Graduation Party 2022 👩🏼‍🎓

Hello! I am only a few days late this time. 😉

In this blog post, I would like to tell you about my second graduation party at the ranch, but also touch on the things I had kept quiet about so far. 🤫

Our graduation party was on August 20th. In the pictures, you can see how big our class was. On August 14th, we took some graduation photos. In the evening, before sunset, we went out to the field. Everyone wore a white shirt and blue pants. Of course, we couldn't forget the cowboy boots! 🤠 However, I had to borrow them from another student because I don't own any. The pictures turned out really cool. Well, they were taken during the 'golden hour'. ☀️

I was excited when I found out that Briella (a student from last year) was coming to visit. I did some activities with her. You only realize how much you've missed someone when they come back. 😢

The last week of school looked like this: We had classes in the morning again and we started packing our suitcases. 🧳 That was not easy because I bought more things in the last two years than I could have ever imagined. So, every now and then, I gave things to other students or staff families to distribute everything among two suitcases and two backpacks.

The entire media team went on one last trip together as well. We went to the Kinzua Bridge again. However, this time we left at 4:30 am to be there at sunrise. 🌄 We made a time-lapse video. It was so beautiful to see the fog moving through the valley. Just as a reminder, the Kinzua Bridge is now an observation deck. But it wasn't always like this, as it used to be a railroad track until it was destroyed by a tornado in 2001. 🌪 The bridge was never repaired and it was decided to transform the place into an observation deck. Hopefully, there will also be a video of our trip soon. But I won't be editing it, Katie will. She'll be staying for another year and taking my place. 👧🏼

Then, on the afternoon of August 19th, all the parents arrived. Unfortunately, my parents couldn't come, so I thought about which replacement family I could invite. I immediately thought of the family from my first year at the ranch. I met them through a second-year student when I spent my first Christmas in the USA. So, I asked them if they would like to come to my graduation. They agreed and were willing to drive for 9-10 hours just to be by my side. 🥺 Saying goodbye is not always easy for me.

Finally, on August 20th, the day of graduation arrived. After taking pictures with my family and other students, the class of 2022 was welcomed into the gym. The gym was fully packed and one by one, each student went up on stage to briefly explain the most important thing they had learned during the past year.

We all received our diplomas and sang a song together. All second-year students received a silver/golden belt buckle from the school. I will probably never wear it because it is intended for a Western outfit, but I will definitely put it in a glass display case so that I can always remember the good times when I look at it (see picture). Also, the second-year students were allowed to ride the Texas Longhorn bull. What a privilege! I was a bit scared, but he is very gentle and well-trained. 🐂

After that, we started saying goodbye to each other as some students left right away. But I couldn't help shedding a few tears. 😥 I had decided to stay at the ranch for another week to have the opportunity to say goodbye to the staff families who had accompanied me for two years. So, last week, I went to each staff house and gave them a flower along with a farewell letter from me. ✉️🥀

I invited my counseling family to try Weisswurst (a traditional German sausage). I couldn't believe it myself, but I found a store here (Walgreens) that sells German products. It's not the cheapest option since it has to be imported from Germany. I will never forget their reactions. But I'm sure I looked the same when I tried American or Canadian food. I think they found it a bit strange because they were expecting a highly seasoned sausage. Those who know Weisswurst know that it is a rather light and not very flavorful sausage. But I think they actually liked the white sausage. 🙃

Now, let's talk about the things I haven't mentioned yet. I went on vacation again. This time I went to Chicago with a first-year student. But I'll tell you more about that in the next blog post, which I'll write after this one. So, come back to my blog soon. ;)

At the end of the photo gallery, I have attached some pictures of me working. However, my work in media is now finished. Yesterday, I took the train down to Virginia to spend some more time with the family who came to my graduation. 🚉 But here's the information about my second vacation before heading back to Germany. 🛫

On Wednesday, I'll be flying a bit further down. I'm going to Miami for a week! I'm looking forward to it. Who's coming with me? No one. Once again, I'll be traveling alone and I'm already excited to see what stories I'll be able to share! After my vacation, I'll still have 10 more days until my visa expires. I'll spend that time quietly with my family. Right now, it feels more like a layover where I have to pack or repack my suitcase. 😩

Now, let's address the question of 'What comes next?' When I arrive back in Germany, I'll have about two weeks to pack my things again because, due to my studies, I'll be moving out of my family house. It's not like I haven't moved out two years ago. 😂🫢 Then, I'll be heading down to beautiful Bavaria. Yeihh, I'm coming to southern Germany! I finally got into the degree program I've been striving for a while. I'm sure no one is surprised, but I will be studying journalism! 📔🎤

Now, let's move on to the next question regarding the continuation of this blog. I have to say, it's really fun to write about the things I experience. Since journalism involves a lot of writing, I've been thinking about continuing my blog. I might not be able to upload as many travel entries, but it will give me the opportunity to write about my studies and about living in a shared house with six other girls. That doesn't mean I won't be writing about travel anymore. In journalism, you sometimes get to travel around the world. 🌎

Wow, this blog post is getting way too long. That's it for now on this topic. I think it's good to have some time to prepare myself for the fact that I'll be leaving this country soon. It was already difficult to leave the ranch and all the people I had grown fond of over time. 💕

