ein bisschen Heimweh

For starters, yes, I am a little homesick right now. But I think that just comes with the season. It is almost Christmas and I am a more-than-10-hour flight away from home. But I am hoping that it will go away once spring hits and the weather is nice.

Okay. For all of you reading who cannot understand German without using a translator, then I'm sorry. Most of what I am going to say will most likely be lost in translation. But, for some reason, I feel like I could write better in German than in English, for the moment.

Also. Seit dem letzten Mal, das ich gepostet habe, habe ich nicht so viel gemacht. Ich habe die Kamera von meiner Mutter bekommen. Sie ist echt alt und dick und nicht so meins, aber sie ist doch besser als keine Kamera. Hamburg!!! Meine Gasteltern, Gastoma und ihr Freund, und ich sind alle nach Hamburg gefahren. Es war echt der Hammer! Wir sind zu spät gekommen und das wegen hatten wir nicht genug Zeit, auf dem großen Weihnachtsmarkt zu sein. Aber wir haben einen kleinen Weihnachtsmarkt gefunden. Da haben wir uns einfach genossen und Glühwein getrunken. Danach haben wir bei einem Rodizio gegessen. LECKER!!! Ich habe die meisten gegessen und deshalb habe ich gewonnen. Also, ich sage, dass ich gewonnen habe. Es war nicht wirklich ein Wettkampf.

Am nächsten Wochenende haben ich und ein paar andere Austauschüler versucht, zu der Abivorparty zu gehen. Sie war in einem Club in Itzehoe, der Cheyenne Club heißt. Leider war der Club zu voll, und das wegen sind wir gar nicht reingekommen. Es war ja echt doof. Aber na ja. Man kann nichts dafür.

Am diesen Wochenende habe ich mit meinen Gasteltern gefeiert. Es gab ein Weihnachtsfeiern von dem Sportverein meines Gastvaters. Es war eigentlich nicht so meins. Es gab fast keiner, der mein Alter war. Aber trotzdem hat es Spaß gemacht.

Schule ist immer noch dasselbe. Man kommt, man lernt, man geht. Aber meine Freunde sind super!! Ich bin nur in der 10te Klasse, aber die machen alle so viel!! Es freut mich, dass ich die kenne. Echt. Am Mittwoch habe ich ein intensiv Deutschkurs. Es dauert den ganzen Tag und ist echt helfend. Am letzten Mittwoch sind wir in die Stadt gegangen. Da haben wir eine Schnitzeljagd gemacht. Wir haben fremde Leute einfache Fragen über Weihnachten gefragt. Aber nicht jeder war nett. Viele haben uns ignoriert. Aber ich habe gehört, dass die Deutscher so sind. Die glauben, dass wir ihnen irgendwas verkaufen wollen. Na ja.

ok. Vielleicht habe ich ein bisschen gemacht. Diese Woche habe ich nur drei Schultage, dann habe ich Weihnachtsferien!!!! Am Mittwoch werden die meisten Schüler und Schülerinnen von Itzehoe auf dem Weihnachtsmarkt sein. Da werden wir etwas machen und danach werden wir in Cheyenne Club gehen. Ich bin gespannt!!! Am Donnerstag fahre ich hoffentlich mit ein paar Freunden nach Hamburg mit dem Zug, auf dem großen Weihnachtsmarkt zu feiern.

Ich versuche jetzt, am jeden Mittwoch und Samstag etwas zu posten. Also, bis Mittwoch!!

Okay, I'm really not going to be mean and leave all of you non-German speakers in the dark:

I really haven't done much since the last time that I posted. I got a camera from my mom. It is fat and old and really not the kind I would want. But it is better than no camera!! Hamburg!!! My host parents, host gradma and her boyfriend, and I all went to Hamburg. It was awesome!!! We arrived too late to go to the big Christmas Market, but we found a little one. We enjoyed ourselves and drank some Glühwein at it. After that, we ate at a Rodizio. TASTY!!! I ate the most of us all, so I won. Well, I say that I won, but it really wasn't a contest.

The next weeken, a couple of other exchange students and I tried to go to the Abivor party. It was at a local club called Cheyenne Club. Unfortunately, it was too full and we never got in. It was really just stupid. But, oh, well. You really have no control over that.

This weekend I celebrated with my host parents. There was a Christmas party with the members of my host dad's sport club. It really wasn't my kind of party. There was practically no one there my age! But it was still a lot of fun anyway.

