Herbstferien

It has been a month since I wrote last, and so much has happened in that time period. I will start right where I left off. The last time I wrote was on a Friday, and the last day of school before Herbstferien, or Fall Holiday. In the first weekend of break, we went to Bremen, a beautiful port city in the north of Germany located on the Weser River. The first thing we did in Bremen was go to this museum comparable to Ellis Island, except it was the outgoing side. All the people that wanted to leave Germany went through this place first, and then got on a boat to go to their desired country. It was quite interesting. After a few hours there, we drove to the main city of Bremen, where we checked into the hotel, and then walked around the city for a while. It is a nice city with beautiful architecture, and lots of fun things to do. After getting a nice tour of the city, and taking lots of pictures, we met up with some family friends and ate at an Italian restaurant called Napolli. It was delectable. The next day, we woke up early to go to a nice buffet in the hotel, and then watch my host mom run the Bremen Half Marathon. It took her about 2 hours, and we watched the whole thing. Although we only got to see her 3 times, we still got to see a bunch of other runners. After the marathon, we got ready, and headed back to Hildesheim. We were only in Hildesheim for less than 24 hours when we packed up the car and headed to Sylt, an island in the North Sea. We left at around 10 in the morning, and got there at around 8 due to a very big accident that stopped traffic for 3 hours, and killed 3 people. Once we finally got off the train ferry, we drove to the grocery store, and then to the house. Being that my host family owns a vacation house on the island, they can go there whenever they want, making it a very convenient vacation spot. Since it was dark when we arrived, I was not able to see the landscape, but from the little bit that I saw, I could tell that it was very beautiful. The next day Beate, Inga and I went on a nature tour on the beach, and saw some cliffs, beaches, and wild sheep. It was one of the most beautiful things that I have ever seen. The dunes on the island are much different than the dunes from Florida, because they are covered in grass, and are all over the island, not just right on the beach. Another night, we went to the very north of the island, and ate at the most northern restaurant in Germany, which was a seafood restaurant called Gosch. The food and the atmosphere was absolutely spectacular. I had a spicy pasta dish with shrimp and crawfish. Although the crawfish weren't wonderful, the shrimp were. After eating, us kids played an intense game of hide and seek, and then went back to our house. The next day, we went to Westerland, the main city on Sylt. We went to this indoor water park with slides and a wave pool. It was facing the sea, and all the water in the complex was difectly from the sea. After some good fun at the water park, we stayed in Westerland for a while and did some shopping. After a few more days on Sylt, we returned to Hildesheim, where we stayed for about 3 days. On one of the days, I went to Göttingen, a city 1.5 hours away, to visit other exchange students. We hung out in a park and played games for a while, and then went to a hookah bar. It was a really fun day.  The next day, my host mom took me and my host siblings to the zoo in Hannover.  According to my host brother, it is the best zoo in Europe, but I'm not sure.  It was very cold at the zoo, but also very nice.  We saw lots of different animals, took lots of pictures, went on a nice boat ride, went in a petting zoo, and played hide-and-go-seek on a jungle gym.  It was quite a wonderful afternoon.  In my opinion, the petting zoo was by far the best part.  It was a big area of dirt with goats, sheep, and these hideous lama things.  They weren't actually lamas, but they sort of looked like them, except they had really bad teeth.  Maybe they were from England.  Anyways, as I was going around, handing out food to the spoiled animals, a goat decided that it was necessary to jump up on my leg and start making goat noises.  Although it was quite cute, it got animal poop all over my jeans and jacket.  The picture of me hugging the goat was totally worth it in the end though.  

