I was alone in Bremen today, doing a bit of last-minute shopping for my trip to Munich, and I kept realizing how much I'm going to miss being here. I've just made such a great life for myself here, and I don't know how I'm going to be able to leave it in the summer. Everything's just become so familiar. I've made such amazing friends, met incredible people. I've found a second home, a second Heimat. I love travelling. So, I'm looking forward to my trip back to the States. However, saying good-bye is only bearable when I know when I'll get to say hello again. That's why I could stand to leave my friends and family in America. I knew I'd be back in a year. I don't know when I'll get the chance to come back to Germany. Leaving here is going to be so difficult. I'm just glad I've got a few more months here before I have to really face that fact.
Here's to making the very most of the time I have left here!
Bis später
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Life is Good
Second semester started about a week ago. I ended the first semester with an average grade of 2.5 (on a 1-6 scale, with 1 being the best). I received two 1s, four 2s, four 3s and two 4s. Not bad, I'd say. My schedule this semester is a bit different. I now have a history class in place of geography, and no more music. On Tuesdays, I have class all day until about 4pm, but Mondays and Thursdays make up for it (only four hours, each day). We've gotten a couple of new teachers, because some of ours needed to be teach other classes/grades. We now have a man from Greece teaching us math. We had our first math class with him today. Seems like it will be an interesting semester with him... Our religion teacher is pregnant and will probably be leaving us soon. I'm going to miss her a bit, though. She's a really nice teacher, and fun to have class with.
I feel like I've truly been accepted by my friends here. I showed them how to play the card game "spoons", and now we play it during almost every break (thanks Aunt Mary for the cards!!). We joke around with each other, we have inside jokes, we understand each other with just looks... I've even been told I'm the coolest exchange student, because I understand everything and can even dish out some insults in German. I am so going to miss these people next year...
My hostfamily is just great! We get along so well, it's unbelievable. I really feel like a part of the family here. They even use the same nickname as my family in America. It seems like switching really was the best decision for my exchange, and I'm glad I could do it!
In a little over a week, I'm going to Munich for a five-day, mid-stay seminar. I'm looking forward to reconnecting with people I haven't seen since July/August. Plus, I'm really excited to see a bit of southern Germany. However, the 8-hour train ride down there won't be entirely the greatest... Oh well. I might be making the journey with one or two other exchange students. So, that'll be fun!
I went ice-skating with my sisters and a couple of their friends. The river in the area flooded earlier this winter, and now the whole floodplain is frozen over and perfect for skating. I surprised myself, and was actually able to move around on my own. However, that's not to say I didn't fall. After 10 seconds standing on the ice, I was down. I even have a lovely bruise covering the front of my knee... However, it was so much fun, and so pretty (pictures from that evening will be filling my 365 project for the next few days), and we're going again tomorrow. I can't wait! By the way, Louise, I think I can thank our little ice-skating excursion for my bit of confidence on the ice!
Hmm... I think that's about it for this time.
Bis später!
I feel like I've truly been accepted by my friends here. I showed them how to play the card game "spoons", and now we play it during almost every break (thanks Aunt Mary for the cards!!). We joke around with each other, we have inside jokes, we understand each other with just looks... I've even been told I'm the coolest exchange student, because I understand everything and can even dish out some insults in German. I am so going to miss these people next year...
My hostfamily is just great! We get along so well, it's unbelievable. I really feel like a part of the family here. They even use the same nickname as my family in America. It seems like switching really was the best decision for my exchange, and I'm glad I could do it!
In a little over a week, I'm going to Munich for a five-day, mid-stay seminar. I'm looking forward to reconnecting with people I haven't seen since July/August. Plus, I'm really excited to see a bit of southern Germany. However, the 8-hour train ride down there won't be entirely the greatest... Oh well. I might be making the journey with one or two other exchange students. So, that'll be fun!
I went ice-skating with my sisters and a couple of their friends. The river in the area flooded earlier this winter, and now the whole floodplain is frozen over and perfect for skating. I surprised myself, and was actually able to move around on my own. However, that's not to say I didn't fall. After 10 seconds standing on the ice, I was down. I even have a lovely bruise covering the front of my knee... However, it was so much fun, and so pretty (pictures from that evening will be filling my 365 project for the next few days), and we're going again tomorrow. I can't wait! By the way, Louise, I think I can thank our little ice-skating excursion for my bit of confidence on the ice!
