Family & Mushrooms

Shirt: Aeropostale, Shorts: Urban Outfitters, Top: Primark, Shoes: Kohls, Belt: Thrifted

This past Sunday, my best friend invited me to her family reunion at the lake.

Quite the typical American event, family reunions come with tons of people and even more food.

I had so much fun!

Being away from home, I am always so thankful to be included in my friends' family events :)

It's been tough lately, because I do feel more homesick from time to time.

The good news: I will be going home for Christmas break. YAY

On another note: I found these funny mushroom shorts at Goodwill! Lucky me, they are my size and from Urban Outfitters! Steal! The floral shirt is from Goodwill as well.

Greetings from the thrifty Midwest,

Lotte

Follow Your Heart - 2 Years in the USA

Flying to the US

2 years ago 

This just makes me giggle. My closet 2 years ago....A LOT HAS CHANGED! :)

Today, August 14th 2012, marks a very special milestone in my (short) life:

It is my 2 year anniversary with the USA, or: It's been 2 years since I moved here.

Over the past 2 years, I became a nursing student, learned to drive a car, bought a car, moved, had my heart broken, meet amazing friends, cried sad and happy tears, shopped, shopped, shopped, took thousands of photos, overcame fears, got a social security card, found an internship, earned scholarships, studied day and night, shopped more...

And I fell in love with this country all over again!

Let me tell you this:

There is nothing easy about moving away from home. It is even more difficult to be living in another country, having to deal with paper work, language and different cultures.

The United States are quite similar to Germany (makes things a little easier), and I am lucky to have a wonderful family in Germany, and amazing friends here in the US who all support me.

That is something I am very grateful for, because I know that without this support system, I wouldn't have been able to last longer than a month.

Looking back, I am amazed that this small town is still my home, and that I don't even waste a thought about leaving all of this behind just yet.

What I have learned, and would tell everyone else who is seeking advice about moving to another country: Follow your heart. If you love someone or something so much, that you are willing to leave your cozy home, family and friends behind, do it.

Home will always be home, your family will still be your family, and your friends won't leave you (but will visit!). I do not regret following my heart.

<3

Greetings from the beautiful Midwest,

Lotte

Cats & Sad News

Shirt: Urban Outfitters, Shorts: Hollister, Shoes: Thrifted, Headband: Icing

A cat outfit inspired by sad news.

Yesterday I received an email from my mom, telling me that out cat died at the vet.

It's only been 3 years since we got the little cat, and this happened very unexpected.

She had a "cold" which ended up being an inflamed epiglottis - her entire throat was closed up.

I don't know all the details yet, but it makes me so sad. Even though I wasn't particularly close with this cat (I live 6000 miles away from home), she was a part of the family.

We are cat people, and I can only imagine how upset my mom must be.

That is what makes me sad & homesick. 

Sad greetings & meow from the Midwest to all the cats out there: Stay healthy please!

Lotte

Parken

My car (left) - parking perfection. Other dude's car (right) - not so much...

Da soll doch noch einmal wer sagen, dass Frauen nicht parken können!

Da sind die Amerikanischen Parkplätze schon super-sized (wen überrascht das), und trotzdem kriegt MANN es nicht gebacken.

Nur gut, dass ich schlank genug bin und mich in mein Auto quetschen konnte, ohne grosses Theater machen zu müssen :)

Don't you tell me that women can't park!

Melting Away

Tank Top: Zara, Shorts: Thrifted, Shoes: JC Penney's

The title says it all - no need to say anything else about the weather!

It's been a long day.

Starting out with a Test in Pharmacology, which was nerve wrecking.

Then I happened to lose my flash drive which contained my math project (due tomorrow).

My day ended with a math test.

Never did I expect to be in a situation like that again: The test reminded me of my math tests in German high school. NOT FUN! 

Ich war aus gutem Grund nur im Mathe Grundkurs!!! Seit 2 Jahren musste ich nichtmehr einen wirklich schriftlichen Mathetest schreiben. Hab das auch nicht im geringsten vermisst...

Mathe ist ein Arschloch!

Tomorrow morning I will take another test: the written portion for my CNA license!

For that one I am very excited.

Wish me luck!

Greetings from the Midwest,

Lotte

International Student Ambassador

As I mentioned in my last post, I have a summer job:

I am an International Student Ambassador for my Community College.

Together with other International students (from Hong Kong, Korea, and Africa), I had to talk to a group of kids about my National flag and its meaning.

(I even learned something new while researching!)

They were part of a summer camp program, and one of their activities included learning about different countries.

We met them at a park, where we presented our flag and additional facts about our home countries.

I really enjoy these kind of activities.

It's so much fun to talk about experiences as an International student, tell people about Germany and also to learn about other cultures.