The next day, we drove to Berlin after a nice breakfast together.  Inga wasn't able to go because of a confirmation retreat in another city, so it was just my host parents, and Arne.  We got there at around 2, and checked into this wonderful hotel in Potsdam Platz, a Hyatt.  After unpacking and relaxing for a short while, we took a taxi (Mercedes of course) to Ka De We, a humongous department store comparable to Saks 5th Avenue.  Only bigger, and with EVERYTHING.  The first part we ventured to was the top floor, the food area.  There was an exquisite buffet a la carte type thing, where I got schnitzel, mashed potatoes, and some pasta dish.  It was amazing.  After a nice lunch, we looked around the complex for a while longer.  Let me tell you a little bit about Ka De We:  With over 60,000 square metres of selling space and more than 380,000 articles available, it is the second largest department store in Europe; trumped only by Harrods in London. It attracts 40,000 to 50,000 visitors every day.  Needless to say, it was quite impressive.  After about an hour in there, we went to another shop and then back to the hotel.  After dropping Arne off there, we went to Starbucks, and got something to drink.  Once back at the hotel, we stayed there for a while, until we went on a walk through Berlin.  We only walked a few kilometers, but it was a nice walk, and I saw lots of things.  After the walk, we went back to the hotel and went to bed.  The next day, we had an amazing breakfast at the hotel complete with real bacon and scrambled eggs.  Talk about a dream come true.  It was soooo good.  After a scrumptious breakfast, Beate, Uwe and I went on a bus tour around the city, where we were able to see all the main sites of Berlin.  Although it was a very thorough tour, we didn't get off anywhere and do anything, which was disappointing.  I wanted to see the museums and the memorials, but no, that didn't happen. Apparently there was just NO time.  Anyways, after the bus tour, we Uwe and I went down the main streets to go shopping, and then to this place called Alexander Platz, which was fun.  After meeting up with Beate, we went back to the hotel, and I took a nice nap.  Later in the evening, there was a gala being held at the hotel we were staying at sponsored by McDonalds.  There was a red carpet for the stars, and a big paparazzi.  It was really interesting to see all the photographers pushing each other and moving all over the place, just to get the "perfect shot."  Although it was cool, it would have been better if the most A-List star there was Kevin Costner.  Because in reality, what has he done besides Dances With Wolves, which in my opinion, was about 3 hours too long.  Anyways, after all the D-List stars came and got their picture taken, they went up stairs to the extremely expensive gala, while I went up stairs, to my room.  Luckily, there was a very nice pool/sauna on the top floor, so I went up their.  After getting a locker and getting into my underwear acting as a bathing suit, i sat in the luke warm hot tub for a while, and relaxed while over looking the big city of Berlin.  All the walls were glass, so you could see almost everything.  It was an amazing view.  After a sufficient amount to time in the hot tub, I decided that I should shower.  But that was when I realized that there was a sauna.  In the locker room, there was a door that said "Sauna and Showers" on it, so I went in, thinking that it was the mens sauna and showers.  But no, it was for both men AND women, which really took me by surprise.  I went into the sauna, and saw both naked men and women in the same room.  It really goes to show how Americans really are prude.  After sitting in the 185 degree (no joke) sauna for 30 minutes, I took a shower, and went back to the room.  A few hours later, Arne and I watched a boxing fight between a white German and a black American.  I thought the American would definitely win, but he got knocked out.  He sucked.  After the fight, we went to bed.  The next morning, we had another wonderful breakfast at the hotel, and then hit the road.  We were going to go to this place where there were a lot of castles, but we couldn't find a parking place, so we just went home.  All in all, Berlin was really nice.  A few minutes after arriving back home, someone rang the doorbell, and asked for me.  It was Federico, my third host family's exchange student at the moment.  He's from Argentina.  They wanted to know if I wanted to go for a bike ride.  In reality, bike riding was the last thing that I wanted to do at the moment, but since they rode their bikes all the way to my house to pick me up, I knew it was expected that I go.  After getting out my bike, off we went up steep hills and through fields.  Although my legs were burning and I wanted to turn back, I kept on, and in the end, it turned out to fun.  We went to the top of this really big hill and saw a few of all of Hildesheim.  It was really pretty.  If only I would have brought a camera.  Luckily, my host dad brought one and took some nice pics.  After the bike ride, which was downhill on the way back (thank goodness), the Shiedecks and I went to the handball match, ate dinner, came home, and went to bed.

The past 2 weeks have been extremely busy, therefore I have not written in a while.  Let's start out with the weekend after Walsrode.  After school on Friday, I went home, had a nice German lunch with the fam, then was driven to the train station so that I could catch a train to Hannover, where dance school is.  Once arriving in Hannover, I met up with all the other dancers, and we danced our way over  to the dance studio.  We hit the dance floor, the lights were turned off, the disco ball turned on, and we danced the Rumba.  There's nothing to get you pumped and excited quite like the Rumba.  It truly is magical.  After an hour of dancing various Latin dances, we were dismissed, and we all meandered back to the city, where we hung out for a while.  One hour, and one overpriced ice cream shop later, me and a girl from the dance class got on a train back to Nordstemmen, near where my 3rd host family lives.  This train ride was very interesting to say the least.  I didn't feel like buying a ticket for the train for 2 main reasons.  One, I do not like to spend 6 Euros on a 1 way train ticket, especially since they are hardly ever checked.  Two, I thought that even if I was checked, I could get away with it, since I am American and if they tried to talk to me, I would just say that I didn't understand.  I used this tactic often, and most times it worked like a charm.  But this time, luck wasn't on my side.  I kept on looking up and down the aisle of the train to see if there was anyone coming to check tickets, and after about 15 minutes, one came strolling down the aisle.  I thought that I could get away unseen if I just went downstairs, being that it was a 2 story train.  So, after hurrying downstairs, I found another seat and stayed there for a while, until my friend game and got me, saying that it was clear.  Little did we know, we were not clear.  The lady came back down the aisle, and noticed that I wasn't there the first time that she came through.  After scolding the girl that I was with, she left, without making me pay the 40 Euros that I was supposed to.  Thank goodness! Anyways, we left the train soon after, and walked 2 kilometers to the Tödters.  When I got there, I was served steak and sausages, and some German beer.  It was a very good dinner.  After talking for a long time, the guests left, and I stayed and talked with my soon to be host family.  I spent the night that night, and then went back home the next morning.  I had planned on going to Hannover with my the Schiedecks that day, but I arrived back home too late, and they had already left when I came back.  Therefore, I spent a day alone relaxing and sleeping and studying.  The next day, Sunday, Uwe took me, my host sister and her friend to the Ideen Expo in Hannover.  It was a big exhibition for businesses to come and show people about how their companies work.  It was kind of interesting, but I wasn't able to understand much, so I got bored.  2 hours later, we went home, and did nothing for the rest of the day.  