School is always the same thing. You come, you learn, you leave. But my friends there are amazing!! I am only in the 10th class, but they do a lot! I am really glad to know them! On Wednesdays I have an intensive German course. It lasts the entire day and is really helpful. Last Wednesday, we went into the city and had a scavenger hunt thing. We had to ask strangers simple questions about Christmas. Not all of them were kind, though. A lot of them just ignored us. But I have heard that the Germans are like that. They think that we want to sell them something.

Ok. Maybe I did do some stuff! This week I only have three days of school and then it is Christmas Break!!!! On Wednesday, most of the students from Itzehoe are going to the Christmas Market to have fun. After that, we are all going to the Cheyenne Club. I am really excited!!! Hopefully, on Thursday, I will go to Hamburg with a couple of friends and be able to go to the big Christmas Market there. I'm always on the hunt for a pair of Lederhosen. I think maybe somewhere in Hamburg has to have a pair!!!

I am going to try to post on every Wednesday and Saturday. So, see ya on Wednesday!!

Anyway, I would really like to make my second half of my stay be filled with awesome things to do. I would really appreciate it if you all would leave comments giving suggestions as to really neat things to do here. They don't have to be extravagent or anything. Just things that will help expose me to more German culture. Please keep in mind that I live in Schleswig-Holstein, close to Hamburg. So giving me 20 ideas of things to do in Munich really wouldn't help me at all. Thanks!!

It's been a while....

It's been a while since my last post. Sorry about that!! I have always been busy, but I promise I will try and take some time out of my weekends to update. So......where to begin. um..... I really cannot remember what I wrote last time....oh, yeah!! the pictures!! speaking of those, I don't have my camera anymore. I rode to school in the rain one day, forgetting that it was in my backpack, and now it is dead. I don't know if it is the camera or the battery that is dead, but I am hoping to find out soon. In the last pictures that you saw, it was nice outside and green. Well now all of the trees are leafless and there is snow, probably a good 4-5 inches, on the ground. It is very cold, probably around 20 degrees on a good day, and that isn't factoring in the windchill, which is a lot. Other than the 'wonderful' early winter weather, I am having a really good time!

School is good. I have been taking tests and, so far, the worst score that I have gotten is a 4, which is the equivalent of a C. Seeing as how this was only because I didn't have enough time to answer all of the questions, I feel like I am doing great. Really! All of the questions that I do answer, I get correct. I just don't have enought time to translate all of them and then answer them. I am hoping that, at the end of the year, I will be getting just 1s and 2s. That will make me extremely happy!!! I keep getting boosts of confidence in my German abilities because teachers keep complimenting me, students keep complimenting me, and, last week, we had exchange students from Poland, who could hardly speak a word of German. Hopefully, I will be able to accept the fact that I will make mistakes and just start talking more often. But I have made a lot of progress since the beginning of the year.

I actually have changed my mindset a bit, concerning TV. I used to only watch MTV because it was mostly in English, but now I am getting sick and tired of hearing all of that English crap, so I have started avoiding that, and other similar channels, as much as possible.

Anyways.... I am waiting for a camera to arrive in the mail, then I will start taking as many pictures as possible so that you all can see what is going on. I am lucky that Itzehoe has it's own Christmas Market, and I go to it as often as possible. It is those kinds of things, the little festivals, that the Germans have, that I enjoy the most!! I have come to find the one food that I will miss the most! Roasted Almonds. I know we probably have those back in the States, but not how they do it here in Germany!!! You can get them at any market or carnival, and they are almost always fresh and warm!! AMAZING!!!! oh yeah!!! I also have TWO Advent Calendars!!! One is filled entirely with Kinder Überraschungs, which are big chocolate eggs filled with toys. I really enjoy them, even though they are just for little kids! Also, in two days, I think, we will be celebrating St. Nikolaus day, on which kids, and me, are supposed to set out their shoes for St. Nikolaus, who, in return, puts candy in them!

I haven't really done anything too special since the last post. I am playing tennis every Tuesday, going to school, hanging out with friends. Just trying to live the German life. Today I am going to Hamburg to celebrate and eat at a Brasilian restaurant and, if it isn't too cold, to see the Christmas Market there, which my host mom said was amazing. Hopefully I will find a nice, cheap pair of lederhosen!!!

Can't really think of anything new other than that..... Hope to get the camera soon!

Itzehoe!! (The pictures I promised)

Finally, I have found time to put the ever anticipated first pictures of Itzehoe. I go to school at the SSG, Sophie-Scholl-Gymnasium, and live in Heiligenstedten. I ride my bike to and from school everyday, which is about 6 miles. Nice little town and city.


