Picture Update

Here are some pics of what I have been up to the last 6 weeks or so. Enjoy.

The pictures you see above were taken in the following locations for the following reasons:

-Vacation to Spain to visit Kyle

-Trip to Stuttgart to visit fellow exchange students

-Rotary Weekend

-My host sisters Confirmation

A more detailed written update to come.

Cheers,

Tyler

Euro Tour!

No Eric I did not die. On the contrary, i have been quit alive in the last month. I cannot even begin to describe my 3 week euro tour but i hope my pictures can get the job done. To give you a quick run down, i saw 13 different cities in 3 weeks, traveled almost 6,000 KM and had the best 3 weeks of my exchnage. Enjoy the pictures. See you in 46 days.

Cheers,

Tyler

Mom and Gav Visit

Heres a little glimpse into what their trip looked like.............

Love you. Miss you. 77 days.

Pictures

Sooooo as i sit here pacing my room waiting for my Mom and brother to arrive (3 hours!!!!!) i decided to throw some pictures up....enjoy.

Love, Tyler

I went to Wolsfburg and all I got was Sambuca-ed (more spefically in my eye)

Good afternoon all,

I wish i could exapljn the title of this Blog but sadly you had to be there in order to witness it. So is life sometimes. But one thing i can tell you is that last weekend i travled to Wolsfburg and met up with a couple of exchange. Just given the nature of exchnage students and this seemingly invisible yet obvious connection that we intstantly have, this weekend was bound to be a great time.

After travling for a good 3 hours and riding on my first German train that showed up late (15 minutes....come on Deutsche Bahn!) i arrived in Wolsfburg.

The rest of the weekend consisted of a lot of laughs, visiting the local VW toursit thing (very interesting by the way, they also have great pizza) making late night Mcdonalds runs and then eating them in the entrance of a bank because we were so cold, and basically just having an all-around swell time.

One thing i must mention though. Sometimes i am overwhelmed by the generosity of Rotarians.

To illustrate this point i will use the host family of the girl i visited in Wolsfburg.

1. They invited 3 exchange students into there home. (Scary in itself)

2. They made us breakfast, lunch and dinner.

3. Her host dad paid for our entrance into the VW center (not cheap), gave us 50 euros for lunch

4. Gave us money for taxis, so we could get home at night

5. Took us on a good 5 hour "culture tour" of Wolsfburg and the surrounding area, paying for museums and taking us on fun little adventures. Example: at the museum that was the one of the largest checkpoints along the highway for people from the west driving through the east in order to get to free west berlin; Brittany's ( the girl i visited) Host dad took us on this back road where we proceeded to stop at the base of an old DDR (East Germany) guard tower, crawl through a hole at the bottom and climb to the top. SOOOO COOL. Have you been to the top of an old DDR guard tower...didnt think so.

Sadly i have only 2 pictures from the weekend because i am waiting to recieve more from the other exchnage students. but you can see these 2 pictures above. And yes, that is me straddling a tank, and yes, I am in alot of pain....lets just say I didn't exactly "mount the tank" in the smoothest way...if ya catch my drift.

My brother and mom come in one week. Now read this last sentence and picture me doing a nice little victory dance. In true Anders/Herron fashion it involves a decent amount of hip thrusting and booty shaking...hope you have a great mental picture.

In exactly 3 months i will boarding a plane for the USA.

Cheers,

Tyler

February: The Short Month

My fellow Americans,

Ahh February. What a funny little month. Yet, despite being a mere 28 days and its seemingly arbitrarey placement between Janruary and March that constantly reminds us that, yes, it is still winter, but if you hold out a little longer, I promise it will be spring once again; February can still be a good little month.

1. I joined a gym here and have begun working out on a regualr basis. As of yet im no Scharwzenager but i still got some time. Stayed tuned.

2. My german is really coming. Now, before i continue let me share a little secret with you when it comes to learning a new language. Key word: Encouragment. Any encouragement, praise, or compliments on ones attempts to speak a foreign tongue are worth their weight in gold.
Example: I received a ride home from some of my host brothers friends last Friday. Talking with the gentlemen who occupied the front seat, he posed the question "so, how long have you been in Germany. Me: umm just over 5 months. Gentlemen in front seat: Really?? i would have thought a lot longer. You speak really good German. I could have kissed him right then and there. But restraining myself i waited and did a little victory dance as soon as they dropped me off.

3. Ive been reading alot. Today i will finsh, Childhood, Boyhood, Youth by Leo Tolstoy. Amazing book.

4. This week i was struck with this thought during one of my classes. This was not the first time i attemted to wrap my mind around this idea but it was the first time it had hit me so randomly and suddenly. Sitting in the back of class i realized that i was the only one in this room who was thinking in english and that no one else was struggling to grasp the geographical terms the teacher was currently explaining. There is no doubt in my mind that language is one of he strangest and most fascinating things that the Good Lord created.

5. My Brother and Mom come in less than 3 weeks. Cant describe my excitement.

6. I still love my host family and we get along great. But being the only male in the house i have to keep the manliness in check...well thank God for Philipp or i fear i would be overwhelmed by the Estrogen. So, i have to make use of the opportunites i have. Example: my host mom is gone this weekend and my host sister is out a friends out. So, of course as soon as my host sister left, i stripped down to my boxers, took off my shirt. life is good.

Anyways, life continues to progress forward. I am truly enjoying germany and all the amazing experiences that it represents. But i must admit that i am growing tired of being the"exchnage student" and am ready for this summer and then SPU next fall.

Love you all.

Tyler

Skiing in Austria!!

Skiing Austria. Pictures describe it better than I ever could. Couple highlights though:

1. In Austria they speak German. But its not really German. In fact it might be the funniest sounding thing on the face of the planet.

2. The snow was ok. But overall it was an amazing weekend.

3. Eating a large Austrian Sausage quickly and then proceeding to continue skiing is not a good idea.

4. I am so sore.

All the Best,

Tyler