Hey everybody!
19. January 2015:
On Monday I stayed home to make sure my stomache was 100% better. Unfortunately I missed my first day of being a ninja pigeon. I hopefully will not miss my monday tomorrow.
20. January 2015:
Tuesday I went back to School. I had Sowi which I learned a bit more about the Bundesrat. After that there was a Meeting for Facharbeit (preperation for college). I don't really understand why I had to be ther but I was there. Anyway my School day on Tuesday was pretty pointless. At least it wasn't stressful.
21. January 2015:
On Wednesday was the first of two Dortmunder Hochschultag (college) days. I tagged along with Noah to two classes. The first one was called codeswitching. It is basically what I am living with, knowing two languages and always flipping between the two. We were completely siked for the first one, but it turned out to not be so interesting. The class was about finished with the unit so we missed a ton of what they were studying. The second class was much better. It was called "The Do's and Don'ts of the workplace." I think this is the class where I have felt the most comfortable at speaking. The teacher has been all over the globe and knows about four different lanuages. This was one of the first times I volunteered to raise my Hand and participate in what was Happening. I really need to do more of this in my School, but I feel too much pressure and uncertainty of what is actually right in the class.
22. January 2015:
Thursday was the second Hochschultag day. I went to a Seminar on work study programs in college. The Seminar was so boring that People were getting up and leaving in the middle. We didn't though, I think that would have been too rude for me to do.
23. January 2015:
Friday was my longest day as per usual. We started talking about chairs. The first thing we talked about is what we associate with chairs. Then we talked about Projects we could create with chairs. I think the next Project is that we all need to bring in our own chair and create a Story with it. I already have a Story but getting a chair through the bus in the busy morning is going to be interesting. I volunteered my ideas for themes that I would like to use with my chair. I was the only one who volunteered right. That made me feel really good. I understood better than others! On Friday some of my host dad's friends came over to Play Darts. My mom and I joined in for a game and I won! I usually never win Darts but I guess I got lucky this time.
24. January 2015:
On Saturday I took a really Long slow walk on one of the trails by my street. I made sure to walk extra slow to look for good places to snap a Picture. Often I feel too rushed in taking a Picture. It was really Relaxing to have all the time in the world on my walk. I also explored a new Corner of my neighborhood. I found some new trails that I want to explore in the near future. It also snowed that morning which gave a wintery splash to my Pictures. I made sure to bündle up extra tight to make sure I didn't get sick from the cold.
25. January 2015:
Sunday is always a pretty low laid day. I watched Saving Mr. Banks, and I cried my way through that movie. I also realised I never used to cry during movies. I think ist becoming easier for me to cry. I don't know how I feel about that yet.
Thanks for reading!
Sandra
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Weekly Post #24
Hey Everybody!
12. January 2015:
Early on Monday morning I had my Literature class. We are writing and putting on a childrens play in our school. I chose to be a ninja pigion who helps Cinderella. Deep down it has always been my life's dream to become a ninja pigion who helps a fairytale princess. Ya, it will be fun. My ninja pigion conmrade is my friend Lotti. I hope to be really funny ninja pigions. In my art class I almost finished my hand in time. If I have about 5 more minutes I would have finished it. All that is left is part of the base. I think my hand turned out pretty well, and considering I was almost always sick Im happy with how far I got. Hopefully I will be able to bring it home and take a picture to post on the website.
13. January 2015:
On Tuesday Maja and I started working on a presentation about the Bundesrat. We are learning about the Bundesregierung (German government). It is very different from the American Government. I think the American system is much better to follow than the German one. The voting system is very different and not everybody is directly voted by the German population. I believe how it goes is that each party must receive 5% of votes to be represented in the Bundestag. To win the majority of the representation of the Bundestag two parties have to form a coalition. I personally like this idea of a coalition because it forces two groups of people with very pointed opinions to work together. I think government needs a little more of that, especially in this time of our 'do nothing Congress.' The structure and innerworkings of the German Government become much more tricky. Beyond my current knowledge.