My new house for the next 10 or so months!!


Here is where I park my new car!

Back patio thing.

Where I, sadly, spend most of my time. But that will change!!

Wonderful! I actually have TV here! Although I mostly watch MTV because it is in English with subtitles, despite the fact that almost every show is trash.

My bed. They even gave me one of those first day of school candy thingies!!

MY TROPHY!!! I got second place in a tennis tournament at my tennis club!

Waiting in line to see HSV vs. Wolfsburg.

Soccer stadium in Hamburg.

Man, those Germans sure love their soccer!

It is random, but this was an "American" frozen pizza. It's name? Hot Dog Style. The bad thing is that I enjoyed every bite of it.

Bayern night!!!

A traditional Bayern meal. My host family threw a Bayern night because I had wanted to go to Oktoberfest, but it was too expensive. I enjoyed this a lot!!!

My first host family

The wonderful family that I stayed with while I was in Bordelum, the Clausens.
Left to right starting with back row: Birthe, Marten, Oluf, Imke, Max, and me.

I really enjoyed my time with them and hope to visit them in the future. They are actually going to America for their fall break. They will land in Chicago, drive to Iowa to go to a major John Deere place, then they will drive from Iowa to New York City. I wish them save travels and all the patience in the world that they will need for that long drive from farmland to city!

It has been a while

Hey everbody!!! Sorry I haven't posted in a while!! Everything has been going great! The weather is starting to get cold, but I don't think that I will start riding the bus until after fall break, which starts next Friday!!!! WOOOO!!! I am really excited! There is a lot that I want to do! I have been somewhat busy lately, but I am excited because I am actually catching up on my homework!! I am also actually starting to apply for colleges today. I am planning on getting that done by next weekend. So that will be a load of my back! I am really excited because things are starting to click with me. I am getting to know my german friends better and am starting to actually talk more. Which might be a surprise to all of you that know me, but I knew that when I got here I would not talk that much at all. Which was really funny because, at the YFU meeting in Kiel, I thought I was the only american in my area, so I was really nervous, which is really stupid. But then, when I got there I noticed to people that looked oddly familiar. Then I realized that they were fellow YFU CBYXers!!!! It was awesome!!! We were the loudest group. I also met some really cool people from places like Romania, Estonia, Mexico, France, Bulgaria, India, Japan, Thailand, and Switzerland. It was a lot of fun and I hope to meet up with some of them during the fall break. I went to a really big club called the Colosseum, but it was really really crowded and you could hardly move. Not really my thing. Crowded, I mean. Anyway..... I can't really think of anything else.... Well I do have to decide soon where I want to go for my mid year orientation. As a CBYXer I get to choose from Munich or Dresden. Any suggestions? There are themes for both and surprise surprise, because I am on a government-funded scholarship, both have to do with politics. fun. I am really jealous, because the other kids get to go to Berlin and the Berlin Film Festival which is really freakin cool!!! :( But I think I will have fun. Tonight my host-family is having a Bayern party. I think it is because I wanted to go to Oktoberfest, but we couldn't because train tickets are super expensive and you have to have tickets to get into one of the tents. I am excited to see what people from Bayern eat!!! Oh, yeah! I forgot. That tennis tournament I had? I got second place and a trophy!!! Pretty cool!! I will hopefully post the weekend before my fall break with my plans and anything that is new or that I forgot to post. But, for now, here are some new pictures!!!

Can't really think of a title....

Sorry that I haven't written in a while, but I seem to be getting more and more busy!
School is going okay. I am not doing to horribly in any of my classes, but then again, they don't really even check your homework and I haven't had any tests, so I wouldn't really know.
I did have one test in Math that I am very proud to say I got a 1 on!!!!! WOOO!!!! All of my classmates where embarrassed that the American did better than them. I mean, are we all really thought of as that dumb? But then they had to justify by saying that I AM 17 and have already learned this. blah blah blah blah!!! I just can't wait!! I friend of mine, Fabian, made a bet with me that if I do better than him in German, he will give me 5 Euros, but if he does better than me in English, I have to give him 5 Euros. I hope I win!!!! All I have to say is that is will be very embarrassing for the loser!
Anyway, school is sort of fun, but I do miss a couple of things. I miss being able to drive to school in the rain and cold as opposed to riding my bike. However, I am liking the fact that I will be kept in shape by my daily rides to and from school, which I have calculated to be around 3 miles one way. So I bike an average of 6 miles everyday. Not bad! I also miss the whole set up of American school. It is cool getting to know my classmates by being in the same class the entire day, but I miss the variety and movement that comes with American high school. What I don't miss is substitute teachers. Here, if a teacher is sick or just doesn't show up, you don't have class. That means some days you might have 6 classes and others, like today, only 3. Well 3 hours that is. I only had two different classes. It is really cool! If the teacher that isn't there's class is at the end of the day, then you just get to go home early!!
Here is my final schedule, just in case I didn't post it earlier. I have been placed in the class U2c, which is the 10th grade. If a block is blank it means that is was French or Latin and I don't have to take it, so I have it free:

