Thursday July 31st

Hello to everyone, just a note to say how proud I am of all your children and of you for letting your children follow their dreams. Some of my friends ask me "how in the world could you let your son go to Europe with 'strangers' for 3 weeks!" I tell them that life comes at you only one time and it is difficult to let your child go but in the long run, it will bring a strong, confident man or woman back home to you. I know because I have done this before. I sent my older son Erik , who was then 11 and going into 6th grade, for 14 days to P2P in Europe, 4 years ago. He wanted that trip with a passion, just like Alex did now and I let him go. I never regretted that decision because he has become more of a leader, a teamplayer, and more culturally competent as a direct result of this experience. You have given your child a great gift. Be proud of yourself. It will all reveal itself in time. Joni (Alex's mom)

Thursday Night

Jc called and informed me today they went to the Peace Castle. He said it was very interesting and they learned some details about it. He also said they road bikes through windmills and tulips and were able to stop and take a couple pictures. He of course did not take any but he said his sister did.

Apparently a couple of the children would not put their seat belts on today on the bus so they all had a silent dinner. Which apparently was tourture for them. He said "Mom it was HORRIBLE, we couldnt talk."

They were allowed to pick their roommates tonight so JC and Zack are roommates again. They said the room was "HOT" because there is an air conditioner but neither of them know how to turn it on or use it. They were going to play cards tonight and "VEG."

JC said he is having a GREAT time and although he misses home he is no longer home sick.

Amanda FINALLY called home. She is rooming with Angela this evening, they both said they are having a wonderful time. She told me about the entire trip in a matter of 10 minutes. She has taken over 1000 pictures so I will have alot to share with everyone if your children did not take any. She said she has "bonded with everyone but there is a special group." She doesnt want the trip to end because even though they have only been together for a couple weeks she feels as though she has known the delegates for years. They will certainly be long time friends.

Wednesday Night

JC called again, (I know there is a surprise), anyway he is not homesick at all today and had a wonderful time watching them make wooden shoes. They also toured Anne Franks house and he said for the children who had read the book it was very interesting, for those who didnt it was just ok.

Amanda text messaged me to say it was an AWSOME Experience to see Anne Franks house, but she is very into Anne Frank and was looking forward to this part of the trip.

Hope me blogging everynight helps those who dont hear from their children. One more week to go and they will be home already.

Tuesday night

Amanda sent me a text today saying that she was very excited about them going to see Anne Franks house tomorrow. She is a big Anne Frank fan so she has been looking forward to this part of the trip.

JC said he is rooming with a boy named Tyler tonight from Michigan. Tyler was extremely homesick and it was ncie to hear JC trying to help Tyler get through it. He said they ate lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe today and it was GREAT to have an American burger. Today was a down day where the rode the bus for hours and had some time to shop. He said tomorrow should be fun.

Oh Nothing To Do...

I had heard from Tanner yesterday after he left his home stay family. He was missing them. The 13 year old girl in the home was completely bilingual. I was glad he was impressed. He was rooming with Joe M. and they sounded like they were laughing and hamming it up in the room, probably trying to divert some of the energy from getting their letters from home.
Today, he called again. I think he said Erin and Steve and he are showering and watching the Olympic warm-ups / try outs on TV. He said they were on the bus all day -- not as much fun as white water rafting or Fox City ( some kinda climbing park, I think), etc, or all the REAL activities he's been doing. Oh, too bad, nothing to do today. Such a crime to have a bit of a slow day! I think it gave him time to miss us. I'm afraid he is going to be very bored once he gets home again.

Monday Night

JC called to inform me that he wanted to stay the rest of the trip with the host family. He said they had an incredible time and he was going to miss them alot. The did the cruise today which he said was fun and when I asked him if he took pictures I was told "some, we were busy playing cards." He also said they gave them their letters from home today and most of the kids were upset by them. His little sister had drawn him and his sister each a picture and he said that was difficult to look at. He is rooming with Zach and said Zach was upset this morning about leaving his homestay so it was ok for him to be upset tonight, i guess as a boy if you justify it that makes it ok. When we hung up Zach and JC were both cracking up laughing and having way to much fun to remember i was on the phone.

