So I have now been in Germany for almost 6 months. Sometimes it seems longer, and sometimes shorter. The last couple of weeks have been really hard for me. Holidays are always kind of a rough time anyway. I have actually been a little bit homesick for the first time since I have been here. My family here in Germany is amazing, and I love them, but I had never spent Christmas away from my real family. I called my family on Christmas Day, but it just seemed a little surreal. I don’t call home a lot because my parents don’t have a lot of time since they are so busy with work, and often it is hard for me.
Despite my homesickness, I really did enjoy Weihnachten (Christmas). It is a lot different from the way that Americans celebrate Christmas. First off, it is celebrated on December 24 in the evening. Normally, in America, the Christmas tree goes up the day after Thanksgiving and comes down before the New Year, but for Weihnachten, we put up the tree on December 22, and it is currently still there. Instead of the presents being put under the tree as Christmas approaches and they are gradually wrapped, all are delivered at the door in a large sack by the Weihnachten man (Santa) at about 8 pm on the 24. We then open them after everyone has all their presents. As the presents are handed out each person must sing or recite something related to Weihnachten, such as a poem or a song.
The other large part of this holiday is eating! On Christmas Eve, I had a large meal with my family, and then the next day we were with my host dad’s family, and then the next day after that, we spent with my mom’s family. German food is great, but after three days, I was glad it was over. Thankfully, Germans are fond of walking and we would go for walks after eating. New Years was a bit different too. I went with my host dad, host sister, and host brother to the village party. There was tons of dancing and it was a great time.
School started back up and, as always, I am glad to go back. I can only remain home for so long before I get restless. Plus we have had so much snow that going outside isn’t much of an option. The first week was fun, but now I am SICK of it. We keep getting all this cold air coming from Russia. I am excited because in a few weeks we are traveling to Dresden in Saxon for the weekend. I can not wait to see more of Germany and hear a different dialect. I have heard that Dresden is definitely worth seeing.
It, now being 2010, makes me look back on 2009, and where I was and what I was doing a year ago. In January 2009, I was still in my state of Oklahoma and trying to convince my parents to let me go to Germany. I know it sounds cheesy, but is seriously feels like just the other day. It is still hard to believe that in this time, I have graduated from high school, am now living in another country, learning a new culture, and mastering a foreign language. Not too bad. One problem, I am not sure how I am going to top that for 2010.
I have now been here over 3 months, and my time has been amazing, although, the last 2 weeks have been incredibly stressful. In the last two weeks, I have changed schools, families, and cities. Sadly to say, my first family just did not work out. I don’t want to go into the details, but it really became necessary that I change families. I have known several people in my program who have had to change families, and it is never fun, but it happens. The placement can’t be a hundred precent perfect all the time and I understand this.
I am glad to say that I LOVE my new family! I live in a new town called Roskow that only has about 600 people. It is so cute! My new school and the majority of my time is spent in Brandenburg, which is a larger city about 20 minutes from me. It is so beautiful and very very old. I live on a farm here in Roskow. We have chickens, horses, dogs, doves, ducks, pigs, and rabbits! Every morning we have fresh eggs from the chickens and fresh meat every weekend. My first family were vegetarians, so going from a vegetarian famiy to one that kills its one meat was kind of an extreme, but one I was glad to embrace. My dad is a self-employed man and I‘m still confused as to what he does. I know that he buys beer and other drinks in bulk and then sells them, but otherwise I just dont get it! My mom works with premature babies. She loves her job and said its tough, but very rewarding. I have a sister who is 20 and is going to school, a brother who is 10, and another sister (whom I haven‘t met) whi is an aupair in California. She will be back in about a month and I‘m so excited to meet her!
I love having a younger brother and that I get to help him with his English homework. Yesterday, I worked with him on a passage from The Christmas Story. He has a really hard time with the “th“ sound, but he is getting it down! My new school is about 3 times bigger than my previous one. It is in a building that‘s over 100 years old. I kind of feel like I am going to Hogwarts! My German is finally starting to get good. As my German is getting better, I notice that my English is getting worse. It is really funny when I call home to talk to my mom and hear her Oklahoma accent. People here learn British English, and most of them speak with a British accent.
The only complaint that I have is having to wake up at 5:30 every morning! I take about 30 minutes to get ready, and then I have about 15 minutes to eat breakfast and it‘s off to the bus! It‘s dark here until about 8 AM, and then it gets dark again around 3:45 in the afternoon. I didn’t realize how far north I was until it started getting to be winter and I noticed a drastically lesser amount of sun.
I am just so happy to be where I am now, and I can‘t wait for Christmas!
So it has officially been 3 months and I have only 9 left! Sad! Time goes by so quickly.
My last two weeks here were my herbst ferien, or fall break. It was an amazing one. In the first part, my host mom’s brother and his kids came to visit. They remained here for several days. His two little girls were the cutest things I have ever seen! The older one spoke some English, but most of the time we spoke German. It was so much fun to talk with them. I think it is a lot easier to talk to a younger age group. Sometimes talking to people your age or older can get a little intimidating. Sometimes it gets frustrating whenever I go out and try to order food, or buy something in Germany. I will speak German with the cashier, but usually they realize that I am foreign and speak English with me. I just keep speaking German and hope that they get the hint.
