Weekly Post #15

Hey everybody!

Sorry I'm writing so late again. I got sick again. But hopefully I am now on the road back to being 100% healthy.

8. November 2014:

On Saturday my family went over to my host uncle and aunt's house for my host cousin's birthday party. I talked a lot with my cousin and a family friends daughter. They really helped to make me feel included in what they were doing and saying. I thought that was really cool because I haven't really ever had anybody close to my age at a family celebration.

9. November 2014:

Luckily on Sunday we didn't have anything major planned. We were all exhausted from the weekend celebrations. There was also a Dortmund game on Sunday. Dortmund finally broke their losing streak, only because the other team scored on their own goal. I don't think people see that in professional soccer too often.

10. November 2014:

On Monday I stayed home from school. I worked on college things for most of the day. I really wish I had gotten it out of the way last year. But I realise I probably wouldn't have chosen the right school. I am really realising what is important about college, and I would rather do what makes me happy than what makes more money.

11. November 2014:

On Tuesday school only went until 4th period because of teacher training. I ended up just hanging around my house for the day.

12. November 2014:

On Wednesday I ended up thinking a lot about how I would have to go back to Milwaukee. Even though I have know about coming back the whole time it still seems so unreal. YFU always told us how everything would be really similar to how you left it. People would be leading the same lives, having the same problems, and the same daily schedules. But we will come back from a completely different life with different ways of living. I don't think anybody who doesn't do an exchange can fully realise the weight of this. I don't believe I even fully realise how huge this is. In my history lesson we had a debate about how the German revolution could have effected history. Eventually we started talking about how it could have lead to WWII. At first I really thought I couldn't say anything. But the topic continued, I realised if I wanted to participate in this debate I would eventually have to say something regarding WWII. I got to pull out my Hans and Sophie Scholl history. Always keep in mind that there are Nazis and there are Germans. Two separate groups of people who were in Germany. I asked my classmates whether or not I said anything insensitive at the end of class. They said just that, there are Germans and there are Nazis. Never put the two in the same group.

13. November 2014:

During my canceled English class on Thursday, I got to spend some quality time with my friends Anitia, Jasmine, and Anja. They really helped make me feel included in their little group. I also realised how much stronger the word comfortable is. In German its wohl. I think maybe because Americans say it so often just to be polite. But here when you say wohl you really mean it. Many Pepe believe Germans are mean because they are direct. But I love that part about them. There is no doubting whether or not what they said is genuine. At least not as much as Americans.

14. November 2014:

On Friday in my German class I didn't know the word for exasperated. Nobody around me knew what the word for exasperated was. Eventually the whole class was thinking of a possible word for exasperated. One of my class mates was about to jump over a table to see the word. I thought that was really cool how everybody got into my little word search. I often feel like the baby of the class even though I am the oldest. It seems, especially in this moment, that people love to see how I am learning more and more about their culture. Realistically I am still like a tiny kid because I still don't know all the INs and OUTs of the German culture. After school my friend Anita came over. We ended up talking a ton which was really cool. When it was time for her to go home she asked when the next bus came. I said we could take her home instead, just like everybody does in America. Everybody laughed so hard they were almost on the floor. I stood there super confused. Apparently it is completely acceptable for a friend to go home with the bus. We don't have that many buses in America so that's not as normal.

Thanks for reading!

Sandra