Amanda text messaged me to tell me she was homesick after receiving her sisters picture but she was better, having fun and will text me later.

Monday Night

I spoke with Zach and he already misses his home stay family. He said he cried, but it was okay because he got a lot of hugs. He is rooming with JC tonight, one of his many new friends. The cruise on the Rhine was 4 hours long and he expected the river to be bigger. They are excited about Amsterdam because they heard it was a really cool place. He said the German girls called him Leonardo DiCaprio and they were all so nice and very pretty. He loved the town of Lohr where he stayed and made me promise we will return to visit. I don't expect another call until France. Overall, he is not homesick and having a great time. He mentioned repacking to fit all the "stuff" he bought. Only 10 more days and we get them back!

I spoke with Evan this morning, he is staying with Alex at Lukas house. He said they went to a family party last night where hardly anyone spoke english. But he said they had a good time and the food was good. They also went bowling last night. Today they were at a petting zoo and then they were going swimming at the lake. He said his german "family" is very nice and they have a beautiful home. He was glad Alex was there with him because on Friday he felt a little out of his element. But the family kept them so busy he recovered quickly.

Sunday July 27th

Hey everyone, I didn't hear from Alex since Friday but I'm sure he's having a great time. I found a web page in European Maps where you google the city and country and press "photo image" and it shows you many beautiful photos of that city. I can't believe how pretty Heidelberg is and it has a huge castle on the hill right in the town. Breathtaking! Joni

Sunday Evening

JC just called to say he is going to be very sad to see the homestay end. He is really enjoying the time he is spending with the family. Today they went to a carnival, ate junk food and snacks all day. Daniel the 12 year old boy of the family they are staying with brought a friend with them for the day. The friend is the host to an exchange student from the Netherlands. JC said the boy from the Netherlands spoke fluent english and was telling them all about his country and things they should try to do when they are there.

After the carnival they all went on a 6 mile bike ride. JC said he is exhausted. The "mom" did all of the rest of their laundry for the weekend so neither of the boys have any dirty clothes. He also said he did not take any pictures while on the homestay and when I asked why he said because "dad" did. Apparently the father took pictures of everything the boys did for the weekend and is giving them both a CD with the pictures on it.

He also said they went swimming at some point today and saw some of the delegation, everyone is having a great time.

Angela e-mails that she'll be sad to leave the homestay tomorrow because she's having such a good time. She said the home where she's staying is in a village type setting. She's with a 14 year old girl and she has a 10 year old brother. She's really enjoying the food, taking in all the local dishes. Her favorite part of the trip so far is the homestay and 2nd best was the river rafting. The time is passing quickly because they're so busy. That's all the details I have.

Saturday at the Home Stay

Hello everyone, we briefly heard from Alex and then also received a short email. He also went to the small Oktoberfest in town and to the town pool. He said that he's enjoying the homestay with his German friends Lukas age 14 and his sister age 12. He told me it's been very busy so if we didn't or anyone else doesn't hear from their children it's probably because they are on the go all the time. But no news is good news and not to worry they are all having a great time. Joni (Alex's mom)

Saturday Night

JC called tonight and said they are having a wonderful time. Their homestay mother washed all of their clothes. They toured an old caslte but were not able to take pictures there. They went swimming at the community pool and saw alot of the other delegates there and this evening they watched a movie at their host families house. They had German Lasagna for dinner and he said it wasnt bad. Tomorrow they are going to a Carnival.

Amanda text messaged me saying her host family was very nice and that she went to an Octoberfest today. ( I am assuming that is the same as the carnival JC will be going to tomorrow but I dont know for sure.) She also went swimming and saw her brother and other delegates there.

I will keep you posted as I hear anything.

Saturday morning 7/26/08

I spoke to Jessica this morning. She said her host family is really nice and the house is really nice. They had contacted her before the trip so she already knew there was a girl her age and another one a few years older. They will be going to a festival today (kind of like an Oktoberfest). They will be meeting up with some of the girls friends there that are also hosting some of the delegates (zach and Sebastian). Apparently, a lot of the delegates are going there with there host families. Yesterday they went swimming and then did another scavenger hunt. She said it was fun. Then they had lunch and did a little shopping while waiting for the bus to pick them up. She said there weren't really any souvenir shops though so she did not buy anything.

