Discovery Tour

Am 23.03.2013 startet meine Discovery Tour nach Boston, New York und Washington.
Unsere erste Buchung (16.03. – 23.03.2013) wurde ja leider von EF abgesagt da sich zu wenig Teilnehmer gefunden hatten.
Michael und ich freuen uns schon mächtig.
Und da es am 23.03. bereits sehr früh mit dem Flieger von Portland nach Boston geht, werden wir bereits am Freitag anreisen und eine Nacht in Portland verbringen.
Hier kommt mal die aktuelle Tourenplanung (in English) sowie als kleiner Vorgeschmack ein paar Bilder der wichtigsten Stationen der Tour (aus Wikipedia.org).

• Day 1 Boston
  Arrival in Boston • Welcome to Boston! As students will be arriving during different times of the day our program will not start until everyone has arrived. We will go to Faneuil Hall for dinner and a chance to get to know your fellow students and EF guides.
• Day 2 Boston and Cambridge
  Guided sightseeing of Boston and Cambridge • A local guide introduces you to Boston’s Freedom Trail. See the Old Granary Burying Ground, final resting place of notable Americans like John Hancock, Crispus Attucks and even Mother Goose. View the Boston Tea Party ship, where, on an evening in 1773, the Sons of Liberty climbed aboard and dumped crates of British tea into the harbor in a historic act of political rebellion. In the Italian North End, pass silversmith Paul Revere’s house and enter the Old North Church, where two lanterns were hung to signal the Redcoats’ arrival by sea. Throughout your tour, watch for signs of the “Big Dig.” Over the next decade, this controversial, multi-billion dollar public works project will radically alter the face of downtown Boston. Visit the USS Constitution—the world’s oldest commissioned warship which never lost a battle. Stand at the bottom of the Bunker Hill Monument, where colonial rebel William Prescott warned his troops not to fire until they saw the whites of British eyes.
  You’ll also see the colonists’ Old South Meeting House, where a grievance session about a new tax law sparked the Boston Tea Party. Inspect the Old State House, from whose balcony the Declaration of Independence was first read to the citizens of Boston in 1776. Cross the Charles River as you head for Cambridge’s Harvard Square, where you’ll find a diverse mix of students, professionals and street performers. It was in Harvard Square that George Washington officially took command of the U.S. Army in 1775. Encircled by brick walls and wrought iron gates is Harvard Yard and the vine-covered brick buildings of the country’s oldest university— Harvard was founded in 1636.
  • Free time at Faneuil Hall • Later, you’ll have free time to buy lunch and shop for souvenirs at Faneuil Hall, built in 1742 as one of the country’s first mixed-use commercial developments.
  Here, revolutionary activists like Sam Adams staged orations urging their fellow Bostonians to join in the fight for freedom.
  Now, with its charming pushcarts, restaurants and boutiques, this hall and the surrounding Quincy Market form one of Boston’s most popular attractions.
• Day 3 New York
  Transfer to New York City • Transfer to New York City, which British explorer Henry Hudson “discovered” in 1609 while searching for a passage to China. Today, the Big Apple is the largest metropolis in the United States. Empire State Building and Observatory • This evening, view the city from the Empire State Building’s observation deck. No longer the world’s tallest building (today it ranks fifth), the Empire State Building remains one of Manhattan’s most elegant symbols. Built in just over a year during the depths of the Depression, this limestone beauty’s iconic status was sealed in 1933, when the building starred in King Kong. Since the 1976 bicentennial celebration, the building’s top stories have glowed at night with seasonal colors.
• Day 4 Manhattan
  Guided sightseeing of New York City • An expert local guide leads your sightseeing tour of New York City. Travel down Wall Street in the Financial District. Site of the bustling New York Stock Exchange, Wall Street got its name from cautious Dutch settlers who built a wooden wall around their settlement for protection. Pass the United Nations Building, officially an “international zone” and not part of the United States at all.
  Drive through Greenwich Village, New York’s raffish province of bohemians, immigrants and students, and pass the castiron architecture of impossibly trendy SoHo (from “SOuth of HOuston Street”). Continue through the culturally rich immigrant communities of Chinatown, Little Italy and Harlem.
• Day 5 New York
  Circle Line Cruise • We will take you on a guided “Circle Line Cruise” – the boat will depart from Midtown and sail down to the tip of Manhattan. Bring your camera! You will have great opportunities to take pictures of the New York City skyline and the Statue of Liberty. Wrap up the day with a tour of the NBC studio. Overnight in the New York City area.
• Day 6 Washington,_D.C." title=" Washington, D.C."> Washington, D.C.
  Visit the United Nations Building in the morning, then continue to Washington, D.C. The world’s first planned capital city, Washington has served as the seat of Congress since 1800.
• Day 7 Washington,_D.C." title=" Washington, D.C."> Washington, D.C.
  Guided sightseeing of Washington,_D.C." title=" Washington, D.C."> Washington, D.C. • A local guide introduces you to the sites where national policies and political reputations are formed and reformed daily. Make a photo stop at the United States Marine Corps War Memorial, which depicts U.S. Marines raising an American flag at Iwo Jima.
  You’ll also observe the quiet dignity of Arlington National Cemetery, the final resting place of over 200,000 veterans and their families. At JFK’s grave site, you’ll see the eternal flame that was lit by Jacqueline Kennedy at her husband’s funeral.
  On the grassy Mall, which extends from the Capitol to the Potomac River, view the towering Washington Monument, and the Roosevelt Memorial. Make a photo stop at the White House, home of every U.S. president except George Washington.
  Visit to the Smithsonian museums • Established in 1846 with money willed to the U.S. government from British chemist James Smithson (who never set foot in America), the Smithsonian Institute has grown into an enormous facility made up of 16 museums. Over 140 million objects are stored here at the world’s largest museum complex. On display at the National Air and Space Museum is the Wright Brothers’ biplane, which first took flight in 1903. You can also see the lunar module that settled on the moon’s surface on July 20, 1969. A stroll through the Museum of Natural History will reveal objects as varied as the Hope diamond (the largest blue diamond in the world) and dinosaur skeletons. The Museum of American History traces the cultural history of America.
  Just beyond the entranceway hangs the original Star-Spangled Banner—the very same flag that inspired the national anthem.
  Even Dorothy’s red slippers from The Wizard of Oz have found a home at the Museum of American History. In the evening, see how the city lights up on a bus tour including the Lincoln Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
  Designed by 21-year-old Yale architecture student Maya Ying Lin, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a symbol of the nation’s recognition of the men and women who served in the Vietnam War. The memorial’s V-shaped, reflective black-granite wall displays the names of the more than 58,000 Americans who lost their lives or remain missing. Enjoy dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe.
• Day 8 Departure
  Your tour director and chaperones will assist with your departure flight.