Until the next blog post (it will be out before Wednesday). 👋🏻

___________________________________

Hello! I am only a few days late this time. 😉

In this blog post, I would like to tell you about my second graduation party at the ranch, but also touch on the things I had been keeping quiet about so far. 🤫

Our graduation party was on August 20th. In the pictures, you can see how big our class was. On August 14th, we took some graduation photos. In the evening, before sunset, we went out to the field. Everyone wore a white shirt and blue pants. Of course, the cowboy boots could not be missing! 🤠 However, I had to borrow them from another student because I don't own any. The pictures turned out really cool. Well, they were taken during the 'golden hour'. ☀️

I was excited when I found out that Briella (a student from last year) was coming to visit. I did some activities with her. You only realize how much you've missed someone when they come back. 😢

The last week of school looked like this: We had classes in the morning again and we started packing our suitcases. 🧳 That was not easy because I have acquired more things in the last two years than I could have ever imagined. So, from time to time, I gave things to other students or staff families to distribute everything among two suitcases and two backpacks.

The entire media team also went on one last trip together. We went to the Kinzua Bridge again. However, this time we left at 4:30 am to be there at sunrise. 🌄 We made a time-lapse video. It was so beautiful to see the fog moving through the valley. Just as a reminder, the Kinzua Bridge is now an observation deck. But it was not always like that, as it was used as a railroad track until it was destroyed by a tornado in 2001. 🌪 The bridge was never repaired, and it was decided to transform this place into an observation deck. Hopefully, a video of our trip will be available soon. However, I will not be editing it, Katie will. She will be staying for another year and taking my place. 👧🏼

Then, in the afternoon of August 19th, all the parents arrived. Unfortunately, my parents could not come, so I thought about which replacement family I could invite. I immediately thought of the family from my first year at the ranch. I met them through a second-year student when I spent my first Christmas in the USA. So, I asked them if they would like to come to my graduation. They agreed and were willing to drive for 9-10 hours just to be by my side. 🥺 Saying goodbye is not always easy for me.

Finally, on August 20th, the day of graduation had arrived. After taking pictures with the family and other students, the class of 2022 was welcomed into the gym. The gym was full, and one student after another went to the front of the stage to briefly explain the most important thing we had learned during the past year.

We were all handed our diplomas and performed a song together. All second-year students received a silver/golden belt buckle from the school. I will probably never wear it as it is more intended for a Western outfit, but I will definitely put it in a glass display case so that I can always look at it and remember the good times (see picture). In addition, the second-year students were allowed to ride the Texas Longhorn bull. What a privilege! I was a little scared, but it is very docile and well trained. 🐂

Afterwards, we started saying goodbye to each other because some students were already leaving. I shed a few tears, though. 😥 I had decided to stay at the ranch for another week to have time to say goodbye to the staff families who had accompanied me for two years. So, last week, I went to each staff house and gave them a flower with a farewell letter from me. ✉️🥀

I invited my counseling family to try Weisswurst (a traditional Bavarian sausage). I couldn't believe it myself, but I found a store here (Walgreens) that sells German products. It's not the cheapest option, but it has to be imported from Germany. I will never forget their faces. But I'm sure I looked the same when I had to try American or Canadian food. I think they found it a bit strange because they were expecting a highly spiced sausage. Anyone who knows Weisswurst knows that it is a rather mild and not very flavorful sausage. But I think they actually liked the white sausage. 🙃

Now, let's talk about the things I haven't mentioned yet. I went on another vacation. This time I went to Chicago with a first-year student. But I'll tell you more about that in the next blog post, which I'll write after this one. So, come back to my blog soon. ;)

At the end of the photo gallery, I have attached a few more pictures that show me at work. However, my work in the media sector is now finished. Yesterday, I took the train down to Virginia to spend some more time with the family who came to my graduation. 🚉 But here comes the information about my second vacation before I head back to Germany. 🛫

On Wednesday, I'll be flying a bit further south. I'm going to Miami for a week! I'm looking forward to it. Who's coming with me? No one. Once again, I'll be traveling alone and I'm already curious to see what stories I'll be able to tell this time! After my vacation, I'll still have another 10 days until my visa expires. I'll spend that time quietly with my family. Right now, it feels more like a layover where I have to either pack or repack my suitcase. 😩

Now, let's answer the question of 'What comes next?' When I arrive back in Germany, I'll have about two weeks to pack my things again because, due to my studies, I'll be moving out of my family home. It's not as if I haven't actually moved out two years ago. 😂🫢 Then, I'll be heading to beautiful Bavaria. Yeihh, I'm coming to southern Germany! I finally got into the degree program I've been aiming for for a while. I'm sure it doesn't come as a surprise, but I'll be studying journalism! 📔🎤

Now, let's move on to the next question about the future of this blog. I have to say that I really enjoy writing about the things I experience. Since journalism also involves a lot of writing, I've been considering continuing my blog. I may not be able to upload as many travel entries, but it will give me the opportunity to write about my studies and about living in a shared apartment with 6 other girls. That doesn't mean there won't be any more travel content. In journalism, you often get to travel the world. 🌎

This blog post is already way too long. That's it for now on this topic. I definitely think it's good to have a certain amount of time to prepare myself for the fact that I'll be leaving this country soon. It was already difficult enough to leave the ranch and all the people I had grown to love over time. 💕

Until the next blog post (it will be out before Wednesday). 👋🏻