Friday Evening

JC called to tell me that he LOVES his host family. The mother speaks fluent English which helps alot. He is paired up with Skyler who is also having a good time. They have 4 children in the family, one is away, one is out for the evening and the other two are ages 12 and 9. 3 of them are boys and 1 is a girl. JC said they all speak english except the 9 year old. I asked him what they had for dinner and he said he didnt know but it was good so he doesnt want to know. The mother is making tomorrow a surprise to whatever they will be doing. The entire group went swimming and shopping today and had fun together. I hope me blogging all of this helps the parents who have not heard from their children. And dont feel bad I dont hear from my daughter only my son. I have only received 1 text message from my daughter, so I know how you all must be feeling. I will keep you posted as he tells me things.

Hello from Germany

Hi Everyone. This is Krysta...I only have a minute, as we're about to enter the restaurant for breakfast. Everyone is doing well and enjoying activities. If you have not heard from your student do not worry. It means their having a great time.

We're headed to a pool soon to do some swimming and will go to the homestay this evening. Some are starting to get anxious, but most are very excited about the opportunity. I'm sure they'll all have a great time.

I hope you are all well. See you when we return!

-Krysta

Thrusday Evening 7/24/08

After missing my son’s 1st call home on Monday, he finally called again. Seems like he was surprised that many of the kids did not like to try the new foods. He was content with whatever he was eating, but did not say what it was. He said he was having fun, but was not too detailed with what he was doing. So far his favorite adventure is the rafting. I think that although he was going to be playing cards with Steven this evening in his room, he sounded much more tired than I have heard in a very long time, so it was probably going to be a short game. Didn’t even mention the home stay. I think he is so busy that he is simply taking one day at a time, and trying to keep up! I also got a post card in the mail from him today. Feast or Famine -- ah, to be a Mom.

Hey Alex,

Hey Alex, we've converted your bedroom into a sauna and put a jacuzzi spa in it. We are sitting in it right now sipping on champagne. Hope you are enjoying Europe. Oh, by the way don't forget the "goods". Mom and Dad

Thursday July 24th

Hello everyone, we got a call from Alex Tues and tonite. His Sims card needed to be activated so there was a delay in our communication. Thanks to all who responded to my calls. We thought it was activated before we left but it wasn't. Verizon was able to do it here in the US. It sounds like everyone is having a great time. Alex said the whitewater rafting was "awesome". They wore helmets and wetsuits and did a Grade 3 with snow covered mountains all around them. They worked today pulling weeds as a community service and were given overalls to wear near the river in Heidelberg. Alex fell in but he didn't mind. They saw a Falcon show today with bald eagles and the largest owl in the world do tricks in the sky. One delegate got to hold the eagle. Unfortunately, they aren't allowed to take their cell phones out to take pictures and send them home. They can only use the cell phones in their rooms. Ron and I volunteered to put the slide show presentation together for the September reunion. If everyone emails us some pictures I can copy the discs for $2.47 each and give everyone a copy. You can wait until they come home and either mail the pictures or email them to us. Joni and Ron Buchholz

Thursday Evening

I received another email from Krysta. I had sent her an email asking if they had a time for the parents to meet the bus when they return. She informed me she will be calling after they go through customs and are on the road. She is expecting to be in Goshen between 330 and 4 but that is not definite. I will keep everyone posted as to what else she says.

I also spoke to my son JC again tonight. He said today was an AWSOME day. The group of boys he shared a room with last night all over slept but they made it in time to the bus. He said they went to a falcon show and a Bald Eagles tail brushed across his face and that was COOL. They had German Pizza for dinner that he said was excellent. He is very nervous about the homestay and has been quite homesick only when in the hotel at night. During the day he is very social and making many new friends. Krysta also touched base with me about JC and him being nervous about the homestay and informed me that he is only homesick when he is in bed and "thinking." as most of the children are. She said when they are active they are all fine and making wonderful friends.

