¨Thanksgiving and Black Friday =)

Hey there, so now it's Sunday evening and I'll take the time to write another post, isn't that nice of me?
Thanksgiving was cool, different than I imagined it, but still awesome. We got up in the morning around 10 and then just hang around in the house until Lorena took us to a All-you-can-eat Buffet, which is typical for Las Vegas. Like always at such a buffet, I ate too much. Then we went home and got ready for the dinner at Itzel's house. We left around 3:45, so we would be there at 4.... well we turned into the community on the left side, instead of the on the right side, we drove around for 10 minutes, before we actually figured out, that it was the wrong one. Itzel was already out and looking for us, so we didn't had to look for her house on the other side of the street as well, what saved some time!
When we finally arrived at Itzel's house, we were sitting there and just talking to Itzel, which was a lot of fun. Then we ate, there was a lot of different things to taste: Ham, chicken, appelsalad, normal salad, pasta and some more things. For the dessert, they had brownies and jelly, both made by Itzel, it was soo tasty! What a wonder, I ate too much the second time at that day^^

On friday was Black Friday, something they need to have in Switzerland as well. Selin and I got up around 8, so we wouldn't get there too late, then Jana Gronau arrived at our house around 9, and after half an hour we left for the Outlet Mall. There we met up with Kaori and Alina, two other exchange students. We walked through the whole mall, but didn't really find anything, well except in Tommy Hilfiger. So we decided we would go to the Fashion Show Mall, which was a pretty good idea.
At the Fashion Show Mall we went into a lot of stores, and had a lot of fun! But there was a missunderstanding with Kaori and Alina's hostmum, who was suppossed to bring us back home. But in the end we figured everything out, and we came home arounf 9:30 in the evening, so we had a 11 hour shopping day, we both were very tired after it...

Today then, Selin and I went around in the neighborhood to sell cookie dough, for the Softball team fundrasising, in which we're hoping to get in... But NOBODY wanted to buy anything, well at least the one who were at home, except for the last one. He said we should come back on Thursday, after pay-day, and he would buy some then... Well we weren't that succesful, but at least we tried it, and we're going again on Thursday, hopefully there more wanting to buy something then...
After this Lorena asked us, if we would like to go to the Fashionshow Mall (yeah again, but it's like the biggest and best mall in Las Vegas, and it's not on the other side of town, like Townsquare or Galleria...) to see the Christmas Show. Aspen and her mom were there too, what was actually the reason to go there. But we missed the 2-o'clock show, so we had to wait 2 hours for the next one. We were walking around in the mall, going into childrens store, because Aspen needs some longsleeve-dresses and shirts. It wasn't all to interesting for Selin and me, so we went to Starbucks, which was right next to one of the stores they were in. Waiting in the line, we met some swiss people and we started to talk to them. It was sooo awesom to speak swissgerman with people standing right next to you, and not only over the phone, or betters said skype.
Then after the two hours have passed, we went to see the Christmas-Show, which was on the catwalk, which is only up for shows. It was interesting and it gave me sort of a christmas feeling, what I haven't really had and already lost again after the show. But I enjoyed the show and was glad I went there with Lorena and Selin!
By the way, you don't really get into the Christmas-mood, when there is still sunshine and it's around 15° C outside... It makes me miss Switzerland!

So that's it for today... oh you also going to have a post from Selin, or at least you should^^
Johanna

Selin's post =)

Holaaaaaaaaaaa :)
sooo... now... i have to write something.. i think u know, that i am living in the moment with JOHANNA :D the best swiss girl ever :D i know nothing is better than being german :D but i am soooo nice and say nothing against it :D JUST KIDDING :)
i love it to live with her :) it is everyday sooo funny, because we have much or less very much fun during being on the computer :D or laughing about EST******.. he is a strange boy from our school :D and what he wrote was very very crazy and nooot good :D
johanna is awesome and a great hostsister :)
she is sooo nice that she went with me to the mall because of seeing nils(my boyfriend) at saturday.. normally that meeting was not important for her and a little bit boring.. but she came with me.. and like next friday(black friday).. i hope it will be awesome.. i dont think so that i have to explain what the BLACK friday is because johanna did it already :) awesome isn"t it :P We will have lots of fun.. i HOPE :D but i am sure :D when we are together everybody knows for sure that it will be very funny :)