Monday
1 -
2 - Art
3 - Art
4 - Geography
5 - Math
6 - P.E.
7 -
8 -

Tuesday
1 - Math
2 - German (with 6th graders)
3 - German (6th grade)
4 - English
5 - History
6 - P.E.
7 - German
8 -

Wednesday
1 - Math
2 - Physics
3 - Physics
4 - German
5 - German
6 - History
7 - Lunch
8 - Politics/Economics

Thursday
1 -
2 - Music
3 - Music
4 - Biology
5 - Biology
6 - English
7 - Geography
8 -

Friday
1 -
2 - Chemistry
3 - Chemistry
4 - German
5 - English
6 -
7 -
8 -

Other than that, not much new has happened.
I have gotten a little closer to my classmates. I was invited to go to the club with some of them last Friday and did it!! It was a lot of fun! Although afterwards, I couldn't here anything! The music was really really loud! That Sunday, I went to Hamburg with my host parents. It was a lot of fun! We went to the Dungeon, which is basically a Haunted House. It wasn't too scary, but certainly entertaining. There was a ride at the very end. One of those things that lifts you up and then just drops. It was hilarious!!!! After that, we went to go eat some sushi because my host parents have never had it before. I feel bad because, honestly, it wasn't that good. I had better in the food court in the Battlefield Mall!!! So hopefully we will have a chance to try some good sushi!
Finally, I have joined a local tennis club, the Itzehoer Tennis Verein. I have lessons once a week. It is a lot of fun, but very different because I am playing on clay courts instead of hard courts. I still haven't gotten used to them. I do have a tournament tomorrow against the other kids my age in the club. I hope I do good!
Bis später!

Itzehoe!

Okay. It has been quite a while since I have last updated, and I have to apologize. But I have been very very busy, which I guess is a good thing!!! SO!

My year-long host family is really nice and fun! I really enjoy everyone in it! The first night I went to a BBQ! It was delicious! In fact, I really cannot complain at all about the food here! I have promised myself that I will try everything, and, with the exception of Sauerfleisch, I have not been disappointed! The only thing I don't like is the weather. It is great that it is less humid, but it has rained literally every day since I got here!!! I was told that this is unusual weather for this time of year, but still. Not cool.

Now, to school. I am in the 10th grade here. Which isn't that bad. The classes are not too hard. It is just tough to get around the whole language thing. I am pretty positive that, once I have gotten good at german, school will be a lot easier! I really like all of my classmates, they are hilarious!!! I cannot wait until I know german well enough to really get into their conversations! The teachers are cool and let me get easier assignments, if something is too hard for me. My favorite class, of course, is English. I find it really cool that the class is taught in English, even though it is British English, which isn't cool! I also enjoy listening to all of my classmates talk in English. There accents are really funny! It is weird, though, because I feel like I have been here for a very long time, even though it has only been two weeks! OH! One really sweet thing about german school is that, if your teacher is gone or sick or something, you pretty much have a free hour! Like today, for example, our teacher for our last class just didn't show up, so we got to go home early!!! HOW COOL IS THAT!?

I have been watching a lot of german TV, which is pretty cool. A lot of the shows are really just American, but have been dubbed. Like Two and a Half Men, Scrubs, The Simpsons, etc. But still funny! I am clad with how well I am able to understand stuff, but I still have quite awhile before I will be able to really understand everything that is going on.

I do bike to and from school every day, which is about 6 miles total, I think. So I will definitely stay in shape here! Probably even get more in shape! Especially for tennis! TENNIS! I had my first tennis practice at a local club yesterday!! It was a lot of fun, but it has been so long since I had played that much tennis, so I was freakin crazy sore and tired! And I had to bike home! Needless to say, the ride home was a challenge! But I feel great! I love it! Clay courts are still a little hard for me to get used to, but they are fun!

I think that is about it for now..... anybody have any questions? My next post will be a response to all of them, if you do! Hopefully, I will be able to post sooner!

Fotos: Meine Letzte Woche in Bordelum :(

The two really cool Thai girls from my OSK on our way to Hamburg!



