XXXV. Now and the future

   The weather is getting warmer, and the snow is finally gone, and my bike is getting more use once more. The birds are chirping, construction on houses is beginning, and my host family is working on fixing our backyard. (Remember that they had to fix the retaining wall last fall, so everything is just dirt.)
   This week at school has been a good one. I think the highlight was earning a 6 (the highest grade possible) on a German grammar quiz. In fact, I was even named class best! Nevermind that two others did just as well, but mostly everyone was kind of embarrassed that I did better than the majority, especially since it's not even my native language. I think the reason why I did so well though was because they were all the exact same exercises from the practice book that we had, and I have a pretty good memory. Yes, that was a good day.
   My host sister has recently rejoined the family, and I'm still trying to get accustomed to having another member of the family in the house, but she is really nice, and I can't wait to get to know her better!

   This week was also special because I skyped with some students from my American school and talked about studying abroad and what life is like here in Switzerland. They didn't look super excited to see me, but I assume that's only because most students don't look super excited when they have to listen to anyone speak. It was still good to catch a glimpse of my old school again.
   I'm also beginning to start thinking about the kinds of things that normal high school juniors think about, such as SATs and college and what I want to do with my life. It's all really confusing, but since I'm going to have to take my SATs this spring in this country, it's sort of all necessary. Yes, it is actually possible to take the test here, and the procedure is pretty much the same. I'm just praying that when it comes, it will go much better than my past PSAT experience.
   Anyway, in general my life is going on as normal, and I am becoming even closer to my friends at school.

The girls from my class and I went to a cafe after school to celebrate when we found out we didn't have Chemistry that day.

   We're a pretty close-knit group, which makes me think that I might enjoy a smaller college than a bigger one. I still have time to make all these choices, but time is slowly ticking away -- a fact that has not gone unnoticed on my part.