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!