My first train ride!!! It wasn't rought at all or anything!



One thing that is ridiculous. In the train station are Water Closet Centers. You have to pay about the equivalent of one dollar to use the bathroom.



Some building in Hamburg. Pretty spectacular, isn't it?



There were a lot of street performers, but this one was my favorite! I think he is really talented!



The handball game. It was a lot of fun! It was Hans Christiansen's last game, so it was more of a fun game!



Both OSKs in Kiel. This is the capital of the state, Schleswig-Holstein, we were in. Most of them are in different states. I, however, am still here!



The OSK classroom. It was our second-to-last day! :(



Halbblut. The open air theatre was really big!!



The entire stage was really awesome!

It was a lot of fun!

Ganz Viel Ist Passiert

So, I have now realized that it has been quite a while since my last post and a lot has happened. Let's start with the last week at my temporary host family.

The friday of the third week, both OSKs in the area went to Kiel to learn a bit about the history and government of Schleswig-Holstein. It was probably one of the best days I have had in a while!!! It was pretty interesting, and I bought a couple of cool things!!

Then my OSK went to a Karl May open theater production. It was really big and a lot of fun!!!! It was really weird, though, because it was all cowboys and indians, but in german. It was really sad, though, because the next day was my last day in my OSK. I will really miss those guys!!! But we did eat Thai for lunch. It was quite spicy and a nice change of pace from the rather.....um.....repetitive taste of german food. That night I cooked my host family, what I was told was, an american meal. I made them BLTs. It was pretty lazy of me, right? But they all enjoyed them, and I sure did! We finished the night with some pretty intense Phase 10 playing!!! It was fun! I really enjoyed my entire time with that host family and will miss them!

The day that my new host family picked me up, we went to my host grandma's house and had a BBQ. I enjoyed the food, but, really, it has nothing on good ol' American BBQ. Which I am really starting to miss!! I have, however, found out that I really enjoy curry ketchup!!! It is different, but good! The day after the BBQ I went to my hostdad's soccer team's final game thing. They played not bad, better than I ever could, but unfortunately lost 0-7. However, the team that they played was two levels higher than they were. After that, we came home, picked up some Döners, and watched Two and a Half Men in german. I was glad that I could understand a lot!!

So, then came my first day of german school and MAN! was I nervous!! The first hour, the teacher talked about a lot of technical new things.... I think. I honestly did not understand anything that he said. But then another teacher showed me around the school and talked about the classes. The rest of the day was a lot more fun! I actually got to know a couple of people!!! Cool! I am actually a little bit excited about school tomorrow! And I cannot wait until I understand enough to actually participate in class!

Later today, I also went to a fair in town. It was pretty fun, but they didn't really have to many rides. They did have one, called Breakdancer, that was really awesome!!! Anyway, that is about it that I can think of. We'll see how the rest of the week goes!

Bilder von meinem zweite Woche

Beautiful sunset on the Nordsee.


Spaghetti Eis. Enough said.




This is a Döner. It is a German/Turkish food that is absolutely amazing!! But very hard to eat without making a mess.


Yes, there is McDonald's in Germany. But I did notice that they were healthier, offering a Veggie Burger.

Schland, Oh Schland

Third week almost finished. I really cannot believe that in less than 10 days I will be with my permanent family and starting German school. I am pretty nervous about the school thing, but I have been told that I should be fine. This past week has been fairly calm. At school we are reading "Der Kleine Mann" which is a children's book, but fairly easy to understand. On Tuesday, the two YFU groups in the area took a little trip to the Nordsee to participate in Wattwandern. It was a lot of fun and I learned a couple interesting things about the area. Wattwandern is walking though all of the mud that is left whenever the Nordsee's tide has left the area. Then, Wednesday was my host-grandfather's birthday. It was a lot of fun! We went over to his house and just ate a lot of good food and played really fun games! Other than that, everything has been the usual. However, I am really excited because tomorrow I am going to Hamburg with some other YFU kids, then that evening I am going to one of my host sister's friend's summer party!!! I can't wait!!!

Deutschland - Woche 2

I have already spent two weeks in Germany, and I can tell you that it honestly doesn't feel like it. I can't believe that in only two more weeks I will be going to my permanent host family and starting actual german school. I do have to say that my first two weeks here have been great!!



The school is fine. Not too hard, but definitely not too easy. I rode a bike for the first time in a very long time and I am sore in all the right places to prove it! Even though it was an eye opener of just how out of shape bike riding wise I am, it was a lot of fun. A fellow CBYX kid and I rode to Bredstedt which is about a 4-5 km bike ride. However, there was a very helpful bike trail the entire way!!



