The Orange Octopus

July 16 - Friday

Last day of school, WOO HOO! Just kidding, but then again this is not quite the same as real school since it is their last couple weeks, there is no homework, and if there was any I wouldn´t have to do it since I am mostly there to observe. First we went to Biology, which was once again fantastic as I understood much of what they were discussing. I heard it was actually a review too. I guess I wasn´t the only one reviewing! Then we went on to Geography class which was the same teacher as the English class. However, I was so sleepy because of the heat I was struggling a little bit to keep my eyes open. It was quite hot, as it was about 34° and I think that is somewhere around 100° F. Then we went to Italian class! They discussed what they would do for next year, so it was pretty much relaxed. We went home after that and it was interesting because I found out I cannot take any pictures of me being in the school here because they do not allow students to have cameras or phones ever. So I will have to just deal with having a picture of me in front of the school sign. At least I have the school experience to talk about still!



We had some pasta for lunch! Mmm, mmm, mmm good! Its like everything I eat is just as good as the last or better and yet they are so different. All of these things here are like nothing I have ever tasted, especially the traditional Bavarian food. Florian and I went to pick up some more raspberries! Oh, the organic fields were as full as ever with row after row of raspberries, strawberries, boothberries, oh wait, I think they had a different name. =) They were especially delicious and some just melted in your mouth and they were just so sweet and tender. There is a significant difference between these and raspberries at the store because ours were perfectly fresh, as we did pick them ourselves.



Svenja, Anja, Florian and I all got together to go to a different lake than we have normally been going to. This one has a beach volleyball court and the lake is a little smaller because it was man-made but it was all so very wonderful. Unfortunately, the wonderful experience did not last because of the dark clouds overhead. We had a quick 10 minute game of volleyball as I failed exceedingly while remembering how to play this game again, then had a quick 10 minute swim. The water was so refreshing, but I did get dunked in the water a couple times. It is so fun to be with joyful people who love each other, because the atmosphere is so serene and peaceful, even if the situation doesn´t quite look that way. As soon as it started raining it was pouring. This was right about when we were getting started towards the car. It was really pouring, harder and harder each second. It was probably one of the hardest rains I have ever witnessed. The thunder we heard was exciting.



As we made for the car, I noticed some people had just started a fire and it was going out. Then I saw a very large group of people all huddled under a bridge for some shelter. They were right to do this because of what was coming next. It soon started to hail. We took some shelter under a big tree and it helped mostly until the hail stopped. It got to the point with the rain that the windshield was completely wet all the time. I loved the sounds and smell though. The next day we watched a video of the storm hail sent by Florian´s brother and it was literally the size of baseballs! Good thing we went home.



On our way back home we stopped by a little pizza shop to get some dinner. The name of the pizza shop was called The Orange Octopus! It was not traditional in any way but it was very yummy. We took it back to the apartment and then went outside because fireworks were going off! We watched these until they finished and they were going off from the little festival nearby that comes once a year to this place. My pizza was filled with Mushrooms and that was not the best part because I grabbed some raspberries and placed them on top and this was surprisingly delicious. Mmm, a great way to end a day.

Years before Christ

July 15 - Thursday

In school there was another exchange student! She knew German much better than me.. We still talked in English and that was fantastic. We were speaking English in German class, hehe. Then they were reading a dialect script similar to Shakespearean English except it was German, so they didn´t understand it just as much as me.



Ah, alas, English class here I come. This one was my favorite besides Biology. I helped someone with pronunciation, after I was asked of course, after the presentation. They talk pretty advanced of course because these people have been learning English for about 8 years. It certainly makes the American schools look stupid, at least as far as language goes. Anyways this girl was speaking for 20 minutes on energy sources such as fossil fuels and renewable energy sources such as solar and wind energy. I was impressed. Germans are fantastic people, and they are so aware of the world around them because they do not think of themselves as the center of the world like so many countries, because they have realized their mistake when they did this before.



It was another hot day, so we soon went home. We had a scrumptious Italian meal this day, not spicy, but completely delicious. A special type of noodle, almost a dumpling but not quite, and some nummy sauce. Later we had a BERRY awesome dessert, as it was full of strawberries and whipped cream and raspberries and more whipped cream. Fresh are both of these, because we picked them from the organic farm ourselves. You cannot describe the taste of food in a way to actually get the human taste buds to respond, but every meal I have had here just keeps me from wanting to leave. Not only is the food fantastic, but everything is just so beautiful, especially the amazing building architecture that is so different, old, and some have been in existence for thousands of years.

We went to the "City Hall" to get some paper signed for Svenja for her to get permission to work to get her drivers license. This system is so difficult. In America once you are 18 you just have to pass a drivers test and a written test which really is not that hard. Even if you don't do well you only have to pay 300-500$ to take a classroom. In Germany it is not this "easy." Every person has to take drivers school, the written test is long and difficult, you must know EVERYTHING, and you have to pay €2,000 (euros) to take the class. That does not include a car or anything. Every person must do this. Can you say yikes?



Next we went to a little store and it was called "Pen and Paper." I thought it was cute and sweet, so I decided to talk about it. They have these amazing pens!!! They are fully ink and yet you can erase it completely, but it is not even an eraser, its just a little knob thing and there are no shavings afterward! It is so fantastic, and I wonder why we don´t have these fantastic contraptions in America. If we do, I want some. (**they are called FiXion Ball Erasable Gel Pens**)

Next we biked to this amazing place. It is Roman and it was a little oven used to make pots and things. It is known to be a couple hundred years older than Christ. I got a picture of me leaning on the glass walls it is contained in. It was kept in the place it was from the beginning and while some people were trying to build a new road in that area they changed their minds because of this fantastic artifact. It was so amazing to be there because the experience is priceless. To see something so old, so precious, so real is something you cannot show to another person. It is just the history behind it. That this is something that was preserved for thousands of years. People, life buzzing by, and this here stayed the same. The stones were magnificent, such a fine color and it all looked so old as if it would blow away as dust if someone touched it.

Next we went to a Musical!!! Now, at first I was a little nervous because my German speaking is not very good, but luckily the songs were in English! =) It was called Woyzeck and it was a very strange love story because in the end the husband killed his wife.. It was strange, but it was also very interesting and I enjoyed it very much. I wore the purple dress I had gotten at Tollwood and it was sweet. After the musical we went with a group of people to the train, they were from Svenja´s school. The funniest part was when her old teacher introduced himself to me as Michael, because they always talked to him formally. As I referred to him I called him Michael and they thought it was funny too. They also said that he was crazy and a little strange but this was no news to me, because after all, I have not met a Michael that was not strange. We ended up getting home somewhat late and I did not feel very much like eating so I just lay in bed trying to sleep for a while...