Just one more quick update before I start blogging retroactively - the 75 fellows for CBYX's 31st year have made it to Germany! The last several days have been a whirlwind as we've gotten to know each other, meet some Congressmen, meet Germany's Ambassador to the U.S., and pack and fly off to Frankfurt.

Right now we're continuing our orientation in Budenheim. And tomorrow, if it's off to Cologne for me to begin language school!

I promise I'll get to my photos of Washington, D.C. sometime soon, so check back.

Only in Europe - we found an old tower with a fantastic view just a short walk away from our orientation seminars. Below is Meinz and the Rhine River

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Just a quick update - after a flight that offered sweeping views of LA, the Grand Canyon, and finally the National Mall, I've made it to Washington, D.C.! The heat and humidity hit might have me like a freight train as I exited the airport, but so far I'm soldiering on.

I'm staying here with Ranjani, who attended middle high school in Lake Forest with me. She's already been more than an awesome host, and I can't thank her enough for letting me stay in her sweet apartment right next to Arlington for the next 5 nights!

We're both excited for my first East Coast/Washington D.C. experience, and we have a metric ton of sightseeing and exploring to do in the upcoming days. Bis dann!

Ranjani was just as excited to see and use my camera as to see me

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It's hard to believe it but it's time for departure - nach Deutschland! It won't be my first trip to Germany, as I've been briefly twice before, but it will certainly be the most eye-opening and immersive. It will also be the longest I've ever lived away from home, and the first time I've lived outside of California! Lots of milestones being reached here.

But first, I'm making a stop in our nation's capitol (my first time on the east coast - another milestone) to do some major sightseeing and to attend the CBYX orientation seminar. So stay tuned for American-themed posts before this blog is thoroughly Deutschland-ified!

My trusty cameras (yes, plural) are packed, my carryon feels like it's full of bricks, and, weighing in at a hefty 49 pounds, my single suitcase for the year is harrowingly close to the weight limit - yup, I'm ready! It's off to LAX at 4:30 am come tomorrow. Tschüß!

My previous trips both included stops at KZ-Gedenkstätte Dachau, or the Dachau Concentration Camp

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