Once in Bredstedt, we decided to check out all of the stores in the main market area. I bought a backpack for school and some socks that are not white! We also got some amazing as always ice cream!!



The next time that I was in Bredstedt was to pick Marten up from the train station. We also decided to eat out. At McDonald's. It was one of the weirdest experiences I have had so far. First of all, it was a very small Mckey-D's. Second, their menu was nothing like ours. I had to actually say what I wanted instead of just a number. Third, no ice in the drinks nor free refills. Fourth, everything tasted very different. The burger tasted a bit better, but the fries were almost too salty. Also, they serve the fries with ketchup, which also tastes different, and mayonnaise. Finally, I got a Smartie-McFlurry. Don't freak out. Smarties are the German M&Ms. And the McFlurry was about half the size of the ones we get in the States. The food was not bad, don't get me wrong. Just different. Very different.

I would just like to say that I love Fridays at the language school!!! This Friday we went to the Markt in Bredstedt. We had to buy something that was from this region, which I bought potatoes. And the people that I bought them from were really cool and let me try one of there cherries, which were amazing!!!! During the lag time between buying something local and the next event, I went back to the place where I got my backpack and bought myself a European wallet, which is just a wallet with a place that can hold coins. Then we got our picture taken for a local newspaper. And the reporter is going to come back to our class this week and ask us questions. Then we had another scavenger hunt to do. This time throughout Bredstedt. Which is a bigger city than I thought! But my teammate and I had a lot of fun!

After the scavenger hunt, we were all ready to eat! So we went to a nice little Turkish place and I had my first Doener. It was very good, but very difficult to eat without making a mess! Afterwards we went to an ice cream place and I got an always good Spaghetti Eis. Then we went to a park and let our food digest before biking back to Doerpum.

Saturday we went to Sylt. Which is an island off the coast of Northern Germany. We ended up driving through Northern Germany, into Denmark, and then to Danish island. There we ate a hot dog, which was great, hung out on a beach that actually had sand, and played Wikinger. Then we drove to the harbor and boarded a ferry that carried our car to Sylt. Once there we had a little bit of seafood. Mine was King Crab on a roll. Then we drove through Sylt, which is very apparently home to a lot of very rich germans. Almost every other car was a Porsche. We stopped by a beach to just take a look. It turned out to be an FKK Beach. Which is german for clothing-optional. Needless to say, we didn't actually go onto the beach, we kept a good distance and instead went to a restaurant that was right there and got a drink and some ice cream.

Then we drove to the train station and boarded the Autozug back to the mainland. The Autozug is a train onto which you drive your car. Then you sit in your car the entire time the train is moving. It gets to the station, you drive your car off and then leave. So it was my first time riding on a train and riding in a car on a train. After we got home, we decided to go out to eat at a Greek restaurant. It was, besides the fact that it was really salty, a very good meal. Max kept freaking out and trying to cover up the privates of a miniature Statue of David like thing that was sitting right behind where we were.

Overall, this was a great week!

Bilder von meiner erste Woche in Deutschland

Above: Human Fooseball in Bredstedt.

Here is one of the games played at the Nordsee. The hill is actually kinda steep.




The Nordsee:

For six hours it is full...



...and the next six hours it is empty.



The Germans are all for green energy. There are so many windmills in my area!


My house. Very beautiful all around!


Wikinger, a really fun game!!! I wonder if we have it in the states....

Ringreiten


My Room

Meine erste Woche in Deutschland

So I have now spent an entire week in Germany. It feels like I have been here much longer, though. But I can definitely say that I have thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it!!! The first couple of days I was extremely tired. I mean, I have heard of jetlag, but I didn't know just how crappy it really was!!! I felt bad because I slept pretty much all day.

Then, on my second day here in Germany, my host-sister, Imke, had friends over to celebrate her 17th birthday. So we had a party! It was a lot of fun and I was pretty dang tired. My day pretty much went like this: sleep, get up, eat a bit, sleep some more, get up, eat a bit more, sleep, then party! It was really a lot of fun and all of her friends were excited to speak english with me. It was very interesting that on my second day here, I found out just how german teens party. I wish we partied like that in America!!!! It was AWESOME!!!!

The third day was Imke's actual birthday, so her grandparents came over, one of them gave me german candy!!!!!, and then we had cake....sort of. I think it was a torte. We had that and an ice cream torte and little cookies and basically a lot of sugary goodness.

