Monday, December 12, 2011

A little update (and a LOT of cheating)

Hello friends!  I've been again "busy" but thought I'd take time out of my "busy" life to write a blog post! I wrote one today on my iPad but then it got lost somewhere so now I get to rewrite it!  I have been making photo books in iPhoto every month and then ordering them.  This does two thinks.  A) documents my time here and puts my photos an preservable format and B) keeps my parents happy to see my pictures and share them.  If you find my mom, you might even get to see them too!  It also does a third thing: lets me cheat on blog posts.  Every day I write what I did in past tense, preserving thoughts and feelings as well with keeps my activities and and pictures organized.  


Last week: 


On Sunday I thought we had nothing planned but I could not be more wrong.  My host family took me to ride a train and see St. Nikolas.  It was cool and a great idea for children.  We then drove to a little Christmas Market where we walked around for a little bit.  On our way home, we stopped at an art gallery.  We stayed much longer than intended and Emilia and I were anxious to get home.  We got home, played some games, hung out, baked cookies and then went to bed.  A very fun day and packed full of German culture.  Monday I went to an AFS activity in which I watched a presentation on Malaysia.  It was very cool.  Tuesday was St. Nikolas day and we woke up to find our shoes filled with yummy treats.  We then went to Emilia’s school and enjoyed a cute little Christmas show.  Wednesday I was feeling sick and got to bed early!  Thursday I got my visa, went swimming, and enjoyed theater practice.  I had such a busy week.  Friday Emilia was at a sleepover, Sammy was due home very late, Sven was working overnight, and Edda was at her Mom’s.  Needless to say, it was quite and relaxing.  Absolutely perfect.  I went to bed and got ready for a full day Saturday.  Saturday we picked up Emilia and her friend Maxi and went to a Christmas Market.  When Emilia is around her friends she shows off.  This results in an annoying, crazy, horrible form of Emilia that leaves us all ready to kill her.  Now this combined with a tired Emilia was no picnic and Maxi was no picnic either.  What’s worse is I sat in between them in the car.  At least the Christmas Market was cool and set in older times.  I enjoyed some almonds and looking around.  We made Angle ornaments and then headed to the theaters to see Puss in Boots.  We returned home and collapsed.  It was a fun day and we all got to sleep smoothly! 


This week so far:



Sunday morning Emilia went over to Annette’s to play with her grandson, Sven went to work, and Edda stayed with her mom.  Sammy was reading in church so we went to support her and then came back and enjoyed the quiet.  We spent the day relaxing until there was a problem with the train and Sven had to come home early with Edda.  No more quiet girls day for us! Monday I only had 4 classes at school and was home early.  I wasted time on Facebook, at snacks, and napped.  It was beautiful.  That night we went to Theater practice.

Wow, that was easy!  I'm currently awaiting a package from my mom and grandma that I thought would arrive today.  I think now that its the holiday season (or as they say in Germany: Christmas season) mail is a bit slower.  I got my Grandma's christmas card today and my Aunt Julie sent me a Christmas Email.  Its not the cute Baby Pictures and the endless letters from people I've never met but my parents know but I'm very happy to have that part of Christmas still.  Well, I have Theater practice in two hours.  I could A) take another nap B) work on sending out a photo email C) nap.  Hmm
Zzzzz

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

I wish I could say "I've been too busy" but I just can't

Hello and welcome to my long overdue blog post! I promised myself I would blog every week but I haven't and I'm sorry. I'm also sorry for any poor English you discover while reading any of my blog posts. My English (and German) are truly horrible at this point and my brain wants me to speak and type in a mixture of both. So the past month...

My host mom turned 40 and had a big birthday party. It included lots and lots of cleaning and bed switching (luckily I got to stay put but Sammy slept in my bed for a night too) The day after the party, I went to Berlin to visit a friend of mine in Berlin. I met him through AFS and he's American. We went to McDonald's (because we wanted American food and it was our best option) and we spoke English. It was nice complaining to someone who understands the complaints and knows that they aren't real complaints it's just everything is so different. We compared notes which was nice and had a fun day.
Then I went to school everyday and followed PSU news daily. The next week my family and I went back to the Zoo we had already been to. The that week was BREATH TAKING as it always seems to be. My entire family went to church and I had my first German communion which was different. My church in America does Grape Juice, what a fantastic idea.

On Thanksgiving my class took a field trip to Berlin to watch movies in English. I saw Arthur Christmas and had a great Thanksgiving. Now onto the best part. German Christmas Season. It is fantastic! I went to a market (there are lots and lots more to go to) and it was beautiful! My host family also took branches from a Christmas tree and put them in a vase. Then we decorated them with little ornaments. I loved it. After making it, my family went to support my little host sister and host dad in a little play the put on in our church. The next day, I made Thanksgiving dinner, BY MYSELF, and did a pretty great job. I'm still proud of myself.




So now my little sister is cranky (yay fun night!) and I have two hours before I am socially allowed to go to bed. It's been a good month. My mom also sent me some screen shots of Modern Family and The Middle so I've been able to get a taste of home whenever I need it. Time sure is FLYING!


Sunday, October 30, 2011

Trick or Treat? No Neither is not an option!!!!



Week 7 started with a trip to a zoo. We drove to one near Berlin. It had few live animals but a Dinosaur Garden with a Volcano and a huge carnival type place. I ha a bunch of fun with Bumper Cars and small spinning rides that made me sick. I came home exhausted and was in bed, sick at 7:48pm. I stayed home from school the next day with Sammy, both of us sick and tired. We watched TV and hung out. A very nice day.