14. January 2015:
On Wednesday my art class journeyed to the far away land of Duisburg. Duisburg is only an hour away. We went to the Duisburg Art Museum. Although it isn't as iconic as the Milwaukee Art Museum, the artwork on the inside is still beautiful. The first sculpture we saw was first covered in a cloth. We were allowed to touch it while the covering was on. Afterwards I was asked to describe it. I described it as an adult, most likely a mother, with two children. She would be hunched down covering the two children. The sculpture was made out of metal because I heard somebody knock on it, and it sounded like hollow metal. Where the People were was smooth, but at the base was a bit rough. As the covering was removed everybody was amazed, even myself, that it was exactly how I described it. The Name of the Piece is called "Mutter mit Zwillingen" (Mother with Twins). There were many others by Alberto Giacometti. I think his technique of making People extra tall but also extra thin. I think it is unusual but I don't think I would make that my favorite style.
15. January 2015:
On Thursday I realised I was about half way through my year, but I have lost sight of some of my goals for the year. I am a firm believer in writing down goals, goals that are written down get achieved more often. They also need to stay where they can often be seen. I need to regroup and figure out my goals again, and maybe modify a few.
16. January 2015:
On Friday after School we cleaned the house and went Shopping for groceries. I had friends over on saturday and we tried this thing called Raclette. It's a tiny stove thingy and there are Little pans that can also bake things undernieth. I love being that person who is so prepared for Company to come over and has all this amazing Food. Before I was always that person who never knew what type of Food they had. (Pfff I don't know I dont live here, oh wait yes I do...) My parents and I tried it out that night, and I must say it was delicious. We got about three different types of meat and cheese, and some vegatables. Pretty simple stuff, but it can really all be yummy.
17. January 2015:
Saturday night my friends Noah, Lyza, and Jasmine came over for a Raclette session. We spent about four hours sitting in my Basement listening to Music, talking, and eating delicious Food. I learned that my friends love having deep conversations, just like my friends in the USA. I always pick good friends. We talked about death and how we feel everything is slipping away so fast, and why athiests think how they think. I believe this is a good question to ask an athiest, because personally, neither Creationism or Evolutionism can be 100% proven. Which is better to believe, that there is a better happier life after death, or that we die that is the end of us and our energy is sent into the universe. I don't believe in God just for this reason, but I think it is an awful way to live this life thinking that in the end there is nothing you can do, nothing we do on this earth matters in the end. The Money that we earn, the things that we do, see or say don't matter, our legacy Ends, time moves on and People Forget about what we said did or experienced. The only thing that matters for me and many other People out there is believing in God. The fact is that we all die and there is nothing we can do to Change that. I would much rather believe in a perfect happy peacful place where I have the Chance to live instead of having Earth be the best possible Option in my life.
18. January 2015:
On Sunday I had a stomache ache the whole day. My Family laid low and tried not to get sick for another week straight. (Which most of us didn't)
Thanks for reading!
Sandra
12. January 2015:
Early on Monday morning I had my Literature class. We are writing and putting on a childrens play in our school. I chose to be a ninja pigion who helps Cinderella. Deep down it has always been my life's dream to become a ninja pigion who helps a fairytale princess. Ya, it will be fun. My ninja pigion conmrade is my friend Lotti. I hope to be really funny ninja pigions. In my art class I almost finished my hand in time. If I have about 5 more minutes I would have finished it. All that is left is part of the base. I think my hand turned out pretty well, and considering I was almost always sick Im happy with how far I got. Hopefully I will be able to bring it home and take a picture to post on the website.
13. January 2015:
On Tuesday Maja and I started working on a presentation about the Bundesrat. We are learning about the Bundesregierung (German government). It is very different from the American Government. I think the American system is much better to follow than the German one. The voting system is very different and not everybody is directly voted by the German population. I believe how it goes is that each party must receive 5% of votes to be represented in the Bundestag. To win the majority of the representation of the Bundestag two parties have to form a coalition. I personally like this idea of a coalition because it forces two groups of people with very pointed opinions to work together. I think government needs a little more of that, especially in this time of our 'do nothing Congress.' The structure and innerworkings of the German Government become much more tricky. Beyond my current knowledge.