The rest of the week seems like a blur now. I starte language courses, which at first were a real pain, but I think it was mainly due to me trying to adjust to the jetlag. I actually kind of enjoy them now, and am really not looking forward to actual german school.:(

Other than school I have bought myself a Handy (cellphone), for very very cheap!!!! I do really like how here they put the tax included on the price tag so you know exactly what you will be paying. I have gone to the Nordsee. which is incredible!

The beach has no sand, just grass, and the water is freezing cold and muddy. oh yeah, and it is very very windy. But it was still a lot of fun! We went to a place, I forget what it is called, where the water moves between two spots. I didn't believe it at first, but it is true!!! The water is there for 6 hours, then for the next 6 hours it is gone and all that is left is mud. Incredible!!! I also forgot to say that on the second day, I believe, I went to a Ringreiten competition, in which Imke and her best friend Anna participate. It was a lot of fun, except the fact that I accidentally used the wrong por-a-potty.... since when did it matter that guys use one and girls use the other? IT IS A POR-A-POTTY FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!!! Nonetheless, I took care of my business and that is all that matters to me.

We went back to the Nordsee today to watch people compete in various competitions in the mud. It was really funny to watch them all!!!

I have also found the town here that has almost everything: Bredstedt. It is only a couple kilometers from Bordelum. This weekend it is having a fleamarket thing. It is a big festival that is a lot of fun!!! I have gone twice now!! The first time we got ice cream. which let me tell you, when you do not know the flavors, it is actually a lot more fun!!! I got surprised with a sweet flavor on top and a sour flavor on bottom of my two scoop cone! The second time we went I had goulosh on noodles. it was pretty good!!! The entertainment was really funny. the first time I saw both a puppet show called "Spass mit Teufel" which Max really enjoyed.....as did I. and a band made up entirely of.......accordions. and when I say band I mean that there must've been at least 15 of them!! They sounded good, but I could not stop chuckling!!! The second time there, I saw a human Fooseball competition.

In school we have been learning grammar. boo. and culture. yeah!!! Overall, school has gotten a lot better!!! Just friday we had a scavenger hunt through Doerpum. It was a lot of fun and my team won!!! HECK YEAH!!!!

Finally, I just have to say that I cannot complain about anything here. The weather, although windy, is fairly good and the food is great as well as the people. I cannot wait to see what germany will bring me next!!!

Orientation, Flug, und jetzt ich bin in Deutschland

I am here. I am actually in Germany! I still cannot believe it! I don't know if it is the lack of sleep or what, but I just can't grasp my mind around the fact that I will be spending the next year of my life here. My first host family is great so far! All of them are very nice and know enough english so that when I give them the I-don't-know-what-the-heck-you-just-said look, they can tell me in english. I do have to admit that I will miss the english language. I also know that, right now, I am scared out of my mind. I cannot wait for the language courses and for the improvement of my german. I feel bad for the family that I cannot understand more of what they are saying, but I think that the exhaustion is kind of blocking my translating capabilities.

The Wasington D.C. orientation was fun and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know my fellow CBYXers. I cannot wait to meet up with them again and go clubbing or something!!! ha ha! Although the orientation did get a little boring at some points and I was tired pretty much throughout the entirety of it, it was really helpful and I made a lot of new friends!! I also found out that I have an accent, which I still cannot believe. I was told by a Wisconsonite and a Minnesotian that I have one. The guy from Minnesota was a little more nice in pointing it out, but nonetheless, I am now a little self-conscious of my english.

The flight over was not bad at all. We had our on tv screens and a meal that was, surprisingly, good. Nevertheless, I did not get that much sleep at all, no matter how hard I tried!!! So then I had a three and a half hour layover in Frankfurt before flying to Hamburg. On that flight I actually slept. Well, okay, I was out! But it did feel a little refreshing! Then, after getting our luggage, we drove with a volunteer to Bredstedt, where two of us were dropped off, including myself. On the way, we drove on the Autobahn, which is AWESOME!!!! I was watching the speedometer and clocked us at about 150 kmph which is about 93 mph. I also slept on that drive.

But now, I am in Bordelum, sitting in my room which I have just gotten settled in to. I can say that I am scared for the rest of my stay, but I am going to blame that on the lack of sleep. So let's see how the rest of the week will turn out!

