Weird Things I Am Excited For

Wow, I have not kept up with my blog at all! Sorry! It is already July and I have 19 days left in Germany. So anyways, here is a compilation of all the things I'm excited for when I go back home, well, to Florida(my Dad got stationed there while I was living here in Germany).

1. Airconditioning. It doesn't exist where I live in Germany. It is 100 degrees fahrenheit outside and my bedroom feels like a thermos. You know, the things you used to take to Elementary school where your mom would put boiling water in it to heat it up and then dump the water out and fill it with chicken nuggets. Yeah, that's what my room feels like. The other day I stood by the salamis in the super market for like 10 minutes just to cool off.
2. Dryers. In every host family I have lived in they haven't had a dryer to dry clothes. So instead of putting my clothes directly from the washer into the dryer and having clean, dry clothes in 2 hours, I have to haul my laundry from the dryer to either the drying room (imagine an entire room dedicated to clotheslines) or the outdoor clothesline, where my underwear will be flapping in the wind for the whole neighborhood to see. Not to mention that the clothes always end up super stiff, which leads me to my next point..
3. Fabric Softener. Ah, good ole fabric softener. Prevents your extra fluffy towels from feeling like cardboard(another downfall of the clothesline system). I can not wait to use my nice soft towels when I get home. Before exchange, I didn't realize how much of a difference fabric softener makes to the feeling of clothes. I can now tell you, it's a bigger difference than you think.
4. Stores being open on Sundays. Many a day have I thought "Hmm, I should go pick this up from the store," and then realized, "Oh wait, it's Sunday." The same thing goes for restaurants. Craving Chinese food? Well that's too bad because the only thing open is Mcdonalds.
5. Free refills. Restaurants here do not offer you free refills. So you will pay 2.50 euros to get a 2.5l. After you drink that, you're done. You're not getting any more unless you pay for a new one. Not even a glass of water. That costs money to. Sometimes I really just want to ask the waiter to bring me a glass of tap water instead of those overpriced fancy waters that come in a little glass bottle. Guess what! They taste exactly the same! The only difference is one is overpriced!
6. Ice in my drink. When I have asked why the drinks don't come with ice the answer has always been either, "It's cold enough!" or, "But then you don't get as much drink." That probably stems from the fact that free refills don't exist here. Either way, I miss my ice.
7. Free bathroom facilities. Who had the idea that people should pay to use the restroom! That's just wrong! Guaranteed, the bathrooms are much more well kept, but still! I don't have money to pay 50-70 cents every time I need to go! They should be thankful that I'm not peeing myself in the middle of their restaurant!

Anyways, so these are just a few of the things that I am excited for when I go back. Yes, of course I'm excited to see my family too.

February/March Update!

           Hello everybody! I am happy to report that it seems like the end of winter is in sight! Praise the Lord, I was beginning to think it was never coming(my apologies to my readers Stateside who are still being pummeled with snow and subarctic temperatures). The sun was out today and the blue skies made me homesick for my sweet Alaska summers. Nothing beats Alaska in the summer, too bad you have to wait 2/3 of the year for it to come around. Here in my city, Goppingen, there are small flowers blooming in the parks. At first I thought they were oddly colored fungi, thank you little brothers for educating me on the different type of fungi that exist, but on further inspection I learned that they were small flowers growing in clumps of orange, purple, yellow, and white! Sunmer can not come soon enough. I just want to be able to wear shorts and sandals! I also wouldn't mind ditching my jacket.

The flowers that seem to be popping up everywhere in Goppingen

               One thing that will never cease to amuse me is seeing adults riding scooters. There is just something about grown men zipping around the city on scooters that I find extremely funny! Also, they never forget a helmet, safety first! Germans will be Germans. 

Spotted in the Stuttgart Sbahn Station

               Last weekend Ceara and I went and picked up our friend Sophie from the airport. She was coming back from India where she had been with Rotary giving out Polio vaccines. She is so lucky to have had that opportunity. Anyways, Ceara and I went with a massive welcome home sign and picked her up from the airport. Because we don't have family here, we are family for each other. It was basically like Sophie was our child and we were welcoming her home. 

Sophie, Fashion Icon, arriving home from India

             Due to unforeseen circumstances, I am having to switch host families again. No, I didn't do anything wrong and I'm not in trouble and my host family doesn't treat me bad. I don't really want to leave, but I have to. I will probably be moving in the next 1-2 weeks, or as soon as they find a new host family for me. It really stinks to have to keep moving like this because I'm a bit of a charity case. I feel like people take me on because they have to because I have no where else to go. I had a bad experience with my 1st host family and had to be moved early and now my current family can't host me any longer. Rotary is basically looking for anyone with a spare bedroom to host me. I kind of got the short end of the stick when it came to host family situations. No that does not mean I am having problems with my current family, I like them very much and wish I could stay longer. Isi and I are very close and she is just like my own sister. She likes to climb in my bed with the iPad and make me win Candy Crush for her. I own at Candy Crush. Probably the only game I can beat her in. She crushes me every time we play boardgames. I will miss her so much.