14. January 2015:
On Wednesday my art class journeyed to the far away land of Duisburg. Duisburg is only an hour away. We went to the Duisburg Art Museum. Although it isn't as iconic as the Milwaukee Art Museum, the artwork on the inside is still beautiful. The first sculpture we saw was first covered in a cloth. We were allowed to touch it while the covering was on. Afterwards I was asked to describe it. I described it as an adult, most likely a mother, with two children. She would be hunched down covering the two children. The sculpture was made out of metal because I heard somebody knock on it, and it sounded like hollow metal. Where the People were was smooth, but at the base was a bit rough. As the covering was removed everybody was amazed, even myself, that it was exactly how I described it. The Name of the Piece is called "Mutter mit Zwillingen" (Mother with Twins). There were many others by Alberto Giacometti. I think his technique of making People extra tall but also extra thin. I think it is unusual but I don't think I would make that my favorite style.
15. January 2015:
On Thursday I realised I was about half way through my year, but I have lost sight of some of my goals for the year. I am a firm believer in writing down goals, goals that are written down get achieved more often. They also need to stay where they can often be seen. I need to regroup and figure out my goals again, and maybe modify a few.
16. January 2015:
On Friday after School we cleaned the house and went Shopping for groceries. I had friends over on saturday and we tried this thing called Raclette. It's a tiny stove thingy and there are Little pans that can also bake things undernieth. I love being that person who is so prepared for Company to come over and has all this amazing Food. Before I was always that person who never knew what type of Food they had. (Pfff I don't know I dont live here, oh wait yes I do...) My parents and I tried it out that night, and I must say it was delicious. We got about three different types of meat and cheese, and some vegatables. Pretty simple stuff, but it can really all be yummy.
17. January 2015:
Saturday night my friends Noah, Lyza, and Jasmine came over for a Raclette session. We spent about four hours sitting in my Basement listening to Music, talking, and eating delicious Food. I learned that my friends love having deep conversations, just like my friends in the USA. I always pick good friends. We talked about death and how we feel everything is slipping away so fast, and why athiests think how they think. I believe this is a good question to ask an athiest, because personally, neither Creationism or Evolutionism can be 100% proven. Which is better to believe, that there is a better happier life after death, or that we die that is the end of us and our energy is sent into the universe. I don't believe in God just for this reason, but I think it is an awful way to live this life thinking that in the end there is nothing you can do, nothing we do on this earth matters in the end. The Money that we earn, the things that we do, see or say don't matter, our legacy Ends, time moves on and People Forget about what we said did or experienced. The only thing that matters for me and many other People out there is believing in God. The fact is that we all die and there is nothing we can do to Change that. I would much rather believe in a perfect happy peacful place where I have the Chance to live instead of having Earth be the best possible Option in my life.
18. January 2015:
On Sunday I had a stomache ache the whole day. My Family laid low and tried not to get sick for another week straight. (Which most of us didn't)
Thanks for reading!
Sandra
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Weekly post #23
Hey everybody,
It looks like my weekly update has gotten a bit behind. Yea, sorry about that. Was it only last sunday that the Packers received a miracle and won against the Cowboys. Funny enough we are also talking about American stereotypes in my English class. The superbowl came up of course, one of the very accurate American stereotypes.
5. January 2015:
On Monday my host dad and I went to the Konigssee located on the boarder between Germany and Austria. The drive through the mountains was incredible. On one side the mountains towered over the edge of the road. On the other side was a huge crevice before quickly rising into another magnificent mountain. The road had to wind left, right, up and down. There were a few rivers that we saw too. The water was a completely clear blue green. They came from the mountians so the water was speeding but completely cold fresh and good to drink. Pine trees covered the mountains as we drove. At the top of the mountains only the luckiest and strongest trees could dig their roots into the stone to resist the strong winds. We past through several villages and towns in between the mountains. I am so happy I wasn't born in any of these villages, because I would never know how beautiful it was. There was snow piled on the rooves of the houses which were stagered all over the beginnings of the mountains, because there is really no big flat area. My host dad said the only other way to reach the other side of the Konigssee was to take the boat. The mountains are so thick no road can possibly go through. We stayed on the one side of the Konigssee, which was perfectly fine with me. The Konigssee translates into The King's Sea. I can understand how it was named. The sea is so beautiful it is fit for kings. The Konigssee is located between two mountains. As we walked up the path to one of the viewing points there were tiny streams from the tops of the mountains running all the way down into the lake. The water was as blue as the Caribbean, but safe to drink. The day was a bit warmer than the past few. Due to this there was a light mist all over the mountains and the lake, it made my pictures look more mysterious. When we did get to the viewing spot we saw the two people from the hay ride from the day prior. This was the weirdest coincidence of our whole trip in Bergen.