Wednesday my Host Father, Emilia, Edda and I all went swimming. We went to a pool in which was salt water instead of chlorine. It was super warm and super wonderful. They had a beautiful fountain outside and it was s blast. I had a great time.

Saturday came and I went and got some Horse Back Riding lessons. What an adventure! I was thrown off my horse and just got right back on and have a few more times in which I had to stop my horse from flipping out. It was scary but luckily I did not find myself too hurt.

I also received a package from my mom with movies, TV shows, winter clothes and lots of food. I was super happy and it made my “I miss America” blues subside. I was pretty upset about the thought of no Halloween but I'm headed to a Halloween party tonight with an older neighbor and that should be fun. Usually I'd turn down the party but because it will be older people but I think my chances of being the only sober one is very slim. I have some candy corn to share (I don't like the stuff but it's great for atmosphere) and will be dressing up tonight (who knows what yet) so at least I'm getting something close to my favorite holiday! I'm super pumped. This weekend was surprisingly warm. Sorry for sending our coldness towards State College but I hope you have a wonderful White Halloween and be sure to send me pictures! I just LOVE Halloween costumes!

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Week 6



Week six started with a trip to “Kletter Wald” in Müritz. It was a place in which offered multiple different high rope courses that included rope ladders, zip lines, thin bridges, wires to walk across, and swinging foot holds to walk across. It was a blast and I was sore from holding onto ropes with my arms and climbing such difficult obstacles. I was very pleased I had bought some gloves! I had an absolute blast and was very happy. We stopped at a little country store and restaurant. It was very cute and awesome for souvenirs!


Monday school started back up again and I was determined to fully participate. Thinking my language development had come a long way and equipped with school supplies, I had the fast realization that I didn’t understand all but 10 words in each class. I was, however, given some 7th grade German homework by my German teacher which proved very tough. My French/English teacher made me level one German sheets which were much more manageable but just as challenging! She was an awesome help and gave me something to do other than read on my iPad. It was also helping me figure out the German language and was neat because I wasn’t learning the same curriculum as I did in my German class in the US. Very cool, and a great week. I also had my first conversation this week. It was about Harry Potter and Breakfast and was in German. I was so happy.  

My host family also welcomed to baby guinea pigs that were born to one of the ones they already owned. It was very exciting and every day we went to check on them. We will keep them only if they are girls. We don’t want anymore babies so no boys allowed! Very exciting. Friday night we went to a Laternenfest where honestly I was to oldest kid there. We walked around our village behind a fire truck with homemade paper lanterns that were lit either by candles or special electric lights. We finished with a hugh bonfire and party where there was waffles, french fries, wurst, and steak. There were also plenty of alcoholic drinks, hot wine, and soda. It was a blast (but a tad chilly out). I had a great time and enjoyed a little hot wine to warm up. The next morning, there was frost on the ground! Brr! 

After a late breakfast, Emilia and I went to a family friend’s house where we cleaned their horse and rode it from Kunow to Beckenthin. It also was a lot of fun. I rode Tamera, the small horse, there while Emilia walked along and then we switched on the way back. It was again, a blast! It was a crazy week but it went fast and then there was my month and a half point! My German is improving and that is good. I had a bit of homesickness Friday afternoon but as all my homesickness did, it passed.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Berlin Abenteuer!


Hello!
So I just got back from Berlin. First of all I love that it only took a simple train ride to get to Berlin. It's great how easy it was to get there and how casual it was being there. My sister kept saying "what's touristy that would be fun to show you?" haha! It was great.

