Hello everyone! It has been a while since my last post, I know.
I have started to fall into a routine in Vienna. It has become less touring around and more studying and doing homework (unfortunately). Class is pretty vigorous so far. I always have grammar assignments, papers to write, etc... I will tell you a little bit more about my classes.
I have three different teachers. The first one is Professor Arens who is the teacher from the University of Montana who came on the trip with us. She teaches our grammar and theater classes. I really like grammar because I am usually pretty good at it! And a lot of it is review so it is pretty easy. The theater class is pretty difficult. Not because of the material, but because of all the work. We read all these different plays in German, and translate them to figure out what is going on. We see the plays, which is really cool because they are in beautiful theaters in Vienna. Then we have to write essays on them. We have a new play once a week. It gets pretty tiring.
The second teacher is Professor Zimmerman. He teaches our culture class and also does not speak any English. It is alright because he speaks pretty slowly, however I don't pick up on some of the things he says. We have lecture with him on Tuesdays and on Thursdays we go on excursions. He is really nice!
The third teacher is Laura. She is one of the host moms of another American student and she teaches our conversation class. We go to her house for this class, and she makes us tea, coffee, and cake which is wonderful! She speaks very fast so most of the time I don't know what she is saying. This class is kind of just an awkward time where she talks at us and we try to figure out what is going on.
So that is everything about class, now I will talk about the homesick feeling. I think the majority of our group is starting to feel homesick, mostly because we are now in a routine. Some of the group have significant others back home, which I think would be hard! I miss talking to my parents every other day. I miss my roommates and my friends. I miss my student group, I miss the mountains, I miss going into a grocery store and knowing what I am buying. I miss English. I miss Missoula. I miss being able to smile at people in public without coming off as a total weirdo. Even though I miss home though, I am still having a wonderful time with some wonderful people over here.
Now I want to talk about some weird differences I have been noticing between Europe and America.
People in Europe have a smaller personal bubble than Americans do. People here literally just bump right into each other and don't say anything. I come off as weird, because whenever I accidentally touch someone, I say "Entschuldigung" and they are like, why are you apologizing!?
People in Europe like to stare. Professor Arens says it is ok here for people to stare at others for a long time and it doesn't come off as creepy. So when I am in the train and I notice some old man staring at me for what seems like 5 minutes straight, it isn't because he is creepy, it is because he is just observing. In America if you make eye contact with someone, you immediately look away. Not here. It is uncomfortable.
That is all I can think of right now, but I will definitely update this post if I think of more!
Love and miss all you guys, the trip is halfway over!!! :)
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Monday, March 10, 2014
Vienna so far
Hello everyone! Here is the story of my first two days in Vienna.
On Saturday the 8th of March, we rode on a train from Berlin to Vienna. The whole trip took about 10 hours. It was really cool because we went through the Czech Republic and passed through Prague. It was awesome. Most of the trip I slept however.
When we got to Vienna my host mom Jutta was there to pick me up. She made fun of me for walking so fast, so I guess that is the first sign that Austrians are a bit more relaxed than the fast-waking Germans! We went to the train station that is closest to my house, called Siebenhirten, and my host father Günther was there to pick us up. He is a funny man, he is always smoking a cigar. When I first met him, he was smoking a cigar. He likes to speak to me in English while Jutta speaks to me mostly in German unless I have no idea what she is saying. When we got home, I gave them the gifts I brought them which were a book about Montana and also Huckleberry Candies. They were very polite and thankful. They showed me around the house and later that night I passed out from exhaustion.
On Sunday, my host mom knocked on my door at 9 a.m. for breakfast. I felt kind of bad because they were both dressed and ready for the day and I was still groggy and in my pajamas. I don't think they cared too much though. For breakfast we had bread, cheese, salami and tea. I got ready after this and did some laundry. A few other Americans and I decided to meet up at Karlskirche to make sure we knew where it was because that is where we were meeting the following day. I live about 500 meters from another American on the trip named Colin. My host dad walked me to his house and then Colin and I walked to the train station. The trains here are a lot simpler than they are in Berlin (thank goodness). We met the rest of our group and got food at a delicious Asian restaurant. We then walked around a little more. Vienna is beautiful and very fancy. People are dressed very nice and there are a lot of designer stores. When I got home later, I checked my email and noticed that I had 4 essays to write this week (NOOOOOO....) so I guess the vacation is over. Back to the daily grind!
This morning I woke up and had breakfast which was bread, salami, cheese, and tea. I then made a sandwich for lunch on the go, once again it was salami, cheese, and bread. I think there is a pattern happening here.
We all met up at Karlskirche and went to our classroom. We discussed the play "Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder" for a long time. Our conversation teacher came to introduce herself. On Monday evenings we are going to her house just to have German conversations. I was feeling weird today, and this woman was talking so quickly and I had no idea what she was saying. I ended up having a panic attack. This was the first time on the trip that I felt bad. On top of the panic attack I think a little homesickness caught up with me. It only lasted about 10 minutes but I was quite embarrassed.
After class, a few others and I went to eat curry at a Turkish? or Indian? restaurant. It was so good! Then we went and bought cell phones so we can all talk to eachother. I am finally starting to feel somewhat at home! We all went home because we all have 4 essays to write. Colin and I went together because we are neighbors. We stopped for a beer on the way home. It was much needed because I was having a rough day. I got home and took a nap, and now I am doing homework and writing this blog!