The next weekend turned out to be very fun.  After dance class on Friday, I got on a train in Hannover, and got on my way to Celle.  Celle is about 30 minutes from Hannover, and is the hometown of the Flicks.  When my mom was an exchange student in Germany, she had a host sister and that was who I visited in Celle.  My real family and I had visited them before, but it was 8 years ago, so I didn't remember much.  Upon my arrival, I met up with Gitti, and we walked back to her house, which was about 20 minutes.  We talked about our lives and such, all in German of course, and it was very nice.  Once we got to the house, she showed me around, then we ate dinner, then went for a walk.  We walked around Celle downtown and saw all the old buildings and traditional architecture.  It was very pretty.  We then went to a bar and had non alcoholic drinks with Tabea the daughter.  After all of this, we went back and went to bed.  It made for quite a fun evening.  The next day, the three of us went to Braunshweig, a city about an hour away.  It is about the size of Hannover, and just as pretty, if not prettier.  In Braunshweig, we got to see the old buildings, a farmers market, Angela Merken, the president of Germany, and an exhibit about Otto IV.  It was very interesting AND fun.  We also went to Starbucks which was delicious.  After a busy day in Braunshweig, we went back to Celle, and rested.  Later that night, Tabea and I went to a party where I met lots of Tabea's friends and even made some friends myself.  I got invited to lots more parties, and had an overall great time.  At about 1, we went back to the Flick's house, and went to bed.  The next morning, I slept in until 1130 and it was so nice.  When I finally woke up, we had breakfast, and then 1.5 hours later, we had lunch.  After lunch, Gitti showed me some pictures of vacations and such, and I showed her some pictures of our family vacations.  It was good to catch up.  At about 2, Gitti drove me to the train station, and I went back to Hildesheim.  Once arriving in Hildesheim, the Schiedecks took me to a Handball match.  This was a very fun and different experience.  Uwe's company sponsors the city's handball team, so he has seats in the VIP section, which means free drinks and free food.  It was very nice.  After a very intense game, Hildesheim won, and we went home, and played a board game as a family, a great bonding experience.  After playing the game, we all went to bed.

The next weekend was also very fun.  On Friday, I had dance class again, which was fun like always.  We learned the dances: Jive, Salsa, Waltz, Rumba, Disco Fox.  On Saturday, I had a Rotex day in Hamburg in the north of Germany.  It is a beautiful city that is know for its big port and upper class people.  We arrived at around noon and immediately took a tour of the city, seeing the important land marks and buildings.  It was a very very beautiful city that I wouldn't mind living in.  Apparently it is called the Venice of Germany.  After a few hours of looking around the city, we went on a boat ride in the harbor and saw all the boats and barges and cranes, and such.  It really was not very nice looking.  Most of what we saw was just cargo and big boxes.  Nothing really nice.  After an hour on the boat, we we allowed 1.5 hours of free time to wander around the city.  I hung out with some people from America, and we just walked around and talked about our lives in Germany.  It was fun.  After our freetime was over, we got back on a train, and returned to Hannover.  This was probably the most fun part of the day.  There were no free seats on the train, so a bunch of people were standing by the doors, and just talking and hanging out, having a grand old time.  The train ride was 2 hours long, and by the time we arrived in Hannover, we were all pretty tired.  Once in Hannover, we all said our goodbyes, and got on our respected trains.  The next day, My host mom and sister took me to a city called Hameln, which is 42 kilometers from where I live.  Hameln is a spectacular old city that is known for one thing:  Der Rattenfänger.  This is a story about Hameln, and you can buy this story at any shop in the city.  Here is what the story is about:  There is a big infestation of rats in Hameln, and they are eating all of the food, so the mayor calls in the Rattenfänger to get rid of the rats.  He is told that if he gets rid of every rat, that he will get money.  So, he plays his flute, and leads all of the rats into the fiver that Hameln is located on, where all the rats drown.  So, he goes to the mayor and asks him for his money, but the mayor doesn't give it to him.  So he leaves the city, angry.  But one day, he comes back, and plays his flute again.  This time, he leads all of the children into the forest, and leaves them there, where they die, just because the mayor didn't pay him for dealing with the rats.  And that right there is what the city is based on, and all it is known for.  After walking around for a while, we went to a restaurant that was built in 1620, and had some delicious crepe like things.  Mine had mushrooms and cheese, and was delectable.  After lunch, we went to the river, where we took a boat tour.  It was a pretty river, but the boat ride was somewhat boring.  It was just an hour long ride down the river a ways, and then back the same exact route.  Not very much variety.  After the boat tour, we returned backed to Hildesheim.  

