ hours, set up camp, and then cooled off in the East Sea.. by the way, i made a previous error in my older posts, it was the East sea we had gone to before and not the north... i was informed that the North Sea is FAR nicer, which left me to wonder.... Why didnt we go there?!?! :)        I also finally received my  “Handy” (cell phone) last night and made quite a few nice friends... including a girl who had said, “me and my girlfriends will take care of you ;) “ SO ladies and gents I must tell you... I CANNOT WAIT FOR SCHOOL!!!   Well we’re ending our night with our favorite game, 7 Wonders, and a new addition, 7 Wonders with 7 Leaders so.... Gute Nacht :)

3. August-
Today marks the completion of an entire week on exchange... Ican realize that i only have a week’s experience but, my ‘infinite wisdom’ is making me warn my fellow exchange students along with those to come that you have no idea how fast it goes by... i literally feel as though i’ve JUST been accepted and still have to go to my country.... So make EVERY moment count....
Today was our 2nd day of camping... I awoke at around 6 o’clock this morning, not receiving my full required hours.... I find that, as an exchange student, one loses all sense for the need of sleep or just loses the ability altogether like me. However, after waking, as normal, i had to wait for the rest of my family to awaken before eating. So for 2 hours i did my favorite thing and pulled up a chair, watched the sun rise over the Sea’s Horizon, and listened to pretty ‘chill’ music. But unfortunately i ran out of songs to listen to (about 218 songs...) so i went to take a shower, and then take a walk on the beach. Out of all the beautiful things in this world, little is in comparison to the sights i have seen in a single week of being here. Returning from my walk, my family had awoken and prepared breakfast (God i love ‘em). We spent yet another day at the beach (them germans sure do love to swim...) having to come in every now and then to avoid the rain... the Weather, for which, I once thought was bi-polar and annoying.. however now i can see its purpose, It’ll be SOOO hot for a few hours, the sun like, melting your skin hot... and then the rain and clouds come in to cool you down for about 10 mins, it’s perfect! I seem to also notice that i spend alot of my time walking around just trying to take in the sights, analyze every detail in the hope that i will remember to write it in this journal later... yet my memory has never been the best... well, my family is now waiting on me to finish up so we can begin our game of 7 wonders... so i will give you my farewell... Gute Nacht :)

4. August-
Today is our last day of camping, we spent it well by going to the beach, playing “Viking’s Chess” which i am a master at, and other things, not much to report for today other than the fact i believe i passed the ‘Honeymoon Phase’ of my exchange... I still love it here, never want to leave, but i must admit that i am having difficulties with a few things.. while i know they are things to pass and problems i can get through... i cannot wait to get back to Molfsee so I can go to school and be with friends, friends of which are on exchange as well, thus i know they must have problems of their own.. but for now... all i have to say is... Gute Nacht :)

5. August-
Today we left our campsite at 11 a/m and rode an official 62 KM back to Molfsee.... If i thought i had back problems back in America, whining to my chiropractor about how much it hurts... man was I a child.... my back, legs, and my BUTT hurts so bad.... once again not much to report, i’m going to finish updating my all my needed things, then hopping in the shower and going to bed... SCHOOL TOMORROW, couldn’t have come sooner... can’t believe those words just went through my head.... :/ WHAT’S WRONG WITH ME!.... Gute Nacht :)

6. August-
Today was the day ladies and gents!!! First of school and i nailed it!!! my plan worked, i brought Starburst, an american candy that is not for sale in europe, handed ‘em out, and made insta-friends... yeah buddy!!! the ride into school this morning was terrible, it rained, and while i may have been prepared, it brought my spirits down a bit... :)   I couldn’t understand much but my new friends and Klassenkameraden (classmates) helped me out, it’s easier when i only go to a few different classrooms :) my schedule may sound confusing but its actually rather simple and benefits me ALOT! its as so: Mondays: French 2 periods with a Pause in between, another Pause after, then Physics, Pause, History, Pause, FERTIG! Pause’s between each class... roughly 15 mins! I get outta school by roughly noon each monday, PLUS then i get to go to Rotary meetings! Tuesdays: Englisch, German, Advanced Biology, then DONE. Wednesday: History, French, Adv Bio, the Art. Thursdays: I don’t have to be to school until almost 9! start with world Politics at 9:40, Sport :), Philosophy, Sports Theory. Fridays: English, German, World Politics, Geography, and Physics.... pretty simple schedule... most days i got outta school a little after 1:30 ish... I also don’t have to do any homework but i am going to give Gechichte (history) a try... the homework is pretty easy (for history)... anyways, more pics to come, stay updated!... Gute Nacht! :)