So for a while I had planned with friends to go October 11th to go to Berlin. One of them was sick so I went with just one. That was fun but the weather wasn't amazing. It was literally the only day I have been here that it has RAINED and I mean RAINED. Lucky me right? She took me to the Ritter Sport store and to a HUGE book store, where I bought Harry Potter 6 in German. She took me to The Brandenburger Tur and Checkpoint Charlie, where I got to see the Berlin Wall. That was awesome. We walked around a lot, in the rain, and ate at Subway. You know how Subway always has that same strong smell every time you walk in? Well so do German Subways. I shut my eyes and imagined being back in State College at a Subway there. Then I met back up with Samantha, my host sister, and we made the adventure to her grandparent's apartment. We got lost. Very lost. We looked outside the street train and saw forest. That was bad. You shouldn't see forest in a city, typically. We made it, and right before it got really dark. We originally planned to go to a movie at midnight but decided we didn't want to get lost. We were asleep before 11 so maybe it was a good idea.
The next morning, super pumped, my Host Grandma told us all of the places Samantha HAD to take me. Once we got into the heart of Berlin, we went to see the Neptune Fountain and look inside a church. Churches here are BEAUTIFUL but after four or so I've noticed most are the same looking, except the Cathedral I went in. That was amazing, breath taking really. If I sat in a service there, I wouldn't be able to pay attention. I'd literally be staring at the ceiling, mostly because it's amazing.
We were both happy that it was a beautiful sunny day. Our next mission were some new shoes for Sammy. She had only brought heels and her feet hurt. Our dad had warned her before we left but being the typical teenager, she didn't listen. We found some shoes in Alexa, a HUGE mall like building. It was in H&M where we found some cheap, nice, flat shoes. On our way out, we ran into a Build-A-Bear. The five year old Emma inside me jumped up and down. We made a bear named Felix. He has a shirt that says "I love Berlin" It was a blast and Samantha promised not to tell anyone. She laughed at me the entire time and took pictures. We had fun. We went to the Cathedral I was talking about and it was amazing. It was free for me (yay for being under 18!) but Samantha had to pay 4 Euros. Upon leaving she expressed that it was 4 Euros well spent. I believe it was called Dom. Pronounced Dome. It had a big Dome but the signs said "Dom" and had "Cathedral" in italics underneath it. I am throughly confused. So the sanctuary was breath taking. The Organ was so amazing, with paintings and statues and gold details all around. The dome was magnificent and the entire church was the most beautiful church I ever saw. I was so taken away. Samantha lead me down stairs where they had a whole ton of caskets of famous people in History for Germany. We're talking really old caskets here. Most were very intricate and gold, with intricate mini statues all over. It was incredible. I did not take any pictures, mostly because I wouldn't want someone taking a picture of my casket. One thing I was weirded out by was, those people are still in there. It's not just an empty casket. Weird but interesting. Now when I read all the plaques I regreatibly had no idea who the people were (Sorry Mrs. Saylor and Ms. Delafield) except I did recognize "Nameless Princess" and wondered if it was a famous one that was there or just "a" nameless princess or "the" nameless Princess. I'm not sure. These plaques were in German and my reading is much worse than my speaking, which isn't saying much. Sammy translated most things for me. Another name I recognized was in a rather ordinary casket. It was a simple, dark gray rectangle. Otto Von Bismark said the plaque. Now I thought it was incredible when I was near the Berlin Wall, but this was amazing.
We then walked up a BILLION stairs and got super sweaty by the time we reached the top. The staircases kept getting smaller and smaller until we reached a spiral staircase in which was steep and got smaller and smaller as you climbed. At the top was the base of the Dome. The view of Berlin was INCREDIBLE. That was worth the climb, even with my cardboard build a bear box and back pack.
We walked around for a bit, wondering what to do next. I can't remember what all we did but it wasn't too exciting. We went back to Alexa and looked for a poster for Sammy's boyfriend. We looked at a lot of scarves (Sammy's obsession) and rings (my obsession). We looked a movies and shoes and what not. It was nice bonding time with Sammy. We talked a lot (in English) and it was just nice walking around. We decided to go see a movie and went into the Kino, deciding to see the next movie showing. It was "Kill the Boss" or as Americans know it "Horrible Bosses" It was AMAZING! I didn't see it when it was in America so seeing it new and fresh was amazing. Now that I'm understanding a bit more, it was so much fun. Sammy was laughing more though, getting all of the jokes. A few times she had to lean over and translate a joke for me. That was great.
We headed back to her Grandparent's apartment, not getting lost this time. We got there and they were excited to hear about our day. I was excited to go to bed. They enjoyed hearing about Build-a-Bear and Samantha enjoyed telling them. Having not eating lunch and not feeling like eating dinner, they were feeding me cut up fruit and were insisting. Something about Grandparents it just great right? It was amazing being around them, especially because I miss my grandparents so much. We watched TV and I finally had to excuse myself to bed. I am just so tired all the time without waking all over a city and climbing a billion stairs!
The next morning (which was this morning) we went shopping, agreeing to meet Oma and Opa at a Chinese restaurant. We went shopping and Samantha picked out an outfit for me. It included a scarf, gray shirt, gray sweater, and stretchy dark jeans. It was comfortable and looked great. I also found myself a new ring. Its super fun! We had lunch and headed home, missing our train. The next train was 45 minutes away so naturally we went shopping. We walked around and looked a rings and scarves. I found another ring I loved but resisted, and I'm starting to regret it. We got on our train and headed home.
I had a blast!

Saturday, October 8, 2011

A month already?

So I've been here a month and it went fast, which I'm pleased with. I decided if this year goes fast, its better because then I had a ton of fun, right? So in the past month I have received three packages and one letter! Yesterday I opened one from my Mom and Grandma and one from my Aunt Carol! Both had American junk food! So now I have a pile of junk in the corner of my room with Goldfish, Chex Mix, Oreos, Chocolate, Cotten Candy ect. So you can imagine how happy I am. Its amazing how much I miss American food. I found Special K at a grocery store and can't wait to have some!
So basically I'm always tired. Whenever I yawn my family goes "Du bist müde????" and I say "Ich bin IMMER müde!!!" and then go one to explain that with all the German my brain is learning it gets tired easily. They were satisfied with that response.
Now what have I been up to, you may ask. Well I went to the Baltic Sea with my family. Samantha stayed behind to take care of the animals and to avoid a fight with our parents! haha. I had a blast! They took me to an Aquarium and to a small town with shops and to some really cool swimming pools. Being the land lover I am, you wouldn't think I'd be jumping at the idea of going swimming two nights in a row, but with the places we went to you can imagine why I loved it. The second place was better. It was adventure themed and every hour for 10 minutes one part of the pool became a wave pool! It had 5 really great slides, three hot tubs, tunnels, and the coolest decorations ever! I had a blast!
Today we went Mushroom Collecting in the woods. That was exhausting. I wasn't nearly as good at finding them as Emilia but I still did a quality job. It was really fun but I was happy o get home. I'm excited to hear the results of the Iowa-PSU game and get more letters! If you get the chance, please write!