 

I am sorry that I haven't written in a while, but it is because I have been so busy with life! The last week and a half have been really stressful and busy due to online school, real school, and just life and general.  As usual, the Monday-Thursday after the Hannover weekend were pretty average.  It's weird how I don't really feel like a guest anymore.  The original honeymoon period has settled, and I feel like just any other family member.  After a relatively boring week of school, I went to Walsrode for a Rotary weekend.  I had known about Walsrode before, because Beate, my host mom is from there.  Anyways, after 1.5 hours on a slow train, I arrived at the Walsrode train station and was greeted by Herr Fischer, my host dad for the weekend.  The ride back to his house was extremely awkward due to the fact that it was just him and me, and he kept on speaking German to me, most of which I didn't understand.  I tried to take the easy route and say yes to everything he asked me, but it didn't work out so well when he asked me to repeat what he said.  When I admitted that I had no idea what he was talking about, he gave up and spoke English.  After about 20 minutes, we arrived at a beautiful ivy covered brick house on a big piece of land with fields and horses all around it.  I have to admit, Walsrode is much prettier that Hildesheim.  Once we got to the house, I unpacked, and awkwardly walked around the kitchen until we sat down with the host mom for some sugar cake and tea. My favorite!  2 glasses of tea and 4 pieces of cake later, we got ready and left for the rotary event that night.  Since my host dad was in rotary, we had to get there 2 hours early to help set up. Luckily, more exchange students arrived soon after, providing me with an excuse for not cleaning the dust and cobwebs off the benches and chairs that hadn't been used in what seemed like decades.  After about an hour of standing in a nice garden freezing our tails off, the "Party" started.  Once everyone had been sitting down for what seemed like eternity, we were finally allowed to eat.  At first glance, the paella wannabe might have looked good, but once you tried it, it was awful.  Unfortunately, the "paella" and stale pita was all there was to eat.  I went hungry that night.  After dinner was when the really party started.  The 50 year old DJ put on some Black Eyed Peas to get everyone pumped up, hoping that people would dance.  It worked, and there were a select few that did go to the open area and start to dance, but I wasn't one of them.  I did not dance the entire night due to the fact that there were rotarians sitting in the back of the barn which we were in, just watching all the kids dance.  It was awkward and strange, and I would take no part in it.  Luckily, there were some other kids that were turned off from the idea of dancing/grinding to rap songs in front of old men rotarians, so I hung out with them.  A little while into the disco, Breanna from Ohio and Stina from Wisconsin and I decided to go for a walk.  We hadn't gone 200 yards when we ran into a most peculiar animal. There was a hedgehog just chillin in the middle of the street.  It scurried away quickly, but luckily, we caught up to it, and were able to get lots of pictures with it.  After we felt that we had scared the hedgehog enough, we went back to the barn to watch people dancing.  After the disco ended, we went back to our respected homes, and went to bed.  

The next morning, I woke up to a wonderful breakfast of scrambled eggs, brötchens and Nesquik.  This pleased me quite a bit.  it was the first time that I had had scrambled eggs since my arrival here, and they were quite good.  Not nearly as good as my mom's back home, but they were acceptable.  After a nice breakfast, we got in the car, and my host dad drove me to the bus stop where we met up with other exchange students.  10 minutes later, we got into the bus, and drove for about an hour to sudsee camp, south lake camp.  It was raining at this point, and very cold.  We reluctantly got off the bus, but once we finally did, we found a dry spot to stay on a porch by a restaurant.  After waiting around for a while, we were shuttled to a tent in a strange tractor like vehicle that "every kid in Europe has to ride once in their life." So, since we fit the bill, we got to ride it.  After a cold rainy ride, we arrived at a tent where we played games for a while, and learned a strange Spanish song.  The lyrics are as follows: Cow, Cow, The same cow.  And thats the whole song.  Once we learned and rehearsed the dance for a good 20 minutes, we left the tent, and went to a room to eat lunch.  We had rolls with tomato soup and fruit.  It was surprisingly delicious!  Once we filled up on bread, soup and cake, we left the room, and walked on the lake's beach to a big field where we did team building activities....and archery. The archery was fun, but the team building part was kind of lame.  We had to put everyone through a net type thing, without touching the rope.  It's hard to explain, but it's very difficult.  Since Stina and I were opposed to going through nets, we borrowed some BMX bikes, and rode them around a dirt track with hills and jumps.  In my opinion, it was astronomically more fun than the net.  Once everyone passed through the net, we went back to the room, where everyone decided what they wanted to do.  The options were to play soccer, swim, or just hang out.  All the South Americans played soccer, and a few people swam, but most people hung out on the beach, myself included.  After about 2 hours of free time, we went back to the eating room, and had a wonderful BBQ.  After everyone finished eating, the lights went out, and the "disco" started.  I took part in this disco because the rotarians were not there to watch. About an hour into the disco, everyone had cleared the room and had gone to the beach, where we all sat and talked.  It was nice.  At 10, it was time to leave, so we hopped on the bus, and went back home for the night.  