Isi and I, in my bed

                My mom comes in just 24 days!!! I am beyond excited for the trip we're doing when she gets here. We are going to go around southern Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, and possibly Switzerland. It's going to be the best Mother-Daughter trip ever. By the time she comes I will have gone 7 months without seeing her. Speaking of which, today is my 6th month anniversary! I now have just under 5 months left until I go back to the USA. Wow the time goes fast. I don't know how it happened but half my exchange is over! The idea of going back to the US and not having my exchange family scares me but I know that I have to leave sometime.. If I stayed here forever this time wouldn't be as special.

Not the best picture of us, but it's one of the more recent ones (meaning 9 months old.. distance probs..) and I think we actually look related in it

January/February Update

At this exact moment, I have been in Germany for 22 weeks, 85 hours, and 3,588 seconds. Perhaps time moves differently in Germany, because there is no way I have been here that long. But then again, maybe I have. My mother has kindly informed me that there is dust on my place at the dinner table. Slightly heartbreaking, but I guess it was bound to happen sometime. On the topic of homesickness, I’m not really that homesick, although some days are better than others. I’ve found what helps me to get over it is to play some country music(the music of my childhood, thanks to my Nebraska-raised parents) and unavoidably have a good cry. Then pull myself together and plan something fun with my friends. I’m not saying that I do this often, but I will admit that I’ve done it more than once. My homesickness is more me wishing my family was here to experience this awesome opportunity with me than me actually wanting to go home.

Sophie, Ceara, and I

I have been so blessed in the fact that I have been able to become extremely close with my fellow exchange students over the past couple months. We have bonded over missed trains, host family problems, the desire to travel, and the mutual knowledge that this is a special time in our lives so we must take advantage of it. I have started to notice a pattern in the personalities exchange students possess. For the most part, we are instigators. We are the part of society that has ideas, and then works to make them reality. Too many people have dreams but don’t realize that they can become more than just that, dreams. Us exchange students are constantly coming up with new plans, and when Rotary(or our parents) doesn’t shut them down, we make them happen. I admit to some of our plans being a little far fetched, but we always have good intentions. One of our plans that got shut down by Rotary was when we found tickets to London for 20 Euros on Ryan Air. That was rejected because we failed to produce an adult crazy enough to go with us. I find it amazing that I am now comfortable with traveling long distances alone and booking youth hostels for my friends and I. In the USA I would have never dreamed of traveling to a random city with friends and staying the night in a hostel. Exchange has given me a whole new confidence in myself.

Ceara, Caroline, and I in Stuttgart

Last week I was in church with my best friend and her host family when I realized that I actually understood almost everything being said! That was such a relief considering I’m terrified that I am not going to learn the language. I guess you could say my German is okay, but I really want to get better. I’ve started reading german books aloud at night. I find it helps with my pronunciation and my grammatik. I am unsure of the english word for “Grammatik”, so I’m just going to settle on the German. I remember it being similar but I can't think of what it is. The longer I’m in Germany, the more simple words like that I forget. For example, the other day I was counting in English, and I forgot the numbers! It was so embarrassing because I couldn’t remember for the life of me what came after eleven. When I speak with the other exchange students we speak in a mixture of English and German. People have asked us why we don’t just speak in English, considering most of us are native English speakers, but they don’t understand that sometimes it’s just easier to speak in German. Also, some words just sound better auf Deutsch! Also, when speaking another language, it’s not like throughout the conversation you’re converting words to english, you just somehow know the meanings of the other language. It just feels natural. I am unsure if that makes sense, but it’s like putting another brain in your head.

