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.

On Friday I had a party for my friends that are going away on eurotour. We will not hang out for a month so we all got together and hung out and did that kind of stuff. Then Saturday I took them home and Paco and I got to hang out a little bit more. Today I will most likely just chill and work on a few projects for Luka and I. Also last week we saw some sun and it got to about 60 but today and tomorrow it is snowing so yeah back to german weather but it should be sunny again next week. I am putting pictures on here some are from carnival weekend and others are just random so enjoy.

Okay I have officially been in Germany for 6 months. I have done almost everything possible and met all kinds of people. I have made friends and learned new things. I love everything about germany in fact. Now though I have come to the realization that I only have 18 more weeks to be with people that I will almost never see again and do things I may never do again. Now 4 months seems like a long time to some people but for me it is the shortest thing imaginable. In fact I do my best not to think of it because going home scares me more than anything else. I am sorry I do not have more to talk about but this is the only thing I can think of ever. So I will leave you with the motto/saying of my rotary district here and that is "Hakuna Matata" we live by it and it is the only thing that helps us in hard times because that is all you can do try not to worry and just continue with life make it the best possible.

Okay it has been a while but this is what has happened. I had my birthday and turned 17. Many of my friends went back home to there countries. I went with some friends on a city trip we went to two major cities like Köln and Dusseldorf for a day to walk around and shop. Today I am sick not bad but it is not fun. Last Saturday I went to a party where it is tradition for the guys to dress like girls and if they do they get in free needless to say I paid. The past Two weeks Luka and I have been working on a project and it will take a while to finish when it is finished I will share it but for now all you need to know is that it has to do with music. This Friday I am going to Mulheim to go to Shelby's birthday party then on Saturday my host cousins take me out for my birthday present. Then the next weekend I go to Dusseldorf for Karneval with Rotary. I f you do not know germany celebrates karneval like Louisiana celebrates Marti Gras with costumes and everything. I am making my own costume it is epic this is what it will look like but mine will be purple http://img0041.popscreencdn.com/113045099_black-blue-deadmau5-head-red-led-light-eyes-el-wire-w-.jpg so yeah. Next Monday is also the beginning of the new semester so that means officially half way through school. That is all for now

Sorry I forgot the pictures so here they are

It has been a while since I have been on mostly because I have been busy but now I am here writing. I had an awesome german christmas with my whole family I will put pictures. It was very fun and a little different they celebrate on the 24th and relax on the 25th so yeah. I got everything I asked for so yeah good. Then on the 28th since Marina and I were the only exchange students that stayed in our town we hung out for the day and just caught up we have not had much time to hang out lately. Then on New Years I stayed home and my sisters boyfriend came over and shot fireworks with us and we celebrated all together. In germany they shoot more fireworks than we do in Texas. Then on the 4th I went to a goodbye party for two of my best friends that had to go home back to Argentina and New Zealand that was really sad but I am glad we got to party one last time we have planned to meet up in the winter of 2014 so I can't wait. Then on Sunday Luka and Jonathan got back from Serbia so I went and hung out with them for a few hours to catch up and just joke around. Then tomorrow is my 17th birthday so yeah that will be fun I went with my host mom to get my present it is great she got me some cologne called "1 million" it is expensive though so I will use sparingly. Then Luka and I have decided to go to a Lil wayne concert and we got front row tickets so yeah I can't wait that will be fun. Then this Saturday I have my birthday party I can't wait because I have three different groups of friends rotary, Xanten, and Uedem and this should get them all together for us to hang out and just chill and relax. Okay that is all for now.