The next morning, I woke up to more scrambled eggs and brotchens, always good.  After a nice fulfilling breakfast, I got all packed up, and left with my host parents to go to the horse stable. It was a very nice stable on a very big piece of land.  There were about 100 horses roaming around in a field eating grass, most of them being warm blood Hannoverians.  We had brought an apple for their horse, a very beautiful brown one with white on its nose.  After the horse ate its scrumptious apple, we headed out for yet another barn, which the rotary meeting was to be held in.  When we got there, the Walsrode Rotary Club president gave a very strange speech to us, and then we went outside to practice the cow dance.  After 2 practice rounds, everyone came outside and watched us embarrass ourselves.  Once the song was finally over, we went inside and had a nice lunch of sausage.  After lunch, we all packed up our stuff, and went to the train station.  The train ride was very long, but luckily, all the other exchange students were on it. Also, one of the Mexican girls gave me what seemed like a nice watermellon lollipop, but oh was I wrong.  In the middle was a special surprise...CHILI POWDER.  No joke, the Mexicans LOVE chili powder.  I had to throw it out though due to the sores that were forming in my mouth.  After a long hour, we arrived in Hannover, where I caught a train back to Hildesheim. Uwe picked me up, and then drove me back to the house, where I went into my room and took a nap.  Later, we had dinner, and then went to bed.  

So, I have decided that I will not be writing about Monday-Thursday, because nothing ever happens during those days.  BUT, if something worth writing about does come up, believe me, I will post it.  Gute Nacht meine Freunde.  Pictures will be added soon. Don't worry, or as the Germans say, "Don't care"

The last week here in Hildesheim has been great.  I'll start with Sunday.  On Sunday, we went to the Marienborg castle, about 20 minutes from Sorsum, our village.  The castle is set in the middle of a heavily wooded area, halfway up a large hill.  We walked around in the courtyard for a while, and then got a tour of the inside.  Although the tour was in German, Uwe bought me a headset to listen to that was in English.  After the very educational tour, we climbed to the top of the castle, where we could admire the view.  Although it wasn't that high up, you could see for miles.  It was quite an experience.  

Monday-Thursday:  Nothing really happened during these days.  The only really interesting thing that happened was a fire drill that we had on Thursday.  

Friday:  Friday was a very fun day apart from school.  Arne and I got home from school at around 1, and then ate a wonderful lunch of Leberwurst and mashed potatoes.  I'm not sure if that's how you spell leberwurst, but it's a piece of meat that looks like a slice of bread, and then it's fried in a pan.  It's amazing.  Anyways, after lunch, I packed for the weekend that I would be spending in Hannover with Rotex.  Beate drove me to Hannover, which was nice, but I got there really early, and ended up waiting with only 2 other people for 1.5 hours until the rest of the people came from the main station.  After everyone arrived, we set our stuff in the gym where we were staying, and then had a potluck dinner.  It was a good chance for everyone to talk about their experiences in Germany so far.  After dinner, we broke up into small groups, and talked with former exchange students that were in our respected countries.  It was a good chance to talk with them about what we are going through, and to get support.  After a nice talk, we went back to the gym, where we hung out for the rest of the night.  There was loud music, and everyone was dancing.  Although the DJ was very very bad, it was still a lot of fun. At 2 am, the party finally ended, and we went to bed, only to be woken up 5.5 hours later the next morning.  

Saturday:  Like I said, we woke up at 730 on Saturday, and got ready for the day.  We ate a wonderful breakfast with hot brötchens, butterkäse, and meat.  Although it was nothing out of the ordinary, it was still good.  After breakfast, we played some group games, and then headed out to the city.  The first thing on the agenda was to go the town hall.  The town hall is a beautiful building that was partly rebuilt after being bombed in WW2.  At the town hall, we were able to talk with the city mayor about some of Hannover's history, which was very interesting.  After talking to the mayor for a while, we ventured down to the Machsee where we ate sandwiches on she shore.  Although the view was nice, it was extremely cold and windy, something that I was not prepared for.  We stayed there for about 2 hours, and then we went to the Stadium for a soccer match.  The match was between Hannover and Hoffenheim, and the crowd was clearly for Hannover.  People were waving large flags, chanting very loudly, and jumping.  People really got into it.  The match was somewhat boring, considering that the score was 1-0, but it was still fun.  Unfortunately, Hannover lost.  After the 90 minute game, we went to an Italian restaurant, where we had a wonderful meal of spaghetti with bread.  Although the food was good, the walk to the restaurant, and then back to the school was awful.  It rained the whole time, and was miserably cold.  Luckily, the walk wasn't too long, and within 20 minutes, we arrived back at the school, where we hung out for a while.  At 930, we all put on our ball themed clothes, and got back on the dance floor.  With all of us looking like we were going to prom, we lined up, and learned the waltz.  After the waltz, we learned another dance which was way to complicated for me.  I ended up just moving around, trying to fit in.  It worked out in the end.  After dancing for a while, we played some more games, and then danced some more.  Only this time, there wasn't organized dance moves.  We danced for a while longer,  and at a bout 2, we went to bed.  The next morning, we woke up at 9, ate breakfast, and then started cleaning. We had to clean the school, which was not very much fun, considering that we didn't have a broom to sweep anything up.  So if there was anything on the ground, you had to pick it up with your hands.  Once the school was moderately clean, we played another quick game, and then left.  Once I got home, I slept for 6 hours, and then had dinner, and then went back to bed for the night.  