I asked him about the weather and he said it is cold in the morning but gets warms as the day goes by.

My daughter FINALLY text messaged me today to inform me she is having a wonderful time.

I heard from Evan yesterday, he said everyone was having a great time. I've been checking his Visa Buxx account so I know he is now shopping. He is really looking forward to his homestay. He has his phone with him however he must turn it off until he is ready to use it because he doesn't answer and does not immediately respond to texts. He is really getting along good with the children from the Michigan delegation. As he puts it they are "Mad" cool.

Wednesday evening

I just got off the phone with JC. He is rooming with 3 others this evening and one of the other boys is as homesick as he is. He said that Germany is very pretty and they did some sight seeing today, he took "some" pictures. He did not mention what they had for dinner tonight, so apparently it did not make much of an impression. For the parents who have contacted me, I did ask him to have your children call you. He said Shannon the delegate leader from Michigan said to have the parents call the people to people office and they will have your children call you. I hope this helps for those of you who still havent heard from your children. I only hear from my son, my daughter apparently has forgotten she has her cell phone.

Monday evening-Kids are going great!

Good evening parents,

I just spoke to my wife, Anne, who is over in Switzerland visiting with her family.

Ironically, they are about 30 min away from Heidiland (Walenstadt).

Before the trip, she asked permission to meet the delegation at their hotel for dinner and dessert.

She said all the kids look great and seem to be handling things well. They were very well behaved in the hotel's restaurant. She ordered pizza for everyone, which was a received with sheer exuberance over what was served. She has photos, but may not be able to get them to the internet soon.

She mentioned that it was Jade's birthday, so the delegation sang Happy Birthday and had a cake.

Hope this helps...

John M (Marie's Dad)

EMAIL FROM KRYSTA

I received an email from Krysta this morning. It said everything seems to be going well. If I hear anything else I will be sure to post it. Sherry (amanda and JCs mom)

I haven't spoken with Evan today, but from the sounds of it everyone had fun rafting. They all probably went to bed early.

Jacob's Group

Best Friends Taylor and Ana Leave for Europe

Cell Phone - Time Change

Does anyone know how to get the time on the cell phone to change to the local time each day they are traveling? Taylor has a Verizon world phone and it has not updated to Switzerland time. Verizon suggested taking out the battery and letting it reset to the local cell tower,but that did not help. Any suggestions? Not a crucial problem but it would make things easier. Thanks Alisa

Ana's Mom Maria

Spoke w/ Ana this evening. The rafting was awsome, dinner not so great. She says the days are jam packed and they are exhausted every evening.

I just spoke to my son who said dinner was some kind of thing. He said it didnt taste bad though. He also said rafting was alot of fun but he was tired and going to take a shower and go to bed.

Kathy I posted a few pictures from the day they departed. I have many more but it will only let me post a couple at a time. I will just email the rest to you and you can select what ones you want to put into the slide show on the blog.

Sherry

Pictures

I have been told that children sending pictures from verizon to the blog are unable to send them, but AT & T should work. Both of my children have AT & T so if and when they call home again, I will ask them to try to send a picture to the blog. I have not heard from either of them today which is a relief to me knowing my son is over the exhaustion and doing fine.

Hey P2P Delagates !

I hope you are all having a great time exploring Europe. It sounds like the trip is going well, and full of adventurous things to do. Be safe and don't forget the chocolate ! ATG's Dad,

Hi everyone im goin rafting

Hi everyone im goin rafting now bye joe m

Parents: Upload Photos from Departure

Hi again everyone -- If you have photos from the kids' departure, post your favorite one on the blog by clicking ont the little blue picture icon (third from the right) in the New Post window. Be sure to go ahead and type a post also. I'm sure you've seen my pics from Saturday in the slide show. Once you post pics they will go in the slide show too.

Also, I hope you like the new feature I added with the kids' schedule every day and the time difference.