6. January 2015:
Tuesday we drove back to Dortmund. I loved my time in Bergen, but I was also happy to be back in Dortmund where it wasn't so hard to understand the German. Good luck to my friends in Bavaria, I really hope I can understand you later. The ride back seemed much faster, as they usually are.
7. January 2015:
Wednesday was my first day back to school. Luckily it was wednesday so I got to have a slow start to school. In my math class I finally understood one concept of what we were doing I finally understood that Flächenheit means area. But that didn't help me too much for my test, sadly. I am starting to get to my time in Germany where I am worn out. I am completely exhausted by the time I get home from school. Hopefully it doesn't stay for too long. It may also be because of the weather. In Wisconsin at this time it is alway dark, cold, the snow is black, and it never stops snowing. This always makes people more dreary and cranky. In Dortmund it rains a bunch but it is warming up and there is no snow on the ground.
8. January 2015:
On Thursday I had my history class in the morning. I improved my test grade by about two letter grades, which is really good considering I am still trying to figure out the structure. I also planned a gathering with a couple other of my friends at my house next saturday (today). I really am looking forward to it.
9. January 2015:
Friday was really a really normal day. Although I got most of the homework questions right. As I was doing them I kept thinking to myself, "These are completely wrong, but I will get marked down if I don't write something down."
10. January 2015:
My Saturday was spent working mostly on the new picture link on my blog, you guys better enjoy it.
11. January 2015:
On Sunday I was supposed to have my first climbing lesson. Unfortunately there was a misunderstanding so I am having my first lesson next Sunday (tomorrow). My mom, Justus, and I went there and it looks really nice. There were all types of people there and there are many different walls. I really hope this works out, I really want to try out something new and there are several great climbing spots in Wisconsin and Duluth. (Ya if you guys haven't heard already I have been accepted to University of Minnesota: Duluth)
Thanks for reading!
Sandra
It looks like my weekly update has gotten a bit behind. Yea, sorry about that. Was it only last sunday that the Packers received a miracle and won against the Cowboys. Funny enough we are also talking about American stereotypes in my English class. The superbowl came up of course, one of the very accurate American stereotypes.
5. January 2015:
On Monday my host dad and I went to the Konigssee located on the boarder between Germany and Austria. The drive through the mountains was incredible. On one side the mountains towered over the edge of the road. On the other side was a huge crevice before quickly rising into another magnificent mountain. The road had to wind left, right, up and down. There were a few rivers that we saw too. The water was a completely clear blue green. They came from the mountians so the water was speeding but completely cold fresh and good to drink. Pine trees covered the mountains as we drove. At the top of the mountains only the luckiest and strongest trees could dig their roots into the stone to resist the strong winds. We past through several villages and towns in between the mountains. I am so happy I wasn't born in any of these villages, because I would never know how beautiful it was. There was snow piled on the rooves of the houses which were stagered all over the beginnings of the mountains, because there is really no big flat area. My host dad said the only other way to reach the other side of the Konigssee was to take the boat. The mountains are so thick no road can possibly go through. We stayed on the one side of the Konigssee, which was perfectly fine with me. The Konigssee translates into The King's Sea. I can understand how it was named. The sea is so beautiful it is fit for kings. The Konigssee is located between two mountains. As we walked up the path to one of the viewing points there were tiny streams from the tops of the mountains running all the way down into the lake. The water was as blue as the Caribbean, but safe to drink. The day was a bit warmer than the past few. Due to this there was a light mist all over the mountains and the lake, it made my pictures look more mysterious. When we did get to the viewing spot we saw the two people from the hay ride from the day prior. This was the weirdest coincidence of our whole trip in Bergen.
6. January 2015:
Tuesday we drove back to Dortmund. I loved my time in Bergen, but I was also happy to be back in Dortmund where it wasn't so hard to understand the German. Good luck to my friends in Bavaria, I really hope I can understand you later. The ride back seemed much faster, as they usually are.
