Info Unload

So, a lot has happened since I last posted...

First of all: Christmas. Christmas here in Germany is celebrated (quite) a bit differently than in the States. People decorate their homes, but it's never as crazy as in the US (okay, maybe one or two houses are reminiscent of the typical American-style decorations, but most have a few lights on the house or in a tree or two. What's really common are these:

You see such window decorations all over the place.

The tree doesn't get set up until the 24th, or maybe a day or two before. Christmas trees here are typically smaller, and look more natural (or wild-grown, however you want to say it). They aren't these perfect cones of pine like you expect in the States. It seems common to either have real candles or a string of fake ones to light up the tree. Ornanments seem to tend to be pretty traditional. There are more glass balls and wooden figures than handmade crafty ornaments made by kids.

A pretty typical Christmas tree in Germany.

The 24th is Heiligabend. It's when families go to Christmas church services, eat sausages and potatoe salad, and open gifts. The 25th is the "First Christmas Day," followed by the "Second Christmas Day" on the 26th. On these days, it's typical to visit with the families of each parent. On the 25th, I was in Bielefeld, which is located in North Rhine-Westphalia. We visited an old castle on a huge hill (I miss hills!!). Unfortunately, I didn't think to bring my camera with (Tip to Exchangers: Never leave your camera behind!!). On the 26th, we stayed in the Osterholz-Scharmbeck "county" and visited the other grandparents for goose and duck.

Also, I saw a piece of falling satellite debris on Christmas Eve. I believe it was from a Russian satellite. It looked like a huge, slow-moving shooting star. Pretty cool!

In all, Christmas was a good experience. I got to see how it's done in a different culture, I received some nice gifts, and I ate some delicious food (if a bit too much of it...).




I didn't talk about this topic with too many people, because I wasn't sure until a few days ago if it was really going to happen. Anyway, for a while, I've had the feeling that I don't entirely fit in with my hostfamily. It's not like they were mean or anything, but sometimes you just have these feelings. I decided I should stick it out a while and see if those feelings would pass. It turns out that they didn't. So, after a long while of searching for a new hostfamily, I finally found one. I'm now living with one of my friends from school. There are two daughters around my age and a son a few years younger. They have a dog, a cat, birds, hamsters, guinea pigs and bunnies. I share a room with one of the sisters, but I'm used to that and I get along well with her anyway. I've got a good feeling about this family!

Even though it would have been nice if things worked out the first time around, I feel I've learned a lot about myself. I also feel like I've grown a bit, become a bit more confident and self-assured.

Also, es tut mir Leid, dass es mit uns nicht geklappt hat, aber ich bedanke mich bei euch für alles, das ihr für mich gemacht habt.



This will probably be my last post before the new year. So, here's the second half of my exchange: let it be, simply put, amazing.

Happy New Year! Frohes Neues Jahr!

Bis später!

PS: Yes, I know I'm waaay behind on my 365 project. I'll get working on that... eventually...

Six Months

Well, like the title suggests, six months have gone by since I left Wisconsin and started on this crazy adventure. On the 21st, I'll have been in Germany for six months. In just under another six months, I'll be on my way back. I've unofficially officially hit the half-way point. Half a year in either direction... It's crazy, I tell you!

That's all I really wanted to say for now. There should be another post coming fairly soon.

Bis später!

Hamburg, "Studying", and 80 Posts!!

Since I last wrote, I've been to Hamburg twice. The first time was to visit a fellow exchanger and the last was a school trip.

My fist visit was a couple of weekends ago. We did a ton of walking, a bit of shopping and had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe in Hamburg. We got ourselves a bit turned around that night while looking for an ice cream shop because of the fog (it turned out to be already closed), but it was a ton of fun and it was great to hang out with one of my friends from the language camp again.

Yesterday, my entire grade went to Hamburg to go to this Dialog im Dunkeln (Dialogue in the Dark) place. It was a really cool experience! There, you can either dine in the dark, or go on these guided tours through different settings in complete darkness. I went with a group of some of my better friends here. We laughed and joked around a lot, which added to the fun. Definitely something I would recommend if you're ever visiting Hamburg!

After that, I walked through Hamburg with my friends. We shopped a bit, took a look at one of the several, what I call "Christmas Market Zones". There didn't seem to be one set area for the market, but it was instead little groupings of the booths and stands. Still pretty cool. I love the way Germans light up the streets for Christmas in the cities. So beautiful!

Also, I have to make a comment on the German word for "to study (for a test)" which is "lernen". This is also can be translated as "to learn", and I feel that translation fits better. I've survived a number of German tests, and have come to the conclusion that German students really do have to "learn" for them, and not "study". It feels like they have to teach themselves a lot of the material. I mean, sure, the teacher does their job and presents the material, demonstrates how to do the problems and gives a bit of homework now and then, but the homework is almost never checked, and the students are otherwise on their own to really learn and become familiar with the material. They're a lot less spoon-fed than my classmates in America. I'm still getting used to that!

This is my 80th post!! Wow, not too long and I'll hit the 100 mark! I don't know, I guess I'm kind of impressed with myself. It's the small things, right?

Bis später!

Comparison: School

Since today is a good example of one of the main differences between my school here and my school in the States, I figured today would be a good day for this post.

School in the States:
School starts at 7:20am and ends at 2:22pm. Everyone has 7 class periods a day. Many have a study hall period in which they can work on homework, read, sleep (depending on the teacher), etc. Students have the same 7 classes, in the same order, every day, for half the school year. There are 5 minutes between each period that students have to change classrooms, change books at their lockers, use the restroom, talk, etc. If you're not in the classroom by the time the bell rings, you have to go down to the office and get a tardy slip. Some teachers are nice and don't make you do this. Some. Then there is a 30-minute lunch break. There are three different time slots for lunch, but students have no choice which they get. I've forgotten exactly when each lunch period it, but it's 10-something, 11-something and 12-something.

If a teacher calls in sick, a substitute teacher (sub) is called in. Typically, such class periods are a waste of time, because said sub doesn't know the subject or the lesson plan and can't teach further. Therefore, the students receive the dreaded busy work. No one likes busy work. It's pointless and a waste of time. However, it's typically better than having to listen to the teacher drone on and on or getting real work.

If you are sick, your parent needs to call you in in the morning the day of. The next day you're in school, your parent needs to call in and send you in with a signed slip stating that you were sick (I believe a doctor's note is necessary for extended periods). Then you take this note to the attendance office. They look at it, fill out a little yellow slip, and send you on your way. You then have to show this slip to all the teachers so they can mark you as "excused absent".

If you're a junior or senior and have your driver's license, you can buy a parking permit. With that, you receive an assigned spot in the school's parking lot and get to drive yourself and as many other people as your car fits (and license allows). Otherwise, you take the big yellow bus that picks you up at your door (or prety close). The prized spots are the parallel parking slots either at the very front, very back or by the cross walk. Those are easiest to get in and out of, and there's very little traffic. Trying to get out of the parking lot after school is insane. Teen drivers have no patience. Everyone wants to be first and no one wants to wait. I was lucky last year and my locker and last class were close together. So, I was always one of the first ones out.

My school has no such thing as open campus, except on exam days. Once you're at school, you can't leave school without getting a permission slip from the attendance office (which requires a signed note from your parents). When you're returning later that day, you also need to pick up a slip that lets you back in. Most of the time, you can get that with your first slip. Otherwise, if you're not allowed to leave. If you're caught once, it's not such a big deal. More than once, and it starts to be a problem, but I don't have any experience there.

In class, students are quiet, when it comes to participating. You rarely see someone raise their hand to give their answer or volunteer to read. It's like pulling teeth. Therefore, most teachers go down the rows of students and each reads a paragraph or gives and answer. When it comes time to give presentations, typically, names are drawn from a hat or numbers, and the person chosen has to pick a day and time. People seem to tend to be fairly shy or self-conscious here.



School in Germany:
School starts at 8:00 and ends at either 13:10 or 14:20, depending on how many periods that day. I have either 6 or 7 class periods with a different schedule each day, but the same each week. Class periods are 45 minutes, but sometimes you get treated to a double-period of 90. After the second and sixth periods, there's a 25-minute break; 15 minutes after the fourth. Otherwise, you have 5 minutes between each class (I believe). There's one lunch period, but I'm not sure when it is because I don't eat lunch there. I believe it's more for the younger students who have to be there longer.

