Around noon yesterday I got a friend request on Facebook–nothing major. I looked at the guy's profile and, sure enough, he went to Stiftgymnasium Melk. I wasn't fazed–lots of people from Melk have been friending me, probably after seeing the bio Herr Riegler (the program director) posted. Nevertheless, I had a premonition that he'd be my host brother.
Upon checking my email two hours later, I found an email from Herr Sack, my German teacher. I opened it, expecting a thank you note for sending him a copy of my birth certificate for my visa application. Instead I got this:

My heart skipped a beat. I wasn't expecting to get my host family's info as soon as I did. I had a meeting two days ago and Herr Sack said Herr Riegler only had three or four families and would only release their information when he set up all five. I got this email the next day.

It would appear that I'll be staying in the village of Schönbühel, home to Schloß (Castle) Schönbühel for nine months.

Yes–my neighborhood has a castle, and here's a picture of it:

I've yet to contact my host brother–I mean, how do you introduce yourself to a complete stranger that you'll be living with for nine months in a foreign country? At least I'm grateful to have the opportunity to ask such questions and still be in high school. :)