Fußball, Freunde, und andere Sachen

I figured that it is about time I write another post. I have done a lot since my last one. I have made contact with my permanent host family, the Hamanns from Itzehoe, but I will talk more about them later. My tickets are purchased as well as my luggage. I have had two great super awesome parties!!! My dad and his family surprised me at my work. Right as I walked in the door they yelled SURPRISE!!!! and told me that I didn't have to work! I, of course did not believe it at first, but then my manager came out and told me it was true! It was the best surprise party ever!! I received lots of great cards and contributions to the Brantley Germany Fund! I got my passport in the mail a while ago and took more pictures for my visa. I have also sold my car, finished my last two weeks at work, and gotten enough money in my fund to buy a laptop, camera, iPod, and accessories. I am super pumped that I have everything, for the most part, that I need for Germany!!!

Then my mom's family had a going away party for me. They all showed up and we had a nice "German" meal consisting of Bratwurst and Potato Salad. I also had my birthday/going away party with my friends! A lot of people showed up and brought lots of amazing gifts! It was the best night I have had in a while! Just last night, I went to a Springfield Laser's pro tennis match with a couple of friends. It did rain, but they just moved it inside and our seats were literally 10 feet from the court!!!! It was AWESOME!!!!

I have already made a couple of college visits because I will be applying while I am overseas. I visited UMKC and SLU. I have liked both of them, but am very very impressed with SLU and am leaning more towards it, if I can get the Presidential Scholarship. I still have one more visit this Thursday to Hendrix College in Arkansas. I am super excited!!!

Also, a little note. I am very upset that Germany didn't win the World Cup! I was semi-hoping for some awesome craziness when I arrived because I was sure that they would still be partying two weeks later. I know I would!

My last couple of weeks here in the States have been very busy, spending time with family and friends, going on float trips, watching movies, and just hanging out. But now that my departure date is getting closer....well.... it is starting to finally sink in. I can honestly say that, right now, I don't want to leave. I am super excited, but I just don't like packing and all that crap. Speaking of which, today I am finally starting the packing process of sorting through all of my clothes and deciding what will go, stay, or be trashed. It is a long process, but I am almost finished. I think that that is catching everyone up to speed, but if I realize that I have forgotten something, I will be sure to tell you!

Meine erste Gastfamilie

Alrighty, so I have made contact with my first host family. I will be staying with them for one month while I am improving my language skills and getting used to the new culture through intense language and culture courses. They are the Clausens from Bordelum, a small town of about 2,000 that is only 10 minutes away from the North Sea. My mom is Birthe, dad is Oluf, and my siblings are Imke, 17, Marten, 15, and Max, 6. I really do not know much about them right now except that they have never hosted an exchange student before. So I really hope that I am going to be a good influence in them hosting in the future! They have a really pretty house and I will be sure to put up pictures of it and them as quickly as I can once I arrive. They appear to be very very nice people and I cannot wait to be a part of their family, even though it will only be for one month. Also, I was the one to initiation contact after receiving their information in the mail. I emailed them a short message in English and they responded.....in German. So it looks like I will have to work on my German skills before I even leave!!

Das Datum

Well, I just found out today the date that I will be leaving....ish. I have been told, from a very reliable source, that the scholarship recipients will need to be in Washington D.C. by July 20th!!!! I cannot believe how soon that is!!! And I am pretty sure that we will be leaving the states on the 23rd! It is kind of sinking in that I am actually not going to be here next year and, now that school is out, I know that the days leading up to my departure will fly by. I guess I better make the most of them!

Der Anfang

My name Brantley Scott. I am 16 years old and currently a junior. However, I will be spending my senior year abroad. In Germany, to be exact. I am a recipient of the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Scholarship, CBYX, and will, therefore, be getting an, for the most part, all expenses paid year abroad through the exchange program Youth for Understanding, or YFU. Now for a little back story.

It all started when I talked my parents into hosting a foreign exchange student. They were a little wary at first, but finally I convinced them. I talked to my tennis coach, who has hosted students in the past, about the different programs and she sent me an email from AFS about students needing families in our area. So my family started the application process and, as the time went on, one by one, the students were getting placed and we didn't even know if we would be allowed to host or not! Finally, we got the all clear and were told to make our decision. Long story short, it came down to two people, one from Austria and the other, my new German brother, Immo.

Anyway, while I was looking at the AFS website I came across a blog of an American who went overseas. He was a recipient of the CBYX scholarship. So I looked into it. I found out that it paid for the flight there and full tuition!! I was very excited and, after much thought, decided to apply. After an interview and quite a few months of waiting, I learned that I was a scholarship recipient!!! I do not know when I will leave or where I will live in Germany. All I know is that I am uber excited to be going and will be updating this blog as often as I can, with pictures and videos also, so that you guys can keep updated on my German adventure!