If a teacher calls in and can't come in, or doesn't show up for 15 minutes after the period begins, you can go home. Or, if you know in advanced, you don't have to show up at all, like today. I would have only had a double-period of French, but it didn't make sense to make the roughly 2 hour round trip and pay about 5 euros to get my there and back. So, I stayed home.

When you don't go to school, your parent needs to call you in. The next time you have those classes, you need to bring in your excuse-book with a written and signed excuse. You present this to the teacher so he or she can sign it and mark you excused. When you're 18, you can write these yourself.

To get to school, you can either bike (if you're close enough), drive (if you have your license), or take the bus. From one of my earlier posts, you can tell biking is a popular option. Not many people have their driver's license (let alone their own car). So, not many people drive to school. Those who do have to park in the public parking lot at the school. Taking the bus isn't too bad, when the bus isn't packed. Sometimes, the seats are taken or the only available seat is by some punk (or otherwise unfriendly-looking person), and so standing is the only option. Standing isn't horrible, unless it happens to be one of those days and the bus becomes a sardine can.

Open campus is a way of life here! Sometimes, people hop on their bikes and go to the nearby McDonald's during the longer breaks. Also, when a class is cancelled, that's the pretty typical thing to do. When I have free-time and the others have politics, I go for a walk into town. I love the feeling of just being able to go and not have people look at you funny or get in trouble for it. However, I'm still kind of getting used to the idea!

Students seem a lot more open here. Sure, they get a bit embarrassed when they make a mistake, but they don't dwell on it at all. They are much more ready to participate in class. They voluntarily give their answers, share their ideas, or read in fron of the class. Sure, there are some who are more shy, but oral notes are important here. I think they've gotten used to the idea of having to participate to get a good grade. So, it's not a big deal to them any more.


So, questions, concerns or comments? I know I didn't cover everything, but I think that's a pretty good overview (plus, I didn't want it to get too long!).



Also, this is totally unrelated, but I think I'm going to get fat when I get back to America based on the list I'm thinking up of all the foods I miss. For example: frozen custard from Robert's (double chocolate fudge, Bailey's irish cream, ultimate cookie dough, chocolate fudge oreo, mint chocolate chip...), mom's meatloaf, dad's lasanga, settler's stew from Fox and Hound, birthday cake, chocolate chip cookies (sorry Germany, but they're just not the same!), Jack's frozen pizza, Pizza Hut (again, it's just not the same) - suasage pizzas, for that matter - deep fried eggplant from Aldo's, pizza fries from Tina's, rootbeer floats, dreamsicles... Okay, I think you guys get the idea!

Bis später!

Comparison: Town

So, I guess I'll start doing comparison posts. I'll probably keep doing them by theme like this, but just don't expect me to start posting regularly!

My town here in Germany is a bit different from my hometown in the states. For starters, it's a bit smaller. There are only 5513 people compared to my hometown's 19750. There's only one set of traffic lights (that I'm aware of). In my hometown, there's one road that has six. Here there is a clear center of town. My hometown not so much. There is a pretty decent public transportation system (trains and buses) here that I can easily use to get around. Otherwise, if it's not too far, I can just hop on my bike and go. Living in my hometown doesn't work without a car.

However, they are also a bit the same. There are a lot of fields and pastures in and around both. The majority of people live in little suburbs (not all the houses here look identical, however). There's not much that goes on as far as nightlife, but both are fairly close to a larger town or two when you need to get out.

I guess that's all I have for now on that topic. I think the next comparison will be my life in general in both places.

Bis später!

Denmark and Birthdays

My visit to Denmark was amazing! Louise was an awesome hostess and took me to many amazing places. We were in Copenhagen, Tivoli, Rømø, Ribe, Legoland, and Kolding (where Jutland's biggest mall is).

My first weekend was spent in and around Copenhagen. We went to some pretty typical tourist-y places. First stop was the Little Mermaid statue. It's not really something too impressive (Louise warned me about that from the beginning), but it was kind of cool to see. Plus, seeing the expressions of the excitable tourists was fun. Later that evening, we went to the Tivoli amusement park. It was all decked out for Halloween (Denmark seems to be trying hard to adopt that holiday). It was really fun! The next day we went to the east coast before visiting a Cold War military base and heading home.

On Tuesday, we chanced the weather and took a trip to the island of Rømø. It was windy and cold, but the rain managed to hold off. It was really amazing! I saw a few (dead) jellyfish, and people were actually swimming in the water. I guess Wisconsinites aren't the only ones to like polarbearing! After that, we went to Ribe. We climbed the tower of an old cathedral and got an amazing view of the town!

Thursday was Legoland. Yeah, it's kind of aimed toward little kids (and there were a ton there, but we still had fun. It's kind of amazing what people can make with Legos!

Then on Friday, we went shopping! Despite the near-fiasco with Louise's bag, we had a lot of fun. Maybe we could have spent a bit less money, but we didn't go totally overboard. It's a good thing I wasn't there alone. I would have gotten so turned around!

In between those days, we carved pumpkins, went to a relative's birthday party, to a small get-together and even just relaxed a bit.

Sunday morning, I was woken up by a group of crazy Danes, singing to me in their language that I don't understand. They wished me a happy birthday and gave me gifts. I got some traditional Danish things made by Danish companies. They're going to be really great keepsakes! After that was breakfast (scrambled eggs, bacon and toast) before relaxing, repacking and heading off.

My trip back to Germany went smoothly. I made all my connections in time and had no troubles with my bags. When I got back to my hostfamily's house, my hostmom told me to set down my bags and go in the kitchen. I knew something was up. I opened the door to find my hostdad, hostsiblings and hostsister's friend sitting at the table with a cheesecake, champagne and gifts. They wished me a happy birthday and we all sat down together. We ate some cake, drank some champagne and I opened my gifts. I told a bit about my trip to Denmark and gave them hard candies made to look like the Danish flag. In all, it was a really nice welcome.

So, that was my first week of Herbstferien. It was amazing! Thank you Louise and her family for taking me in and being such great hosts! Thank you hostfamily for a great evening!

Bis später!

Ab Nach Dänemark!!

... gleich. In less than two hours, I'll be on my way to Denmark! Not much to say at this point except that my bags are packed (I think I'm starting to become a pro at this packing business!) and I'm ready to go!

I'm really looking forward to this trip for a number of reasons. First of all, I'll be getting to see one of my best friends again, in her country, in her hometown. Second, Denmark will be the second foreign country I've set foot in. And third, I think it will help me to get over this week. This past week has been a pretty rough one for me. It will be nice to get a change of pace.

Here's to a sure-to-be-awesome week!

Bis später!

Der bester Hund

I started writing this post and it turned into a novel. I've decided to condense it. To keep it simple and short and to the point. So, here goes.

My dog was put down yesterday. He was old and developing problems. There was nothing to be done for him. My family decided it would be best for him to let him go. I'd give almost anything to have been there. It kills me to know he's gone. The last time I saw him, pet him was early on July 18th. It sucks. I miss him. I can't imagine coming home and having him not be there. That will probably be even harder than what I've gone through the past couple of days in terms of dealing with this loss. These have been the worst few days of my life. All I can say is that I am so grateful for the network of friends and family I have in both countries. They're there for me, even if they're an ocean away or across the language barrier. They care about me and want me to feel better. I couldn't ask for more at this point. I just need support. I know I'll get over this, thanks to these amazing people.

So, thank you to those who have been there for me and continue to be there for me. I don't know what I'd do without you.

Here's to the memory of Kingsford, King, Ferd, Ferdy, Bird, Bear, Bearford, Grampa Bear, Lumpy, and all the other insane names I called him (and he responded to). He was the best at catching pizza crusts, hogging balls and failing to jump ditches. He was a good Grampa Bear, always the protector, though he never truly had a masculine bark. He was always a good one for warming couches and beds (even on my dad's side of my parents' bed, the side he never should have been on). He was a chicken when it came to the vacuum cleaner or the dead cyote skin, but he always held his own when it came down to it. Toward the end, he might have started slowing down, but you could never get a tennis ball past him. He even knew there was a stash in the desk drawer. He found the ones I had in my suitcase to give my hostdogs.

