What a Week!

      Moin!

    Another week came and went. This weeks wasn't really the best week, but this weekend sure made up for it all!

    I was having some issues with my school admin and my band director. They thought I was skipping the third period of band on Fridays. But what really happened was that the Q1 (11th grade) would take their instruments to the locker room and come back for a theory lesson. I figured, when everyone packs up and leaves, I would leave too. Common sense, right? Well, I had completely failed to notice the 5 people who didn't leave. So I explained it all, they laughed and said it was all good.

    Also this past week, I had no English, German, or Russian classes. The teachers went a week-long class trip with the 8th grade. So since these teachers also had an 8th grade class, I didn't have those classes for a week. Cool, huh? So a lot of my days were shorter or just had more free periods in between. Believe it or not, having 90 minute free periods CAN get boring, no matter how nice they sound coming from my school (5 minutes inbetween every class). But classes are starting to come a little easier, I've been able to talk more, and I've even helped present in group presentations in class. So I can happily say, it does take time, but I can learn German! (:

     Saturday was particularly fun, however. The Hof had about 160 people planned to come. So after breakfast, I helped make buttons for the guests, I helped clear out the second firepit with my hostbrother and managed to cut my finger open doing so.. Then I went on to help make 6 or 7 pizzas for people. My oldest host sister kept giving me ham and shredded cheese to eat and we laughed because we ate them secretly and made faces while doing so. Voll krass, eh? ;)

    Then on Sunday I went to a Middle-Ages Festival with my host mom. She even dressed up with me to go! It turns out, however, most people only dress up on Saturday. SO, everyone there thought we were working that day! It was funny explaining ourselves everytime someone asked. Right after that we went to church since my host brother was having recognition for his Confirmation. It was my first German church experience. It was really actually a lot of fun. The church had a part of the harvet up by the alter and the service was about the confirmed kids, the harvest, and knowing what you love. The church I went to was so pretty on the inside. It almost makes me want to go regularly, even though I'm more on the buddhist spectrum! But being in the church brasss choir will keep me in there pretty regularly. 

     So that's about all for this time! 

    

    

 My name button that my host brother made for me!

 The view from my room!

 My "Staff" shirt ;)

 Simply a selfie (:

Best Day So Far!

               Good Morning!

    As I promised, it's Sunday and I'm here. 

 

    Time has become a really interesting thing here. Each day feels so long and I'm always really tired at the end. But by the time Sunday rolls around, I have no idea where the week went.. Part of me is excited because I'm one week closer to being really good at German, having friends, and simply feeling completely a part of my village. Then the other part knows that I'm that much closer to the end. I know it's really too early to be thinking about the end and I know that's always been my problem, always worrying about the future. I can't really explain this feeling. I'm still in my euphoric phase during the day, doing everything I do. When I lay down for bed though, I already think about how I'm going to miss here like I miss home. It's really bizzare. But it doesn't keep me from enjoying everything. Love what you have while you have it (:

    On that note, I wanted to say that yesterday was probably the best day of my year so far. The weather was perfect, sunny, light breeze, moderate temperature, so I spent a lot of time outside. My host brother and I worked on the Ketcarts since their chains were a little long. Then after lunch, my host dad and I sat around for an extra hour or two and talked about funny TV shows, Turkish people around the area (anyone who knows the movie "Die Fremde", something like that happened in my little village..), and made fun of the neighbor's chainsaw. My host dad was saying once the neighbor stopped, he'd lean out of the window and yell the chainsaw noises back at them. We were both laughing so hard, he couldn't even do it! Then my host brother, sister, and I all worked on the hammock together for a good while and it's getting really close to being finished. My host parents went out for the night, so my siblings and I biked to the nearest store to get groceries for a curry-peach-auflauf. We went home, cooked it, and ate a big dinner by candle light, just to be cheesy. And for whatever reason, I had a laughing fit and started to cry. My siblings were cracking up because I laughed really out of nowhere and they went on to say how my laugh is really funny and contagious.. I don't think I've laughed that hard since a couple months before I left. So all in all, yesterday was just so happy.

    Other updates: I had band practice and was allowed to play along. And I didn't suck too badly! And tomorrow my little sister back home has a birthday so HAPPY BIRTHDAY LILI!! I LOVE YOU DEARLY!!!

    My camera is still being mean, so no pictures this time, but soon. I promise it! Just be patient and they will come! (:

Not the best picture, but here's the corn from the kitchen window!

 And here's the corn from the living room window. 

More to come once I have my real camera (:

Any questions, feel free to ask!

Until next week,

Katy Rose

Two Weeks in and Still Feeling Estranged

           Welcome back y'all,

    First off, I apologize for being a day late. Just balances out being a day early last week!

    From where I left off is where I'll begin! My family has been the coolest family I could have ever hoped for. My host brother and I are always doing something childish and fun together. For example, build acorn launchers from an old bow, or corn Kerne shooters from paper towel rolls and rubber glove fingers. My host mom is definitely less intimidating now. She's really become super friendly and helpful. My host brother said it's so stressful here from summer to fall since that's when people are mostly doing the Heuhotel and Maislabyrinth and that all will ease up once winter comes around.

    Gymnasium is probably the most intimidating thing I've ever been a part of. The people aren't particularly warm, teachers are very "matter of fact" (for lack of a better term), and the content is simply more demanding. I was sitting in my math class in a group and I tried to ask questions about the assignment so I could possibly help. Believe it or not, they completely ignored me. Looked at me and didn't say a thing. That was definitely the biggest shock I've had so far. Teachers are not afraid to say exactly what they're thinking about someone, even me as an exchange student. For example, I tried a new level of math class to see if it was maybe easier to understand. The teacher introduces me, the says something like, "she moved down a math since 11th grade math is too hard. Okay, not for us but for Americans". Well, that could have been a joke that went over my head, but that definitely made me feel a wee bit uncomfortable. And the funny part was, I've done everything they did in class already. So, I believe I will just move back up. Then, talking in class. Bwah, that is something else. I tried to answer some questions in class, even though my German is not up to these topics. And no one really seemed to care that I tried, rather to point out that my German wasn't good enough. So in conclusion, I feel a little defeated after this past week.