Miss you all, hope everything is good back in the US of A.
Love ya,
Shannon.
On Saturday the 8th of March, we rode on a train from Berlin to Vienna. The whole trip took about 10 hours. It was really cool because we went through the Czech Republic and passed through Prague. It was awesome. Most of the trip I slept however.
When we got to Vienna my host mom Jutta was there to pick me up. She made fun of me for walking so fast, so I guess that is the first sign that Austrians are a bit more relaxed than the fast-waking Germans! We went to the train station that is closest to my house, called Siebenhirten, and my host father Günther was there to pick us up. He is a funny man, he is always smoking a cigar. When I first met him, he was smoking a cigar. He likes to speak to me in English while Jutta speaks to me mostly in German unless I have no idea what she is saying. When we got home, I gave them the gifts I brought them which were a book about Montana and also Huckleberry Candies. They were very polite and thankful. They showed me around the house and later that night I passed out from exhaustion.
On Sunday, my host mom knocked on my door at 9 a.m. for breakfast. I felt kind of bad because they were both dressed and ready for the day and I was still groggy and in my pajamas. I don't think they cared too much though. For breakfast we had bread, cheese, salami and tea. I got ready after this and did some laundry. A few other Americans and I decided to meet up at Karlskirche to make sure we knew where it was because that is where we were meeting the following day. I live about 500 meters from another American on the trip named Colin. My host dad walked me to his house and then Colin and I walked to the train station. The trains here are a lot simpler than they are in Berlin (thank goodness). We met the rest of our group and got food at a delicious Asian restaurant. We then walked around a little more. Vienna is beautiful and very fancy. People are dressed very nice and there are a lot of designer stores. When I got home later, I checked my email and noticed that I had 4 essays to write this week (NOOOOOO....) so I guess the vacation is over. Back to the daily grind!
This morning I woke up and had breakfast which was bread, salami, cheese, and tea. I then made a sandwich for lunch on the go, once again it was salami, cheese, and bread. I think there is a pattern happening here.
We all met up at Karlskirche and went to our classroom. We discussed the play "Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder" for a long time. Our conversation teacher came to introduce herself. On Monday evenings we are going to her house just to have German conversations. I was feeling weird today, and this woman was talking so quickly and I had no idea what she was saying. I ended up having a panic attack. This was the first time on the trip that I felt bad. On top of the panic attack I think a little homesickness caught up with me. It only lasted about 10 minutes but I was quite embarrassed.
After class, a few others and I went to eat curry at a Turkish? or Indian? restaurant. It was so good! Then we went and bought cell phones so we can all talk to eachother. I am finally starting to feel somewhat at home! We all went home because we all have 4 essays to write. Colin and I went together because we are neighbors. We stopped for a beer on the way home. It was much needed because I was having a rough day. I got home and took a nap, and now I am doing homework and writing this blog!
Miss you all, hope everything is good back in the US of A.
Love ya,
Shannon.
The story of Berlin!
BERLIN WAS AMAZING!
Here is the day by day story:
Friday February 28th:
We got off of the train in Charlottenberg, which is a part of West Berlin. We stayed at a place called Happy Go Lucky Hotel, which was pretty darn cool. It had paintings on the side of it. This was my favorite.
That night we all went out on the town. It was awesome.
Saturday, March 1st:
On this day, we went to the Brandenburger Tor and the memorial for Nazi conflict in Berlin. I was so happy to see the gate. Just thinking about what it represents gave me chills! I got a lot of pictures of the gate. Here is my favorite one! Here is a full album of the Brandenburger Tor.
If you look in the album you will see some pictures of some other Americans and me posing with fake American soldiers. This guy who was acting as a soldier was really funny. He was like, "Hello ladies, you like the USA?" He then grabbed me around the shoulder and whispered, "You going to kill me tonight?" I was so flustered and went, "Uhhh... No thanks."
We then went to the Nazi conflict memorial, which was very cool. In my opinion, Germany has done a wonderful job of putting the past behind while still commemorating and remembering it. After we visited this memorial, a pretty cool thing happened. Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany, was leaving a hotel right next to the Brandenburger Tor. I didn't get to see her with my own eyes, but it was cool to see the big crowd of Germans gathering to see her.
Sunday, March 2:
Today we had a free day! A few of the American ladies and I went to the DDR museum. It was so amazing, it is one of the most interactive museums in the world, or so I think I was told somewhere. This museum was dedicated to showing you how life was in East Germany during the Cold War. The trip to Berlin definitely opened my eyes to how severe and heartbreaking the Wall was for the city.
Monday, March 3:
On this day, we first went to the Deutsche Historischen Museum, which was very very interesting. I looked at German history all the way from 500 BC to present day. It is amazing just how extensive the history is, compared to American history. Also during this day, we went to a memorial for a group of soldiers who tried to assassinate Hitler. If you remember the movie "Valkyrie", this is the same group from the movie. It was very cool. We then visited another museum where we saw where a group of Jewish people hid during the war. The room was very tiny and dark. I couldn't imagine being stuck in there for so long.
That evening, we visited the Bundestag, which is the capital building of Germany. It was amazing! We saw where Angela Merkel did her work there and also the German Parliament. Here are some pictures of the Bundestag.
Tuesday March 4:
This day we went to Checkpoint Charlie. For those of you who don't know what that is, it was the checkpoint during the Cold War between the East German border and the United States controlled part of Berlin. A very famous tank standoff between the Americans and the East Germans happened here. Many people believe that if the tanks would have fired, World War III would have started. Here is a photo.