"Grammar learned by Yoda you have"

Five months ago, I would have assumed that at almost halfway through my exchange year I would have ceased to make silly mistakes. Nope. Yesterday I took a train going the complete opposite direction of where I wanted to go. You would think that I would know by now! It was extremely embarrassing because I had to ask the young and very good-looking(what?? I’m still a teenage girl!) German guy next to me where we were. He was laughing so hard and I was mortified. Oh well, it happens to the best of us. The other day I took the wrong bus to my friend’s house and ended up at a bus stop next to the highway in the middle of No Where, Germany. I called my friends with my last amount of battery and half cried, half screamed, “WHERE AM I??? HELP ME!” They advised me to go to the other bus stop across the street and try to go back into the city. So I did what I needed to do to cross that highway. Envision Frogger, but with me instead of a frog. I waited on the side of the highway in the freezing cold wearing a skirt and a light jacket for 20 minutes until the next bus came. All the while, I was silently cursing myself for wanting to come to Europe instead of warm and semi tropical South America. I was about ready to abandon all hope and hitchhike, when I heard the low grumble of a bus far too old to be still in use. The doors opened, and it was like a heavenly chorus had descended from above. I strode onto that bus and hightailed it straight to the back, where the heater was located. When the bus finally reached the city bus station, I looked outside to see my friends hysterically waving. I hopped off the bus and ran to them and we embraced as if we were long lost lovers, even though we had seen each other the day before.

The random town that I got stuck in

I have been living in my current host family for almost 2 months now! I am happy to say that I feel very at home here. After a not so pleasant experience in my first family, I am very thankful for my second. My host sister, Isi, is 10 and she is so cute, although I will admit she has her moments! I can tell it’s still a little hard for her to not be an only child anymore. For example I will be sitting on the couch and she will walk in and say, “Now I am here,” and try to make me leave. Once she tried to tell me I wasn’t allowed to use the water glasses because they were hers(they’re not)! I ended up tickling her until she gave up and agreed that I could use them. That little girl drives me nuts but I love her so much! She just came into my room with the cutest the Lion King “Friend Book” and asked me to write in it. It has all of her little friends from school in it and then me. My heart is so happy that she sees me as her sister and loves me. I wouldn’t say my host mother, Gabi, is like a second mom to me, but I respect her very much. She is a business woman and you can tell by the way she runs her household. She is not motherly towards me in the sense that she’s always giving me hugs and such, but I know that if I need anythingI can go to her. I appreciate how my host parents respect and trust me and I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize that. I also am very thankful that they take time to inquire what my plans are for the weekend, instead of springing family plans on me the day of. They respect that I make plans with my friends and allow me quite a bit of freedom. Every Tuesday and Thursday my host dad, Reimer, picks me up from my German course and I treasure the small conversations we have in that short drive. No they’re not anything deep, but it is just a small routine that I enjoy. He always asks me the same question, “How was your class?” and I always reply with “boring,” and then we both laugh. Like I said, not much, but it’s still nice. Reimer is a man of few words, but every now and then he’ll crack a hilarious joke. I am so happy to have been placed in this family.

Cooking with Oma and Isi

Selfie with Isi (she insisted on featuring the boar teeth)

I am so thankful for having “found” Rotary. One split second decision changed my life. Rotary has not only given me the opportunity of a lifetime, but it has also provided me with a second family in the Rotarians, and has enabled me to meet other exchange students who have become my closest friends. I am also thankful for my parents for supporting me in all of my endeavors and helping me every step of the way. I can not wait to see what experiences the rest of my exchange year brings.

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” -Henry Miller

Pfun in Pfeffingen

               The other weekend I got the chance to visit one of my best friends, Caroline, in her teeny tiny village named Pfeffingen (the 'P' is silent). There was a total of pfour people staying in her bedroom, Ceara, Ricardo, Caroline, and me, each of us pfighting pfor the right to sleep in the bed instead of the on the pfloor. Pfeffingen was so pretty because it was covered in snow. My city, Goppingen, doesn't have any snow currently, making me hopeful that spring is just around the corner. In Pfeffingen, we took advantage of the snow with our makeshift snow gear that consisted of American pflag onesies, neon green Moon boots, oversized sweatpants, mismatched gloves, and boots that weren't exactly made pfor the snow. Needless to say, we were quite the sight. Once we were ready to go, Caroline's host mom told us where the sleds were. To our surprise, the sleds were traditional wooden sleds with rusty metal skids(I am not sure if that is the right word, my english is pfailing me). Unfortunately, they were not exactly the pfastest sleds in the world. So we took to just running and jumping down the hill. It pfelt good to be throwing snowballs and enjoying winter again.

The sleds that didn't work..

pFat exchange students too pfat to walk up mild incline

Sophie, Ceara, Caroline, Me, Ricardo

Christmas Time is Here

Well, it's Christmas time in Germany!!! I mean I guess it has been since November (these German's start really early), but it's now actually Christmas time! Honestly, it doesn't really feel like Christmas. Yes, there are tons of Christmas markets, but I don't know. It just doesn't feel like Christmas. I feel like time is going by so quickly here and the holidays just kind of snuck up on me!