7. January 2015:
Wednesday was my first day back to school. Luckily it was wednesday so I got to have a slow start to school. In my math class I finally understood one concept of what we were doing I finally understood that Flächenheit means area. But that didn't help me too much for my test, sadly. I am starting to get to my time in Germany where I am worn out. I am completely exhausted by the time I get home from school. Hopefully it doesn't stay for too long. It may also be because of the weather. In Wisconsin at this time it is alway dark, cold, the snow is black, and it never stops snowing. This always makes people more dreary and cranky. In Dortmund it rains a bunch but it is warming up and there is no snow on the ground.
8. January 2015:
On Thursday I had my history class in the morning. I improved my test grade by about two letter grades, which is really good considering I am still trying to figure out the structure. I also planned a gathering with a couple other of my friends at my house next saturday (today). I really am looking forward to it.
9. January 2015:
Friday was really a really normal day. Although I got most of the homework questions right. As I was doing them I kept thinking to myself, "These are completely wrong, but I will get marked down if I don't write something down."
10. January 2015:
My Saturday was spent working mostly on the new picture link on my blog, you guys better enjoy it.
11. January 2015:
On Sunday I was supposed to have my first climbing lesson. Unfortunately there was a misunderstanding so I am having my first lesson next Sunday (tomorrow). My mom, Justus, and I went there and it looks really nice. There were all types of people there and there are many different walls. I really hope this works out, I really want to try out something new and there are several great climbing spots in Wisconsin and Duluth. (Ya if you guys haven't heard already I have been accepted to University of Minnesota: Duluth)
Thanks for reading!
Sandra
Friday, January 16, 2015
Half way there
Today is the 169th day of my 338th day in Germany. I remember the days before I left. They seemed to speed out of my control. During the day I would spend the day with my sisters and our exchange sister from Mexico. Then I would stay up until 3 am packing and getting ready for my journey. Most nights my mom and I would sit around and talk for awhile. These conversations consisted mostly of me freaking out about the unknown, mostly because I was exhausted. When I turned the corner of where I would see my family in person for the last time in a year, I had a feeling exactly like this below.
It was the biggest rock I have ever felt in my stomach. But luckily only for that single moment. I consider myself to be very lucky. I have lived with two loving families, and have gotten to know people from all over the globe. There have been some bumps along the road, which I have mostly kept out of my blog for their own reasons. But overall my year has been one of the best years of my life and I already fear the idea of coming home and speaking English all the time. Many say the second half goes twice as fast. It better be four times as awesome as the first half if that is true. My host mom said, "it's easier for your family to let go of you, they only say goodbye for a year. We only get you for a year, our goodbye is not so easy." I can wait a lifetime for the day I need to say goodbye.
Thanks for reading,
Sandra
Thanks for reading,
Sandra
Saturday, January 10, 2015
Special Post #2
Hey everybody,
There is a little difference to my website now, if you guys haven't already noticed. I have redone my picture website. The blogger picture pages was very difficult to work with so now I will be posting all my pictures to my flickr page, which is much more picture friendly. The link takes you straight to my picture feed, for easier viewing I would use the albums tab. The one main drawback is that you guys have to have a yahoo email to be able to like or comment on them. At least you guys can view them and tell me what you think when I get back to the states.
Thank you for reading!
Sandra
There is a little difference to my website now, if you guys haven't already noticed. I have redone my picture website. The blogger picture pages was very difficult to work with so now I will be posting all my pictures to my flickr page, which is much more picture friendly. The link takes you straight to my picture feed, for easier viewing I would use the albums tab. The one main drawback is that you guys have to have a yahoo email to be able to like or comment on them. At least you guys can view them and tell me what you think when I get back to the states.
Thank you for reading!
Sandra
Weekly Post #22
Hey Everybody!
I hope everybody had a great New Year's! People say Gute Rutsch! here. It literally translates to good slide. Which makes sense if you think about sliding into the new year. Another note to my college friends (two notes! aren't you guys lucky!) be safe traveling back to college, and good luck with the new semester! The Packers are now looking to their first post season game, which I will be able to actually watch with my family. This also means I am half way through my year (I know it goes that fast). I am also half way through my journal, which helps me remember all the things I have done week from week. My friend, Noah, (Noah you made the blog again!) commented that my blog posts have gotten shorter as my time here goes along. I have noticed that as well, but there are two ways to explain this. One, I am in the stage of my year where I have settled in and naturally don't feel the pressure to do as much sight seeing before. Two, my year has turned more internal than external. I have seen and realised so many new connections between cultures that now I may not notice as many. I believe exchange students change in many ways that they don't notice, or may not notice until we go back home. Naturally I cannot write about these experiences yet.