I know it has been a long time since I have written last, but I have been very busy.  The past week has been pretty normal, waking up every morning for school, then coming home and doing whatever.  Thursday through Saturday, on the other hand, were very fun.  On Thursday, I went to school, came home, and then met up with the Todters.  Once I was at their house, Hendrik, Simon and I went to a friends Birthday party a few villages away.  I had fun, but it would have been a lot more fun if I would have been able to communicate with the people.  I guess it was just another way to motivate me to learn Deutsch.  After the party, I went to Hendrik's house, and we sat around with the family drinking German beer and talking about how Hendrik was leaving for Argentina for a year the following morning.  It was fun, but at the same time, somewhat sad.  The next day, was again, just a normal school day, but after school, Laurenz (my second host brother) and I went took a train to Hannover for dancing lessons! We met up with all the kids in the class, all of which were dressed to impress with their designer bags and double popped collared Polos.  It was quite the site to see.  At the dancing school, we learned some dances.  I'm not really sure which dances we learned because the class was taught in German, but it was a dance none the less.  After an hour of dancing with multiple partners, we went back to Hildesheim, and went to our respected domiciles.  The next day, Saturday, was EXTREMELY fun.  I woke up at 1045 to an empty house, and got ready for the day.  I ate a breakfast/lunch, then walked down to the bus station and caught the bus just in time.  The bus picked me up at 1216, and I had to be at the train station at 1.  Therefore, I had to wait alone in front of the train station until my friends showed up.  45 minutes later, Michelle and Maria showed up, and we hopped on a train to Hannover.  Once in Hannover, we went site seeing all around the city.  The first stop was the old opera house, which was built in 1845.  It was very big and beautiful.  We couldn't go in, but from the outside, it was very regal and nice.  After the opera house, we went to the city hall, where we went to the very top of the dome.  The dome was very nice, but the ride up there was a different story.  We rode up on an elevator that was on a slant and you had to hold on so that you wouldn't fall over.  It was quite an experience.  But once at the top, the view was magnificant.  You could see all of Hannover and even some of Hildesheim.  Although it is only 98 meters high, it was still pretty impressive.  We stayed up there for about 30 minutes, then went back down.  Once we were down, we went to a lake and rented a paddle boat for 30 minutes.  It was extremely fun, and tiring at the same time.  We got to see the whole lake and take lots of pictures.  Once our 30 minutes were up, we went back to the city square and got ice cream at this world famous Eis shop.  Although I thought it was good, I wouldn't say that it was world famous.  After getting some eis, Jari and I said goodbye to Michelle and Maria, and went on our way to the main station to catch a train.  But, on the way to the station, there were a bunch of guys walking together, and they were selling shots and glasses of beer.  So, Jari and I both bought shots of Snaps for 1 Euro from a guy in a hot pink bunny suit.  It was really funny.  Once at the train station, we got on our respected trains, and went home.  Once home, I had a pizza with Inga and Arne, went on a run, then went to bed.

The past 3 days have been really fun. Friday was just a typical day at school, and I only had four classes.  But after my classes, I met up with my 2nd host brother and went to his last class, religion.  After an hour of learning about God in German, we walked to the Freibat, where we met with my other host brother, Felix. We stayed there for about 2 hours, but it was very cold, so we left to go to their house.  We rode bikes, and they gave me a tour of Heinde, the village where they live.  After a nice afternoon at the house, I went back to the Schiedecks, and went to bed.

Saturday: The best day so far.  Saturday was a great day filled with fun adventures.  The first adventure of the day was riding a train for the first time.  I had to take a train to Gifhorn for a Rotary orientation.  The train ride to Hannover went smoothly and I got there without any problems.  On the train from Hannover to Gifhorn, there were a bunch of other exchange students, so we got to talk about our families, what we've been doing, etc.  When we arrived, we ate a delicious lunch of Spaghetti and meat sauce, something I truly miss.  After lunch, we went to hear E.J. Musick, the counselor for our district, talk about rules and such.  Once he finished talking, all of the exchange students exchanges pins for our blazers.  My blazer is starting to look quite ornate.  After a fun day with exchange students, I hopped back on a train to go back home.  The way back did not go as smoothly as the way there.  On the way back, I was supposed to get off at Lehrte, but we couldn't open the doors, leading to us not getting off.  Luckily, there was a train going to Hildesheim in Hannover, so it all worked out.  Once I got home, I was taken to my 3rd host brother's going away party.  He is going to Argentina for a year with Rotary, leaving August 21.  There were about 25 people at the party, and it was a lot of fun.  It was my first real German party, and it was a blast.  I could definitely get used to this.  The party ended at 2, so I just spent the night.  The next morning, I was driven back to the Schiedecks, and when I was getting out of the car, my third host mom gave me a hug, and it was so nice.  I never realized how much I missed hugs.  When I got home, Beate, Inga, and I went to church, which was a very strange experience.  The pastor led both the music and the sermon.  It was quite funny.  After church, we had a lunch of fish and french fries, which was amazing.  French fries are another thing that I miss.  After lunch, I bummed around the house for a while, until Tealo, Hendrik, Arne, and I went to the Freibat. After being there for a few hours, we left, and..................

...................went to MCDONALDS!!!!  It was so good.  Yet another thing that I miss.  After scarfing down my Coke, fries, and quarter pounder, I went to my room, and went to sleep.

