This will be my last post sadly. My year has been great and I have had a lot of fun. I have seen more cities and been to more countries than most people will ever visit in their life.I have lived through a real snowy winter and all the German rain. I have begun learning a language that is hard but unique and I plan on continuing my homework and practice on my German. I have also made so many new friends this year it is just crazy so many of them will be life long friends. I am already planning to go visit some of these friends within the next year. I have learned a few things this year one is that time is more valuable than anything else, and while some goodbyes may mean forever others simply mean till we meet again. Another is that people who were once strangers from all over the world can be better friends and know more about you than people you have spent your entire life around. I am definately going to miss this year more than anything else. I wish I did not have to go home but I must.A little piece of me will stay in Germany forever it is my home and will always be. The thing that we all say in Rotary is that "It is not just another year in your life, but an entire life in your year." I have changed this year and I like who I have changed into I will not change hwen I return back to Texas. There is a saying in German "Auf Wiedersehen" most people think this means goodbye but that is false Auf Wiedersehen really means is "Until we see each other again" and that is what I will say to Germany and to you.
Auf Wiedersehen,
Jesse M. Pannill  

I just wanted to share a video from a girl on exchange in France it is really good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=mVivIYkP9DI

It has been a while since I last made a post and there may only be one more so yeah. Firstly I went to London a few weeks ago with my class and that was awesome my friend and I did all the tourist things possible and we had a really good time. Then all of the exchange students met up that weekend to hang out because people are leaving and we just need time to laugh and joke around before they do go. Last week my favorite German soccer team basically won the Champions League so my host brother and I were really happy all week. Saturday 2 things happened one was I went to the goodbye party thing for one of my good friends it is really sad he is so cool and everyone loves him but his time is up. The second thing that happened was the Eurovision Songcontest it is like American Idol except different countries compete against each other Denmark won just to let you know. This week I have no school all week so yeah except my host brother and best friend (Luka) are going to Berlin and Hamburg all week so most of my days will be at home or at Flow's house. I do get to hang out with Mallory this week she may spend the night. Her host brother is in a medically induced coma because he was in an accident so there is a lot of sadness with her host family and she needs some fun time. Lastly and the worst thing is I as of today I only have 42 days left in Germany and it really scares me I love it to much here all the people I have met and friends I have made I will soon have to say goodbye to. The worst will be the exchange students, through this year we have become a family and everyone wishes that we could all stay together longer because realistically we will never all see each other again. Thinking I will not see my friends again is rough but I will for sure see Mallory and Paula again so that helps a little it is still very depressing.

Great things have happened since I last wrote. Paula moved to my town and into my old host family. She is going to school with me now so we get to hang out and chill all we want it is the best. Plus she is no longer sad and scared to go home or to school. Then in 2 weeks I go to London I can't wait. Luka and I have been talking with our teacher that is from London and we are making a list of the must do things. Next week I have a few half days of school and then on Wednesday I have no school so I will be able to go hang out with Mallory. I can't wait I miss her we have not chilled in a few weeks so this will be good. Lastly not such a great thing but still good last night my host brother Jonathan and I hosted a party for all the exchange students that I haven't seen in months. It would have been better except only 30 people were supposed to be there and about 60 or more showed up and it got crazy but my host father helped control it but yeah. I am working off of 30 minutes of sleep in the past 24 hours so if things are worded funny that is most likely the reason. Okay that is all for now I will write again soon.

The other day I heard about what happened in Boston and everyone that I know has been talking to me about it but that is really scary stuff. Here nothing big has happened a few months ago bombers were in the train stations but bombs never went off. On news from me last weekend Paula came to stay with me for the weekend she needed a get away from her Rotary club host mom and people like that she is in a bad place. We had the greatest time basically we just hung out she talked with my host counselor and my host dad that is a rotarian and they are trying to get her moved out of where she is and hopefully to my town. I really hope she does, she is in such a bad place that the other day when she called she was crying and I was not even able to help her until the weekend it was the worst. Then also on the weekend I made Mallory mad so Tuesday I went to be with her and apologize to her. We are better now and hopefully we can hang out tomorrow. This weekend though if the weather is good Luka, Jonathan, Florian, Paula, Mallory, and I will go swimming at the lake that should be good and fun. The weather here is getting better it rains almost everyday but it is about 70 degrees everyday so yeah really good I love it. That is really all for now talk to you later.

Okay so last week I went to France to a camp called Taizé. It is a meditational camp. I was there the entire week and had a lot free time to relax and yes even meditate. I talked with the Brothers there they helped me out with some questions and helped me with figuring out some of my future. It was great someday I hope to return. I stayed in a room with 4 swedish guy and 1 german so conversation at night was kind of weird but all in all I made a lot of good friends. At this camp there were about 4,000 people 2,500 were german but there were people from over 20 different countries. They preached in about 15 different languages and had songs from all the languages it was very cool. This week I had to start school after a 2 week break so that was tuff but I did get to see Mallory and Paula after a month so that was awesome. Except for the fact that Paula has some troubles with her host family and club so yeah that sucks. This weekend she will come sleep here though so she can get away and hopefully my club will accept her and then she will move to Xanten for the rest of her exchange and I hope she does. Other than that nothing really big is happening or has happened. Later this month I will be hosting a party but that is about it. So until next time have fun and stay safe.

Okay so there are some new things that have happened to me lately. On the first day of spring it snowed really bad and did again today and the weather will not be better till mid April. Another thing is last Monday I moved in with my third host family the Piepers where I have 3 sisters but also a brother so that is a saving grace. Then on Wednesday I went to a n amusement park called Phantasia land it was really cool they even had a street made up to look like an old west town with a Wells Fargo station and all it was very good set up. The people that took us were really amazed when I said that it was basically what the places used to look like. On Sunday I travel to france for a week I can't wait that should be fun and will get my mind off the other exchange students. Since they have been gone I have been pretty depressed and been missing them but a week of meditation will help. Okay that is all for now I will update you when I get back.