Once again, this is a fake American soldier. I don't know why there are so many phony soldiers here!
We also visited Potsdamer Platz which was no man's land during the Cold War. Now it is full of new buildings and shops. Later, we went to Topographie des Terrors which is located right next to part of the Wall that is still standing. In here they told a lot about the Jewish opposition during World War II. At one point I started to feel sick from reading all of the things that happened.
Later that night, we went to a play called "Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder" or in English "Mother Courage and her Children". It was really cool, however it was a three hour play and in German so I kind of just zoned out a bit.
Wednesday, March 5th:
This day, we went to the Jewish Museum. This was really cool. We had to go through security when we got there. This also happens at the Jewish synagogue in Berlin. Jewish places are very secure. The museum was really amazing, it was built to look like a broken star of David from above. A lot of the museum focused on Jewish oppression but a lot of it was also just normal history of the Jewish people. Here is a picture of a memorial for the Jewish people. It was very interesting.
After this we went to the Mauermuseum, or the Berlin Wall museum. This was really cool. A lot of the wall is still standing here and there is also still a watch tower on the East Berlin side. At this museum I learned about the people who lost their lives trying to escape to the West. It was heartbreaking. I didn't realize how lucky I am to have my freedom until visiting the Wall.
That night, Frau Arens invited us to come swing dancing with her. Four of the girls including me and two of the guys went with her. It was really fun! I learned how to do the basics of swing dancing (which is a lot different in Berlin than it is in Montana). When we were close to leaving a balding man with a bow tie asked me to dance. He was amazing and for the first time all night I finally felt amazing because I could pretend I knew how to swing dance.
After this, Professor Arens and her friends left and one of the American boys went to another part of the city. The rest of us had other plans. I had my first Berlin night club experience! Sorry mom and dad, and grandmas, but I must tell the story of the nightclub!! Haha. So we get there at about 9 or 10 ish, and there are still not many people there. It is free ladies night and also 2 for 1 drinks so we were pretty excited (except for the one guy with us). It was odd because the security getting in was very tight. I showed them my passport and had to dump out my water bottle just in case it was Vodka (it was water). Us four ladies noticed that no one was on the dance floor, so we went out and started dancing. We were all wondering why nobody else was dancing, but we didn't really care. Eventually more people came and the music got louder, there were flashing lights, it was so much fun! I would totally do it again given the opportunity (OK mom and dad, you can take off your earmuffs now).
Thursday, March 6th:
On this day we went to Potsdam. It is about 20 minutes outside of Berlin by train. Potsdam was beautiful and very historical. We had a tour of the historical part of town, in German of course, so once again I didn't learn all that much because I didn't know what he was saying. The tour guide was very nice however, and you could tell he was very passionate. He had a name tag on that said "Potsdam l(i)eber" which pretty much means, resident of Potsdam, Potsdam lover. It was cute. After the tour we went to the University of Potsdam. This was really cool. The University itself is not that old but it is built in a very old part of Potsdam. We had an international admissions woman talk about going to school there in the future. They have a masters program for Accounting, so I was pretty darn excited because I could totally see myself living in Potsdam in the future.
After the University visit, we went to Schloss Sanssouci, or the Sanssouci Castle. It was amazing. It was built in the 1700's and it was where Frederick the Great, the king of Prussia, lived. It was so amazing inside. We went from room to room with an audio tour and got to see original furniture that this king used to sit in, the flute he used to play, everything. I felt like I was in a fairy tale. However this whole trip has felt like a fairy tale so far! Here is a picture of the castle.
Friday, March 7th:
On Friday the group took it easy. We went to the East Side Gallery which is a part of the wall still standing with beautiful works of art on it. Unfortunately a lot of people vandalize it and put graffiti over the artworks. I was kind of upset about this.
After the East Side Gallery we went to a different part of Berlin, if I recall it was called Kreutz(something). It was an interesting part of town. The streets were tiny and there was a ton of graffiti. It seemed kind of sketchy but in a cool kind of way. After this, we went back to the hostel. I went to a grocery store with my friend Tylyn and we got snacks for the next day's train ride. While we were there a man said to us "Hallo schöne Damen," which means "Hello pretty ladies." I was both flattered and proud that I understood what he said! Also in this store, we met this scary American biker man. He ended up being kind of a jerk. He didn't speak any German but he lives in Berlin, and he doesn't plan on learning it. I was upset by this because he seemed like one of those people who would get upset at someone going to America and not knowing how to speak English. He also tried to start talking politics, specifically about Obama doing a bad job. In my head I was thinking, The last thing I want to do right now is have a political debate about American politics in the middle of a German supermarket. So Tylyn and I awkwardly walked away from that situation.
After the grocery store we went to a bank to get money. I was having problems with my card but finally figured out how to get some cash. I also called my parents off of my friend's phone. It was nice to hear their voices. I miss them a lot!
Saturday, March 8:
We woke up early on this day to catch our train to Vienna! More stories about this to come.
Here is the day by day story:
Friday February 28th:
We got off of the train in Charlottenberg, which is a part of West Berlin. We stayed at a place called Happy Go Lucky Hotel, which was pretty darn cool. It had paintings on the side of it. This was my favorite.
I hope everyone knows that this is from the movie "The Shining."