You might think your dog's pretty great, but there's a reason mine was named King.

I'll miss him.

My School is a Biker Gang's Hangout

Okay, not really. However, saying there's a ton of bikes at my school everyday is an understatement. Here are some pictures to prove my point.






There's even a bike rack area I didn't see when I took these.



What can I say? Germans love to bike. They don't just do it because it's ecofriendly and good for one's health. They do it because they can. It's just more practical to hop on the bike than wait for a bus or start up the car. I can't say I don't love it!

Oh yeah, my school has a mini skate park, too. Be jealous! Now, if only I knew how to skateboard...





Bis später!

In der Schule

I was planning on doing this post soon, anyway, but I recently received a comment asking about school. So, here goes!

The school I attend now is called IGS-Osterholz-Scharmbeck. IGS stands for Integrierte Gesamtschule. It's a combination of the German Haupt-, Real- and Gymnasialempfehlung. These three schooling types are for students of different career goals and scholarly capabilities. It's a bit of a complicated system to explain (even for some Germans). So, I'm not going to get into that. I will say that I am attending the Oberstufe, which is a parallel to Gymnasium, but is less challenging and is grades 11-13 instead of 10-12. In my grade, everyone stays in the same classroom (except for choice classes like art, music, religion and foreign language), together with what can be called your "homeroom class". The teachers go from room to room.

Now for my classes. I have 12 subjects: English, German, French, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Math, Geography, Religion, Gym, Art, and Music. I have some classes four hours per week, and some only two. None of my classes are everyday, which is nice.

English:
Easy. Easy, easy, easy. I'm glad it's so easy, though. It's the one class where I always understand what's going on, what the homework is, and what we're talking about. Right now, we're doing too terribly simple work, but in comparison, it's like lying on the beach.

German:
This isn't too terrible. I don't always understand, especially when doing group discussions, but I have people I can go to. I understand most of the assignments, and my teacher is really nice and always willing to help me if I need it. The other day, we had to write an analyzation of a conversation in a text. We turned in our papers and got them back today. My teacher said that, apart from the grammar and such, my paper was the best. Äääh?!* In German? Crazy!

French:
This one isn't too bad. I can't pronounce more than a fourth of the words, but it's going*. It actually helps me a bit to learn vocabulary for German. My teacher is also nice. So, that helps.

Biology:
What can I say? It's pretty much the same wherever you are, it seems. We've looked at onion cells, elodea leaves, talked about evolution and adaptation... So far, it's going well. I only have this once a week, and the teacher is always ready to make sure I get what's going on and see if I need help. He even gave me a tissue when I was sniffling in class (which is nice, but a bit much at the same time).

Chemistry:
This actually isn't too bad. The teacher's nice (even if she keeps forgetting I'm an exchange student), and things are coming back to me (thanks Mrs. Solie!). However, I guess I need to relearn the elements. The symbols are all the same, which helps, but (most of) the actual names are different. For example, hydrogen is Wasserstoff, oxygen is Sauerstoff and sodium is Natrium. Luckily, for some of the ones that are really different from English, the names fit the symbols better (like Natrium = Na). Hopefully, I learn them soon!

Physics:
Again, not too bad, in theory. However, there's a reason I never took it in the States. I didn't want another math class. No one gets what's going on or what they need to do. So, at least I'm not the only one.

Math:
Easy. This is all stuff I've had before. The only thing that's hard getting used to different ways of writing equations, numbers and such. For example, Point (2,4) is Punkt (2/4). Two-thousand in numbers is 2.000. Fractions are almost always decimals, and written so 3,142. Other than that, I'm getting along just fine. Plus, everyone seems to like this teacher, and are in a good mood, which helps.

Geography:
Not the easiest class to understand. A lot of looking at maps, reading text and class discussion. The teacher's nice, though, and I'm able to follow along fairly well. I think I'll be fine here.

Religion:
This is pretty okay. It's not Bible-study, which is nice. It's more learning about what relgion is and what it means, which is actually pretty interesting. I don't understand 100% of what's going on, but I can follow along pretty well. My teacher is really nice and seems to actually be interested in if I'm understanding well and how I'm doing. Always a plus! I believe this is going to be changed for history next semester, though.

Gym:
Ugh... Gym... I only have it Mondays, but I hate it. They have something like the pacer test, but we have to run a certain number of kilometers in 12 minutes. For my gender and age, I believe it's 2.4-2.6km. Maybe that's not really that much, but for someone who's not a runner, it sucks. And we actually train for it in class. This gym class is not like in the States where we could just get changed everyday and do some sort of movement and pass. No, this is real gym class. We train for standardized tests. We learn how to proper do a high-jump. It can be fun, but it's tiring at the same time.

Art:
I like this class, and I don't. It's definitely not like my class in the States. We're working on writing an analysis of a painting. I'd much rather be working on my own painting, but I'm sure that will come later.

Music:
I've never really been a fan of music class. However, this isn't too bad. Even though I can't really sing and I don't know how to play an intrument, it's going well. My teacher can speak English, and he's really nice. I believe one of his kids had gone on or wanted to go on exchange to the USA. I haven't had too many hours of this class, but I think I'm going to like it.

Politics:
I know this wasn't in the first list, but that's because I don't have it anymore. I've dropped this class. I couldn't understand a thing, and the teacher had no interest in me. Those two things combine to make a class really not enjoyable. So, now I have two extra hours free to go into town for a bit or work on homework. I think that's a good trade-off.

I think that's enough for this post. If you have any other questions regarding school or any other topic, or if you have suggestions on what I can compare, drop a comment!

Also, to Kaylee and anyone else wondering, I'm living in a small town in Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony), just outside Bremen.

*These are either habits I'm picking from the Germans, or expressions I don't know how to say in English, so I just directly translate.

Busy, Busy

Everything's going well, and I've been kept fairly busy with a combination of school, homework, going out with friends, and spending time with my hostfamily. Don't get me wrong. I have some downtime, too, which is great. I like being able to take a break from it all, but keeping busy helps to keep me from missing America and everyone there too much. So, I'm up for anything!

Last week Sunday, the 18th, I went with my hostparents and hostbrother to Bremen. There was this bike rally to gain support for and encourage more people to bike rather than drive cars. It was pretty cool. There were over 2000 of us, of all ages. We rode through a designated route through Bremen and up and down on-ramps to the highways. The only part I didn't like was when we had to ride really slowly because there were so many of us trying to round a curve or go up a hill. I guess I just don't have quite the skills to be confident riding so slowly! You can find some pictures on my 365 Photo Project.

On this past Saturday, I went with some friends to Bremen to shop. One of them was an exchange student from Spain. She was the first person I talked to at school, and she's really nice. It was fun to spend time with her. We went to this one shop called Die Perlerie im Schnoor. It's this little shop near the old part of Bremen that sells various beads. You can either buy pre-made jewelry, or make your own bracelet. We went for the self-made kind. It was a lot of fun trying to figure out just the perfect combination, and it took a while, but I had fun. After that, we went to Starbucks. It was either the second or third I've seen in all of Germany, and my first time in one since long before I left. It was strange to have everything in German, but it all tasted just as good. Then I went home (after being there for 8 hours), had dinner and baked muffins for Sunday.

On Sunday, there was a fall meeting with YFU. All the exchange students in the Bremen area came and brought a food from their homeland (my muffins had cranberries, which are a product of Wisconsin!). We also had delivery pizza, but everything I had was good! Of course, we didn't just eat while we were there. We also talked about how things are going with our families, school and making friends (in German). Afterward, I had to stay for 2 extra hours. It wasn't too bad because there was a former exchange student who waited there with me. We talked the whole time. In German. Yeah, I'm pretty proud of myself!

Yesterday, after school, my hostmom and I went to Osterholz-Scharmbeck to visit the Herbstmarkt going on. It was like a mini version of a county fair. There were animals (sheep, horses, chickens, etc), rides (merry-go-round, bumper cars), games, foodstands and booths. It was nice and felt familiar. My hostmom and I ate these sort of pancake-ball things with butter and powdered sugar. They come from Holland and were delicous! We also had icecream, which is always good. We weren't there for too long. My hostmom had to go to a parent night at my hostbrother's school, but it was enough. It was a fun thing to see.