I know.. nobody knows what moapa is :D moapa is the best small village ever :D
u have there a loong street :D with some houses but they are far away from each other :D so at the beginning it is for everyone a culture shock :D but after a time :D U LOVE IT.. like me :D i love it there because u have so much fun there and it is normally never boring when u have the possibilty for hanging out with friends ;P
there are the best people :D with johannaaaaa haha :D
i am so nice i know :D just kiddingb :D

I <3 Moapa :D i think everyone has to visit moapa ;P

sooooooo ;D i am so exited because of thankgiving our first and last.. for the next time hehe :D
we will have so much fun tomo and friday :)
if i have the possibilty to write at sunday after JOHANNA.. i will do it :)

greetings from the german girl :)

JOHAANNA i love uuu :**

seeelin :)

Blahbla =)

Well I just decide to make a short update =)
Living with Selin is great, and she is a little bit like my twin sister, what I really like. The sad thing is just, that I talk too much German with her... But that's how it is now, and it doesn't look like it would change (I know, if I would like to, it would be possible to change, but it is also sort of comforting to speak German^^.
Last Weekend we actually didn't go to the game, like we're planned, we change plans and went to the Fashion Show Mall. This was sort of pointless, because we went there, so Selin could see Nils. Nils was with another hostfamily coming from Moapa to Henderson for some reason, and then they were supposed to be in the Mall at 1... Hmmm.. Selin and I arrived there at 2 and they were still in Henderson, but we're just leaving Henderson. So Selin was really looking forwar to see Nils again, but we had to wait another 2 hours, due to the continuing changin of plans... The first change was, that they would go home, then they change to going to Walmart first, then they went to eat at Panda Express, then they wanted to go to a shoe store and a friend, then they decided to go to the "Welcome in Las Vegas" shield (which I still haven't seen yet...)to hang out there for 30 min, then they came to the most intelligent reason, not to come to the mall, which was "it's raining" (they would be inside the mall, so what does it matter? but anyway) then they finally decide to com to the mall shortly, that Selin and Nils could see each other though, first 1 minute, then half an hour and in the end, they stayed 1 whole hour. This resulted that Selin and I were at the mall 7 hours, 1 hour seeing Nils and 6 hours of walking around, without buying anything... Isn't that awesome?

So for all who don't know it yet, tomorrow is Thanksgiving, that means we have 2 days (Thursday and Fryday) off of school. Since my hostmother doesn't want to make a big family party, Selin and I are going to Itzel's house. Itzel is a mexican girl, we know from school. It sounds like it's going to be fun =)

On Friday then is Black Friday, and that's just awesome. It's going to be the most chaotic, stressful day in the year, regarding shopping. On Black Friday in almost all the shops there are sales up to 70% off, so everybody goes shopping, which results in a huge mess and probably also some fights^^ Nevertheless we're going there as well, so I probably going to be K.O. in the evening, but that's how it is supposed to be :P

So I'm going to write to you again probably on Sunday, after all the exciting stuff around Thanksgiving.

Aviation Nation/Sleepover and hostsisters =)

Hello everybody =)
It's already a week ago, but I just decide, out of boredom, that I'm going to make a post about the Sleepover and the Aviation Nation.
So on Friday evening Selin's hostdad came to pick me up and brought us to the Mini Grand Prix, a go-cart drive... We first ate pizza and then went to drive the go-cart. It was so much fun! Then at 10 o'clock we went to the gym, where we had the sleepover... We played some games and ate some snacks before we went to bed, well before most of us went to bed. Jana, Hannah, Selin and I stayed in the bathroom until 3 o'clock in the morning, talking. Then we finally went to sleep...
The next morning we had to get up at 7:30 or something like that, because we had to leave the gym at 8:30, and we had to eat breakfast before... In the end, we waited in front of the gym until like 9:00, before we left to go to the Aviation Nation.

Then we finally left and went out to the Speedway, where the parkin lot was. The fun began there... We had to wait over 2 hours to get on the buses to get to the actual airshow. I hope that it would be a lot of fun, so I was kind of dissappointed when we arrived there. It was not what I expected and so I got bored... It even got worse, when I dropped my camera and it wasn't working anymore... So I was really glad, when we finally after around 5 hours went back to the gym, where Lorena picked Selin, Patricia and me up.

