Hey Universe,

a lot of things have happened since I have last been on this wonderful page that is my trip. I have obtained a date of departure, Saturday the seventh of August, and a suggested three stop plane trip which would span over the course of two days. Yes, yes it is all very exciting. I have also made contact with my host family, through an extraordinary use of e-mail and facebook. Paperwork is coming together and Dutch is being learned...sort of. I feel as if I am some sort of business women, e-mailing people I have never meet, signing things and overall being stressed out. When one decides to go abroad, in the beginning, he or she never really realizes the extreme mental catastrophes that they must endure. I believe at this moment in time the deadlines and the e-mails that take forever to answered and the most frustrating and stressful for a body. Right now however, the extreme excitement of my upcoming crossing of the pond rests over everything like a fine silver lining. My elation, though not always audible, makes everything worth the while.

So for now, my friends I must go and sit in my home in the rain and recite Dutch words and phrases out loud to myself in the dankness.

In the Beginning...

Hello world,

my name is Julia and I am going to be embarking on a student exchange to the Netherlands next school year. Right now I live somewhere in the great and wonderful state of Maine, U.S.A. To say that I live in the boonies of rural Maine would be an understatement. My town has a population equal to about three.

Town center consisting of 3 houses, a church, fire station, post office and general store. Yes, yes this is the glamorous life that I now lead, unfortunately in August (hopefully) I will be leaving all of it behind.

In my school and community, common phrases that will be often heard are “hey there bud” and “get your deer yet?”, but in thick, and often slightly exaggerated Maine accents so instead it would sound more like “ey dere bud” and “ get yah deah yet?”. We the people of Maine are proud of our rugged woodsmen exterior. On the inside though, we are actually a kind people.

Although some might see this as an dramatization of Maine life it is in part true. We like the out of doors and, our motto, “Maine, the way life should be” is pretty awesome. Lobster is an important part of our culture, I being one of the few around these parts to dismiss it with an expression of unrepentant horror. Besides lobster, we also like a good hunk of tenderloin (deer meat) which we hunt down and capture with our bare hands (dramatization).

Over the next several months I will be posting about my adventures in my new homeland. I would be honored to have everyone and anyone follow my escapades. At times I hope not to bore my ever loving followers (family and friends), but to regale you with exhilarating, or rather “different”, tales of the Koninkrijk der Nederlanden.