Today was a rather uneventful day in Hildesheim.  The only real fun part was Sport, where we ran around a lake for 20 minutes.  School today was extra long.  Instead of having 4 classes, we had 6, and didn't get out of school until 3:20.  After school, we met up with some friends at an ice cream shop, then met with Uwe to go to the bank to get my German credit card.  After the bank, Arne and I went to the train station and bought my train ticket to Gifhorn on Saturday for a Rotary meeting.  After a very long process, we got the ticket, then hopped on a bus and went home.  Later, Arne and I played chess, and he beat me, like usual.

Today I woke up at 11 again, which was very nice.  After eating some toast and nesquik, i got ready for the day.  Uwe and I left at 1145 for my first Rotex meeting in this barn in the middle of nowhere.  After driving for an hour and a half, we arrived at this beautiful property where a bunch of people were standing around socializing.  My third host family was there, so we talked to them for a while.  The meeting started....in German, so I didn't understand much, but Uwe explained everything to me later.  After this meeting, all of the inbounds met with some rotex to talk about our exchange so far.  We then played some games and then met up for a picture.  After this meeting, Uwe and I went back home.  Once home, I got ready to go to the freibat, or pool area with Arne, Tealo, and Hendrik.  We jumped from the 5m diving platform for a while, and then we went down the slide, and got yelled at by the lifeguards for standing in it.  anyways, we got picked up at 7 by Beate, and then went to this very good Bavarian restaurant where I had my first serving of real German sauerkraut.  It was amazing.  After dinner, we went back home and went to bed.  

I have been here a week already, and I already feel like I am fitting in.  I have already made friends, learned my way around the town and the bus system, and I am starting to feel like a real German.  At times I feel homesick, and at other times I feel like it's just a dream, but it's not, it's my life.  

Today I woke up at 11 on my own, which was awesome.  It was the first time that I got to sleep in since I arrived.  When I woke up, Beate and Uwe were gone visiting Beate's mother, and Arne was about to leave for soccer practice.  After making myself a delicious gouda, salami, and wurst sandwich, I got ready for the day, and then worked on online classes.  At around 3, the Tebbenjohanns came and picked me up to go to an afternoon tea party.  The tea party was for the people in the dance class that I will be taking with Laurenz Tebbenjohanns every Friday.  The people that were at the party were the definition of preppy.  From popped collared Polos to Sperrys, everything about them was preppy and upper class.  The event was rather uneventful, although when the girls found out that I was from America, they almost flipped their bicycle. They kept on asking me questions and then whispering to each other while still looking at me.  It was most peculiar.  After 3 hours of being at this party, we left, and the Tebbenjohanns took me back home.  Once home, I went downstairs to watch a soccer match with Uwe and Arne.  The match was Hoffenheim (the team that I am going to see live in the end of August) against Munich, Arne and Uwe's favorite team.  After watching 45 minutes of that, we got ready and went to a friends house for a bar-b-que.  In Germany, if you ever eat grilled food for dinner, you are having a "bar-b-que."  Its a very loose term to say the least.  After getting a good serving of meat, bread, and salad, we talked for a long time about  random things.  It was especially fun because all of the adults were slightly tipsy, thus making it all the more interesting.  After a few hours, I went back home due to me being mude, or tired. I then had a nice skype conversation with my parents, then went to bed.    

First Week

I have been in Germany now for 6 days and I already love it.  From the weather to the people, everything is great.  I arrived at 10am on Sunday after 18 hours of traveling, and was welcomed by my first host family, the Schiedecks and my third host family, the Todters.  We then drove to Sorsum, a village right outside of Hildesheim.  Sorsum is a small village of about 3000 people where I will be living for the next 4 months.  My first day here, I slept for 7 hours, but was woken for my welcome bar-b-que with the Schiedecks best friends. I got to experience some good German food and meet some new friends, Tealo and Hendrik.  

The next day, I was woken at 815 for breakfast.  Although it was entirely too early, breakfast was very good.  It was toast with wurst and cheese.  After breakfast, Arne, my host brother and I, went to the shop to get some things, then we hung out with Tealo and Hendrik.  After lunch, I went downtown for the first time, which was really fun. I got to see the historical square where there are a bunch of beautiful buildings that were rebuilt after they were bombed in WW2.  After the mall, we went home, ate a dinner very similar to breakfast, and then we went to bed. 

The next day, Tuesday, I was woken at 815 again for breakfast.  After a nice breakfast and a walk with Lolle, the Bernese Mountain dog, my host mom and sister went downtown to get stuff for school.  It was pretty uneventful.  Once all of our errands were completed, we went home, where Uwe, my host dad, picked me up in his brand new Porsche Carrera 4S, and we went to my first Rotary meeting.  The food was the only good part about it.  It was all in German, so I couldn't understand anything.  And even if it was in English, I wouldn't have enjoyed it, because it was a guy talking about support groups in the 19th century.  After 2 hours, we left to go downtown again........where i became an official Hildesheim resident! After this wonderful experience, we Beate, Arne, Inga and I went to Uwe's parent's house to celebrate his dad's birthday. There were 3 different cakes to choose from: Nesquik, Cheese, and Sugar. After cake, we had dinner, where I had my first brottchen, or little bread.  It was amazing. After diner, Uwe, Arne, and I went to a soccer match.  The game was very boring, and the team that we were rooting for lost. 