Welcome-Family

Wie Ihr wahrscheinich schon gelesen habt durfte ich eine Nacht in San Francisco verbringen und meine Welcome-Familie erst einen Tag später kennenlernen.

Abgeholt wurde ich am Flughafen von Portland von meinen Regional Coordinators (RC) Patt und Llyod.

Wir habe noch einen kleinen Stopp bei Loyd und Patt in Dallas ( Oregon) gemacht. Sie haben, wie wenige in Amerika, einen Keller, welcher voll von Fußballsachen ist. Beide waren sogar bei dem WM Spiel Argentinien-Deutschland 2006 live dabei.
Zudem durfte ich das erste amerikanische Wasser probieren. Hier wird nur Wasser ohne Sprudel getrunken etwas ungewohnt für mich ist, doch man gewöhnt sich schnell dran. Eis darf selbstverständlich nicht fehlen^^.

Danach ging es zu meiner Welcome-Family in Monmouth.

Das Haus liegt mitten im Wald, etwa 10 Meilen von den nächstgelegenen Städten (10000 Einwohner) Dallas und Monmouth entfernt. Das Haus ist für Amerikaner sehr groß und sieht auch gut aus. Aber der Garten übertrifft wirklcih alles. Es fehlt nichts; ein Tennisplatz und ein riesiger Teich sind natürlich auch da. Alles ist sehr gepflegt.

Meine Welcome-Family, welche aus Ron & Audrey besteht, ist sehr sehr nett, gleichzeitig sind sie auch meine International Exchange Coordinator (IEC). Ein Quad besitzen sie auch. Außerdem lebt hier noch ein anderer Austauschschüler, sein Name ist Rodriguez (Spanien). Er wird Montag den 09-17-12 nach Newport gebracht wo er seine Gastfamilie trifft und auch dort bleibt. Newport ist eine kleine Stadt an der Küste von Oregon.

Ich werde am Dienstag den 09-18-12 zu meiner Famile gehen. Sie lebt in Salem der Hauptstadt von Oregon mit ca. 150.000 Einwohnern.

Der Flieger wartet (endlich)

Endlich ist es soweit. Die Flugdaten sind gerade per eMail gekommen.
Am Freitag geht es los.

• 11:00 : Treffen am Flughafen in Frankfurt
• 14:00 : Abflug von Frankfurt nach San Francisco
• 19:30 : Weiterflug von San Francisco nach Portland
• 21:30 : Ankunft in Portland