29. December 2014:
On Monday was my host cousin's birthday. I learned that they live in a 110 year old house with beautiful sculpted ceilings. I don't think I have ever been in a 110 year old house which wasn't a museum. That's crazy to think that people still live in a house which is half as old as The United States. It really made me realise how young our country is. Everything back then was about making houses LOOK expensive. Due to this only the front rooms, which people saw, had the beautiful cielings. I never thought I would be interesting in a ceiling. My family has also been watching the world cup dart final. I never thought darts could be so interesting. The people are even crazier than the Packer fans, and thats saying something. It's held in London at The Alexandra Palace. I thought it was fun to watch, but I wouldn't consider it a sport.
30. December 2014:
Tuesday was my host aunt's birthday. I held my little host cousin for part of the night. She is so small and doesn't pull my hair (thank goodness. That's always the first thing they go for.). I love to make faces at her. My host cousin also was able to french braid my hair. I was on a french braid trend when I left America. I actually left with a french braid, I remember that. I am not the best braider, I have been missing that more than I thought I would. Anyway, there is this tradition by many of my host family get togethers. Many people come mid afternoon for kuchen (cake but better) and coffee. Later on even more people come, and dinner is served. I really like this it gives people enough time to come and enjoy without feeling like they really missed anything.
31. December 2014:
On Wednesday my family prepared for our trip to Bavaria. At midnight everybody on our block started light off fireworks. Considering this is illegal in America, I thought that was super cool. Everywhere you looked fireworks were going off. My host mom and I went across the stree to our college student neighbors. I blew off fireworks and chatted with them until about 4am. And I was still up at 8:30 the next morning to head out to Bavaria. High School trained me well.
1. January 2015:
On Thursday we spent the day driving down to Bergen, where we would stay until January 6th. When we got to the beginning of the Alps the sun was setting behind them with a multitude of pinks, oranges, purples, and blues. It was an incredible way to begin my adventure with the mountains.
2. January 2015:
We went to the mountain Hochfelln on Friday. A storm was coming that afternoon so it was very windy. Sometimes the wind would come and we were afraid that Justus would be blown away. Even I felt like I was going to be knocked over sometimes. Inspite of that, it was incredible at the top. Hochfelln is noted to be on of the mountains at the begining of the Alp range. The view from the top had two parts. One which was completely flat, and the other which had mountains which became gradually larger. The farm where we stayed reminded me of my Nana's farm house. It smelled the same, had cows, the same cow equiptment, they even had the same handsoap. It was like a little piece of home.
3. January 2015:
On Saturday I ended up sleeping in super late, which is not normal for me. I think I am reaching the part of my trip where my juice has run out, and I am wiped out at the end of the day. Making me sleep extra long. We went to an ice age/dinosaur museum. Justus sped and shrieked at all the cool artifacts. In the evening my host dad and I went to Ruhpolding to check out the Biathelon track, which will be packed for the world cup this or next weekend. We got to see the German national team training at shooting.
4. January 2015:
On Sunday my family went to a märchen park. It was in a forest and it was snowing, which was so beautiful. The snow was on the trees and the little show houses were all wood. It was also snowing perfectly almost the whole time we were there. We listened to a couple of Märchens. The three little pigs is known as the seven little goats. They all get eaten by the wolf who pretends to be their mother. At the end of the afternoon we went on a hay/sleigh ride. We played I see something you don't see with two other people along with us. That evening we went to dinner with our hosts, The Steiners, to a very delicious restraunt. I had a Schweinefleisch (pig) with homemade Spätzle (german noodles). This was probably one of the best meals I have ever had (KK you have a new challenge!).
Thank you for reading!