The funniest moment for me was when our International coordinator asked the kids if they knew what language people in Germany speak.

"American!" is what they yelled for the answer...

I was asked how Germans drive and what food they eat.Sometimes, I find it quite amusing how others perceive Germany, and what assumptions are made about different countries.

Needless to say, I had a blast!

Greetings from the Midwest,

Lotte

Outfit: German

Shirt: Urban Outfitters (men's), Jacket: Kohls, Jeans: PacSun, Shoes: Converse

Not really a summer-outfit for the first day of my "summer job", but a little Patriotism was appropriate for the occasion. Therefore I chose to wear my XL shirt from the Urban Outfitters men's section.

It is always worth my time to dig through they sale there as well, 

because one can find some really cool T-shirts there! 

This one I just HAD to have, for obvious reasons :)

I will write about my job for the summer in a separate post. It's a lot of fun...

Viele Grüße aus dem Midwest,

Lotte

Peach!

Shirt: bought by mom :), Jeans: JC Penney's, Shoes: Urban Outfitters, Bracelet: Thrift Store

Jeans weather in the Midwest!

Just in time to wear my new peach-colored pair of denim.

At first, I wasn't too sure about this lighter tone of pink. In fact, I tried these on at the store several weeks ago and decided that my skin is way too pale to be paired with these jeans.

Thanks to the sunny weather, I have somewhat of a tan now, tried the pants & decided to follow the "pastel colored jeans style".

(Best fact: they were on the sale rack!)

Earlier this morning, when I was browsing through different blogs, I came across a post that talked about shopping with mom. That was very inspiring, and got me thinking.

 I realized that something I really miss about home is the regular (window)shopping trips with my mother.

When I visited Germany this past summer, I was surprised to find this black shirt in my closet: My mom bought it for me and I love it! 

I don't know about everyone else, but personally, I used to not like the things my mother would pick out for me to wear. As a young girl, I wanted to be in charge. Remembering those times when my mom would pick out floral prints that I would turn down in a matter of seconds, makes me realize that she knows me and my style better than I could have expected.

And we both get most excited about amazing deals and sales :)

Bottom line: Mom is my favorite shopping-buddy!

Greetings from the Midwest,

Lotte

Memorable Memorial Day

Top, Shorts: New Yorker, Bracelets: Accessorize

There were 2 special occasions to celebrate yesterday:

My "little" brother's 19th birthday & Memorial Day.

For the first time since I have been living in the US, I had the chance to see my entire family on Skype.

Usually, it is just my parents and sometimes my brother (if he is home from college).

Since they were celebrating a little birthday party, extended family was added to the fun!

I can't even express how much I enjoyed talking to all of them & seeing their faces on my computer screen made me happy.

It's weird to think that my younger brother is 19 years old already.

TIme flies.

For the birthday chat, I wore PJs. Nothing to spectacular.

For the other special occasion I decided to dress USAppropriately! :)

Yesterday was dedicated to thank the US troops who fought and still fight for this country's freedom and safety.

Even though my outfit was USA-themed, none of the items were bought here.

(everything's from my Germany visit last summer)

I will now post a photo, but I can tell you that even my underwear matches with a USA flag pattern :)

I spent all evening talking to a group of young foreign exchange student. 

It is always so much fun to hear about different cultures, and how they experienced their exchange year in the States.

Since I have been going through a lot of the things they are going through right now, I tried to give advice and talk about my own experiences.

Hard to believe, that it's almost been 5 years since I first came to the US.

What a wonderful day spent with family, friends, and foreigners :)

Memorable Greetings from the Midwest,

Lotte

This is why...

I love this place!

"Out of all places, why would you want to move here!?"

I get asked this a lot when I talk about leaving Germany to live in the US.

Being a city girl, many people don't understand why I would move to a "boring small town" where there is "nothing to do".

Well, let me tell you. There is not much to do (not as exciting as the city life, that is for sure), but

I have many reasons supporting my decision to leave that city life behind (for now).

One of them is the THIS:

The typical American small town scenery, the mailboxes (I am obsessed with the cute white ones with the red flag!), the flag poles in every front yard, the basketball cages....

The occasional yellow school bus driving by.

I love it!

It's funny how all these things that I find so special are taken for granted. My friends laugh when I burst out in my usual "This is so American!".

I do have my bad days here, but then I get to drive through these cute neighborhoods, I am overwhelmed with joy because I get to live here. 

It feels like a movie sometimes, but it is a dream come true.

Thank you, my lovely Midwestern small town, for putting a smile on my face every day!