So on Saturday I got a hostsister, I was not really sure if I should be happy about it or not. But I was glad, so I wasn't alone anymore. But Patricia was pretty quiet.

On Monday already we got a call from Linda, she told us that she would pick up Patricia in the eveninng. So I actually had a hostsister for only 2 days... But I just saw how fast you get used to be an only child, way too fast :P

Then on Thursday, so yesterday we got another call from Linda, who told us then that Selin would come over to our house until around Tuesday. If you wonder why, Selin just had a temporary hostfamily, and since they're goint away for Thanksgiving, she needed a place to stay. But Linda already has a permanent family for her, just the paperwork isn't done yet. So she's staying with us until the paperwork is done, that means until around Tuesday.
So since today Selin's here, and she already drives me crazy with her music... but I have a lot of fun with her, more than with Patricia, because she also talks to me^^

Tomorrow we're going to the football game Moapa Valley vs. Arbor View. I hope it's gonna be fun =)

Temporaly host sister

I just got the information that I get a host sister, temporarly though.
Her name is Patricia Hansen, she's from Denmark and she is 16. =)

She's coming home with me after sleepover/aviation nation =)

Workshop in California

Hey there =)

Last Weekend I have been to California, at a Anishinabe Workshop.
The Lodge we were staying at was very beautiful, it was around 15 minutes away from Santa Cruz, and the people very nice. The Workshop itself wasn't for me. Already after 20 minutes of a 3-day Workshop I was asking myself: "WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING HERE?": One thing for example was the asema. It actually is just tobacco you give to Mothe Earth when you take something from it. That means, when you take an apple from the tree, you put down some asema to thank Mother Earth. One other thing was that we would have to get some stones, and one of the so called Spiritual Leaders said, before we take the stone we should talk to the stone, ask him if it is ok to take him away, and then listen to the answer... Well yeah, like I said, nothing for me. But since I was there and couln't just walk off, I participated the first 2 days. I even help making a hole into a gourd, to pour the water in the sweat lodge. In the evening of the second day we had the sweat lodge. In there it was absolutely dark and when they started to put some herbes on the stone and then poured water over them I felt uncomfortable. Unfortunately I couldn't get out until they finished their round of prayer. That was when I got claustrophobic, the voice of the girl, sitting right in front of me, suddendly came from my right side, so I had no longer any orientation and didn't even know, where the door was. As soon as their prayers were over I stood up and walked (it was more like crawling though^^) out of the sweat lodge.
The next morning I slept in and get to the meeting too late, but I wasn't the only one. When Connie, the main spiritual leader, started to tell us about the visions she had, I was fine. But when she said, that these vision were real, that she didn't only made them up, I just wanted to leave the room, because this seemed like brain washing to me. Well I left the room then and because I haven't had anything else to do, I went into the kitchen. The rest of the day I helped in the kitchen to prepare the food. I helped makin the cornbread, the meatloaf and the mashed potatoes. In the evening the meeting of the group took way longer, than the had planned and since the two cooks had to leave, they put me in charge of the kitchen, I really enjoyed this day!
On Monday then, we left the Lodge and started on our way home. My hostmum wanted me to see the coast once, so we drove along Highway 1, which is right next to the coast. We made it just to Big Sur, due to our late departing at the lodge and because we took it really easy, and even went to a bookstore in Santa Cruz, so I had something to read while driving. We stayed in a lodge in Big Sur for the night, and my hostmum actually planned to go for a hike in the morning befor leaving, but we sort of slept in, so we didn't had the time for a hike, and we left the lodge around 11:30 in the morning. We kept going along Highway 1 and made a short stop at Hearst Castle, unfortunately we didn't had time to go on a tour to see the castle. But I saw some pictures of it, it is HUGE! After Hearst Castle we soon turned inland, and the boring part of the travel began. We were finally home at 11:20 in the evening and I went to bed pretty soon, because I had to get up for school at 5 the next morning.
This Weekend was really great and luckily I only had school on Wednesday, because of Veteransday. Then on Thursday I got the most awesome message ever, guess what? I am going to South Dakota around Christmas, isnt' that awesome? Well I may tell you that my twin sister is in South Dakota for an exchange year, so in other words, I'm going to see her after 5 month of not seeing her. And that's just AWESOME!!!!!!!
So, that's it, I may make another post after this weekend, because there is the sleepover and aviation thing today =)