In my next post, I'll talk more about school. For now, I think this is enough of an update. Keep making suggestions for what topics I should use for my comparison post!

Bis später!

Krankheit

Since Friday, I've had a bit of a cold. It sucks, but I'm surviving. Hopefully, I'll get over it soon.

On Saturday, my hostsister and I went to this mall in Bremen called Waterfront (yes, it has an English name). It's pretty cool. It sits right along the Weser and is in the shape of a triangle. It was fun to spend a bit of time with my hostsister, and I bought some new clothes, which is always nice. However, part of the way there was not so fun.

The weather was pretty warm that day, and for part of the trip, we had to ride the bus. The bus was packed with nowhere to sit. It even warmer than outside and had no fresh air. I had to hold on to handles on either side just to not fall because there was a lot of starting and stopping and sharp turns. Eventually, that all got to me. It started to be a bit hard to see, hear and concentrate. Thankfully, my hostsister looked after me and got me into a more open area. Once we got off the bus and onto the street train where I could sit, things got better. I'm really glad my hostsister was there to help me (Danke!)!

On Sunday, my hostparents and I went to this nearby town where there was a small festival going on. This festival was showing how life was like living on the moor. It was really pretty interesting. There were some reconstructed buildings from the time and a lot of artifacts, too. There were also demonstrations of how some work was done then (washing clothes, smithing, baking, etc). Under the main tent, live music was being played. The whole atmosphere of it reminded me so much of our little Oktoberfest. I'm a bit sad I have to miss that this year, but I think getting the chance to live in Germany for a year is worth it!

Sunday night, I skyped with my family in the States. They were at my grandma's place. It was such a nice surprise to get to see her again! I had fun catching up with them, and it was nice to see that not too much has changed, yet. However, I did notice that it was kind of hard to think of how to say something in English. A couple of times, I thought of the reply in German first, couldn't figure out how to say it in English, and just went with the literal translation. I don't think they really noticed.

Today, I stayed home from school. A combination of a bit of homesickness, being sick and really not wanting to do gym (which has so far involved just a ton of running) when it's already hard to breathe made me really not want to go in. My hostmom was really understanding, which helped a lot. After I had breakfast, she took me on a walk to the postoffice. We took a path through a small woods and a field or two. Along the way, she helped to clarify some German grammar. She also told me I don't have a strong American accent, which is always nice to hear. After the postoffice, we bought some pastries, took a look at the town's cemetary (which is really different from any I've seen), and then headed home. We ate our pastries and then I listened to and read along with a children's audio book. After that, we ate lunch, and now I'm resting up a bit before dinner. Things are looking good!

I had the thought to either do a comparison between either Germany as a whole to the US, or between Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony) and Thüringen (Thuringia) in my next post. Let me know which you'd like to see and if you have an topic ideas.

Bis später!

Official Citizen

I got home from my Kennenlernfahrt (more on that in a bit) and I looked at my passport to find my hostmom had already taken care of getting me my visa. So, now I'm an official (temporary) citizen of Germany. How cool!

Now, back to my week so far. Our time in Rotenburg was pretty well split between working on a class project designed to help us get to know each other (but which was really more boring than worth it) and having time to just hang out with each other. The latter part was really quite cool. I was able to get to know a few friends better and feel more accepted among them. Plus, I met some really cool/fun new friends. I'd love to do something like that again, but minus the 3 hours each day to work on the project.

Tomorrow, I only have 3 hours of school. Then later that evening, I'm going to be hanging out with some of my German friends. I'm really looking forward to it!

Amber: Alles geht echt gut bei mir. Sorge dich nicht. Ich kann nicht zu viel Spaß haben. Ich muss zur Schule gehen. Ich hoffe, dass du jemals nach Bremen fahren kann. Ich bin sicher, dass es dir gefallen würde.

Louise: About my coming to visit you in October: I really can't wait for it! I'm so looking forward to being able to see your part of the world after you were able to see mine. I don't have much news to report about the trip except that I need to get an "invitation" from you to send to YFU at least a week before leaving. I think it just needs to be from your parents saying they know I'm coming and are okay with it. If it's in English, I'm sure that would be fine. I hope all's going well with you!

Re-Cap

It's almost been a week since I last posted, and quite a bit has happened since then.

First of all: school. My classes so far aren't too terrible. Math seems to be stuff I've already learned. In my French class, we're all beginners. Biology is just new words. Chemistry was not fun the first time I had it, however. We took this test to see how much we could remember. There were 11 questions, and we had about 30-45 minutes to complete it. I maybe answered 4. I had to look up just about every other word. That was not exactly my idea of fun. The rest of my classes I haven't really had too much experience with as of yet. Hopefully I'll get the feel of my classes soon.

Also on the topic of school: I love it when teachers are sick! Unlike school in America where you're stuck with a substitute teacher and busy work, German schools just don't have class for that period. It's happened twice now. One time was in the morning. We ended up getting a bit of busy work, but it wasn't hard at all. The second time was during the afternoon, and we were free two hours early. Gotta love it!

Yesterday, I went with a friend to Bremen. She showed me some of the sights like the Liebfrauenkirche, the Bremer Stadtmusikanten and the Weser River (just to name a few). We also did some shopping. I bought a few things, and I think I have a general idea of the fashion here, now. I'd really love to go back, and I'm happy because I'm sure that won't be too difficult to arrange!

Then today, my hostmom, hostsister and I went to Hannover. My hostsister had an interview with YFU, and I got to tag along. We went by train, and on the way there, we ran into a delay because someone had stolen some sort of cables. We then had to wait for a bus to take us to the next station. Once in Hannover, we got a bit lost and ran past the building the meeting was in. Once we finally figured it out, I sat in with the parent portion of the meeting. It was kind of interesting to hear them talking about the exact same things I heard. Plus, it's always fun to have people compliment you on you competence in a foreign language. Although, I'm sure they were more talking about my understanding than my speaking, seeing as I didn't talk much.

Next week is my class's Kennenlernfahrt. We'll be gone for 4 days and only have 3 hours of school on Friday. I'll be away from my computer and the internet that whole week, which will probably be good for my German. I guess I'll find out!

Bis später!

First Day of School

As you probably already figured out, today was my first day in German school. Overall, I think the day went well.

I was late to my appointment with the secretarian because my hostmom's van had a screw in it. Luckily, we were able to get it fixed quickly and we were on our way. When I got there, everyone in my grade was in the cafeteria finalizing their classes. I had to decide between music, art and theater for one class I'll take the whole year and a second I'll take half the year. If you know me at all, you know which I picked for the year. As for the other one, let's just say I hate public speaking.

After that, the teachers were asking for people to switch from Spanish to French because there weren't enough taking French and too many were taking Spanish (they also did the same for Religion and Philosophy). It seems that no one wants to French, even in Germany. One of the teachers was on the stage in the cafeteria and asked me which foreign language I have. I told him that I don't. He put in me in French. Everyone laughed. I just hope I don't completely fail in it tomorrow when I have two hours of it...

Shortly after that, we split up by classes and went to our rooms. My class's main teacher is really nice and she walked with me to our classroom. She introduced me to a couple of girls in the class and I sat next to them. The one I was directly next to was really nice and let me tag along during the breaks. In English, the teacher called on me a couple of times to clarify or define some things (in English, thankfully). The girl next to me commented on how nice my English sounds.

On Mondays, I have two hours of Gym. It's not exactly my favorite class, but it's only Mondays and it's at the end of the day. So, I think I can manage. I just have to buy myself some gym clothes.

I take the bus home after school, and that was a whole different experience than even taking the train. With the train, there's only one way to go and the stops are easily recognizable/announced. Today, I missed my stop because I wasn't entirely sure which it was. Fortunately, I was able to get off at the next stop and just walk the rest of the way back. That wouldn't have been too bad if it wasn't so warm. Oh well, now I know better for next time!

Bis später!

Finally in Hambergen

Saying goodbye to my hostfamily in Harra was harder than I thought. It was nice to travel the first leg with people I knew, though. The four of us traveled to Leipzig together, but that's where I had to get off. So, I had to say yet another goodbye. I might have gotten more emotional about that one, but I was too preoccupied with getting off the train and to the next track.

