When I look back at the last decade, I can’t believe how much I have seen, experienced and accomplished.  Personal milestones such as high school and college graduation and moving abroad, and national and international events such as 9/11 and the election of the first female leader of Germany and first black American president have made this decade unforgettable. As we head into 2010, I have assembled a list of some things I would like to accomplish this year, in the hopes that I can begin to make the upcoming decade just as memorable as the last:

Health

Attend 10 dance/zumba courses (0/10)
Lose 5 lbs by summer
Exercise at least once per week (0/52)
*****
Wear a bikini outside of my backyard
Touch my toes
Run a mile

Technology

Create a website for my photos
Get to at least 50 following and 50 followers on Twitter

Life’s Big Steps

Graduate
Land my first (real) job in my field

Knowledge

Get something published
Read 10 books (0/10)
Learn a new language to a conversational level

Travel

Visit Poland
Climb another 14er in Colorado
Attend the Alumni Event in Deggendorf
Visit the sand dunes and go sandboarding
Spend Christmas with my family in Colorado

Other

Celebrate Corinne’s 21st with her
Celebrate Christine’s 16th with her
Help change the world- no matter how small my contribution
Learn to walk in pumps properly
Learn 5 new recipes (0/5)
Volunteer for at least 10 hours (0/10)
Attempt the 7lb breakfast burrito at Jack n’ Grill’s (help allowed )

***** this goal will remain private

I know some of these goals may seem small or insignificant, but I want them to be achievable. At the end of the year I will revisit this list to see how much I accomplish.

So here’s to a new year and a new decade!!! Happy New Year 2010!

A new city, a new neighborhood, a new University, a new outlook on life- and of course, new adventures. Brussels is a city that has something cultural, fun or just plain entertaining to do every second of every day. This weekend- my first in Brussels- was particularly lively. Elisabeth Park, which is just outside of my apartment, hosted a festival, and Sunday was a day without cars in Brussels. Street performers, marching bands and many small booths were set up throughout the city. Grand Place was filled with people and Peruvian flute bands. I walked from area to area discovering the new and unusual that will be interesting to visit throughout my year here. I think this year will be awesome. The people I have met so far and the places I have seen give me that hope.

This is the time for lasts- one last pizza in Extra, one last time on campus, one last party at the HQ, one last Bayern game at First Floor, one last get together as an IM family. Saying goodbye to these people and this place is the hardest thing I have ever had to do.

From Grad Dinner and Party

The grad dinner was reminiscent of the Last Supper- all of us sitting in a row of tables for one final dinner as a tight-knit family. As the night progressed, we made our way to the after-party at Relax and partied late into the night. At the end of an amazing night though, the goodbyes began.

From Grad Dinner and Party

The goodbyes will continue over the next three days as I say my final farewell to a city and a period of my life that surely can never be surpassed. These seven semesters will live in my heart forever. And when we all meet again throughout our lives, the moments we have shared together will provide happiness and a sense of comfort in that amazing time we all spent in the little town at the edge of the Bavarian forest.

From Grad Dinner and Party

I love you guys so much!

The biggest lecture room on campus has also played host to our intimidating final speeches in the first semester, various guest presentations and lots of exams over the past seven semesters. I always seem to find myself in the front row for those exams. But this time was different. Not just that I was near the back, but also because I was sitting there for my last exam at the FH. I finished my last exam with 30 minutes left in the exam time to sit and enjoy the feeling of accomplishment. When time was finally called, the atmosphere in the room was light- as if we all felt the same relief in the lifting stress. The smiles my friends and I had as we handed in that exam were ones of pure joy.

I know this feeling well now. The utter stress and nervousness that comes with exam time. With 2/5 of my exams done, the stress is beginning to recede. By tomorrow it will have nearly vanished. And when that stress finally makes its exit on Saturday- it will be because I have taken my final exam as a student here. Sure I still have a project and my thesis to finish… But the realization that my late-night study sessions and frustration at not understanding a simple theory have come to an end brings with it a great big sigh of relief. I didn’t have a clue how hard college in Germany was going to be. I am so proud of myself for sticking with it through all the failure and disappointment I encountered while I was adjusting to living abroad and studying in a way different from that I grew up practicing.

I persevered, and now it is paying off with my bachelor degree.

Germans love their drinking…but they also love games. Combine the two and what do you get? Pub Quiz! Every Tuesday, a group of us (now known by our Pub Quiz name of Free Derry) drop whatever is in our busy lives and head to the Irish for a night of frustration and, occasionally, triumph. I say frustration because the 50 questions are anything but simple in most cases. And even more intimidating for me is that they are in German.

Always starting with a “Zitat frage”, the host is a peculiar man that wears a top hat and smokes in nearly every break. His choice of music for the 10th question in each set is dreadfully biased towards hard rock, but his Bavarian accent makes up for that on all fronts.  To top off the entertainment are the prizes to be won- drinks and more. Although Free Derry remains hopeful, we have yet to make it to a prize level. We have, however, hit rock bottom. But no amount of aggravation can dampen the part of the evening every starving student looks forward to with gleaming eyes- the penny pot. Guess the number of coins and they are yours. And we aren’t talking about actual pennies. In this pot are anything from 1 cent to 2 euro coins, and based on 50-70 people per week paying 1.5 Euros to get in…that can add up to a LOT of money.

Pub Quiz has become a tradition for us, and it is a tradition that will be dearly missed.

People dream of spending Christmas in Europe- and Bavaria in particular- but for me, it was more of a nightmare. Once the students (and therefore my friends) had left, Deggendorf seemed like a ghost town. As I walked through the town on Christmas day, it was just cold and lifeless. There were very few people out, and the Christmas market was boarded up and ready to be taken down until next year. I knew that spending a Christmas alone would be hard, but when I woke up to thick fog instead of snow, I realized just how much I was missing my usual Colorado Christmas.

After today, I will look back and realize that it was just another day. But the fact that I spent it alone says it all. I need family at Christmas- especially because it is the only holiday have been able t0 celebrate with them in the more recent years.

I feel accomplished. Like this invisible thing that has been weighing me down has been lifted. Today, I spoke German. Not just spoke, but gave a full twenty minute speech. And I wasn’t nervous. Finally, with just a few months left in Germany, I have overcome my hesitation with speaking German. Of course, this speech was in a German course, so hopefully my newfound confidence will trickle into my everyday life. This feeling is good. This feeling is great. I hab’s g’macht!

I usually hide my emotions- but today I cried. And all it took was clicking “confirm” on my final airline ticket back to Denver from Munich. I can not believe that 7 semesters have gone by this fast. It all seems like a blur. I want to slow down time for my final two months here. I want to savor every moment- every second of every day.

We will be going to all parts of the globe. These times that we have had here will fade, memories will be lost, and new friends will be found. But I don’t want to give this all away. The people I have gotten to know here are some of the most incredible I have met, and they are some of my closest friends.

As I count down the days to graduation, I am also counting down to goodbyes.