At the end of the first week of my break, we went to Potsdam and saw a whole bunch of castles. They were pretty in their own way, but honestly the gaudiness of the decorations was a little sickening to me. One room was decorated entirely in sea shells. The designers of that time were so worried about how people perceived them that they spent tons of money and time building these absolutely extravagant castles and palaces. The only one I really liked was Schlosss Cecilienhof, where the Potsdam Conference was held. The big three– Truman, Stalin, and Churchill– all met here to discuss the end of the war.
The last week of my break, my best friend from Norway came to visit me. She was an exchange student in my hometown city last year. It just shows what good friendships can develop while on exchange. I took her sightseeing and I was so proud that I actually knew Berlin well enough to show her around. The downside to her visit was that we spoke entirely English for a week. It was a little difficult in the days after to speak German again. But thankfully, it came back quite quickly.
There are several tips you should be aware of when exchanging. One is the money. Currently the exchange rate is terrible and it is very easy to spend too much money without realizing it. A bus ticket here, a coffee there……it all adds up before you know it. Second, is the fact that kids here love to party and go out. Of course, when your here you want to make lots of friends, and therefore you want to do what all of the typical German teenagers are doing. You can go out and have a good time, but you have to realize that you are representing your country, and you want to be a good representative. Third, is that Europe is, generally, not a very religious place. If you are, realize that it will be difficult to find want you want in any religious experience. Little things like praying before meals, which are so common in America, are rarely practiced here.
The weather has been so weird here lately. Yesterday we had a ton of snow, then today, it was rather warm. I got to school at 7 when it is dark, and by the time I come home it is starting to get dark again! By 5:30 in the evening, it is completely dark outside. Absolutely crazy!
Overall, I am still loving it here! I never want to go back home!
Berlin is unbelievable.
There are constantly activities and sights to be seen. I’ll be living here a year, but I think it would take many more to get a full grasp of everything that goes on here. Currently, the “Festival of Lights” is taking place. Basically all of the major landmarks are lit up with beautiful multicolored lights. The sight is absolutely breathtaking. The Brandenburg Gate and the Berliner Dom are just a few places where the lights can be seen. I was able to go to Berlin late one night with my family and witness this.
I feel that being an exchange student is teaching me so much as a person. Although I am surrounded by tons of people, I find myself alone quite a bit. It’s impossible to simply move and make tons of great friends off the start. Yes, you will meet lots of people, but friendships take longer to form. I have always been good at meeting people, but I feel that this has taken it to a whole new level. You have to learn to be more forward and just talk to people. You have to be the one to ask people to hang out. It’s tough, but once you have done it a couple times it’s not nearly as hard. I always feel that I am coming off as obnoxious or rude, but most people understand your position and don’t view it that way at all.
I have met people in the weirdest ways. I have recently become good friends with a girl who lives in Berlin. One Friday night, I didn’t have anything planned so I called one of the other exchange students I had met and I got together with him and some of his friends. I got to know my new friend through him. It is really strange how things work out. Today, Robbie Williams had a concert here in Berlin and it was free! No one in America seems to know who he is, but he is a hugely popular English singer. While I was there I heard someone speaking English. His English sounded fluent and he didn’t have an accent. After a while I just introduced myself and asked if he was American. He said no, he was actually Belgian, but had lived in Boston for quite some time. He was there with several other people from the Netherlands and Holland. During the concert we got to know each other and afterwards we all had coffee together and exchanged numbers. A few months ago I would never have had the nerve to start a conversation with a stranger at a concert, but at this point I just think “why not?” That’s really how you have to think about things. If you just sit back and wait for people to come to you, you are going to be lonely and disappointed. You have to get out there.
I have also been really trying to make more of an effort to learn German. I used to watch movies in German with English subtitles, but I have started watching it in German with German subtitles. It is amazing how much I actually understand. Reading and hearing helps a lot, it is hard to just hear it. They watch a ton of American films over here, so most of them I already know the basic story line. I think I have finally gotten over my homesickness. Things are starting to have more of a pattern and getting to know more people really helps.
Being an exchange student is anything but easy. There are so many aspects to this one single experience that I had not thought of before I came here. Sometimes living with a completely different family is rough. They say or do things that surprise me, and I am sure I do things that surprise them. Until recently, I didn’t know how much it bothered them that I go to my room when I get home. In America, this was not a problem. Both of my natural parents work, and I had school and a job, so we were all always really busy. We ate meals together when we could, but it was not really a common thing. Families here are much closer than in America. Perhaps not closer in a loving sense, but in that they try and spend as much time together as possible. This is not something that I am used to. I constantly feel like an outsider. I know that they want me here and I never feel that they don’t, but some days are just really tough.