Greetings from the Midwest,

Lotte

Outfit of the (Mother's) Day

Dress: Thrifted, Cardigan: Zara, Necklace: Bijou Brigitte

Another Outfit with a lot of red and pink tones. Now that I am back to blonde, I've been loving very girly colors. The necklace used to be my mom's, and I took it with me when I came back to the States last summer. Unfortunately, the anticipated Mother's Day -Skyping turned out a little different than we expected due to turbulences with the internet connection :(

I've always assumed that Mother's Day is an International thing, that everyone "celebrates" it (and on the same day). But then today, I was asked whether people in Germany have "something like a Mother's Day" and "what day it would be celebrated". Well, for everyone who doesn't know: In Germany we do have a Mother's Day, and it falls on the exact same day as the American Mother's Day. 

No, our department stores do NOT make nearly as much money with this occasion. I really truly love this place dearly, but with each holiday coming up, I am shocked about the variety of products, and the amount of money one could spend. 

Now, I will say this: We (speaking for my family!) show our appreciation towards mom, give her a card and maybe flowers, chocolate, and let her relax (that one day out of 365). That's how Mother's Day is at my house.

Here is what we did today (USA style): My roommate spent all morning cooking a delicious meal for her mother. I think that as well is a fantastic idea. Usually it is the mom that cooks, right? 

Bottom line (and to finish this ramble which was supposed to be a quick outfit post):

Mother's Day exists in Germany as well as in the US!

Mein Muttertags Outfit, kombiniert mit Mama's Kette! 

Wurde heute gefragt ob wir in Deutschland denn auch so etwas wie einen Muttertag haben, und wann der denn gefeiert werden würde...Hachja wie ich solche Momente liebe. Man kann doch immer noch was dazu lernen, nicht wahr? 

Naja jedenfalls habe ich dann schön erklärt, dass auch wir drüben in Good Old Germany Muttertag feiern und der doch tatsächlich auf den gleichen Tag fällt. Der einzig grosse Unterschied zwischen Deutschland und USA ist wirklich die Menge an Karten, Geschenken und all möglichem Krims Krams den man Mama schenken kann. Hier geht wirklich zu jedem Feiertag im Supermarkt richtig die Post ab!

(In diesem Fall alles schön in pink gehüllt, Regale voller Plüsch, Blumen und Schokolade)

Abgesehen davon, haben wir hier auch einfach was leckeres gekocht, also kein allzu grosser Aufwand.

Aber genug mit dem Geschwätz: Muttertag existiert sowohl in Deutschland als auch den USA! Da haben die Amis mal wieder was gelernt ;)

Greetings from the Midwest,

Lotte

Far Away from Mom!

We sure know how to have a good time! 

My dad took this photo of my mom and I while we were out to lunch for my brother's graduation last summer. It's almost become sort of a tradition to talk about gross things during meals...even at the restaurant. This was one of those moments filled with laughter because someone had to bring up one of those topics you might not want to discuss while having food on the table. ;)

4500 miles separates me from my mom at this very moment. It's been almost a year since I've been home, and while I deal with homesickness very well (by not being homesick), I will admit that with it being Mother's Day, it is a little different today. Without my mom's support, I wouldn't be where I am today. For that I am very thankful, not only today, but every day. Of course we have our little mother-daughter fights, but most of the time we get along just perfectly fine. 

One of our favorite things to do (which also works very well with that "having the Atlantic Ocean between us" thing) is to find funny (and usually also sarcastic & mean) postcards. We cry tears of laughter when looking at cards. The meaner, the better & funnier, and the more tears!

Of course I sent her one of those for Mother's Day!

I'm looking forward to a Mother's Day Skype Date with my mom. Not every mother would let their daughter move to the other side of the planet! Mine did, and that makes her the best!

Happy Mother's Day!

& Greetings from the Midwest that today seems a little too far away from home.

Lotte

Thrift Store Finds

music, travel guide, necklace

Here you can see what I found at the resale store yesterday:

First of all, I had no idea that they sell sheet music. I was so thrilled to find this piano music by Meat Loaf.

(I absolutely love Meat Loaf's songs!)

I don't recall if this series of books "... for Dummies" exists in Germany, but here in the US there is one for almost everything (Dating, Raising Chickens, etc.). You would think "Germany for Dummies" would not be something I'd have to read, but I'm sure there's still a lot about my home country that I did not know. Being an International student, I am confronted with many questions about Germany, to which I don't always know the best answer. Next time someone asks me a question, I can just get out my Germany-travel guide! :)

The "worm" you can see on the very right is supposed to be a necklace (I think...). Doesn't it look freaky? It bends in all kinds of shapes. Super cool! I have never seen a worm-necklace before!

