My first weeks...

18 days in Germany and counting!

My first day using Public Transportation to get to language camp.... was an adventure to say the least.

My host sister helped Ilana (another CBYX student in language camp) and I get our monthly bus ticket and showed us how to get to where our classes would be. We met the teacher that will be teaching us basic German for the next 80 hours. Then when class was over we found our way back to the bus stop and waited for the bus to come..... The bus comes at 1:34 everyday. School students get out of school from 1-1:30... When the bus pulled up and I am not exaggerating when I say this it became a mosh-pit to get on the bus. I have never in my life experienced anything like this except when I go black Friday shopping and the doors are opening and everyone wants to get in they push and shove and I had a grown man put his arm out in front of me so I couldn't get on. Its crazy I have never seen anything like this besides black Friday shopping and this is the only thing I can relate to it. So everyday we get better at finding our way to the front... In the past 2 and half weeks me and Ilana have gotten a seat on the bus on the way home about 4 or 5 times and I consider that an accomplishment.

Language camp:

I have language camp Monday through Friday 9.00-13.00. There are 7 of us. I came to Germany not able to speak any German besides "Guten Tag", and "Wo ist die Toilette?" So my German has improved alot most the time when my host family is speaking to me by picking out one or two words in the whole sentence that helps me guess what they are trying to say to me.

Beyond language camp:

I couldn't have asked for a better welcome family. I have post-it notes throughout the house with labels of everything of the German word. My first Friday in Germany my host mom and sister took me into town and showed me around the special things and old legends that this city has. Many of the buildings are national/historical monuments and they told me if one were to burn down, the owners would have to rebuild the same way and with the same materials. That weekend in Germany my host family took Ilana and I to Magdeburg and on the way we stopped where the East and West borderline of Germany used to be. In Magdeburg I visited the Jahrtausendturm where inside they had many different things that had to do with theorems like the Pythagorean theorem, horoscopes, etc. It was very interesting and we don't have these types of things in Pennsylvania so it was very interesting to me. That day I also got to ride on the autobahn which was awesome... I love going fast and I think at one point we were going 230 kph which turns to 143 mph. That night Ilanas host mother had my family over since we all live in the same little village. We had pumpkin soup which was so good... I had never had it before we also had meat potatoes and for dessert apple crisp. It was all so good. After that my host sister took Ilana and I to a music festival where she met up with some of her friends. It was in the middle of the city and each end had a different band playing. Its interesting to see the music choices they played and the outfits they wear while playing. One band I noticed wore wigs of different colors which I don't think happens that much anymore in America. The next day was the first day it didn't rain in Germany since I had arrived. My parents decided we'd break the bikes out and we all went on a family bike ride around Wathlingen. We rode our bikes to get ice cream. When ordering I found it different that some of the ice-creams used chocolate sauce with liquor in it. I'd never heard of anything like it. On monday I got up and went to school, nothing exciting had happened at school, I went to sport with my mom after school "step aerobics" which is harder than I thought it would be...

Tuesday I tried on a Drindl after school with Eboni and then we had a tour of the castle in Celle and then walked to the top of the church tower (which was a lot, i mean A LOT of steps, spiral style) walking down made me dizzy and when we got to the bottom a boy that was touring with us realized that he had left his bookbag the whole way at the top of the tower. Wednesday was a normal day and then on Thursday  I went to Bergen-Belsen, the concentration camp with AFS-Celle chapter. Our tour guide talked about the concentration camp and then took us outside and showed us around. It was open land with monuments because the concentration camp had been burned down but being there and seeing the monuments and seeing the map knowing where your standing is where a concentration camp used to be sends many emotions through you that I can't explain unless you experience it yourself and I suggest to anyone visiting Germany to visit one. After that we went into the museum where they have testimonials and artifacts that were found at the camp along with other documents. It was a very moving experience and I'm grateful I got to go there.

That Friday there was a music festival at the castle, my host sister, Eboni, Brennan and I attended it. It was pretty fun.

That Saturday I went to Hanover with Eboni, and my host family. I got to go in the capitol where they have structures showing Hanover before and have the war and the development of it. I'd say about a good 80% of it was destroyed after the war. We at the "American Bar & Grille" I had a bacon cheeseburger and fries, it was amazing. After that, I went to Primmark which is basically heaven. its 3 stories of girl teenage European style and its cheap which you don't find often in Europe. So I got a jacket and some other clothes and shoes. 