After an hour waiting, my next train finally came. I had to ask someone if I was getting on the right one, but all went well. The ride was kind of long, but it wasn't horrible. Along the way, I got to see some pretty crazy soccer fans. It's fun to see people totally decked out in their team's colors.

Shortly after we got to my hostfamily's house, we had dinner and I packed. It's nice to finally be able to totally unpack and place things how I want them. I like knowing I'm going to be here for a while. A bit later, my hostmom and I went to Hambergen's Erntefest. I honestly saw more German youths in the short time we were there than I did the entire time I was in Harra/Bad Lobenstein. It a kind refreshing.

Today, my hostdad and I went to see my hostbrother and hostmom in the parade. It was fun to see. There were a few differences between this parade and the ones I'm used to in the States. For one, this one wasn't as long. I'm used to ones that last an hour or longer (or at least they feel that way). Second, a lot of the floats had young people drinking and partying on them. My hostparents say that's kind of frowned upon, but people do it anyway.

So, overall, my first chunk of time here has been pretty good. Tomorrow is my first day of school and my hostmom and I are going in to get my schedule. Wish me luck!

Bis später!

On the Road Again

In less than two hours, I'll be boarding the train and beginning my journey to my year family. It's crazy how fast this month has gone!

This past week was pretty cool. We went to the Therme, went on a boat tour, had our Abschlussparty, watch a movie in school, and then I went bowling with my hostmom, hostsister and a friend of theirs. I think it was a good way to end my time here.

I have to say that packing the past couple of nights has been hard. If this is any indication of what it will be like at the end of the year, it's going to be a nightmare. Maybe it's because I only packed over two nights instead of a few weeks like I did when leaving Wisconsin. I guess I'll find out when the time comes.

This first month has felt kind of strange to me. I don't really feel like I'm in Germany. It just feels like some sort of summer camp. I'm pretty sure that's just because I've been spending most of my time speaking English with the other exchange students here. However, that feeling is starting to change. This is starting to feel more real. And I'm pumped!

Bis später!

A Little Less than Normal

After school today, some of my classmates and I watched the movie "Goodbye Lenin". It was pretty good, even if I couldn't understand all of it. I did manage to laugh at some of the funny parts, though!

However, because of the movie, I had to miss the 6:00 train. That meant I had to wait two hours for the 8:00. So, a classmate and I went and got something for dinner. We decided on döners (which were really good! if you're ever in Germany, have one!). After that, we had about 40 minutes until my train came. So, we headed to the trainstation to wait.

About 15 minutes or so before my train was supposed to come, a group of 20+ police officers came to the station. I had no idea what they were there for. My train ended up coming late and being on a different set of tracks. Once it pulled into a station, a group of 30-40 young people got off. They seemed to be coming home from some kind of a trip. I think the police were there to make sure they didn't end up getting rowdy. They also seemed to be ready to search some bags. I'm not sure, though. I didn't get back to Harra until 8:30.

Also, I bought a jar of that Duo spread I posted a picture of earlierl. It's delicious! I had some on bread for breakfast this morning. Hopefully, I can make it last a while!

Bis später!

Weimar and Buchenwald Part 2

So, after visiting Buchenwald, we went on a tour of Weimar. We stopped at a few notable buildings. Despite the rain, we had fun and saw some pretty interesting sites. Here a few pictures from that leg of the journey.

First is a picture of the statues of Goethe and Schiller (respectively):



Here are the ruins of an old church in the park near Goethe's garden house.



This is a picture at the town market place. This is the tourist building:



And last is a shot of the city hall:




Also, I added a new picture to the post titled "Update". So, if you've seen it before August 9th, then have another look.

Bis später!

Weimar and Buchenwald

Today was my OLC's trip to Weimar. First we went to Buchenwald.

Let me tell you that it was such an experience for me. It's hard to put into words what it was like. I could have spent hours in each building just imagining what it was like when the camp was in use. Here are some pictures from Buchenwald that maybe can impart a bit of what it is to visit this place.

This is what the barracks area looks like now. Almost none of the barracks remain. Where the rocks are black is where the barracks used to be.



Here is a look into one of six cremation ovens in the camp.



This is the smoke stack of the crematorium.



This building was used to store all the belongings the prisoners came with.



This is the gate to the prisoners' area. The words have two translations: the more literal "to each his own"; and the less literal "you get what you deserve".



It seems I can't add more pictures. So, the ones from Weimar itself will be in the next post (even though that post will show before this one on the blog page... silly blogger).

Update

My visit to Gera went well. It was extremely hot because there wasn't a breeze, but it was a cool place to visit. My hostparents and I went into the museum they have about the history of the town. I couldn't understand the majority of what the signs and such said, but it was still interesting to see the pictures and artifacts. And don't worry. The worst I saw of the Neo-Nazi demonstrations was a bunch of police, one group of people carrying the Nazi flag, and a bunch of anti-Nazi signs and stickers. I kind of wish I could have gone closer to the action to see what was going on, but those things can get dangerous. So, it's probably good that we stayed away.

Here is a picture from Weimar (yes, I know there's a bit of time traveling going on here) that shows a poster I saw in Gera:



Yesterday, I walked with the Heil's and their horse, Laila, to a nearby town called Arlas. It was fun to spend time with them again. We talked about how my exchange is going. I taught them some of the American names for plants. I told them where maple syrup comes from. They showed me a few mushrooms that are safe to eat and how to tell when they're spoiled. I even rode the horse a bit on the way back. However, I have to say that walking that far has left me pretty sore...

Part of school today was pretty interesting. We split into three groups and came up with interview questions about Buchenwald. Then we went into the market center of Bad Lobenstein and we each had to interview at least one person. All in German. It was kind of nerve racking, but it's good practice all the same. Plus, it was really interesting to hear some of the people's responses.

After school, I did a bit of shopping. First, I went to the grocery store to get a bit of food for lunch tomorrow. While I was looking for things, I saw this:



That's right: chocolate and caramel in spread form! I have to try it sometime. I'm not sure what I'd put it on (bread doesn't sound right), but I will try it, even if it's just on a spoon!

After that, I went on the hunt for jeans. Silly me brought only three pairs, and only two I feel I can wear often. I've essentially been wearing one pair a week, with my skinny jeans or leggings thrown in now and then. So, I decided I should get myself another pair. I ended up having to go to four stores before I found one pair that fit me well and that I liked. First of all, I had no idea what size I am here. Second, most jeans aren't made for people my height (meaning they're way too long). Third, German fashion (or at least the fashion popular here) seems to revolve around faded jeans. That's not so good when I like dark wash. When I finally found a pair I liked, I had to fork over 67€ (that's over $95!). I have never paid that much for a single pair of jeans. That's crazy!

Anyway, after I got over the sticker-shock, I checked my makeshift watch (aka, my iPod) and saw that I had two minutes to cover a 10-minute distance before my train came. So, to pass the next 45 minutes before the next train came, I sat in the park and read. I wouldn't complain about that, except that it was cold and windy and I'd decided to leave my jacket on my bedpost.

Tomorrow, I get to wake up at 5:30 to get on the train at 6:40, because my OLC is going to Weimar tomorrow. We're going to visit some historical buildings in the town as well as the Buchenwald concentration camp. I'm looking forward to the trip. I think both parts will be very interesting and amazing experiences.

Bis später!

Halfway to Hambergen

So, it's been a week since I last posted here. I'll try to sum-up the week.

Sunday, I went on a horseback ride with a friend of my hostmom and her daughters. It was so much fun! They took me to the top of one of the tallest hills in the area and then down into some beautiful forests. The ride lasted about three hours, and I was so sore after. It probably didn't help that I didn't have a saddle, though...

School was a bit different this week. On one of the days, we did a sort of scavenger hunt in Bad Lobenstein where we were split into two teams, and then we had to race around the town using a GPS to find the location of letters. These letters then had to be unscrambled to spell out a word. It was fun, and I believe my team won (even though we had stopped to get icecream on the way back). I don't think there was a prize, though.