Hier könnt ihr sehen was ich gestern im 2nd Hand Shop gefunden habe:

Musik Noten! Ich hatte keine Ahnung, dass dort überhaupt welche verkauft werden und hab mich echt gefreut. Meat Loaf ist einer meiner absoluten Lieblings Musiker!

Ich bin mir nicht sicher, ob es diese "für Dummies" Bücher Serie in Deutschland gibt, aber in den USA existieren unendlich viele verschiedene Varianten (Dating, Hühner, etc.)

Man könnte meinen, ich brauche über Deutschland nix mehr lesen, aber es gibt echt noch so Einiges das ich über mein Heimatland noch nicht weiss. Als ausländische Schülerin werde ich oft über Deutschland ausgefragt und manchmal weiss ich selbst nicht, was ich antworten soll.

Aber für die nächsten Fragen werde ich dann hoffentlich vorbereitet sein! :)

Der "Wurm" ganz rechts ist eine Kette (glaube ich zumindest...). Sieht die nicht schräg aus?

Man kann sie in alle Richtungen biegen. Sehr geil! Hab so etwas vorher noch nicht gesehen.

Happy Friday &

Greetings from the Midwest!

The Reader

Before going to the gym this afternoon, I stopped by the local Goodwill store to look for something to read while biking. I was about to leave with a book about medicine and self-care at home (my nursing student brain has not quite realized that it may take a little summer vacation away from medical terminology and drug labels).
But when I saw "The Reader" by Bernhard Schlink sitting on the shelf, I put the medical book back!
I have seen the movie based on the novel, and have always wanted to read the book. It is a weird, yet nice feeling of freedom that, for once, I can choose what I would like to read. For the next 3 weeks, I will try not to even look at any of my school books.
Anyways, I started reading my new book (translated from German to English) and it made me smile right away when I discovered German street names on the very first page! I do like me some unexpected German every now and then!
And then I came to think of something regarding this blog: My native language is German - I should also write in German!
And now, back to my book!

Vor dem Fitnessstudio bin ich noch kurz zu Goodwill gefahren um nach etwas Lesbarem zu gucken. Fast hätte ich ein Buch über Gesundheit und Alltagsmedizin gekauft (scheinbar hat mein Gehirn noch nicht ganz realisiert dass jetzt Sommerferien sind!). 
Dann sah ich jedoch "Der Vorleser" im Regal stehen (Englische Version), und hab mich dann dafür entschieden!
Den Film zum Buch hab ich schon gesehen, jetzt will ich das ganze mal lesen.
Bereits auf der ersten Seite fand ich dann gleich Deutsche Strassennamen (z.B. "Blumenstrasse")! Sehr geil, ich freu mich immer über ein bisschen Deutsch hier und da!
Sonst hab ich immer nur auf Deutsch gebloggt.
Versuchen wir es mal mit Deutsch und English...und wahrscheinlich auch Denglisch :)


Greetings from the Midwest where you can find more than just Nursing books!


Midwest-Lotte

Blogging....

...AGAIN!

This is one if my favorite photos from my exchange year in the US (2007/2008)

Yes, I am not completely new to the whole blogging thing:
When I spent my year as an exchange student at a high school here, I created a blog for friends and family to keep them updated. I think they really enjoyed reading it, therefore I decided to blog again once I moved t the US for college. In the beginning, that went very well. After a while, though, I posted less and less, mainly due to the fact that I had a difficult time here. I did not feel like sharing negative experiences, and I started being very busy with school. It felt as if there was not too much worth sharing.

Now I am blogging AGAIN! And this time my motifs are a little different. Of course I still want my family and friends to know what I experience here. But I also feel like I have finally found my niche and my purpose of being here. I am in a much better and happier place than last year and want to share this happy place (Midwest) with everyone that is interested in reading this blog!

What I would like to include in my blog is a little information about the past 2 years, and what has happened to me since I moved to the United States (it's kind of a crazy story).
I would also like to use this blog as a way to connect with people and share my thoughts and inspirations.

With that being said, I have so much more to say.
It's about time I start to blog ...AGAIN!

Greetings from the finally sunny Midwest!

Midwest-Lotte


Verfolge meinen Blog mit Bloglovin

Welcome to the Midwest!

My name is Charlotte!

Location: Midwest
Passion: Fashion
Occupation: (Student)Nurse

I am a 21-year old German girl who moved to the US to pursue a career in the medical field. Currently, I live in a small town in the Midwest, where I attend a Community College.

With this blog I would like to share:
- Experiences as an International student in the US
- My love for the American culture & lifestyle
- Passion for fashion
- Stressful times of being a nursing student
 & other fun, crazy, American or German things I experience throughout the days!

 Greetings & Good night from the Midwest (where people should be asleep by now)!

 Midwest-Lotte