Sunday, October 2, 2011

My Life Story (for the past two weeks) Bridged

So I have to think back to last Tuesday, when my last post was. I was SUPER homesick and ready to go home. Now I would consider staying even if someone paid me to go home. It depends on that price though. haha. So Samantha had a great time in Prague and I loved it when she talked all about it because by her tone she was super happy. It was fantastic. So we played Carcassonne a few times since then but not a ton.
So the next week went by with very little tears. It went FAST too, which means I was having fun so fast is good! Um Monday and Tuesday were normal days and Wednesday was much more eventful. My Liaison, worried about my homesickness, asked to meet with me and thats the time we found. I went and her dog reminded me of Ruby which is where the few tears came from, and were talking very few. I told them that I had developed a cat allergy and they offered a change in Host Families. I was told to thin about it. So before going to my Liaison's house, I decided to finally go and find myself a Döner. After asking my sister how, I found my way. Its the best thing ever. SO describing it is hard but basically its this sour dough pita bread type thing that is toasted. Then it is Pig, I think, shaved off and then it has cucumber, tomato, onion, lettuce, this really amazing white sauce, more meat, I think. All I need to know is that it's amazing! So I ate that and it was incredible. Friday was Emilia's seventh birthday. We got up extra early to eat breakfast as a family and that's when presents were opened. I left school early (missed Gym!) and went to Potsdam for Late Orientation Camp with AFS. Camp was great. We went into the center of Potsdam and saw a really famous castle I don't know the name of and went shopping and ate ice cream. We talked about fun things and did plenty of fun energizers! I had a blast!
At one point I found myself homesick for my Host Family, that's when I knew there is no way I'm moving. My Family is one of a kind and I just love them! Things are great here! I also started getting mail! I got a letter from the Soltis Girls which was super great and a Package from Deb Kerr with a brand new quilt she made me! It has really made my bed here feel like mine and extra cozy! It's also super pretty and super exciting! It was great!

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

The little Emma that could.

I want to start off by thanking everyone. Thank you everyone for all the love and support I have recieved through e-mail, Facebook, blog comments and prayers. I have truly felt the love and hugs you have been sending! I'd say the best way to contact me is via e-mail and feel free to. either ejs18@scasd.org or emma@bjsutt.us Take your pick! Also I try to upload pictures to my blog and the internet isn't so great. If you want to see some pictures friend me on Facebook. I can also send you a public link if you e-mail me!

Alright, Blogging time!...
So Homesickness. Yay right? Sunday I called m parents while they were in Texas in tears begging to come home. Let me tell you, I am not a cryer. I am a pretty strong person who is a sap to movies in which dogs are involved in the climax (My Dog Skip, Fox and the Hound, Marley and Me) or when there is a baby involved (Life as We Know It) You get the idea. I'm like Amanda from the Holiday. It takes a whole lot for me to cry. So to say I spent a whole day crying without those movies is quite the thing to say.
Lets talk about being homesick. How many times have I been homesick in my life? Including the past 3 days? Once. I think it's because usually when I leave home I am with people I know and love (i.e. FISHsters, Chrysalis people, Krislunders, ect.). Here it's God and I chillin' in Germany. Although God is an amazing companion, nothing would make me happier than a hug from someone I've know for more than a week or so.
Let's talk about hugging. Americans hug everyone. You greet someone and hug. You say goodbye to someone and hug. You sooth someone and hug. You go and peace and hug somebody. (Yay FISH!) Here you shake hands. I have gotten a few hugs being the friend making machine that I am. Also I'm American so I'm hot stuff and everyone knows I'm super chill with hugging. However due to our often hugging routines, we are quite skilled huggers. Due to German's lack of practice, they are mediocre at best. That's the worst. Also there is nothing like you mom's hug. My mom's hugs own all so you can understand why I miss them. My mom here hates hug. I have seen her hug her 6 year old once in the 10 days I have been here and it was when she was crying hysterically. When I was crying trying to ask if I could call my parents I got a hug from my father where he finally understood my hand motions and allowed me to call. A while later, I was in a silent sobbing state watching Spongebob in German, when my mom told me that Going to school the next day would be better. She was right and it made me feel better when I understood her, it was just not what I expected (or needed) from her. I really just wanted a hug and to be told that this is my home.
Moms are always right, something during childbirth or something. It messes with your head. Well School was better. I was on the verge of tears all day and was grateful no one wanted to talk about my home that day and made it home and through a snack until a tear appeared. I called my family yet again. I begged and begged and begged to come home. Clearly I had no luck because I am far from packing my bags.
Later that night my liaison's older sister called me. My friend through AFS told her liaison my woes and the fact that my liaison was in Prague with my sister on a school trip. She of corse contacted AFS who had Sara, Teresa's older sister, call me. She was super duper helpful and she told me about her first few weeks in America while I cried and asked when the soonest I could go home. She told me I could go home right now if I really wanted and then I reilazed that I didn't really want to go home.
That's when my wish changed. I didn't want to go home, I wanted time to fly right now. I wanted to have fun. So today at schools, while friends were talking about places in Berlin I asked if they would take me to Berlin and show me around. October 11 we are doing just that. Having something besides going home in July to look forward to has been helpful. Today went very much so better. When talking to my mom on the phone today I did not cry. Instead I talked about things we could with our Host Student that would make her feel at home at our house. I also asked her to mail me some books and Goldfish and just told her about what had been going on.
What has been going on you may ask. Well when I wasn't sobbing I was playing this board game called Canananou or something German and long and lots of "n"s and "o"s. It is a game in which you draw cards similar to the cards found in the game Memory, and you lay it down trying to built a castle or road or pasture, depending on what was on your card. You lay little colored people (I've been yellow every time) Depending on where your person is is where you want to play. If you have a person on the road you want to complete that road, if you have a person in a castle you want to finish that castle. Get it? no? well it took a lot of explaining and sowing for me to get it. Anyway it rocks and I have played it 3 times since yesterday. The best part is my Mom gets a chocolate bar for the game too and we eat chocolate and laugh. It's been great bonding. We watch TV and react to it. Even with our huge language barrier we are able to communicate enough to laugh. That sure has helped.
Conclusion, Board games, chocolate, TV, and talking about home cure homesickness.
Oh and I've also written a few letters to myself to read before going home that explain why i want to go home. Talk about a great idea.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Talk about a Scary Place

