So life for me has taken its pattern...finally. I am beginning to feel like a part of the community and not so much a foreigner anymore. People at school are used to seeing me, I have a pattern at home, and life is finally not so hectic, which is nice. But at the same time things are speeding up. September came around and its like my brain decided to turn itself on. And I have really, finally, been learning German. My host parents speak to me now in complete German, and while I might not get all of it, I get the vast majority. My host father gave me some grade level 2 books a few weeks back that I could not comprehend. I looked them over again last night and was able to actually read them, and actually know what was going on!!! I am so excited to finally be on the road to learning, and at the rate I am going I should be able to read novels by December/January. I am trying really hard, and it probably doesn't hurt that I like to read. My friends at school are super patient, and I actually learn the most from them. I have been pretty successful in speaking too. Although I say things wrong, or with a funny accent as they say...whatever, I am trying. I have my own self study program that I have been doing for a good two or more hours everyday, on top of my learning at school, so that could also be a reason as to why I am doing so well. I have my German lessons every Monday and Friday that I always look forward to.
So that's about it on my progress...Last weekend all of the exchange students had a Rotary sponsored event in Soltau/Walsrode. It rained quite a bit, and got pretty cool, but over all I can say we all had fun. They had little "discos" for us on Friday and Saturday night. And on Saturday we had a day of sports playing, food eating, chilling, and just hanging with the others. One of the options given to us was to go to a water park area that they had. Only a few of us went, but I wish more had come because it was a blast. I honestly had the most fun for those three hours we were at the water-park. We all played chicken in the wave pool, or went down this outdoor slide thing about a hundred times. I really did enjoy myself, and on Saturday night we all sat on the beach by the lake and just "hung-out". Our next event is a day up in Hamburg, but that isn't until September 26Th, so now I get to spend the next few weekends with German friends, learning more German!!
I got invited to go to a festival in the next town over with all my German friends on Saturday. So I am looking forward to that, it will just be a day long event. But what I am mostly looking forward to is sleeping in my own bed for as long as I would like. I have been moving at a hundred miles an hour these past few weeks, and I am looking forward to a slow down....right before everything speeds up again..hahaha.
Oh, I have another blog, well a video blog site on YouTube...sometimes I will upload videos with pictures and whatnot there so check it out: www.youtube.com/amandaingermany
Friday, September 11, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
First Rotex Weekend
So I have officially been in Germany for one whole month now! My German lessons with Poliana are going great and I am really starting to pick up the language. I understand the majority of what people are saying in the average day to day conversation. When they start with heavy discussions such as the beginning of life...well lets just say my understanding stops there. My friends and I all played volleyball for about three hours on Wednesday. They all approached me and kind of looked nervous, I asked them what was wrong..... turns out they wanted my help with their English homework, or rather me do their homework....I felt so used. I breezed through it completing it in no time what so ever. The next day in English class they all go in with the wrong answers.( Not all of them were wrong, just enough to make me feel like an idiot.) Although I highly doubt what I wrote down was wrong (because, hello English is my first language and I try my hardest to speak it the correct way) it just wasn't what the teacher wanted. In reality there were probably two or even three acceptable ways to write the sentences, but the teacher wanted a specific way. Needless to say I will not be doing their homework again.
So finally the big weekend I had been waiting for came. I got to see all of the other exchange students from district 1800 again, and it was so much fun. Rotex had the whole weekend planned out and ready to go. I arrived on Friday via train (my first time ever) at Hannover. There we waited at the train station for other exchange students to arrive. We then proceeded to a subway, then to a gym, where we would be staying for the weekend. The first night we did the whole " who are you, where do you come from, where are you living" type of things. We played a few games, and then basically made our own club. One of the Rotexers brought DJ stuff so we danced till like 2 am to European techno.<----It was tons of fun. Got like 3 hours of sleep.
Saturday we woke up bright and early. I woke up at around 7 am because someone had the most obnoxious ring tone go off. For breakfast I had the German breakfast of champions i.e. nutella und brochen (nutella and bread, if you haven't tried nutella, its amazing!! Look for it, we have it in the USA you just have to look hard, its in the peanut butter section) Then we were off, took a tour of Lower Saxonys parliment, had lunch by a lake, watched a soccer game, had dinner at an Italian restaraunt, then headed back to the gym. The theme for Saturday night was a "ball" so everyone got dressed up. We learned a simple ballroom dance, and the rotexers dance. Then we partied all night again. Sunday we all woke up and basically sleeped walked our way to the train stations. Its safe to say everyone had a good time.
^ A few of us all dressed up for the "Ball"
^Me at Hannover's Parlimentary room, where all the important decisions are made.
So finally the big weekend I had been waiting for came. I got to see all of the other exchange students from district 1800 again, and it was so much fun. Rotex had the whole weekend planned out and ready to go. I arrived on Friday via train (my first time ever) at Hannover. There we waited at the train station for other exchange students to arrive. We then proceeded to a subway, then to a gym, where we would be staying for the weekend. The first night we did the whole " who are you, where do you come from, where are you living" type of things. We played a few games, and then basically made our own club. One of the Rotexers brought DJ stuff so we danced till like 2 am to European techno.<----It was tons of fun. Got like 3 hours of sleep.
Saturday we woke up bright and early. I woke up at around 7 am because someone had the most obnoxious ring tone go off. For breakfast I had the German breakfast of champions i.e. nutella und brochen (nutella and bread, if you haven't tried nutella, its amazing!! Look for it, we have it in the USA you just have to look hard, its in the peanut butter section) Then we were off, took a tour of Lower Saxonys parliment, had lunch by a lake, watched a soccer game, had dinner at an Italian restaraunt, then headed back to the gym. The theme for Saturday night was a "ball" so everyone got dressed up. We learned a simple ballroom dance, and the rotexers dance. Then we partied all night again. Sunday we all woke up and basically sleeped walked our way to the train stations. Its safe to say everyone had a good time.
But its not all fun and games. When I got back to my host families house my host mom was leaving. Right before she left she informed me that my host father had an accident on Friday playing soccer. I don't really know what happened. He is at a hospital in the next town. He had surgery this morning and we are all hoping he will be able to come home by this weekend. I hope he gets well soon!
Now I am going through the mundane, everyday steps of getting up at 6 am, leaving for school by 7 am, arriving at 7:15 ish am, school, then coming h ome. (or hanging with friends) I am anxiously awaiting the weekend. I have a Rotary weekend this time. We will be having a disco again, playning soccer, volleyball, and swimming. So we will see how it goes.
^ Me at the train station with my Rotary blazer on.
^ A few of us all dressed up for the "Ball"
^Me at Hannover's Parlimentary room, where all the important decisions are made.
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