mandy with an m

last week i hosted my first exchange student.
her name was mandy, and boy was she german.
she reminded me a lot of myself when i first went to germany:
eager, pensive, limited and 24.
similarly she took way too many photos.


i showed her the joys of DC eating,
burgers and baseball games (thanks katie!).
she sure did like her salads though.
she also found hard-boiled eggs disgusting.
german!


we went to some museums and saw some art,
drank some pepsi and watched a hot dog being eaten.
i hope she likes american culture!


here's what i gave her when she came to visit:
photo book present, maps, towels and toiletries.
i tried to right all the wrongs that were
done upon me by my previous host family.
i made sure her privacy was maintained!
but nonetheless i have no idea how people host
for an entire year. good luck, mandy!

couch potato chips

living with friends (elaine and konrad),
not traveling 2.5+ hrs every day,
not having to eat packwiches,
not having to sneak around after 11 pm
(since people actually are night active),
playing my music, saying whatever,
feeling comfortable and being myself
(without having to listen to the drone
of a television or the hum of a computer screen
masking misery in the background)
is all so much better that i could have expected!

my regional rep called my work today to chat.
she wants to meet tomorrow for lunch and
it'll be interesting and challenging not to bring up
the fact that these former hosts were nothing but
boring couch potatoes who find jokes about
the physically disabled hilarious.

time to smear or time to cheer?

escaped

so i pushed the reset button on this whole host fam situation
and now is the official time when i fled.
i went out dancing with daniel just a few hours ago,
and he agreed to help me pack up and escape right now.
i'm spending the night with him and couldn't be happier!
on to freedom and independence and collecting empty bottles!

ich habe die Nase voll

jumping ship.
getting the fuck out of potsdamn.
mostly packed already, fleeing tomorrow
and not regretting a single thing.

if i could describe my host family situation in one word
it would be 'trying'

also with this photo:

some nice and pretty things mixed
with disgusting trash and cigarettes.
self-contained in it's own small world
and inactively segregated from the outside.
(i would be the Punica bottle in this metaphor, i think)

i'll take it a step further and say that
i am ready to close the lid on this garbage
and leave the kitchen for good.

AvPD

done on a regular basis these days >>

twisted

i bonded with my host brother yesterday
by betting whether or not
the taxi guy yellow jacket was
a playable character
in twisted metal 2
aka the best car game ever.
i bet he was.
i lost.