Germany is so beautiful and nice. German teenagers are beautiful and nice. Everyone talks about German Teens only drinking socially and not to get drunk fast. Well from my experiences so far, that's not true. I went to party with my Host Sister SUPER reluctantly where within an our of it starting I saw many kids passed out. The way it was set up, it was a bar, huge dance floor, and an outside courtyard. That's where most everyone was smoking. I'm happy I know the German word for no. I've never said no more in my entire life. German Cigarettes do not smell as bad as American Cigarettes but they are still gross. People would offer me a cigarette and I would say "Nein Danke." Also I was very happy to be able to help my host sister walk around basically and remember the entire night. I'm happy that I did not have any drinks. Just because It's legal doesn't mean I have to do it. It is also legal to eat 3,000 candy bars in one day but do I? No. Everyone was calling me the good little American girl. I can handle that title.
Lets talk Survival Camp. Remember Creepy guy who I posted a picture during Orientation? Well guess who, out of 90 students I cold have, is the only other American in my chapter. Even with an indescribably obnoxious person, it was AMAZING to speak English and it be about America and you do't have to re-explain. It was so comforting. We went Bowling during camp and it was so weird. For starters the lanes are thinner but curved to the middle and the balls are smaller and without holes. It's a whole lot of fun.

Life here is getting better but 10 months is such a long time. I think that coming home in a month would be amazing about now. I really miss Ruby a whole bunch. I miss being at home and know where everything is, how everything works, feel comfortable getting stuff, know what my parents are saying, getting hugs from my family and friends, and above all being around my family and friends. I miss Pepridge Farm Goldfish and greasy pizza (I've never craved that one before) and processed foods. I miss White Grape Juice from Concentrate. I am so sick of eating bread too.
Alright lets end on a really positive note. Since I came here all by myself, I had no one to turn to but God. With everything I have to do in my day he has been helping me. I've been getting in plenty of devotional time and been praying a lot when I want to go home, which has gotten to be pretty often. He's been pulling me through and he'll get me through to July. I pray to have fun so that time can fly. It almost feels like it's standing still. I'm only here for another 297 days left. Gotta make 'em count right. I've been here for a week and I've already started the countdown to home. This is way harder than I thought.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

What the heck have I gotten myself into?

School is so much fun! Everyone keeps speaking English to me. They want to know how their German is. I think that I'm letting it happen until I make some good bonds and switch strictly to German. I have English Class tomorrow and I am very excited. I met this person today named Lucas. Everyone has said "there is no one like Lucas" I was told he LOVES exchange students, especially ones that speak English. Alright. So once a month (I think, I understand about 10% of what goes on in my life currently) everyone from my school goes to a club and parties. Samantha said I could go to it if I liked, basically persuading me to go. AFS tells me to try new things, but that is very very very new. We'll see how this goes. German life is so different. I'll just give you an example. So Samantha started dating this guy, oddly enough named Max, like 2 days ago. Yesterday she was home at like 7:30 from school. Her parents asked for a picture. Today she was telling me how to get to school on my own and was getting ready to go somewhere. She was packing a bag with clothes and such. She grabbed her Camera and said "hmm If they want a picture I'll take one of him naked so they'll never ask again." I, out of pure shock said, "My parents would KILL me if I showed them a picture of a boy naked!" she said "What!?!? Aren't you allowed to have Sex?" I was quick to say, "NO! and I don't want to either!" WHAT HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO? Today I was asked if I was Protestant or Catholic. I said "I'm Presbyterian" I was also asked if I believed in God. This place is just so different. I need to go shopping. I stick out like a sore thumb!

For the record, I still love it here. I really only share the exciting stuff. My conclusion so far is Germans make weird noises and are CRAZY. I don't even want to see these people drunk.

Monday, September 12, 2011

First day of school is always most scary

So today I went to school. In Germany, School buses do not exist. You ride the public bus. Samantha helped me buy a bust ticket and she helped me find my class. Thy are really nice. She has a friend in my class who she asked to watch after me, I think. I had Chem then German then Math for 2 periods then Computers for 2 periods. I had NO IDEA what was going on. I sat and read books and stuff. It was easy enough. I had to ride the bus home by myself because Samantha was done earlier than me. It was very nerve wracking. I met a girl who speaks english at home and everyone enjoyed trying out their English. They wanted me to correct them and I did. In Chem I think they were learning about how Water become Mineral Water, which is gross by the way. They watched a video too. Then in German they were going over a test. In Math I have absolutely no idea what was going on! But you have if for two periods, which they call hour. So for the 2nd hour, we switched rooms. I was asked if I wanted to go to Theater, Music, or Computers. Being my mom's daughter you can guess what I picked. They had a test for the first hour and in the 2nd hour I think they were learning HTML codes or something. I'm not exactly sure. Th people were really really nice. They helped me a whole lot today. Tomorrow I am going into Berlin to get my Visa so I'm missing English and French class and others, I think. I will be back on Wednesday. I've started to think in German. Writing this was very tough because when I knew the German for something, I'd want to type it. So yeah, all is well.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

I don't know what I'm doing...