Then on Thursday, we took a fieldtrip to Mödlareuth. It's a small village right on the border between Thuringia and Bavaria. During the East-West division in Germany, it was one of 20 or so other towns that had a physical wall dividing it, like Berlin. The Americans gave this town the nickname of "Little Berlin". The town still has a large piece of the wall in tact and on display for visitors. The also recreated what it looked like at one of the checkpoints in the area. There was a small museum of artifacts and photos. Also, there was a large shed filled with both military and civilian vehicles of the time. Overall, I think it was really interesting and a great experience.

Yesterday, we watched a movie about Goethe. We're going to Weimar on Tuesday, and we'll be visiting Goethe's house among other things. The movie was pretty good, even though I couldn't understand it all. We ended class a bit early that day, which was nice.

Today, my hostparents and I are going to Gera. It's a fairly near-by large town. I'm not exactly sure what to goal of going there is, but I'd bet I'll find out soon enough. My hostmom also said that there might be a Neo-Nazi demonstration as well as a counter demonstration. We'll see how that unfolds.

Bis später!

Schloss Burgk

Here are some pictures I took when my hostparents and I visited Schloss Burgk. It's a castle that was built in the 1100's and was never able to be seiged because it's protected by the Saale River and its steep cliffs and high walls. (Click the pictures for a bigger image.)

The Saale River:

The village the Schloss protected:

The bridge leading to the Schloss:

A look inside the Schloss's well:

The hunting room:

A wide view of the Schloss from the observation tower:

It's Been One Week...

Yup, that's right: today marks the one-week point since I've been here in Germany, and I have to say today was one of the best.

School (in the OLC) was more fun than it's ever been. We took a test, went over some of the answers, and then had a break. After the break, we watched the movie "Die Welle" (the Wave). It was really interesting. It was kind of sad at the end, though. After that, we had lunch which was chicken, potato dumplings and red cabbage. It was delicious! One of our instructors, Ole, ate at least six of the dumplings! After that, we had a bit of a break, and then regrouped to talk about the movie. Then we had yet another break, and came back to talk about role models.

After school, I walked with a friend to her bus stop and hung out with her until her bus came. We had wanted to try talking to people our age, but there weren't any there. So, after that, I went to the bookstore in Bad Lobenstein to see if I could find a small German dictionary. All they had were dictionaries in other languages or giant ones. However, I still have my German-English one. So, I should be able to manage.

I had a bit of time left after that. So, I went for a short walk through the town. I went by this pond (a picture of which is on my 365 project) and saw some ducks I'd never seen before. They were kind of pretty but I couldn't get any clear shots. I then left the pond and headed toward the train station.

On my way there, I noticed something in the road. I looked closer and saw a big brown toad (he was at least as big as the palm of my hand) trying to cross to the other side. I waited until the coast was clear (he almost got hit in that time) and then ran across the road, grabbing him up as I went. I put him safely on the other side and continued on my way.

I got to the train station with a little over 20 minutes until my train was supposed to come. So, I walked to the right Gleis (I'd gotten on the wrong train yesterday, but I got off before it left) and sat down to wait. This guy who had been sitting in front of the train station then came to sit in one of the other chairs. I thought about trying to talk to him, but I don't know what I would have said. It was a little awkward sitting there in silence with a perfect stranger, though. Anyway, when the train came, I got on and to Harra without incident. So, I'm pretty proud of myself for that.

Shortly after I got home and settled in, one of my hostmom's friends came over. After they talked for a little bit, they asked me to come over to help plan some trips. Tomorrow, I'm going to a fairly near-by castle with my hostparents and a fellow exchanger. We also talked about going to a really amaing-looking cave, a palace and some rock outcroppings near Dresden (I'd call them bluffs, but they're more stand-alone than that). Anyway, I'm pretty excited to play tourist for a while!

Also, I have to say I've probably drunk more apple juice in this past week than I have ever in my life. Carbonation FTW!

Bis später!

P.S. If you notice any obvious spelling mistakes, I blame it on the fact that the internet here thinks in German. So, when I use the spell-check, 98% of the words are underlined as wrong.

OLC Beginning

So, today was the first day of my OLC (Orientation and Language Camp). It was a lot of fun! I was actually excited to see my fellow CBYXers again! We caught each other up on what we'd been doing, compared notes on the differences we've discovered and just generally had a good time.

Today was a bit of a relaxed day. Mostly, it was just going over rules, getting to know each other a bit more and talking about what we expect to learn in the next month. Then, we went to lunch (I hate to say it, but the food wasn't that great) and went back for a bit of language study. After about two hours of that, we were assigned a bit of light homework and then sent on our way. I had wanted to hang out with the others who live in Bad Lobenstein for a bit right after, but my hostdad was picking me up, and he would have had to drive back out there to get me. However, I'll be taking the train back to Harra from here on out. The train doesn't leave for about an hour and 15 minutes after we end class. So, I should be able to do some hanging out in the next few days!

So, now comes my list. It's only been five days, but I already have 20 things to put on my list. I know not all of them apply to the whole of Germany, and some are things that some people already knew, but they're things that were new to me or kind of surprised me. Anyway, here we go.


1. Semi trucks here tend to have a sort of plastic sheet for siding instead of metal.

2. Newspapers in Germany are wider than ones I'm used to.

3. Not every road in Germany has lines to divide the traffic. So, when you're alone on the road, you can essentially drive in the middle. However, such roads are so narrow that it's kind of scary when a car comes around the bend, traveling in the opposite direction.

4. Smoking seems to be much more accepted here, or at least I see many more people who smoke here.

5. I'm sure this is common in all larger towns/cities, but I saw a bunch of pidgeons in a nearby larger town that weren't at all afraid of people (or cars, for that matter).

6. As we were driving to this city, I looked into one of the fields and saw a big flock of not turkeys, but crows. It was kind of strange to see that.

7. Based on my own experiences and those of the other exchangers, I've come to realize that Germans aren't shy about sexual things.

8. Apfelschorle has got to be one of the best things I've ever drunk.

9. Either speed limits are much higher here, or it just feels like it because of the hills, curves and stick-shift. I'm not sure which it is, but regardless, every time I've been driven somewhere, I feel like I'm in some kind of race.

10. Most Germans seem to have quite the habit of eating everything (and I mean everything) on their plates. They will actually take their knife and fork (or spoon, I suppose) and use their knife to push sauce or pieces of meat or whatever onto their fork so as not to waste anything. I feel so improper in comparison.

11. It's perfectly acceptable here to park halfway on the sidewalk.

12. It's normal to wear the same outfit multiple days in a row.

13. A lot of Germans I've met (particularly the males) make me feel like a dwarf.

14. If you've ever been to a German's home, you probably know what house shoes are. If not, then let me explain that it's not common to go barefoot (or even wearing just socks) in the house. People wear slippers or sandals of some sort (with socks, of course).

15. One thing that I think is really cool is that families who live in apartments or other homes without a yard get a plot of land to turn into a garden. Here in Harra, there is a nice hill filled with them. I visited a girl in Harra who's family has a garden like that. She took me to see it, and the view from there was absolutely amazing. I'll have to get a picture of it sometime.

16. On my bed here, I have a sheet that goes over the mattress (the kind with the elastic corners), a pillow and a comforter. That's it. No other kinds of sheets.

17. Windows in my house (and I'm sure others) open like doors: the hinges are on the side, and the swing in or out.

18. I don't think I've seen a window with a screen over it to keep the bugs out.

19. You know cocoa powder to make chocolate milk and hot chocolate? Well, I've seen banana powder.

20. I no longer have a closet for my clothes. Instead, I have a couple of cabinets.

So, that's my list for now. I'm sure I'll come up with more things, but I'll make a new list when the time comes.

Also, I wanted to share a short story with you guys. On my first night here while I was sleeping, I almost fell out of bed. I think it's because my bed in America is against a different wall. So, when I lie on my right side, I'm facing a wall and can move more that way. However, here, my bed is different. So, when I was sleeping on my right side, I moved more that way, and almost spilled onto the floor. It's weird how your body can get so used to things being a certain way.

Bis später!

Germany: Day 1

It's late on my clock. So, I'm going to try to keep this fairly short.

Basically, the flight to Germany was really long. I didn't sleep too well (if at all), and there wasn't a ton to do, but the food was good and I was sitting next to some fun people.

Navigating the Frankfurt airport was kind of a challenge. There was a staff member there to point us in the right direction, but from then out, we were totally on our own. We hadn't really even been advised during our orientation on what we should do.