That night we all went out on the town. It was awesome.
Saturday, March 1st:
On this day, we went to the Brandenburger Tor and the memorial for Nazi conflict in Berlin. I was so happy to see the gate. Just thinking about what it represents gave me chills! I got a lot of pictures of the gate. Here is my favorite one! Here is a full album of the Brandenburger Tor.
We then went to the Nazi conflict memorial, which was very cool. In my opinion, Germany has done a wonderful job of putting the past behind while still commemorating and remembering it. After we visited this memorial, a pretty cool thing happened. Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany, was leaving a hotel right next to the Brandenburger Tor. I didn't get to see her with my own eyes, but it was cool to see the big crowd of Germans gathering to see her.
Sunday, March 2:
Today we had a free day! A few of the American ladies and I went to the DDR museum. It was so amazing, it is one of the most interactive museums in the world, or so I think I was told somewhere. This museum was dedicated to showing you how life was in East Germany during the Cold War. The trip to Berlin definitely opened my eyes to how severe and heartbreaking the Wall was for the city.
Monday, March 3:
On this day, we first went to the Deutsche Historischen Museum, which was very very interesting. I looked at German history all the way from 500 BC to present day. It is amazing just how extensive the history is, compared to American history. Also during this day, we went to a memorial for a group of soldiers who tried to assassinate Hitler. If you remember the movie "Valkyrie", this is the same group from the movie. It was very cool. We then visited another museum where we saw where a group of Jewish people hid during the war. The room was very tiny and dark. I couldn't imagine being stuck in there for so long.
That evening, we visited the Bundestag, which is the capital building of Germany. It was amazing! We saw where Angela Merkel did her work there and also the German Parliament. Here are some pictures of the Bundestag.
Tuesday March 4:
This day we went to Checkpoint Charlie. For those of you who don't know what that is, it was the checkpoint during the Cold War between the East German border and the United States controlled part of Berlin. A very famous tank standoff between the Americans and the East Germans happened here. Many people believe that if the tanks would have fired, World War III would have started. Here is a photo.
We also visited Potsdamer Platz which was no man's land during the Cold War. Now it is full of new buildings and shops. Later, we went to Topographie des Terrors which is located right next to part of the Wall that is still standing. In here they told a lot about the Jewish opposition during World War II. At one point I started to feel sick from reading all of the things that happened.
It really hit me hard here just how violent Germany's history is. I feel bad for current Germans because I think they have to put up with a lot of stereotypes from others.
Later that night, we went to a play called "Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder" or in English "Mother Courage and her Children". It was really cool, however it was a three hour play and in German so I kind of just zoned out a bit.
Wednesday, March 5th:
This day, we went to the Jewish Museum. This was really cool. We had to go through security when we got there. This also happens at the Jewish synagogue in Berlin. Jewish places are very secure. The museum was really amazing, it was built to look like a broken star of David from above. A lot of the museum focused on Jewish oppression but a lot of it was also just normal history of the Jewish people. Here is a picture of a memorial for the Jewish people. It was very interesting.
After this we went to the Mauermuseum, or the Berlin Wall museum. This was really cool. A lot of the wall is still standing here and there is also still a watch tower on the East Berlin side. At this museum I learned about the people who lost their lives trying to escape to the West. It was heartbreaking. I didn't realize how lucky I am to have my freedom until visiting the Wall.
That night, Frau Arens invited us to come swing dancing with her. Four of the girls including me and two of the guys went with her. It was really fun! I learned how to do the basics of swing dancing (which is a lot different in Berlin than it is in Montana). When we were close to leaving a balding man with a bow tie asked me to dance. He was amazing and for the first time all night I finally felt amazing because I could pretend I knew how to swing dance.
After this, Professor Arens and her friends left and one of the American boys went to another part of the city. The rest of us had other plans. I had my first Berlin night club experience! Sorry mom and dad, and grandmas, but I must tell the story of the nightclub!! Haha. So we get there at about 9 or 10 ish, and there are still not many people there. It is free ladies night and also 2 for 1 drinks so we were pretty excited (except for the one guy with us). It was odd because the security getting in was very tight. I showed them my passport and had to dump out my water bottle just in case it was Vodka (it was water). Us four ladies noticed that no one was on the dance floor, so we went out and started dancing. We were all wondering why nobody else was dancing, but we didn't really care. Eventually more people came and the music got louder, there were flashing lights, it was so much fun! I would totally do it again given the opportunity (OK mom and dad, you can take off your earmuffs now).
Thursday, March 6th:
On this day we went to Potsdam. It is about 20 minutes outside of Berlin by train. Potsdam was beautiful and very historical. We had a tour of the historical part of town, in German of course, so once again I didn't learn all that much because I didn't know what he was saying. The tour guide was very nice however, and you could tell he was very passionate. He had a name tag on that said "Potsdam l(i)eber" which pretty much means, resident of Potsdam, Potsdam lover. It was cute. After the tour we went to the University of Potsdam. This was really cool. The University itself is not that old but it is built in a very old part of Potsdam. We had an international admissions woman talk about going to school there in the future. They have a masters program for Accounting, so I was pretty darn excited because I could totally see myself living in Potsdam in the future.
After the University visit, we went to Schloss Sanssouci, or the Sanssouci Castle. It was amazing. It was built in the 1700's and it was where Frederick the Great, the king of Prussia, lived. It was so amazing inside. We went from room to room with an audio tour and got to see original furniture that this king used to sit in, the flute he used to play, everything. I felt like I was in a fairy tale. However this whole trip has felt like a fairy tale so far! Here is a picture of the castle.
