On My Way Home

July 22 - Thursday

This day was the last day of school... The last day of everything. I went with Svenja. We arrived slightly late to German class and then there was an assembly to hear an American author speak. He wrote a book called Paper Town and he discussed the book for a while. It was great for me because he did not really speak German. He had an interesting view on how everyone looks at each other through mirrors, meaning you can never look at something in the same way as anyone else because you would have to have lived a life exactly like them. It was neat to see how well everyone seemed to understand him and what he was saying and then agreeing with him also.

We went back to German class for a little while, then off to English class. Everyone worked on a quick presentation and brain stormed, then went into a debate against each other with given sides. I helped with the grading which I found was very harsh because of how critical they are for greatness. On the one side this makes things harder, but on the other they know languages much better than we do in America.



We went home and I packed my bags, then we ate a special Italian lunch full of deliciousness with my last delicious Florian salad. After a couple hours I had to say my first goodbye. I made my goodbye to Anja, without crying, and left to go to the airport with Florian and Svenja. Once I got there it was such a stronger feeling because I knew I really was leaving. I became very attached to this beautiful country. I cried this time, because I was saying goodbye to my family.



On the plane I switched seats with someone and instead of being in the middle of the plane I got a window seat and it was wonderful to see the clouds, ice, mountains, ocean, everything. I finally arrived home about 14 hours later, but since I felt like it was morning I did not get to sleep until past 2:00AM.



~I <3 Deutschland~

This experience has been one of the best in my life, I know I will never forget it. I learned so much about myself, friends, culture, the past, food, buildings, and experiencing something different while being mostly independent. I think this trip has become a part of me, and the connections I made there and the feelings I had will be staying with me no matter how far away I am.

Burn Weeds

July 20 - Tuesday



This day I met up with a special friend of mine from WA, he was a German exchange student for a year and had gone back to Germany about a month before. Michael rode trains for about 4 hours to get to Germering and I met him at the little train station near the house. The first thing we did was get us some gelato, because it is perfect for a hot day and a lovely treat, even though I ate it almost every day.



We took pictures and then wandered around trying to find a grocery store to get ourselves some batteries. I did not find the one I was looking for, but oddly enough I found another one. There are so many little stores everywhere, so it is extremely convenient! We purchased a load of German candy and some batteries then made our way for home. We set down our things and got a drink of water and then headed off again to try and find a bookstore. I never found the one I was looking for (sound familiar?) but I found about 3 different ones. I love to be surrounded by books, especially old books (like how Florian has a fantastic collection of some really old books that I got to look at myself!) because the history of the pages and the feel of the covers brings such a special and comforting feeling to the mind.



Later we went over to a little bakery and got ourselves some pretzels! We sat and talked and nibbled and munched and shared stories and discussed people, places, and things and enjoyed the moments. Then we went over to Pen & Paper again, I just adore that store. I love the pens that have such strong ink yet they erase so easily, and without the mess of eraser shavings! I must get myself some of those. They also had these neat clipboards with a cover on the top so the papers can be covered and better protected I think. I saw one that was leila, meaning purple!



All that was left was we went home, picked up our things, left and got more gelato, then I saw him off to his train so he would return home. Then I walked home myself and relaxed, Svenja and I went to the video store to rent a few movies (we didn't get to watch all of them) and then we watched one, The Lightning Thief, which was kind of ridiculous but cute, and then one of my favorite movies of all time, Time Traveler's Wife we watched about half of and then went to sleep.

July 21 - Wednesday



I went back to the school days again. I went with Anja and it was a very special day. Her class was helping these 5th graders learn how to ride their bikes. Today was their special bike test and Anja's class was grading the kids on how they went through these little obstacles with their bikes. It was very sweet, and I enjoyed helping out with it because I love kids so much. Then she returned her school books from this year, received her new ones for next year, and then we went home.

I then received a beautiful present of a bag that said Deutchland, Germany, and all of the most important cities in Germany along with Neu Schwanstein, which I saw myself! It was wonderful, but unexpected because I forget how much of a custom gifts are to the Germans especially when visiting someone's home and such it is general that a small gift is brought too. It is a lovely custom and I rather like it.

We all took a rest because it had been a long day and I had one of the best naps ever because I started to dream!



Next we went to the lake and played volleyball. The ball rolled into the side with bushes and such and I discovered these wonderful burn weeds they call them. Basically, if they even touch your flesh your skin starts burning. It was not the most pleasant experience because I stepped on them with the bottom of my feet. The pain went away after 20 minutes or so though. Then Svenja and Florian played some beach tennis as I watched, and then we went swimming! It was fantastic until it started raining again. Again is meaning that there was a storm the last time we went to this place which meant we had to leave a little early. It was not such a terrible storm with hail and such, but we decided to go home.

For dinner we had something a little different. Hamburgers, German style! The main difference was that the meat was not all made into a patty, it was just basically scattered everywhere. I made a bit of a mess of things with that. I was tired out still despite the nap so it was time for bed!