For Tanner & friends

Hope all is well and your having fun. It is VERY HOT in Poughkeepsie today. I think its going to rain tonight. I sure hope it cools us all off a bit. I am thinking about you and I hope you have a lot of fun Tanner. LOVE YOU GRANDMA

Amanda and JC both said the flight was LONG. JC did not sleep at all on the plane and the affects of the exhaustion are hitting today and he is feeling homesick. He did however say sight seeing today was incredible and hopefully after a full night sleep tomorrow will be better. Amanda said everyone is having a great time.

URGENT Attention Parents Who Want to be Added to the Blog!

Hi everyone -- I need your e-mail address to invite you to be an author on the blog. Anyone who wants to be added, please e-mail me directly and let me know what e-mail address you want me to use. . Here's who has posted so far that I need e-mail addresses from:

J. Stevens (Cody)
Kanny H. (Siidra H's Dad)

Anyone else, just send me an e-mail. Thanks!

Update 8/5/08: I took my e-mail address off so I don't get spam. Just add a comment to this post if you need to reach me. -- Kathy

From Markell J's Mom - Chelaine

Markell says Switzerland is "Amazing!" but the flight was long. He says he had spinach noodles, squash, chicken and strawberry and cream for dinner.

Hey i m in my

Hey i m in my first hotel in scoul its vry cool bye Joe M

ARRIVAL

It is 3 am and Krysta just called me to tell me everything went fine and they are in the airport. I apologize if I wake anyone up calling them, but she told me to call the parents now rather than wait until morning. She did say most of the children with cell phones were already calling their parents anyway. And the journey begins.

Flight is over the ocean! FlightAware.com says they have 4 hours 27 minutes to go...

This message is for Kenny H (Siidra H's Dad) -- Please e-mail me directly so I can get you set up. Add a comment to this post if you don't have my e-mail address. Thanks!

There off...

To Post on Blog

Kenny H (Siidra's H's Dad) Please add me so I can post messages or photos on the blog.

Thank You

Multimedia message

Multimedia message

We are leaving for Goshen in about 20 minutes. See you all there.

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

Hi im about 2 leave

Hi im about 2 leave for the bus ill keep in touch via txt msg bye
-joe m

BON VOYAGE

We just want to wish all of the children and delegate leaders a safe journey. Have a wonderful time.

Flight Tracker

Thanks to Chelaine, here is a flight tracker we can use to follow the travelers as they fly off for their adventure (and then fly home):

http://flightaware.com/live/

Testing a way to post via e-mail

If this works, the travelers can e-mail updates directly to the blog! All I did to create this post was send an e-mail to a certain address, and it posted right onto the blog.

Yay, it did work! I will e-mail you all the e-mail address that the kids and leaders can use in Europe to send a post and photos if they get access to a computer.

Zip-Up Ties-Other Ideas on Clothing?

If any other boys do not know how to tie a tie, I found men's zip-up ties at Sears in Poughkeepsie. There are not many styles but we found one for Joe to use. Just wanted to share. Any other great clothing anyone has found?

Snacks

I bought both of my children to bring in their backpacks as well as some for the suitcase. This way when they are hungry in the hotel they have food. They are both extremely excited even though neither of them have heard from their host families. See you all Saturday.

Big day coming

Is anyone sending snacks with their children for the airport and plane ride? Evan is bringing granola bars, it's helpful so they don't spend all their money on snacks.

The blog looks awesome. Is everyone getting excited? Evan just heard from his home stay family and is totally psyched.

What About Bus Driver Gift?

Are we all contributing for this? Who is organizing? Should we bring money on Saturday? If so, how much? I forgot all about this, help!

OK, I think there is some confusion here -- Felicia, thanks for the offer and I think this is a good idea, but I think you're talking about the tip for the bus driver to the airport here? I'm talking about the gift we discussed for the bus driver on the trip that takes the kids around Europe. Didn't we talk a long time ago about getting a gift for that driver? Does anyone remember?

Homestay Gift Ideas

I found this cool cookbook on Amazon.com for Joe to take to his homestay family:

http://www.amazon.com/Best-New-York-Selected-Cookbooks/dp/1893062279/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216221604&sr=8-9

I know time is tight, but if you still need a gift you can order overnight from Amazon or find a similar book at the booskstore. Any other good ideas? Are you sending any gifts for homestay siblings?