Friday, March 7th:
On Friday the group took it easy. We went to the East Side Gallery which is a part of the wall still standing with beautiful works of art on it. Unfortunately a lot of people vandalize it and put graffiti over the artworks. I was kind of upset about this.
This was my favorite painting on the Wall. It is a very powerful image of two politicians kissing. Someone decided to write "Faggots" over it, but I think the image is much more powerful than the word.
After the East Side Gallery we went to a different part of Berlin, if I recall it was called Kreutz(something). It was an interesting part of town. The streets were tiny and there was a ton of graffiti. It seemed kind of sketchy but in a cool kind of way. After this, we went back to the hostel. I went to a grocery store with my friend Tylyn and we got snacks for the next day's train ride. While we were there a man said to us "Hallo schöne Damen," which means "Hello pretty ladies." I was both flattered and proud that I understood what he said! Also in this store, we met this scary American biker man. He ended up being kind of a jerk. He didn't speak any German but he lives in Berlin, and he doesn't plan on learning it. I was upset by this because he seemed like one of those people who would get upset at someone going to America and not knowing how to speak English. He also tried to start talking politics, specifically about Obama doing a bad job. In my head I was thinking, The last thing I want to do right now is have a political debate about American politics in the middle of a German supermarket. So Tylyn and I awkwardly walked away from that situation.
After the grocery store we went to a bank to get money. I was having problems with my card but finally figured out how to get some cash. I also called my parents off of my friend's phone. It was nice to hear their voices. I miss them a lot!
Saturday, March 8:
We woke up early on this day to catch our train to Vienna! More stories about this to come.
Saturday, March 8, 2014
Update: The story of Neckargemünd and Heidelberg
Familie und Fruende:
I am so sorry I have not had time to update my blog. I have gone pretty much two weeks without doing so! However I am here to update you. Let's get started with my first week in Heidelberg and Neckargemünd.
We left off on the last post on the weekend of the 22nd and the 23rd. Here is a day by day story:
Monday, February 24th:
On this day, we went to the University of Heidelberg to the building where they teach all of the language classes. We went into a conference room and discussed Dantons Tod, which is a play we were reading for class. After we discussed this, a professor from the University of Heidelberg came and showed us a video about Heidelberg. The video was in German so I tried to follow as much as I could! After this, we went on a tour of Heidelberg. All of the students, Professor Arens, and the other professor all went to the student bar thing and we all had a drink. It was quite odd to be drinking with my teachers! That night I went out with the rest of the Americans to explore Heidelberg. It was awesome! One of the places we went to was an Irish Pub, who had live Irish music. It kind of made me homesick!
Tuesday, February 25th:
On this day, we went to the Heidelberg Castle, which was AMAZING. The thing I love about Germany is the history, it goes back so so far! We took a tour of the castle with an amazing tour guide. I learned that the grandparents of all the current English royalty used to live in this castle. The earrings worn by Kate Middleton at her wedding were also worn by the princess who lived at the Heidelberg Castle. I also learned that one of Shakespeare's last plays was debuted at this castle. Here is an album of castle pictures. That night, I was sitting in my room and my little host brother Max asked if I wanted to watch TV. He and Hanna came in my room and we watched Family Guy and South Park in German. That was awesome because I had seen the shows before so I actually knew what was going on!
Wednesday, February 26th:
On this day, we went to the Gymnasium. As an American you are probably thinking I went to a gym, but in Germany the Gymnasium is actually what they call the school. The German school system is very different from the USA's. The Gymnasium is the school you go to if you want to eventually go to University. The students range from ages 11 to 18. The pressure to figure out what you want to do with your life in Germany is a lot bigger than it is in the US. You have to start getting good grades at a very young age. For kids who do not go to the Gymnasium, they go to something called Realschule which is kind of like a trade school.
So anyways, back to the story, we went to the Gymnasium. When we were back in Missoula, we prepared presentations for some of the kids. We went to different classes and presented our presentations. Another American and I did ours on Glacier National Park. The kids had questions about America and what our stereotypes of Germans were. It was pretty cool. After we gave our presentations, we at lunch at the school cafeteria (which surprisingly was not bad) and then we all rode a bus to a place called Dilsburg. One of the other American's host father, Erik, showed us around the old castle there and the town. We were all incredibly exhausted and tried very hard to keep up with him. After he showed us around, we all went to his house for coffee and cake. It was awesome! I had tea and probably 5 different types of cake. Erik's wife, I unfortunately can't remember her name, she reminded me of my gramma Joanne. She was very sweet and liked to laugh a lot! I kept asking if she wanted help and she wouldn't let me. That made me miss my gramma a lot!
Thursday, February 27th:
On this day, the group went to a place called Mannheim. I think I heard that about 90% of Mannheim was destroyed in World War II. We went to an art museum there. I am not much of a painting type person so I just wandered around and looked at everything. After this, all of us went to a place to eat döner kebabs. They were the best kebabs I have had on the trip, and they also had french fries in them which made me laugh. After eating, we all met up once again to go to the play Dantons Tod. Before this, we went to a couple different places to get drinks, which was fun. The play was interesting. It was in German, but since I had read it in English I could tell mostly what was happening. That night we went out some more, and then I went home and went to bed!