After we finally figured things out and got our boarding passes, we had about 4 hours to chill and relax. Some people got food, others slept, and a few went in search of other groups. I mostly just watched the other people's bags and eventually bought my first thing in Germany: a half liter bottle of Coke. I pretty much only did it to break a 5-Euro bill and get some Euro-change, but the dose of caffeine did help a bit.

Our flight was delayed a few minutes due to a part being changed, or something. However, when we finally got going with the flight, it seemed to breeze by so quickly. It felt like we were in the air for no more than 15 minutes (by the way, I added a new picture to my 365 project from this flight, so click the link to the right to check out my pictures)!

We got off the plane, found our baggage and went to the non-secure side of the airport to meet our temporary hostfamilies. My hostfamily wasn't there, but I ended up going with another exchanger and his family for a while. It was great! We had about an hour-long drive before we got to Bad Lobenstein. Along the way, we saw huge hills (some of which are pretty close to my hostfamily's house!), large forests and small villages randomly placed along the road. On the way, we stopped for some icecream (which was great), and when we got to their house, we ended up eating a lunch of spagehttie (which was also great).

Shortly after that, my hostparents came to get me. They are such nice people! Their dog is so sweet and makes me miss my own puppies. I also have my own room with this cool seating area connected to it. It's got a large couch, a TV, everything! I'm so excited about it! Plus, my hostparents speak almost no English. So, I think it will be relatively easy for me to get comfortable with actually speaking German!

I'm not sure what I'm doing over the weekend, but on Monday I start my OLC. I'm kind of excited because I'll be taking the train!

Also, I've kind of started compliling a list of things I notice are different between here and the States. Hopefully, I'll remember to post it eventually...

Bis später!

Day 1 in DC

So, I made it! I'm in DC, and I got there all by myself! I'm not going to lie, I'm a little proud of that!

My flights went well. The landing was a little rough on the first, and the second had some turbulence toward the end, but otherwise, they were fine. It was a little nerve wracking to hurry my way through the Atlanta airport, trying to make sure I got to the right concourse at the right time.

Meeting up with the other exchangers was pretty fun. It was nice to see some people I'd met before or talked to online. I liked those few hours we had to just sit around and mingle. What got a little trying was all the activities and discussions the YFU staff had us go through. There was a point where I was just too tired to really care what was being talked about (though I know most of it is for my own good).

Tomorrow could be fun, but I've got the feeling it won't be. We're doing some touring of the Capitol and some nearby museums. Then we're meeting with our representatives/sponsors. That's all fine and dandy, but it's supposed to be really hot and humid tomorrow. That's not going to be fun at all. I just hope I don't end up looking too sloppy by the end of it...

Oh well, it's one day, and then I'll just have a short while on Thursday before beginning the next leg of this trip!

Bis später!

Fond Farewells

Hey, everyone.

It's quarter to two, Sunday morning. I just got done cleaning up from my going-away party. I wanted to post this while the thoughts are still fresh in my mind.

I just wanted to thank you all. Thank you for coming and showing me your support. Thank you for wishing me well and giving me the confidence to stick to doing this. Thank you for giving me something to miss while I'm away. Thank you for giving me something to look forward to when I come back.

I hope you all know just how much you guys mean to me.

Bis später

11-Day Countdown and Plans Made!

So, as you probably guessed from the title, today marks 11 days until I begin my journey. Can you believe it? 'Cause I can't! The time keeps going by faster and faster! Soon enough, I'll be getting up at 2:00 am to get ready for my first flight! It's inredibly excite (and almost as terrifying) to think that I have little more than a week left. I'm glad that the excitement is winning out!

Also, I figured today was a good day to repack my bags. So, I did. This time, I changed my strategy a bit and I managed to fit everything in nicely. My hostfamily gifts are nice and secure. My bags are within the size and weight limits. I don't have anything TSA would have to confiscate. Plus, I just have a couple of things left to toss into my bags. All's clear in the bag department!

And now onto the second part of my title. As those of you who have been following my blog probably know, I have a friend from Denmark who was an exchange student here this past year. Well, it seems like I'll be able to visit her during my exchange! In October, we both have a fall break, and her week-long break coincides with the first week of mine. So, I'll most likely be visiting then! I'm so excited to spend almost a week with her and spend time in her country. I can't wait to meet her friends and let her show me around her home!

Also, about a week after I arrive at my year-long hostfamily's house, my grade in school is going on a week-long "getting-to-know-you" type of trip. It sounds like it will be a great experience and a good way for me to get to know some people at my school. I'm so excited for it!

So, it looks like my exchange is shaping up to be a pretty amazing year. Now, all I have to do is wait for it to begin!

Bis später!

Observations and Opinions

I find it interesting how many of the other exchangers I'm acquainted with on online are so excited about other exchange students living nearby. They talk about meeting up and hanging out and how much fun they'll have together. Don't get me wrong. I'm really looking forward to meeting other exchange students in DC and during my OLC in Bad Lobenstein. However, after that, I'm not sure I'll be too concerned about spending time with them. Not that exchang students aren't awesome people, but I would much rather spend my time with native Germans. I want to better my German, which will be easier to do with natives. I want to get a good feel for what it's like to live in Germany as a native. That's hard to do when you spend time with other non-natives.

It's nothing personal against other exchangers, I'd just rather spend my time with Germans while I'm in Germany. Am I the only one in this boat?

Bis später!

365 Project Update

I've started to upload pictures to my 365 picture project! Here's a link to the first picture: 365 Project Day 1. I'll be putting a link to my picture calendar on the right-hand side of my blog. I plan to have a new picture everyday. So, check back often!

Bis später!

A Few More Goodbyes and Another List

Today was my last day of work. From now until I return to the US next year, I will not have an official job. It's kind of weird for me to think about. I've had a job since I was 14 (the earliest age one can hold a job here). So, I've basically had a job for almost four years. A year without one will be kind of cool, but strange at the same time. I think what's weirder, though, is that I will be spending money without saving any. Since I've had a job, I've basically been saving it. First was for a two-week school trip to Germany. Because of my level of German class and then the fact that the trip was discontinued, I was never able to go. Then I saved for a 4-week German language camp. However, I didn't get the scholarship I applied for, and so that was never done. Lastly, I was saving for exchange. I've basically been saving for exchange since last year. So, it will be interesting to see how handle myself (don't worry, I don't plan on spending like crazy!).

Also to do with my last day of work, I said goodbye to some people I probably won't see again until next year (if ever again). I wouldn't consider myself close to these people, but most goodbyes involve a bit of sadness -- if only the sadness of losing something familiar. I'm just glad I've got a few weeks until I have to say goodbye to a lot of people who I will truly miss. That's not going to be a fun experience, to say the least...

Anyway, here's my list for July!

July:
•2nd I'm going to see a movie with my aunt and uncle this day. It should be fun!
•4th Independence Day - Basically, it will be a time of celebration, hanging out with friends, taking lots of pictures, watching a fireworks show and just generally having a good time! Needless to say, I'm looking forward to it!
•15th The final Harry Potter movie comes out! I'll be seeing it with my brother and one of my best friends. I feel like I'm repeating myself too much, but it should be fun!
•16th My going away party is this day. I know it will be sad, but I think it will be fun regardless. Let's hope people don't get too emotional!
•19th The day I fly out to DC. I have a 40-minute layover in Atlanta. Hopefully that will be enough time!
•20th Is the day of my orientation (or at least one of them). I'm not sure what the orientation will be like, but I'll be meeting other CBYX exchange students. So, that will be awesome!
•21st The day we CBYXers fly out to Germany! I can't wait for this day!
•22nd The day I start my Orientation and Language Camp (which will last until August 20th). Again, I'll be spending time with exchangers while learning German! Other than that, I'll be getting a small taste of life in an area of Germany different from where I'll be spending my year. I think that's going to be awesome to be able to get to experience two different parts! Plus, I'll have a couple of long train rides to take in the awesome German scenery!

So, that's all I have to share that's exchange related!
Bis später!

