Hiking and Other Adventures in Germany
Since I have arrived in Germany for my study abroad program every day has been jam packed with new things. Here is a quick recap of what my week has looked like on my ongoing adventure abroad.
Tuesday– Today was the first day of P.E. (sports is what we call it here.) We had to do the Cooper Test… and it is not fun! You are supposed to run around the track for 12 minutes and see how many laps you make. I made about 4 or 5 (I lost count somewhere) and the goal is to run 2 kilometers. (Please don’t ask me how many laps are in a kilometer because I honestly don’t know.) I did the conversion and 2 kilometers is about 1.4 miles. Then we played dodge ball (our team won both times!). Svea and I made cookies!!!! They had toffee chips in them and were very delicious! Svea’s friend came over for a while and we talked and had a good time. Birgit randomly asked me if and when my parents would visit me here. I told her they would be coming at the end of the year, either June or July. She then mused upon the idea of my family and host family going on vacation together. We talked about the Alps, site seeing in Munich, Frankfort, or Hamburg, and even visiting some amazing caves! I’m sure that if we do end up going on vacation together it will be awesome!
Wednesday– Let’s give a thank you to all the high school Chemistry and Biology teachers that most of us would say we can’t stand. Yes, I will admit I didn’t like my 10th grade Biology teacher at the time (anyone who knows me and is reading this… please don’t tell her because now I really love her) or organic chemistry in 11th grade, but THANK GOD that I already know some of this stuff. Just think… you’re in class… you don’t know what the teacher is saying…. the only clues to what you are doing come from the pictures in your packet and your English speaking friends… so it is GREAT that I already know what we are talking about (I am pretty sure grammar flew out the window for that sentence). So thanks! We don’t give you enough appreciation. Wednesday was the first day I went to the Kindercentrum (Kids center) to play football (soccer) with the kids there. When I came home Svea was making Panekochen (pancakes: more like crepes though) and for dinner I had Panekochen and nutella, Svea had cheese and meat on hers though. It would have been a good day if I had remembered to pack my cookie for lunch.
Thursday– First day of language school! Birgit got me and Khem into a language school near Hauptbahnhof. The classes are amazing: our teacher is amazing, its really fun and interesting, there are no dumb questions, and when our teacher tries to mime things it is so funny. There are a lot of Syrians in the class. There is a girl from Portugual, Bulgaria, and a boy from Afghanistan. Khem is the youngest, being 16, and almost everyone else is in their 20s. I know we are going to have a fun time. Birgit and Svea were gone when I got home so Per went down the street to get chicken for dinner. What I hadn’t realized was that he had gotten a whole (small) chicken for each of us!
Friday– First day of choir! It was actually really great and I think choir will help me pronounce some of the German words I don’t know. We took the bus to Khem and Herbert’s place and decided we were hungry, so we tried to make some vegetable rolls in a pan on the stove. They were burnt and cold (how does that happen?) but that isn’t even the best part. After ignoring my protests not to, Khem poured some cold water in the pan and a lot of stem rose from the mess, which ended up setting off the FIRE ALARM! Khem went running around like a chicken without a head. He was frantically calling anyone and everyone as the bell rang. Finally Birgit picked up and told him to shut off all the electricity in the house. He was so relieved… that the fire department wasn’t called! (seriously… that’s what he was relieved about!) He was worried he would have to pay for the firefighters (like we would have had to at the hostel)! Hahaha silly Khem! Once I got home I watched an episode of Sherlock (in German with English subtitles) with Svea before getting ready to go out. Me, Khem, and a few friends went out to dinner. It was great! We had a great time and it was great to know Khem and I had friends who wanted to hang out with us outside of school.
Saturday– Bodo, Khem, and I went on an impromptu hike on the Rhein river. We started at Rüdesheim and took a cable car up a little ways past the wine fields. It was so beautiful. Then we saw this amazing statue of Niederwald monument, Vater Rhein (Father Rhein), and Lady Mosel. We took a quick 1 hour hike through the forest and met up with a ski lift to take us back down. While in the forest we talked a lot about trees, American national parks, and anything that came to mind. Once down the mountain (more like hilly thing) we walked through Hollengasse (Hell’s gate) in Assmannshausen to get a bite to eat before catching a boat back to the train station. It was very peaceful and beautiful. Plus I think pictures speak better than words so look at them and you can see for yourself. Once we got home I was SO tired, but I told my family I would stay up and watch a movie with them. What movie do you think they picked?… a comedy or action or… CLOUD ATLAS! The hardest, most confusing movie EVER. So lets recap… I am super tired, (it’s in German so) I don’t understand anything being said, and I have no clue of any plot. My host family pretty much explained the movie once it was over. (Thank god they can put up with me.)
Sunday– My local coordinator came for another orientation. (I think it was mostly for Joao (Brazilian) because he didn’t have an orientation in Köln.) We had a nice meal together and took a tour around the city. We drank some of the spring water. It tastes weird but it is really good for you. I tried my first dönner. It is a Turkish meal with flat bread, meat, lettuce, and some weird sauce. It was pretty good (I try to keep an open mind, but if I really didn’t like it I would tell someone.) but there was a lot. We came home and watched Sherlock again. Then I skyped with my parents and Grandparents. I really feel like I fit in with my host family. I feel like we have known each other more than two weeks because we click so well. But I still like to talk to my parents and grandparents and siblings to make sure they are ok. Sometimes I can feel the distance and sometimes I feel like if I walked in the right direction for a few minutes I would be at my house. It is a weird feeling.