Friday, February 28th:
On this day we went to Berlin! We rode on a train and I think the trip took 5 hours. It was very sad to say goodbye to my host family, I had just started to become closer with them. However I was excited to leave for Berlin. Read the next post for the Berlin story!
I am so sorry I have not had time to update my blog. I have gone pretty much two weeks without doing so! However I am here to update you. Let's get started with my first week in Heidelberg and Neckargemünd.
We left off on the last post on the weekend of the 22nd and the 23rd. Here is a day by day story:
Monday, February 24th:
On this day, we went to the University of Heidelberg to the building where they teach all of the language classes. We went into a conference room and discussed Dantons Tod, which is a play we were reading for class. After we discussed this, a professor from the University of Heidelberg came and showed us a video about Heidelberg. The video was in German so I tried to follow as much as I could! After this, we went on a tour of Heidelberg. All of the students, Professor Arens, and the other professor all went to the student bar thing and we all had a drink. It was quite odd to be drinking with my teachers! That night I went out with the rest of the Americans to explore Heidelberg. It was awesome! One of the places we went to was an Irish Pub, who had live Irish music. It kind of made me homesick!
Tuesday, February 25th:
On this day, we went to the Heidelberg Castle, which was AMAZING. The thing I love about Germany is the history, it goes back so so far! We took a tour of the castle with an amazing tour guide. I learned that the grandparents of all the current English royalty used to live in this castle. The earrings worn by Kate Middleton at her wedding were also worn by the princess who lived at the Heidelberg Castle. I also learned that one of Shakespeare's last plays was debuted at this castle. Here is an album of castle pictures. That night, I was sitting in my room and my little host brother Max asked if I wanted to watch TV. He and Hanna came in my room and we watched Family Guy and South Park in German. That was awesome because I had seen the shows before so I actually knew what was going on!
Wednesday, February 26th:
On this day, we went to the Gymnasium. As an American you are probably thinking I went to a gym, but in Germany the Gymnasium is actually what they call the school. The German school system is very different from the USA's. The Gymnasium is the school you go to if you want to eventually go to University. The students range from ages 11 to 18. The pressure to figure out what you want to do with your life in Germany is a lot bigger than it is in the US. You have to start getting good grades at a very young age. For kids who do not go to the Gymnasium, they go to something called Realschule which is kind of like a trade school.
So anyways, back to the story, we went to the Gymnasium. When we were back in Missoula, we prepared presentations for some of the kids. We went to different classes and presented our presentations. Another American and I did ours on Glacier National Park. The kids had questions about America and what our stereotypes of Germans were. It was pretty cool. After we gave our presentations, we at lunch at the school cafeteria (which surprisingly was not bad) and then we all rode a bus to a place called Dilsburg. One of the other American's host father, Erik, showed us around the old castle there and the town. We were all incredibly exhausted and tried very hard to keep up with him. After he showed us around, we all went to his house for coffee and cake. It was awesome! I had tea and probably 5 different types of cake. Erik's wife, I unfortunately can't remember her name, she reminded me of my gramma Joanne. She was very sweet and liked to laugh a lot! I kept asking if she wanted help and she wouldn't let me. That made me miss my gramma a lot!
Thursday, February 27th:
On this day, the group went to a place called Mannheim. I think I heard that about 90% of Mannheim was destroyed in World War II. We went to an art museum there. I am not much of a painting type person so I just wandered around and looked at everything. After this, all of us went to a place to eat döner kebabs. They were the best kebabs I have had on the trip, and they also had french fries in them which made me laugh. After eating, we all met up once again to go to the play Dantons Tod. Before this, we went to a couple different places to get drinks, which was fun. The play was interesting. It was in German, but since I had read it in English I could tell mostly what was happening. That night we went out some more, and then I went home and went to bed!
Friday, February 28th:
On this day we went to Berlin! We rode on a train and I think the trip took 5 hours. It was very sad to say goodbye to my host family, I had just started to become closer with them. However I was excited to leave for Berlin. Read the next post for the Berlin story!
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Sorry for being a crappy blogger!
Hi everyone! I am so sorry for not posting for so long, I have been soo so busy. Right now I am in Berlin, and oh my gosh I have seen so many amazing things! I still do not have time to write all about it but once I get to Vienna, I plan on sitting down and giving you guys the whole story.
Love ya all,
Shannon
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Über das Wochenende
So my weekend was filled with many activities. Let's get started with the story of Saturday.
I woke up and ate breakfast. German breakfast is very different than American breakfast. We ate bread with cheese, salami, raw fish, different spreads, and lemon yogurt. It is delicious! It kind of reminds me of what my mom makes for random family get-togethers, excluding the raw fish and yogurt. Here is a picture of the traditional breakfast.
Also, the cheese is literally the best cheese I have ever tasted. I can already tell when I get back to the U.S., I will have withdrawals.
After breakfast, my host father, brother, and sister took me to a place called Worms (in German it is pronounced like Varms). Worms is one of the oldest places in Germany. It took a while to get there, we had to make a lot of different train changes, but when we were finally there, it was pretty darn cool. Here is an album of the pictures I took.
The two main events were the Catholic Church and the Jewish cemetery. The church was amazing. It was built in the 1018. So obviously, in 2018 it will be 1000 years old (WOAH). It was very big, and the inside was beautiful. Here are some pictures.