Sunday- I went Omas with mom and Lisa we had "tee-zeit" "tea-time" and we played some cards. She brought out her birth certificate, she was born in 1944 right before WWII ended... the stamp on her birth certificate had the nazi symbol on it. I found it interesting that they didn't issue new ones after the war... or maybe they did but she kept that one too.

So now I am all caught up and I plan on blogging weekly... (Hopefully)

Here are pictures of my past two weeks.

Enjoy!

(Left to right:) Eboni, Me, Lisa in front of the
capitol building Hanover, Germany.

Hanover, Germany

Hanover, Germany

My host family and Eboni at the American Bar & Grille

Castle in Celle

Celle, Germany

Protected buildings in Celle, Germany

In town of Celle

Celle, Germany

Me in Celle

Celle

Road in Celle

Bikes in Celle

Love lock bridge

Lisa and I in the French Garden in Celle

At the border of East and West Germany

Magdeburg, the Jahrtausendturm

Astrology

Church in Magdeburg

View of Celle from the church tower.

Celle from the church tower.

The whole group

Brennan, Eboni and I

These next photos are from Bergen-Belsen Concentration camp:

 and one last photo from Hanover, Germany and also my favorite photo because the sky was blue and sunny :)

Gateway Orientation & Arrival!

So there is going to be alot of information coming at you because I haven't been blogging, its been pretty hectic and I've been busy. I started a blog in D.C but never got to post it. So here it goes....

Two days ago, on September 3rd 2013 I entered the hotel where I began my journey as an AFS CBYX Youth Ambassador. Goodbyes were easy and hard sad but happy. If you asked me what I was feeling that day and from the other students I was talking to said the same thing, I had so many emotions that I didn't feel anything. I was happy sad excited nervous anxious enthusiastic joyful skeptical. So many emotions that they counter acted each other. (or so I believe) I walking in said bye to my family that came with me and checked in. Found the room where everyone else was at and started to talk to all of the other CBYXers that were here. We did some activities but had a busy day the next day.

Woke up at 6:30, earliest I've been up all summer. Went into D.C. to meet our congress representatives. I had Tim Murphy and he wasn't available so I met with a staffing person. We went to the US Department of State where we learned more about the programs and some people who work to make sure this program keeps happening. We had dinner at a German restaurant. It was lots of fun. Got back and I was so tired. So I went to bed after talking for a little while with other CB students.
And at the German restaurant....

Live music -- German style :)

The next day we had a long filled day after talk after talk sitting in one orientation room listening to seminars about what to expect what not to expect rules etc. at 5 the other AFS Germany students have all arrived. Not much I can really say, it wasn't exciting but it needed to be done.

The very next and final day in America we checked out of our hotel had a couple last orientations and we all loaded the buses for the airport!

This was my group from the orientations, and I must say it was the best. This was also our flight chaperon.

And then I boarded my first plane ever.... Flying over the Atlantic Ocean. The flight was 7 and 1/2 hours long and thankfully I can sleep no matter what the situation is. I slept for 6 hours while on the plane and it was an overnight one. We boarded the plane at 5:30 pm and landed in Frankfort at 7 am. While everyone was meeting with other AFSers from around the world coming in to the airport waiting to leave to board a train we waited until 1:30 until our train came to take us. I slept on the floor of the airport for a long time when I woke up it was time to get our luggage and get on the trains. We moved through three trains and it was hard with my luggage getting in and off fast because as we were warned at orientation.... Germany is a very precise place and everything has to be on time. Then we finally arrived to the train station of Celle! I was tired yet excited to meet my new family. My host mother and father greeted me with a sign and took my luggage off of me which was nice. I arrived to "our" home at 7:30-8pm. We had dinner and boy was I hungry!

I met my sister when we got home... She had went to a festival that morning. It was an overwhelming, busy, day that I will never forget.

That night Lisa (my host sister) took me to her friends house, it was pretty cool and I liked to just sit back and take it all in, I didn't speak an ounce of German when I arrived here. (and can't wait until I'm fluent) which I'm trying really hard at. 

The next morning I went to breakfast with my host mom, dad, sister, grandma, and grandpa, and MMMMMMMM do I love German waffles. It was so good! We got back and I took a nap from noon until 7pm when my host dad woke me up because it was time for dinner. Besides that I didn't really feel jet lag. That Monday started language camp/language school.