Sandra
I hope everybody had a great New Year's! People say Gute Rutsch! here. It literally translates to good slide. Which makes sense if you think about sliding into the new year. Another note to my college friends (two notes! aren't you guys lucky!) be safe traveling back to college, and good luck with the new semester! The Packers are now looking to their first post season game, which I will be able to actually watch with my family. This also means I am half way through my year (I know it goes that fast). I am also half way through my journal, which helps me remember all the things I have done week from week. My friend, Noah, (Noah you made the blog again!) commented that my blog posts have gotten shorter as my time here goes along. I have noticed that as well, but there are two ways to explain this. One, I am in the stage of my year where I have settled in and naturally don't feel the pressure to do as much sight seeing before. Two, my year has turned more internal than external. I have seen and realised so many new connections between cultures that now I may not notice as many. I believe exchange students change in many ways that they don't notice, or may not notice until we go back home. Naturally I cannot write about these experiences yet.
29. December 2014:
On Monday was my host cousin's birthday. I learned that they live in a 110 year old house with beautiful sculpted ceilings. I don't think I have ever been in a 110 year old house which wasn't a museum. That's crazy to think that people still live in a house which is half as old as The United States. It really made me realise how young our country is. Everything back then was about making houses LOOK expensive. Due to this only the front rooms, which people saw, had the beautiful cielings. I never thought I would be interesting in a ceiling. My family has also been watching the world cup dart final. I never thought darts could be so interesting. The people are even crazier than the Packer fans, and thats saying something. It's held in London at The Alexandra Palace. I thought it was fun to watch, but I wouldn't consider it a sport.
30. December 2014:
Tuesday was my host aunt's birthday. I held my little host cousin for part of the night. She is so small and doesn't pull my hair (thank goodness. That's always the first thing they go for.). I love to make faces at her. My host cousin also was able to french braid my hair. I was on a french braid trend when I left America. I actually left with a french braid, I remember that. I am not the best braider, I have been missing that more than I thought I would. Anyway, there is this tradition by many of my host family get togethers. Many people come mid afternoon for kuchen (cake but better) and coffee. Later on even more people come, and dinner is served. I really like this it gives people enough time to come and enjoy without feeling like they really missed anything.
31. December 2014:
On Wednesday my family prepared for our trip to Bavaria. At midnight everybody on our block started light off fireworks. Considering this is illegal in America, I thought that was super cool. Everywhere you looked fireworks were going off. My host mom and I went across the stree to our college student neighbors. I blew off fireworks and chatted with them until about 4am. And I was still up at 8:30 the next morning to head out to Bavaria. High School trained me well.
1. January 2015:
On Thursday we spent the day driving down to Bergen, where we would stay until January 6th. When we got to the beginning of the Alps the sun was setting behind them with a multitude of pinks, oranges, purples, and blues. It was an incredible way to begin my adventure with the mountains.
2. January 2015:
We went to the mountain Hochfelln on Friday. A storm was coming that afternoon so it was very windy. Sometimes the wind would come and we were afraid that Justus would be blown away. Even I felt like I was going to be knocked over sometimes. Inspite of that, it was incredible at the top. Hochfelln is noted to be on of the mountains at the begining of the Alp range. The view from the top had two parts. One which was completely flat, and the other which had mountains which became gradually larger. The farm where we stayed reminded me of my Nana's farm house. It smelled the same, had cows, the same cow equiptment, they even had the same handsoap. It was like a little piece of home.
3. January 2015:
On Saturday I ended up sleeping in super late, which is not normal for me. I think I am reaching the part of my trip where my juice has run out, and I am wiped out at the end of the day. Making me sleep extra long. We went to an ice age/dinosaur museum. Justus sped and shrieked at all the cool artifacts. In the evening my host dad and I went to Ruhpolding to check out the Biathelon track, which will be packed for the world cup this or next weekend. We got to see the German national team training at shooting.
4. January 2015:
On Sunday my family went to a märchen park. It was in a forest and it was snowing, which was so beautiful. The snow was on the trees and the little show houses were all wood. It was also snowing perfectly almost the whole time we were there. We listened to a couple of Märchens. The three little pigs is known as the seven little goats. They all get eaten by the wolf who pretends to be their mother. At the end of the afternoon we went on a hay/sleigh ride. We played I see something you don't see with two other people along with us. That evening we went to dinner with our hosts, The Steiners, to a very delicious restraunt. I had a Schweinefleisch (pig) with homemade Spätzle (german noodles). This was probably one of the best meals I have ever had (KK you have a new challenge!).
Thank you for reading!
Sandra
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