I couldn't believe that I was standing in a place so old. Germany is awesome for this reason. In America, the oldest things you can find are from the 1700's. I used to think that was very old, but not anymore.
After the church we went to the Jewish cemetery. My host brother Max said that all Jewish monuments are very well preserved in Germany (for obvious reasons). This cemetery dates back to the 1050's. It was really cool, however slightly creepy. Here are some pics.
After the cemetery, we went back home. I then went out to dinner with one of the other Americans on the trip. I had my first German beer (which was delicious) and also had my first experience in a German restaurant. The other American and I tried very hard to speak German, but pretty much failed overall.
Now it is time for the Sunday story.
Today I woke up and had my traditional German breakfast, and I was kind of preparing for a day of staying in and relaxing. But nope, my host family had plans, and although I am exhausted and also have a cold, I still went because I didn't want to be rude.
Today we went to a town neighboring Neckargemünd. This town had 4 different castles. We went to two of them. Then we went on a hike that must have been 5 or 6 miles through this place called Wolf Canyon? I think, and it was BEAUTIFUL. Here is a link of the pictures I took of the hike and the castles.
I woke up and ate breakfast. German breakfast is very different than American breakfast. We ate bread with cheese, salami, raw fish, different spreads, and lemon yogurt. It is delicious! It kind of reminds me of what my mom makes for random family get-togethers, excluding the raw fish and yogurt. Here is a picture of the traditional breakfast.
After breakfast, my host father, brother, and sister took me to a place called Worms (in German it is pronounced like Varms). Worms is one of the oldest places in Germany. It took a while to get there, we had to make a lot of different train changes, but when we were finally there, it was pretty darn cool. Here is an album of the pictures I took.
The two main events were the Catholic Church and the Jewish cemetery. The church was amazing. It was built in the 1018. So obviously, in 2018 it will be 1000 years old (WOAH). It was very big, and the inside was beautiful. Here are some pictures.
After the church we went to the Jewish cemetery. My host brother Max said that all Jewish monuments are very well preserved in Germany (for obvious reasons). This cemetery dates back to the 1050's. It was really cool, however slightly creepy. Here are some pics.
Now it is time for the Sunday story.
Today I woke up and had my traditional German breakfast, and I was kind of preparing for a day of staying in and relaxing. But nope, my host family had plans, and although I am exhausted and also have a cold, I still went because I didn't want to be rude.
Today we went to a town neighboring Neckargemünd. This town had 4 different castles. We went to two of them. Then we went on a hike that must have been 5 or 6 miles through this place called Wolf Canyon? I think, and it was BEAUTIFUL. Here is a link of the pictures I took of the hike and the castles.
Friday, February 21, 2014
Neckargemünd und Heidelberg!!
Today was very long, and very amazing! Here is the story...
To start off the day, I took a shower and ate breakfast with my host parents. We had bread and had a bunch of different jams and toppings to put on the bread. One of them was Nutella (YUM). After breakfast Frauke, my host mom, showed me how to walk to the city hall and showed me around town. Neckargemünd is very pretty. The streets are very narrow which makes me wonder how people are able to drive in this town.
After Frauke showed me around, I walked from home to the city hall. When I got there, I saw that they had flown an American flag outside to welcome us to town! Here is picture proof:
I thought that was very nice of them. We went inside and we got to meet the Bergermeister (Mayor). He was very nice. He spoke in German and he spoke slowly so we could understand him, or mostly understand him. We took a photo with him and then we had drinks with him (when I say drinks I mean Coca-Cola, carbonated water, apple juice, and orange juice). After this we went on a tour of the city. Our tour guide was this old man who was very cute!
However he spoke in German the whole time, so I only picked up a few of the things he said. I took a lot of photos, and you can view an album here.
After the tour of Neckargemünd, I walked back home. On the way, I stopped at a grocery store to look for some chapstick. I could not find any, and I didn't want to ask because I didn't know how to say chapstick in German! Instead I bought some shaving cream. I was really nervous because this was my first interaction with me trying to act normal and pretend I knew what I was doing. It went fine!
After this I got home and Frauke made me some potatoes and spinach. She also gave me this sauce, I am not exactly sure how to spell it but it sounds like "Ta-mee-kee". It had cucumbers in it and kind of tasted like ranch so I ended up liking it! I didn't really like the spinach and ate as much of it as I could but ended up having to stop. During lunch, I was looking at Hana's (host sister, age 13) English notebook. It was very cool. She said she started learning English in the second grade. This semester they are focusing on American English rather than British English, so in her notebook she had papers that gave her information on Thanksgiving and American Football. On the American football sheet she had a funny assignment where she had to match different phrases about football with what it means. So for example, it would say, "It is time for the kick-off!" and the answer was, "The game is starting." I thought it was hilarious!
After lunch Frauke, Hana and I all went into Heidelberg. As we were driving into the city, I saw the Heidelberg Castle. It is HUGE. Here is a terrible photo I took, more will be coming on Monday because that is when we are visiting the castle.
We walked around Heidelberg which was amazing! It is a big college town so I saw a lot of young people. They had a ton of shops, most of which I didn't recognize, however I saw Pizza Hut, Starbucks, Claire's, Fossil, and H&M, which the Germans pronounce as "Ha und Em."
Here are a few photos from Heidelberg.
My favorite picture is this one.