Alright. So we went from the Crown Plaza Hotel to Dulles on Fullington buses. We got to the airport and lined up but the number AFS gave us. I’m number 86. Then we count off. It takes forever to get to 91, trust me. Then we all went to the baggage checking and check in desk and I was very luck to be first in line. After an easy couple of minutes I sat and waited. And waited. And Waited. After all 91 of us were done with that we headed to security. Again I was lucky to be first. That was painless enough. We headed to the gate and hung out. Sounds horrible right, 91 outgoing kids all in one room having to talk to each other? They told us to try to meet people who will be near you in Germany so that when you do things with your local chapter, it’s people you know. Also this way everyone can get together when you just want to vent to an American who gets it. I met Ryan. We sat next to each other on the plane and basically chatted for like 3 hours. I thought all guys didn’t like to talk. I was wrong. We have a very cute 14-month behind us who we both are doting on! The family is American and they are pastors near a military base. Very very very nice. So I spent most of the plane ride talking to Ryan about everything. He sails and does that rowing race thing. Very very very cool. The options for dinner were Pasta or beef. When it comes to airplane food you know that Chicken is always safest. Fish, pasta, and beef are all questionable on an airplane. I went pasta. Ryan went beef. It turned out alright. We both enjoyed it. They paused the movie-which was The Hangover-so I turned it to music. It’s the Suessical the Musical Soundtrack. Haha. Oh wait. It’s a show tune channel! My life is complete! AMAZING. The cigarette cart just drove by. I’m luckily in a section in which 91 of us aren’t allowed to smoke. We aren’t allowed to be offered anything with an age limit on the plane. No smoke has reached me yet, so I’m satisfied.


The plan ride ended with no smoke and no sleep. Getting off the plane was very exciting! We got through customs and they had us go into this big room that was very bright due to lots of windows. It was 7:30 and we weren’t getting on our train until 2:15. We sat and talked to Australians, and then Vietnamese girls, and finally some Latvian Girls. We had a lot of fun! The Vietnamese girls told us their version of Cinderella. Buddha was the fairy god mother and Cinderella dies and comes back to life…I think. The Lativan Girls were super nice and had been studying English for 11 years. I was the first American they had ever met and by the time I got on the train, they said they were tired from speaking English. Of course others talked to them, not just me. They were so surprised to hear about personal relationships with teachers and school being somewhat fun. (yes I said it, fun) It was really fun talking to people from all over the world.

So I slept on the train for maybe 3 or 4 of the 5 hours we were on it. However, when I was awake I looked out the window and found it to look EXTREMELY similar to Pennsylvania. I got off the train to find my host father (Gastvater auf Deutsch), Edda, and Emilia. We went and retrieved Samantha from the mall next door and went to a small restaurant.

After we ate dinner we went to a party in which I met my host mother. She was there with her work mates. They all spoke fairly good English except for my host mother. That’s good for me, actually. I must speak Deutsch (German) now. This was my first time offered alcohol, which I denied, and my first time around slightly drunk people. It was so funny. They were asking me if I knew boxers and if I followed sports. That was even funnier. I was told how much the one guy hated the polish about 6 times. Another was convincing me thet Germnas aren’t boring like all the documentaries portrayed. Upon leaving she said, “Remember, German’s are funny not boring!” We finally got to my Host family’s house at 1 am where they urged me to call my parents. I did so. They weren’t home. My Host mother said that she sat in front of the phone awaiting Samantha’s call when she was in Wisconsin. I’m really glad mine weren’t. They showed me the house and then took me upstairs to show me my bed. It’s in the corner of a room with a room divider. The sheets are BRIGHT BLUE, which I enjoy. It has this strange comforter blanket thing instead of a sheet, a blanket, and a quilt. I put on Pajamas and got out my Ruby quilt, in which Deb made. I miss Ruby very much. At that point I was ready to come home. And then I fell asleep.

I woke up and no one was awake in the house, although I definitely heard someone. Awesome. And I don’t know the Wifi password so I can’t even check anything.

Now when Frau Ricker speaks German, she speaks slowly and clearly. She used vocab I know so I can somewhat get the gist right? Well that is not the same. Even when Emilia (who is 6) would ask me a question in which I knew, I was still just nodding because she spoke to quickly for me to understand. This is going to be difficult for the next couple months. Oh well.

When you are on a German internet modem, everything is in German! crazy! Luckily I know my websites well enough to figure things out. CRAZY.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Orientation should be called Boring-atation

at the orientation with roomie- Meredith and who we call creepy guy. He's real nice but said "oh yay a picture with two beautiful ladies! How lucky am I?" Creepy!

