Greetings,

All is well, good, and roaring.  Germany is treating me fairly well, and I continue to study and write and read and so forth and so on.  I am currently studying for my big examination coming up.  I will be taking an exam through the Goethe Institute which will certify my proficiency in the language.  If I pass, I would actually have the level to matriculate at a German university, although I do not wish to do so now. 

Right around this time marks the half-way point of my exchange.  It's been good so far, and I think it will continue to get even better as my German skills continue to burgeon and I continue to meet more interesting people.

The Imagineer staff and I are happy about the website recently hitting the 5000 hit mark for the Winter 2010 issue.  It focuses on the animal rights movement and features an extended interview with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals President Ingrid Newkirk.  It is a great issue, but we are already working hard on the next installment for spring.

I will be attending a series of seminar/experience-building type events focused on journalism during the winter.  Because Osnabrück is home to the largest printing center in all of Europe, there are many opportunities to continue my study of journalism.  Specifically, I am interested in large publications, because I already know a significant amount about small publications from founding and running the Imagineer.

My looks toward the future:

• Soon, I will switch host families and live in another city, Ibbenbüren, although I will still attend the same school, Gymnasium Carolinum.
• My birthday is coming soon: February 3rd.
• Sooner or later, my dear friend Mr. Brentoni Salim is going to have to journey from the dark pits of Europe's sewer, Paris, France, and come to see the majestic grandeur of Osnabrück, Germany, the cultural heart of the entire continent.  In time, in time.

Below are some interesting pictures I have taken recently of myself, although they are now slightly outdated because I recently visited a hair-cutting facility.

Servus,

Alex

"Work will make you free" - Gate of the Dachau concentration camp

I send my best wishes to all as I stand next to a zero-power Christmas tree