Ice Cream, Packing, Paper Chains and Goodbyes

Well, that's it. I've just gotten home from my last outing with my amazing Danish friend, Louise. We went to get some ice cream (Well, it's actually frozen custard, and yes, there is a difference. Frozen custard is so much better, and if you haven't had it, consider yourself deprived!) from a local eatery. It's kind of ironic that the last thing we did together was also one of the first things we did together. She has honestly become one of my best friends. It's amazing to think that I found someone who is so similar to me and who I get along with so well, and she's from halfway around the globe. What are the odds we'd have ever met under other circumstances? I think the only thing that's keeping me from being too sad about saying goodbye is that I might get to visit her while I'm in Germany. My fingers are crossed that it works out!

My paper chain that's counting down the days is getting so short! There are only 22 links left. It seems like only yesterday the chain was so long it wrapped around my bed, across the wall, and still had a lot dangling from the end! I'm so happy I have such an early departure!

Tomorrow marks my three-week point. Three weeks from tomorrow, I will be on my way to Washington, DC for the CBYX orientation. I'm really excited to meet up with the other CBYXers! I can't wait to find out who among those of us who were at my PDO have also gotten the scholarship (I'm still kicking myself for not being better at remembering names!). From there, it's off to my language camp in Bad Lobenstein with 9 other Americans. I'm so looking forward to meeting the other exchangers!

Tomorrow, I think I'm going to start doing a bit of packing. I want to make sure everything will fit. Plus, I want to see exactly how much I'm planning on packing. I'm going to pack everything I know I want to bring with me. Things I will probably still need to use will stay unpacked. I figure this will give me plenty of time to figure out just what I really need to bring, and how I'm going to arrange it and make it all fit. It should be fun!

Also, Louise made the comment today that this will probably be the shortest summer of my life. The Orientation and Language Camp will be basically like school. I'll have 4 hours of language training and 2 hours of orientation trainging, Monday through Friday. So, basically, I start school again on July 22nd (or maybe the 23rd, I'm not too sure how that will work out).

So, yeah, that's basically all I have to say for now. Soon, I'll be making my July "List of Events." It will be the last one before I start my adventure!

Bis später!

Really Real

I know I've posted at least once or twice about how my excitement/anxiety about exchange comes and goes. Well, tonight I had another moment when this crazy adventure felt really real.

I was sitting with my laptop, waiting for a game demo to finish downloading and I got to thinking, "Wow, I've been out of school for almost a month!" (Yes, I realize the real month marker isn't until July 8th, but that didn't matter in that moment.) Then I realized there are only two weeks past that marker until I'm in Germany. Two weeks after that marker I'll be living with a new family. I'll be surrounded by a new language. I'll be meeting new people and potentially making life-long friends. I'll be the farthest from home I've ever been. I'll be away from everyone and everything that's familiar and that make this place my home.

It will be hard. There may be times where I ask myself why I signed up for this in the first place. However, I know it will all be worth it in the end.

Okay, enough of that serious talk that I've already been over. Let's talk about something that might be a bit serious, too, but not quite so heavy.

I was talking with some fellow CBYX exchangers on Facebook. We were talking about our flights to DC (which airports we have layovers in, when those layovers are, etc). I found out that with my 37 minute layover in the Atlanta airport, I might be cutting things a little close. However, I should be able to give them a call and find out whether or not my flights are in the same terminal. Hopefully, they are and then all I'll need to cross my fingers for is that I won't have to deal with any delays!

Bis später!

Fireflies

Tonight, on my way home from work, I noticed a few small, yellowish lights blinking off to the side of the road. For the first time this summer, I saw my favorite insect (yes, I have a favorite insect): fireflies. Something about their little glowing rears that just makes me feel like a kid. Every summer, I look forward to the nights when I can go outside at night and do some firefly hunting. It's kind of a tradition for me, I guess.

Well, after I caught (and released, of course) a couple of my glowing little friends, I sat on my driveway and just watched the light show happening across the road. It was beautiful. I know it's been said many times before, but it truly is something beautiful to watch. If not for the mosquitoes, I could honestly sit there and watch them for hours.

You know what they say about roses? Well, I think the same is true about fireflies. A firefly by any other name looks just as pretty, and let me just say that I'm glad there are Leuchtkäfer in Germany.

Bis später!

The Good and the Bad of Previous/Current Exchangers' Blogs

Yes, I realize that's an obnoxiously long title, but that's unimportant. Yes, I realize this is my second post today, but I feel this is something good to share. Anyway, on to the point of this post.

Reading the blogs of current exchange students (inbounds) is often fun and interesting. They help give a bit of insight into what it's like to be an exchange student. The blogs sometimes let you know some useful tips about applications, packing and interviews. You usually get to read great stories and see awesome pictures. You can often also learn a bit about another country through the experiences of another. All those things are great and are what make reading blogs fun. They give you good emotions when thinking about exchange. However, reading inbounders' blogs can also leave you with... not-so-good feelings.

Right now, it's that time when inbounds are preparing to leave their host countries. They're having to say "goodbye" once again. That in itself is sad, but when you really think about it, it's even sadder. Sure, it sucked leaving their family, friends, home and life in their home countries, but they knew they would be back in a year's time. When they're saying "goodbye" now, they have no idea when they'll get to return to what is for many a second home. Some don't know if they will even ever be able to return. They're having to say their goodbyes knowing full well they can never relive that year. Sure, they can come back, but it will never be the same. They'll never again have the opportunity to live as an exchange student. It will never be the same experience.

It's at this time that I hate to read blogs. The inbounds are reminicing about their years. They're making lists of things they'll miss. They're talking about how much they wish they could stay; wish they could relive this year. It makes me think about how that's going to be me in a year's time. It's something I'm not at all looking forward to. If I wasn't confident that my exchange year will be worth the pain at the end, such a realization would almost be enough to make me doubt my resolve to go through with this. However, I am confident. I know this year will be amazing. It will be worth any pain, any hardships I'll face. But I also know that it's up to me to make it so. I'm the one who has to make this next year amazing. I know I can do it. I will do it. No doubt about it.

Bis später

Cookout with the Danes

Before I get to talking about my evening with the Danes, I want to say that I feel kind of proud of myself. Yesterday, I went to the bank, alone, deposited some checks (I've done this quite frequently, though), and actually asked the teller about getting some euros and some card questions. Then I actually made an order for euros! I did that alone, by myself, without my mommmy there to ask the questions or do the talking for me! I know, I know. You're probably thinking, "Wow... Uhm, why is she that proud of doing that? I've been doing stuff like that since I was 12!" Yeah, well, I haven't. So, anything that points to me being a little more confident/independent makes me a bit proud of myself! All right, enough about that. I'll get to the cookout, now.

First of all, let me again say how awesome I think Louise's (my Danish friend) parents are! They are so nice and I think they helped my parents feel more comfortable about allowing me to actually go through with this crazy exchange thing. Also, I'm glad my family managed to behave themselves and not embarass me too much. I'm proud of them for keeping themselves in check (only joking, of course!). Our two families seemed to get along really well, and I'm happy for that.

My parents and I took Louise and her family on a tour of Dheinsville settlement (the place where my ancestors settled generations ago). It was cool to be able to show them a bit of the history of not only my family, but of our town, too. Louise's family seemed to really enjoy looking at all the old artifacts and learning a bit of the history of this small town. I'm glad we were able to share that with them!

After they had left, I realized I noticed maybe a bit of a foreshadowing of myself in Louise's brother. He's 13, and has had only a few years of English language instruction. He was pretty shy and didn't say much. I think a lot of that has to do with the language barrier. He understands much of what's said, but he's just not comfortable enough with English to really get into conversations. I think that's going to be a lot like me, in the beginning. Right now, I'd say I can figure out most of what I read. When people talk slowly and clearly about a topic I'm somewhat familiar with, I can There have been a few times when people here randomly say something to me in German. It always catches me so off-guard that I'm lucky if I reply with something remotely correct! I'm sure that will pass eventually, but I found it just a little interesting to think I'm going to basically be a little kid for a while. Hopefully, that doesn't get too frustrating!

Overall, yesterday was awesome! I only wish the cookout would have lasted a little longer. However, my parents had to work today. So, they needed to get to bed early. However, I'm glad our families got to spend some time together. Hopefully, now my parents won't have any worries about letting me visit them once I'm in Germany!

Bis später!