    In my little city, there are a group of people who have a game night for the exchange students in the surrounding area. So this past Friday, I played games with exchange students from Brazil, Finland, Italy, Japan, and America. I don't think I had ever been around so many people from so many different countries. They downside way however, that everyone spoke English. So I felt like I could have been practicing German at home but I ended up speaking English for multipule hours. Another this about this city, people are really quick to speak English. I try to speak German with peers, some people older than me that I come across regularly and they almost always switch to English (except my host family, thank goodness). I was practicing with a family friend who was taking me home from the game night and I had asked for one word in German, and then she switched to English, even when I used German for the next couple of answers. That's pretty frustrating.. But everyone says the German will come, the German will come. But I'm definitly hitting a frustration patch..

    And for all curious, I still have not made friends yet.. I have a couple of potentials, but they might take some work and some convincing to speak German. However, I had a breakthrough with my host brother. He came into my room last night as I was working on some homework and for whatever reason, something in my mind decided that I was going to speak German and not give two crapsabout  whether I was right, wrong, "fluent", or choppy. What do you know, it came out pretty cleanly and relatively more correct that I thought it would! So my conversation skills have been improving without practicing too intensely (but that'll change very very soon).

    Well, I can't say I don't have any friends. I don't have German friends yet. I'm actually pretty good friends with the exchange kids at my school. We go and get Käsebrötchen together, have study pow-wows, and practice German together. And they've been so cool. So I can't really complain.

    I don't want this post to make it sound like I'm having a bad time, because that's not it. This is such a cool, unique experience and I wouldn't trrade it for the world. I'm soaking everything up and living every day to the best of my ability. And you know, that's really all we can do. 

Until next time! 

~Katy

 Willkommen in Deutschland! I was lifted into a tree to look like I was standing on my house!

It's Only Been a Week??

               Moin!

    I must start by simply saying that time is going by quickly and slowly at the same time. It's the weirdest feeling. But yet, enjoyable and comfortable.

    So in my first week, I think that I have accomplished a lot. I've met all the grandparents, I've helped build a hammock, attended school (and succeeded in getting lost!), been to a local festival that has been happening every year for 400 something years, and completed the corn maze at night. So now each individually!

    The grandparents I've met have been awesome. We sat around a ate icecream. We talked about her cousin who paints a lot and looked at some of her artwork. They were super nice and totally good at speaking clearly enough for my still growing German.

    So my siblings started to build a hammock before I arrived and they've let me help build it. I help with wood staining, drilling, and numbering. It's absolutely crazy that they can just build these things in their free time! The things you learn to do in your freetime on a farm in a dorf of 600 people I suppose! (:

    School has been totally different, I must say. I picked my classes on Tuesday. All except Russian are with 11th graders. So history, English, sport (health and PE), physics, German, philosophy, Politics, and math are with 11th graders. But I think I may go into 10 grade physics and math since they are so over my head in the level I'm in now. English is pretty funny actually. We will be learning a lot about British history and all that fun stuff. Then we will actually have a chapter on America and the American dream. That will be really really interesting to see from their view. I've managed to go to the wrong German class, so I will have to explain to my teacher why I wasn't there Friday (because I'm an exchange student and didn't notice that 0-219 and E-219 were on different floors :D ). 

   Hannah (another American exchange student. Maybe you remember her from camp?) and her host dad invite my host dad and me to go to a festival with them Friday night. It kicked so much butt, I can't even begin to describe the fun, but I'll try anyway! Basically it was like American ones, but more intense. The rides were crazier, the lights were brighter, the food was niftier. Plus, I got to see how hilarious my host dad was when he is having fun. Cracking jokes, dancing, laughing like a maniac. It was super awesome. When we got home, he and I did the corn maze at night. It was so dark, I could hardly see! But the stars were breathtaking.. Imagine a corn field, a windmill, and bright stars. That's how my night was.. (And once I have a working SD card, I can actually show you all my surroundings) When we went to the kitchen for Abendbrot (evening bread, that's quite literally what I have for dinner! :D ), he was telling me so many awesome stories. I really think it was a good bonding moment. He also talked a lot about being a family and how it would start to annoy me as an exchange student to still be a guest after about a week. So that was really comforting. 

    I think I really lucked out with my family. They're totally in love with hosting, they 're funny, they're friendly, and they show me how welcome I am here. It's just been awesome. So, these next months will be so comfortable and so helpful.. 

More to come next week! 

~Katy

First Day! (Short verision)

        Moin Moin!

So today was my very first full day with family. They just are so awesome, really. They are hilarious and really talkative, which makes me feel so at home. I met all the animals (including little kittens which made my heart melt!). Helped start another hammock with my sister and brother. I rode Ketcarts with my brother to the bus stop and around the "dorf", which consisted of a fire dept., bus stops, a kindergarten, and two other housing buildings! Absolutely adorable. Then, on top of that even, I did the corn maze with my brother. And not to mention, I was in overalls! I was so happy that overalls came up in my start in Europe!

As for German, throughout one day of only hearing German, I understood more, even when they weren't talking to me, and picked up so may new words that my head might explode! But that's a good thing in this case! (:

As it is already late and we have plans in the morning, I'll head off to sleep. But I'll update further hopefully tomorrow, if not, definitly after the first day of school (4th).