Orientations suck. That's all. The guy in charge's name is Allen. Lets just talk about Allen. We are given 15 minute breaks in between topics, or at least thats what the schedule says. Allen decided to give us unplanned mini session, in our free time, that we heard at our orientations back in May and June. Thanks Allen. Oh and it's pretty unkind to release 92 hungry teenagers late to dinner. And we are 92 excited, bubbly, outgoing, talkative teenagers. That's kind of the preresiquits for this. Do not expect us to no be excited to talk to each other about location in Germany and how annoying you are. Thanks Allen. The Congress-Bundestag Kids have been here for a couple days and they have been enduring him this entire time. They all know where he sleeps (in room 201) I'm surprised that no one has locked him in his room. Oh and when we go over rules please know them instead of answering question with "that's one to ask AFS-Germany" and if someone looks up a fact let her talk, don't shoot her down. Oh Allen. all 92 of us don't really care.

So the fire alarm went off. And we stood outside in the parking lot-the wet parking lot- for a good 45 minutes. What do you do but play Ninja? Finally sometime to socialize.

Meeting everyone is really fun. I have a really funny roommate that leaves us both in giggles, miss North Carolina-Alabama girl. Haha. Meals are great because that's when you sit with others and hang out with everyone! This is so much fun.

So tomorrow we have a few more lecture sessions and then we head to the airport. It's very exciting. I'm excited but it doesn't yet seem real. Most are feeling this way.


Tuesday, September 6, 2011

All Packed and 7 Pounds to Spare!



1 bag. 44lbs. 1 year. Sounds impossible right? Well I thought exactly what you thought! Turns out we are both wrong. I have managed to be all packed and even have 7 pounds left! I didn't have to decide that I didn't need something that much anyway. Turns out I'm ready to go. Crazy thought. Tomorrow is my last day in State College until July. INSANE. I'm really nervous about going but it is totally sugar coated with excitement. I will be going to DC and will stay overnight at a hotel and participate in an orientation. My flight leaves at 5:10 pm Sept. 9. I will arrive in Frankfurt, Germany at 7ish Sept. 10. I will take a train to Berlin where my Host Family will pick me up and I believe the plan it that we will then go out to eat. I'm really excited but it also hasn't hit me that I'm leaving. Alright Germany, get ready because Here. I. Come.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Logistics, everyone's favorite!

Upon my Arrival in Frankfurt at 7:10 September 10, I will be met by AFS Volenteers. They will take me to the train station and get me to Kunow, or as close as a Train can get me. My Host family will meet me there and volenteers will give me "Survival Training" that will give me names and numbers of people to call if I need anything. 3 weeks later, I will spend about four days in the LOC (Late Orientation Camp). AFS-volunteers will give me further information about Germany - some more details about history, political structure, family life, leisure activities, school system and other useful things to know for my stay. They will also present and explain the AFS-participation rules, especially the travel rules which I have to follow during my stay. I will share your my experiences with other "AFSers" and I may ask the counselors for advice regarding any concerns, problems or questions. In case you were wondering!

Friday, August 26, 2011

Details, Details!

So Today was an amazing day for more than one reason. The reason you care about is I got Host Family Clarifications! In order to understand what I'm about to share I have to be very clear. When becoming a Host Family you decide if you can commit to a wonderful experience in your home for a year or not. A welcome Host family commits to a few months and the students moves. I was assigned a Host Family in which was unsure about hosting but were eager to try. They are labeled as a Welcome Host Family but I will stay with them unless we decide it isn't a great fit. They live in a very small village called Kunow. Its in Northern Germany, relatively near Berlin!

We're down to less than two weeks so Posts are going to become more frequent. If you want notifications of new posts follow a RSS feed. In Mail, you press the plus in the bottom right corner and select "Add RSS Feed" Then Select "Specify the URL for a feed" Copy and paste "http://emmagermanadventure.blogspot.com/" into the box and click add.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Welcome Host Family for the WIN!!!!

So Samantha, My Welcome Host Sister, messaged me this morning.  I was super excited to finally know what is happening once I get off the plane!  I'm bumming their only my welcome family because they seem super duper great.  I'll have a 6 year old little sister and a 13 year old sister.  Samantha is 18.  Its going to be so great!  They live in a village in near Kyritz.  So exciting.  I have no idea how long I'll be there but hopefully pretty long, they seem great!  Alright!  Now you are all filled in! :)

Monday, August 22, 2011

18 Days and Still Nothing


Well, we're down to 18 days.  The 18 days ahead seem pretty crazy.   I'm really excited to go but I'm having a lot of trouble actually acknowledging I'm leaving.  School is starting soon and that is a bit unnerving.  I can't imagine the fact everyone is starting school and I'll be left packing at home.  Its a crazy thought.  So I still don't have a Host family and do not know where in Germany I will be.  I don't know what school I'll be going to.  All I know is that I'm leaving on September 9th from Dulles International Airport at 5:15.  I need to be there September 8 for my Sending Orientation.  Scary.

Alright, so I'm super duper excited!