This is Hotel Ritter. It was built in the 1500's. Frauke told me that sometime in the 1600's? the French came to Heidelberg and destroyed the Heidelberg Castle and the rest of the town. Hotel Ritter is the only building to have survived. It is amazing to me that a building can be this old!
To summarize this post, I want to talk a little about tiny differences between Germany and the U.S. In the morning, my family likes to open the windows of every room. From what I learned in high school German, they do this to let fresh air in, and it is considered something you do every morning, like brushing your teeth.
Germans love to mix their carbonated water with different juices. I have had it mixed with both apple juice and orange juice, and it is very good! The water by itself is not that great, however.
Germans are very punctual. While we were making plans, they make a point to say at which specific time we are leaving. I think that is funny because in America you kind of just leave when everyone is ready. Here you make sure you are ready by the time you agree upon. I LOVE IT. I have always been punctual and it is wonderful to be surrounded by people who are always punctual.
Germans walk very fast. I remember in high school my friends would laugh at me because I would walk so fast. This morning, Frauke was walking very fast and I almost couldn't keep up with her. It was the same with our tour guide. I LOVE IT.
Germans are very direct. If they say something, they mean it. My host family keeps offering me to look in the fridge when I want and watch TV when I want. I didn't know if they were just being polite, but Professor Arens says when they say something like that, they definitely mean it.
Germans drive like maniacs. I am not surprised that they are not able to drive until they are 18. The streets are tiny! Frauke was driving very fast through the streets and the whole time I was slightly on edge. But it was very funny!
That is all for today! Thanks for reading, miss everyone so much. Tschüss!
To start off the day, I took a shower and ate breakfast with my host parents. We had bread and had a bunch of different jams and toppings to put on the bread. One of them was Nutella (YUM). After breakfast Frauke, my host mom, showed me how to walk to the city hall and showed me around town. Neckargemünd is very pretty. The streets are very narrow which makes me wonder how people are able to drive in this town.
After Frauke showed me around, I walked from home to the city hall. When I got there, I saw that they had flown an American flag outside to welcome us to town! Here is picture proof:
I thought that was very nice of them. We went inside and we got to meet the Bergermeister (Mayor). He was very nice. He spoke in German and he spoke slowly so we could understand him, or mostly understand him. We took a photo with him and then we had drinks with him (when I say drinks I mean Coca-Cola, carbonated water, apple juice, and orange juice). After this we went on a tour of the city. Our tour guide was this old man who was very cute!
However he spoke in German the whole time, so I only picked up a few of the things he said. I took a lot of photos, and you can view an album here.
After the tour of Neckargemünd, I walked back home. On the way, I stopped at a grocery store to look for some chapstick. I could not find any, and I didn't want to ask because I didn't know how to say chapstick in German! Instead I bought some shaving cream. I was really nervous because this was my first interaction with me trying to act normal and pretend I knew what I was doing. It went fine!
After this I got home and Frauke made me some potatoes and spinach. She also gave me this sauce, I am not exactly sure how to spell it but it sounds like "Ta-mee-kee". It had cucumbers in it and kind of tasted like ranch so I ended up liking it! I didn't really like the spinach and ate as much of it as I could but ended up having to stop. During lunch, I was looking at Hana's (host sister, age 13) English notebook. It was very cool. She said she started learning English in the second grade. This semester they are focusing on American English rather than British English, so in her notebook she had papers that gave her information on Thanksgiving and American Football. On the American football sheet she had a funny assignment where she had to match different phrases about football with what it means. So for example, it would say, "It is time for the kick-off!" and the answer was, "The game is starting." I thought it was hilarious!
After lunch Frauke, Hana and I all went into Heidelberg. As we were driving into the city, I saw the Heidelberg Castle. It is HUGE. Here is a terrible photo I took, more will be coming on Monday because that is when we are visiting the castle.
We walked around Heidelberg which was amazing! It is a big college town so I saw a lot of young people. They had a ton of shops, most of which I didn't recognize, however I saw Pizza Hut, Starbucks, Claire's, Fossil, and H&M, which the Germans pronounce as "Ha und Em."
Here are a few photos from Heidelberg.
My favorite picture is this one.
To summarize this post, I want to talk a little about tiny differences between Germany and the U.S. In the morning, my family likes to open the windows of every room. From what I learned in high school German, they do this to let fresh air in, and it is considered something you do every morning, like brushing your teeth.
Germans love to mix their carbonated water with different juices. I have had it mixed with both apple juice and orange juice, and it is very good! The water by itself is not that great, however.
Germans are very punctual. While we were making plans, they make a point to say at which specific time we are leaving. I think that is funny because in America you kind of just leave when everyone is ready. Here you make sure you are ready by the time you agree upon. I LOVE IT. I have always been punctual and it is wonderful to be surrounded by people who are always punctual.
Germans walk very fast. I remember in high school my friends would laugh at me because I would walk so fast. This morning, Frauke was walking very fast and I almost couldn't keep up with her. It was the same with our tour guide. I LOVE IT.
Germans are very direct. If they say something, they mean it. My host family keeps offering me to look in the fridge when I want and watch TV when I want. I didn't know if they were just being polite, but Professor Arens says when they say something like that, they definitely mean it.
Germans drive like maniacs. I am not surprised that they are not able to drive until they are 18. The streets are tiny! Frauke was driving very fast through the streets and the whole time I was slightly on edge. But it was very funny!
That is all for today! Thanks for reading, miss everyone so much. Tschüss!
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