The next day, Wednesday, was very eventful and fun.  The best part was that I got to wake up at 10! After a good night of sleep, Arne, Tealo, Hendrik and I went to the Andreas church to watch Arne practice for his school's opening service the following day.  Once that was over, we went downtown for a few minutes, then we headed to the freibat, or outside pools.  At this strange place, there are many pools, a 5meter diving platform, an olympic sized pool, and a lake. We spent a lot of time there, relaxing, swimming, etc.  On the way there, we were riding our bikes, and there was this lady in front of me.  So as I was coming up near her, I rang my bike bell, and when i passed her, she whipped me with her jacket.  I was very taken aback, but I kept my cool.  Arne, on the other hand, called her an arschloch, or ass hole.  anyways, after the freibat, we went home, ate dinner, and then went to bed.

Thursday:  The worst day so far.  I had to wake up at 620 in the morning for my first day of school.  I went into the dining room, and on my plate was a schultute.  A schultute is a cone filled with gifts that you get on your first day of school.  In mine, I got shampoo, soap, mentos, gum, a keychain, and a pencil.  After getting ready and then sitting around for a while due to the hour and a half that was alotted to getting ready, Arne and I hopped on our extremely uncomfortable bikes and rode 4 miles to the church where the service was.  I had to sit through both services because my class was the one that put it on.  Once both services were finished, we went to school, Andreanum Gymnasium, to start class.  School in Germany is completely different.  Instead of the students moving from class to class, the teachers move.  This system is completely flawed because it leaves no room for people to make friends outside of the kids in their class.  And its not like they switch classes every year.  they are with the same group for all middle and high school.  Anyways, we only had 2 classes Thursday, History and German, both of which I had no idea what was going on.  The reason school was so bad was because I made no friends and i felt hopeless.  Like life wasnt going to get better, like i wasnt going to make friends, and that i was a lost cause.  In fact, after school, i came home and bawled my eyes out because i was so homesick.  I cried for a while, but then i realized something:  there is no going back.  Im here for a year, so i might as well make the best of it, no matter how shitty it gets.  And once i had that epiphany, i stopped crying and went and hungout with my family.  I went on a very long walk with Lolle, Beate, and Inga, and I had a great time.  

Friday:  My BIRTHDAY!!  I turned 16 today, which was quite the experience.  I was woken at 6 and was brought into the dining room.  on the table were two wrapped gifts and a few bags of candy.  I opened the first gift, and it was a book about hildesheim.  Then, i opened my next gift......a Fossil Watch!!  It was a very nice stainless steel watch with a black face.  Although my gifts were great, I was shocked that I had opened my gifts that early in the morning.  After opening my presents, we ate breakfast, nothing special, and then left for school.  We rode with Tealo and Hendrik, and got to school at 740.  School starts at 750, so we just hung out for 10 minutes.  once the first bell rang, the english teacher came into the room, Frau Heidkamp, and we began our lesson.  We had to interview eachother about our hopes, worries, and expectations for this school year.  It was nice when people asked me how to say stuff.  An hour later, we had German, where I couldn't understand anything.  After German, we had a 25 minute break, where Arne gave me a tour of the school, and I saw my second host sister.  She was very tan and blond and seemed very nice.  After the break, we had politics with this really weird teacher that sounded like she was dying when she talked.  After politics, we had math, and then we went home.  School got out at 1230 today, so that was very nice. After school, Arne and I went to the store where he got my watch, and the jeweler made it smaller.  After that, we went home, I changed into my swimsuit, then I hopped on a bus and headed for downtown to meet with my new friends: Lukas, Jarie, Maria, Helen, Michelle, and Joana.  Lukas, Jarie, and Maria all went together and bought me a 10 euro gift certificate to a nearby coffee shop.  We then took another bus to the freibat, where we laid by the lake, talked, and just had a good time.  I really like my new friends, and am glad that I am starting to fit in.  Once it was time to go, we hopped on a bus and went home.  For dinner, we had pizza, which was amazing.  Then, we talked for a long time, and had birthday cake, which Arne made.  It was very good.  After talking for a long time, the parents and Inga went to bed, and Arne and I hung out and talked in his room for a while.  After a nice conversation, I went to bed, excited to be able to sleep in tomorrow.  Tchuss

HILDESHEIM

Not only was I ecstatic when I was accepted into Germany, but I was also very excited when I learned that I will be living in Hildesheim, a beautiful village located in the Lower Saxony region, about 30 minutes from Hannover. It has a population of 110,000 people, and is full of beautiful, traditional architecture.

This is Downtown Hildesheim.

The most recent news to me was my host families. I know of the first two families, the Schiedecks, and the Tebbenjohanns. Both families have high school aged children, which will be very helpful in the friend-making process.

Here is a picture of the Tebbenjohanns:

I'M GOING TO GERMANY

I was recently accepted into the Rotary Youth Exchange program, and I will be spending nearly an entire year in the beautiful country of GERMANY.

Here are some pictures that you might enjoy

I am extremely excited for this once in a lifetime experience!!