Thursday, August 11, 2011

26 Days and AHHHH


So I'm 26 days away from leaving.  I have a Speedwell Luncheon this Saturday which I'm super excited about because I get to meet the person providing the scholarship!  So yes, this is all very exciting.  Now I'm getting the essentials (i.e. credit cards-Capital One no exchange fee, Physicals, Braces off, ect.)  Its crazy scrambling around.  Ok so I'm excited and counting down.  I'm not into this whole "goodbye" thing so we'll see how this all pans out.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Its so real I don't even need 3D glasses


So today I returned from Welch pool and checked my e-mail as I always do.  Usually I get an e-mail that something I ordered has shipped or that I have an appointment coming up.  Today I got an e-mail from AFS, even though they have been coming daily, I was still excited.  They've usually been boring--Getting Your Passport!  Conference Call Reminder!  Getting Your Residence Visas!--you get the idea.  Today's was travel information!  The most awaited information!  I have been praying that I would know and finally I do!  I still don't have any idea what kind of people I'll be living with, or where,  but I do know when I'm going!  I have to go to Washington DC on September 8 where my parents will drop me off at a hotel.  That will be our goodbye.  I have a lovely orientation where I'm sure information will be quickly shoved down my throat until my flight leaves September 9 at 5:15pm.  I will be landing in Frankfurt September 10 at 7:10am German Time (6 hours ahead of the U.S.)   Well this just got real.  So... about host family
WHO-yep still don't know who will be my lovely host parents
WHAT- I'm pretty sure they will be people, I don't think they'd throw me into a pack of wolves.
WHERE- Maybe a cave, but thats only if I end of living with wolves.  This is the one most people ask me about most, I'd like to know too.
WHEN-Septemberr 10-July ???
WHY-For Kicks I guess?  because living with a family is way better than wolves?
Yeah so there you go.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Can My Name Be Will So I Can Be Good?

No, this has nothing to do with Germany.  My brother Alan mentioned he had a bag of clothes that needed to go to Goodwill.  I jumped at that and said "Can I have them!?!"  So now I have an array of new shirts that range from never been worn to over worn with holes.  I also have four red State College shirts.  I like them.  I sit wearing a shirt that says "Free Energy" which is an XL I smile over my new find.  Hand-me-downs are so great.  Now I will be a cool kid with FISH '07 and Assateague '06 shirts that Alan got people to make for him.  At least I feel pretty cool.  Yeah so that happened on my birthday and it could not have been more perfect.  Other than that not much has happened.  AFS still wont give me any sort of information whether its host family or travel dates.  With my luck, It will be while I'm at Krislund that I get a Host Family and I don't get to know until I return home.  Actually I hope that happens so at least I get to know.  2 months away!

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Headaches and I Haven't Even Left Yet!



Things I am currently doing to prepare:
-Reading "Culture Shock!" (Thanks Heather B.)
-Taking 11th grade health (So I can graduate)
-Finishing and doing 9th & 11th grade Gym
-Thinking about things I need to take (making a birthday list was almost impossible)
-Shopping for luggage to take that is easy to carry and lightweight (AFS-Germany only allows a 44lb bag-20kg)
-Mentally preparing!


I am keeping busy with Health and Gym.  I spend all morning doing both and usually go out and do for gym in the afternoon.  I took today off.  I know that my summer seems leisurely but man my brain is on overload.  I am going to Krislund Camp in 8 days and know that taking a week off my courses will stress me out so I have to do 2 weeks of work in 1, while still taking time to celebrate the 4th of July and my birthday.  Lucky for me the hikes and high-adventure activities count for gym, so I'm still good with that!  Finialy I am babysitting on Friday.  Basically I have a busy week that shouldn't be cluttered with packing for camp.  Yes, I am already packed.  This coming week is going to be filled with dresses and nice clothes, for most of my usual wardrobe is packed away.


The Typical Day for me:
6:00 Ruby wakes me up and I entertain her until 6:30
6:30 I pray for Ruby to howl and wake up my parents
7:00 Fall back asleep
9-11 Wake up and work on health
12:00 Lunch time!  I always take a break!
12:30 Clean up after myself (stop laughing Mom, it could be way worse) and finish the current lesson I'm in in health
1:00 Ruby eats lunch
1:03-1:45 Sit outside while Ruby sleeps on the Patio (Usually when I spend time on Facebook or Zazzle)
1:45 beg Ruby to come inside
2:00 Watch some Supernanny or House Hunters International or go outside and do something for gym
6:00 Dinner?
7:00 dishes or something of the sort
8:00 Watch something besides House Hunters International and Supernanny (usually ESPN or Man vrs. Food-Thanks Alan and Maxwell)
9-12:00 consider going to bed



Clearly this looks life is treating me well, sleeping in, TV, ect.  I'm still pretty mentally exhausted just thinking about Germany!  I think that wears me out most.  Playing with Ruby is fun.  She has ripped 3 toys in the past 2 days.  Poor "Froggy" has no arms or squeekers.  She's funny!

Friday, July 1, 2011

I'm learning to dislike PDFs

So today AFS-Germany e-mailed me three PDFs.  a "Welcome Booklet" which was way more of a full blown novel, a "fun" Safety Tips" Packet and "Host School FAQ."  Basically what I learned was basic German I already knew, information they went over at the orientation and some common sense written out.  I spent quite a while combing through the 27 page "booklet" where I found nothing but errors.  I could tell it was written in German and translated without a good proof-read.  In stead of Luggage, you'd get a Language.  "Be sure your Language is no more than 20KG"  It was crazy.  Oh and I got an e-mail telling me my Application Advisor was leaving AFS in good terms and I will be soon getting a new one.  That's all from AFS.  No host family info, no idea as to where in Germany I'll be or when I'll be leaving the US.  All I know is sometime in late August to early September I will be outta here.  Thanks AFS.  (It really isn't their fault, I'm just impatient)

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Hello World!

My name is Emma and I am studying abroad 2011-2012 school year.  It will be my Junior year.  I leave sometime in September and I still do not know where in Germany I will be.  I am most excited to learn German and truly immerse myself in the culture.  I am traveling with AFS which stands for American Field Service.  Stay tuned to hear about all my adventures!