7. August-
WOW! did i learn a lesson today or what! I learned that Germans, DO NOT like getting their picture taken... hahaha, i feel so bad that i broke a freaking “sacred rule” with them... a guy who’s a good friend of mine was REALLY P.O.’d at me... okay... good to know now... also my couple bad notes for the day: 1. my gift from my host parents was stolen today, it may have been a cheaper keychain, but it was from kiel, and from my host parents... =me being :( …. 2. WHY DO ALL OF THESE TEACHERS THINK I’M SUPPOSED TO DO ALL THE WORK!?!?! i’m only doing history homework because i know my history, no matter what language... i figured i’d give one class a try, and focus on it... i GOTTA talk to Herr Weimann (er whatever his name is) tomorrow to tell him i can’t be expected to do work in a language i can barely comprehend... anyways, besides those two points school was pretty awesome, i had english class (what a joke! HAHAHAHA) and then german... not so funny... an hour long Pause in which me and friends went to “Big Doener” an Imbiss that sells the BEST Doener... then returned to school for Bio, which is crazy frustrating becuase i know ALL of the info... aber ich kann nur auf englisch erklerren.... *but i can only explain in english... >.<   anyways, i got home after shopping for Gym Shoes with Gesa i crashed hard on my bed... slept for a good, 4 hours on one arm so when i woke up i literally couldn’t move it or feel it... and had to try to eat dinner with the family like that... HAHAHA! hilarious, anyways, i’ve been invited to some Bday Parties and a RYE Party for next weekend and the weekend after... so yeah, excited for that... i’m out... Gute Nacht! :)

8. August-
Today was pretty alright... I woke up late for school, but that was little problem, it rained on the way but not anything near to the usual amount... got to school and it was crazy boring... especially in french class... it’s hard enough learning a foreign language in your native tongue... it’s near to impossible to learn another foreign language in your host language :)  i tried none-the-less... the 3-way translations from french to german to english killed me though... anyways, i got home around 2 oclock, and yes, the school days are shorter... but it’s a lot harder in class... then around 5 oclock Peter and I went to play Badminton in a Sports Halle in a city about 10 mins away from Molfsee, he slaughtered me... dang fit Germans haha... i face a rather hard decision here... i can join Track and Field Club.. have no money, and have to suffer in the Winter... or join a Gym for 18 euro.... mhmm.. :/ … lots of thinking to do... Gute Nacht :)

9. August-
Man, today was seriously the best day EVER! I woke up at 9.40 and then went to school, because i didnt have class until then (best thing EVER) then only had 3 Stunde/Faecher (Classes) one of which was Sport (Gym), most fun ever, the other two were World Politics in which the teacher expects nothing from me due to the fact it’s a hard enough subject to understand in German, and the other was Philosophy... also had to do very little and i have a teacher who’s crazy fun... then i got to go home, at ONE O’CLOCK! Stopped at Cranks for ein Doener (no translation... food of epic awesome-ness) took my food to go to “mein denken Platz” (my thinking place... the small lake, Ramsee) chilled there, caught a few Zzzz’s and then went home, and uploaded some pics of my time chillin’ in the city... overall, an awesome day... planning on going to a party this weekend, and tomorrow is my last day going to school for 4 weeks... i start Sprach-Klassen (language Camp) on monday... *fun... Gute Nacht :)

10. August-
Today was pretty boring... sorry there’s no other way i can put it.. i had to go to school with longer day ahead of me, in classes that people who speak german don’t even understand. After school, i finally got to relax a little bit, went to “Big Doener” grabbed a “Little Snack” (that is, what we call in America, a GUT-BOMB), rode my bike home, and then found out we’d be having a visit from Peter’s Parents for dinner :) they brought SO much meat to grill, and i don’t think i can recall a time when my stomach cried out in exhaustion and my mouth didn’t listen :)
anyways, i better put that belly to rest :) , Gute Nacht :)

11. August-
Today was AMAZINGLY-SUPER-FANTASTICAL! (for lack of better words to express such happy emotion) i slept in, woke up and ate once again... the best breakfast ever, seriously, it never disappoints... after, Peter left for work, and i asked if i could venture off to Kiel. There i had literally the best day yet....which is a hard thing to say, because each day is better than the last just by me being here... anyways, i find that i really know my way around the city for the most part now, i first parked/locked my bike up over in the Boothoff Platz, where there was a band playing... ON THE WATER! literally set up a stage, on floating rafts... so cool, and they even were playing songs like Sweet Home Alabama... loved it... then i went for a walk down the Kaufen Platz, and made my way over to the Bier Gardens :)  hahaha, there i met one of the nicest couples EVER! they are from Canada on their Honeymoon Cruise through many parts of Europe, if you are reading this, here’s to you and your new family Aaron and Erica! and while i’m giving shout outs... i must say that none of this trip would have been remotely possible without my parents... i love you both sooooooo much and i am grateful and appreciative for you both being comfortable with letting me go abroad and make my mark on the world... <3 *Mark and Toni Collins... well, i still have a few more hours left in my day so i am going to go enjoy it! … Gute Nacht :)