Christmas Market in my city, Goeppingen

The other day I received two packages from my family! One from my grandparents (Thanks Gramma and Grampa Kunkel!!!) and one from my parents. In them were a bunch of christmas presents. Although it kills me not to open them, I will wait until Christmas. I find it strange that my host family doesn't have the Christmas tree up. Are we even going to put one up at all? Also, I learned from my host mom that they don't do stockings from Santa here. Santa doesn't even come here! What they do have is St. Nicholas. He comes on the 6th of December and tells you if you've been good or bad. He's basically Santa, except for he always has two black men with him. The black men are the supposed bad men that will reprimand you if you've been naughty. St. Nicholas is the one who tells them what to do. Little kids all over are scared to death of those black men. They are honestly really creepy.

St. Nicholas and the two black men

I know it's a little late to be posting this, but here is a picture of me on Mt. Titlis in Switzerland.

I absolutely love getting together with the other exchange students. We always have so much fun together. Eurotour is going to be absolutely amazing. This past weekend we got together in Ueberlingen to celebrate Lake(USA) and Pietro's(Brazil) birthdays.

Running to the other group of people who were coincidentally also wearing onesies

Picture with the other people in onesies

With the other American girls at a Christmas market

I have gotten so lucky with my new class. They are so nice and welcoming and I'm so thankful for them. On the last day before winter break we did Secret Santa and I about died when one of the guys received a pack of beer. Only in Germany. I personally got a small stuffed reindeer and some chocolate. I'm always ready for chocolate. Maybe that's why I'm gaining all this exchange weight. Oh well!

New Month, New Family, New Experiences

I have officially been gone for 3 and a half months now! My lack of blog posts are due to somedays not having anything to say, and then others where I have too much to say. Well, I began my 4th month of exchange in Switzerland where Delfi(exchange student from Argentina) and I were staying with a Swiss Rotarian and his family. It was probably one of the best weekends I've had on my entire exchange. Delfi and I missed school on Friday the 5th and took a 4 hour train ride to Zurich, Switzerland where we met Roman and Susy Fuglister and one of their daughters. We spent friday going around Zurich and it was so beautiful, but so expensive. On saturday we went to a thermal pool that had half of it indoors and half outdoors and it was amazing. It was so relaxing. That night we went to a christmas market in town. The next day we went skiing on Mount Titlis and the view, although cloudy, was amazing. It was so beautiful. That night we were supposed to take the train home, but due to traffic conditions, our train pulled away just as we were running to catch it. So we ended up staying another night there. Apparently all of Germany seems to think that Christmas starts in November. Although weird, I'm not complaining! I love going to all the Christmas Markets because they are so beautiful. My favorite would have to be the one in Ulm. It takes place right in front of the Church and it absolutely stunning at night. I also switched families this week. I chose to switch families early for a variety of reasons. Although I knew it was for the best, telling them that I was leaving felt like a lot like we were breaking up. It was not a good feeling. But I am much happier in my new host family. I will stay in this family until May. I'm sorry if this posts lacks interesting content, it's just that I find it very hard to sum up everything. I will try to post more regularly, but no promises. As always, thank you for reading! I hope to be more interesting in my next posts.

These Days..

My city, Goeppingen, is so pretty nowadays. They are starting to string lights over the main street in preparation for the Christmas markets! I love walking through it at night because it's so pretty with all the lights.

I took this while walking to my language course.

I have developed an addiction for Kinder Chocolate. It's so good. I don't understand why they banned Kinder eggs in the US! Because I mean the kid would have to have a really big mouth to choke on the thing containing the toy inside the egg. Honestly, how would you even be able to swallow that?? America doesn't make sense.

These Kinder eggs are bigger than my hand.

In Germany I find it hilarious how people can just bring their dogs anywhere. Out shopping, to a nice restaurant, to a little cafe in the city for coffee. It's not just little dogs they take places, they will bring their big dogs, to be honest they look more like a bears than dogs, out to public places! I'm not sure if you can even do that in America! But I tell ya, there is no way I would bring my dog to a restaurant. She would jump up and try to eat some stranger's food.

Dog just chilling while it's owner drinks some coffee.

This past weekend I took the train up to Heidenheim to visit my other exchange students friends and have a "party." There were only I think 13 people there. But hey, still counts. I love getting together with the others because that's when we can really let out our frustrations and I mean, who wouldn't want to hang out with a bunch of foreigns. I love listening to their accents too. When they speak they sound so cute. None of us are really that homesick. I mean we all have moments, but they pass fairly quickly. 

*NOT A PICTURE WITH OTHER EXCHANGE STUDENTS*

Picture with two of my classmates.