Hmm... I think that's about it for this time.
Bis später!
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Update Part Deux
So, I got an e-mail from my mom today. Among other things, she mentioned that she had a moment when she thought about what I'm doing and missed me pretty bad. I wrote a reply to her, and I'm going to post it here, because I think it could be good for other exchange students to read (or not, who knows, but I hope it is).
Also, today in my math class, one of my friends asked when I'm leaving. I told her, and another asked if I'm going to have a going-away party, and he seemed happy that I said yes. Then this first girl and another said they're probably going to cry when I go. I said I would to. A while ago, one of these same girls told me it's weird for her when she thinks about going to school next year, and that I won't be there. It's just a such a great feeling to know I have real friends here who like having me around and who are going to miss me when I'm gone. It's one of those things that makes this whole experience really worth it.
Bis später!
I sometimes get those sort of moments, too. I stop and realize just exactly where I am, how long I've been here, and how long I've got left, then I get flooded with different emotions. First I kind of freak out; being so far from home, in a whole other country, without family - it's crazy. Then I'm kind of amazed. It's getting close to 7 months that I've been here. Over half a year, but it feels like time's flying. Then I get a mixture of happiness and saddness. I'm happy because in just under 5 months, I'll be on my way home. I'll get to see you guys, my friends, the dogs, my bed... everything that's been familiar to me my whole life. But, 5 months isn't a lot of time in the scheme of things. It's less than half a year, less than half my exchange. At the end of those five months, I'll be leaving this life, this family, my friends - without knowing when I'll get the chance to come back. But that just pushes me to want to make the most of my time here, and that's how I get over it. I talk with friends, I get out and do something, I live my life here.
Also, today in my math class, one of my friends asked when I'm leaving. I told her, and another asked if I'm going to have a going-away party, and he seemed happy that I said yes. Then this first girl and another said they're probably going to cry when I go. I said I would to. A while ago, one of these same girls told me it's weird for her when she thinks about going to school next year, and that I won't be there. It's just a such a great feeling to know I have real friends here who like having me around and who are going to miss me when I'm gone. It's one of those things that makes this whole experience really worth it.
Bis später!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Silvester!!
If there's one thing Germans know how to do, it's celebrating New Years.
In Germany, New Year's Eve is called Silvester (named after Pope Sylvester I who died on 30th December 335). Let's just say it's a pretty big deal here. People party it up from early evening until the clock strikes 12. Then, they go to the street, mountains of firecrackers, sparklers, bottle rockets, and other pretty explosive things, and go light up the sky. It's pretty crazy what you can buy here in Germany (but only around Silvester time).
Also, it seems to be a German tradition to watch a video called "Dinner for One". All my friends find it absolutely histerical.
Dinner for One
So, that was how I spent my New Year's Eve: hanging out with friends, sharing a few drinks, lighting off things that go "boom", getting a taste of German humor, and just generally enjoying the night!
Oh, and on the 1st, my family and I ate home-made waffle cones with whipped cream and warm cherries. For brunch. Love it!
Bis später!
In Germany, New Year's Eve is called Silvester (named after Pope Sylvester I who died on 30th December 335). Let's just say it's a pretty big deal here. People party it up from early evening until the clock strikes 12. Then, they go to the street, mountains of firecrackers, sparklers, bottle rockets, and other pretty explosive things, and go light up the sky. It's pretty crazy what you can buy here in Germany (but only around Silvester time).
Also, it seems to be a German tradition to watch a video called "Dinner for One". All my friends find it absolutely histerical.
Dinner for One
So, that was how I spent my New Year's Eve: hanging out with friends, sharing a few drinks, lighting off things that go "boom", getting a taste of German humor, and just generally enjoying the night!
Oh, and on the 1st, my family and I ate home-made waffle cones with whipped cream and warm cherries. For brunch. Love it!
Bis später!
Thursday, December 29, 2011
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...
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...
Sunday, December 18, 2011
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!
That's all I really wanted to say for now. There should be another post coming fairly soon.
Bis später!
Friday, December 2, 2011
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!
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!
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