When they say you go through stages while on exchange they couldn’t be more right. When I first got here everything was exciting and new. That feeling of euphoria lasted about two months. I am now at the cultural fatigue stage. Lately I have been so frustrated with things. Simple things, such as what the homework assignment is, give me so much grief. I just want to understand everything that’s being said. I’m not homesick for my friends, and family, I am more homesick for understanding. Things I thought would be the same are not. I had always thought that math was a universal language. But let me tell you, German math is completely different from anything I have ever done. I am so confused in that class. Thankfully my host sister is quite the math whiz and is glad to help me.
The language also frustrates me tremendously. Some days I feel that I am getting better, but some I feel that I am going backwards. I’ve been here two months and I know my understanding has improved tremendously, but the speaking is slower to come. I know it frustrates my friends and family when I don’t understand, but it frustrates me too! I think the best thing to do, is to stop surrounding myself with any English. I need to put German songs on my Ipod and try and read some German books, and yes, I might have to check Facebook only once per day. Seems to be the only way.
But enough of the negative. I absolutely adore Germany. I have met so many amazing and nice people and have gotten to see some amazing places. I got to travel with my family to western Germany to a city called Köln (Cologne). It was absolutely beautiful and so different. The terrain in the 6 hour drive changed so much. I didn’t realize how flat Berlin was until I saw some really hilly areas. We went to a taufe while we were there. A taufe is the German word for a christening. It actually took place in a Greek orthodox church. So I got to experience a little Greek culture while I was in Germany! How cool is that!
Overall, my experience here is fantastic and I have no desire to go back home. I know this frustration I’m facing will pass. It was wonderful to get to meet other exchange students here in Germany. Thanks to the amazingness that is Facebook, we have all been able to keep in touch. We seem to be going through the same problems at the same time. It helps to know that someone can relate.
I am finally in Germany! I left Stillwater at 6 AM. Saying goodbye to my dad and sister just about ripped my heart out, but saying goodbye to my mom nearly killed me.
Anyway…I boarded my plane out of Tulsa and flew to Cincinnati. Then from there, I flew to Dulles in DC. Let me tell ya…that airport is evil! I took a shuttle from my arrival station to my bags…hiked a mile to check them in….hiked back to go through security….then took another shuttle to my departure gate where i had a 5 hr layover. I talked to a guy in the Army for about 30 minutes…it was really enlightening. Finally, my flight left at 7 PM. I sat next to a Russian girl and I never slept. Believe me, I was tired! I finally got to Germany and went through customs. Okay….German customer service is nothing like American customer service. You do NOT interrupt people who work at the airport to ask a question. You have to wait from them to finish, they don’t wait on you. Its weird to me.
I had a two hour layover and so I got a sandwich, and when I went to throw away the wrapper, I stood for 5 minutes staring at the trash can. It had 4 separate recycling categories. I was so confused.
I finally got on my plane and literally was shaking the entire time. I got off the plane and waited forever for my bags. I was so nervous about meeting my family. Luisa and Carola immediately found me and gave me hugs. I was seriously worried about how you’re supposed to greet them.
My bedroom is amazing, but the German is hard. I have to suck up my pride in getting things wrong and just put myself out there. That’s how you learn. Today I couldn’t hardly think, but tomorrow it starts for real.
Tonight is the first night of a year away from home.
Okay, so this family does not sleep in…I was last to wake up at 8 AM. I went downstairs and had the most amazing breakfast. They drink hot tea in the morning and we had 6 different kinds of brot (bread), 8 kinds of cheese, 3 kinds of jelly, fresh fruit, and scrambled eggs. It was really good.
We went to get my residence visa, and then did some sightseeing in Berlin. I won two tickets to the world track and field competition in Berlin. While we were walking, we saw a film camera and crew. We talked to the new director of the Alter Museum in Berlin. She was filming a commercial and we saw it on TV later that night. It was so cool.
If anyone has ever said Germans are non-touchy people they are lying to you! My family all crawled into bed this evening to watch TV and they are all openly affectionate with their partners. Lots of PDA…but not overly so.
It’s only 1 PM and today has already been pretty eventful. Luisa left this morning to go to Berlin for her driving lessons and Klaus and Carola had to go to work. It’s just me, Stefanie and Johann. Johann and I went to another town about 20 minutes from here to get my visa. We got it, but when we got back we realized they had spelled my last name wrong, so we have to go get it fixed. Johann is really cool. He is 2 meters tall which is 6′5″ and it makes me feel really short. Stefanie is about 2 or 3 inches shorter than me but they are adorable together. I am the tallest girl in the house, but Klaus and Johann are incredibly tall.
I love cars and Johann is a technical engineer so he knows all about them. We got to talking about how after 40 mph no car is safe. Basically every kind of physical movement doubles at this speed. If you crash a car at 35 mph, there is minimal damage….but after 40 the life expectancy goes straight down. Ford cars are considered quite nice here. I’ve seen several Porsches…they are more common here, but still really expensive.
Luisa and I rode our bikes to the horse stables. It cost 80 Euro per month for only 4 rides. We are going to look at another place to compare prices. By the way, German bikes are WAY different from American bikes. They are harder to ride.
Germany has so many rules. The auto system is really strict. Drinking is not at all tolerated while driving. The first time someone drinks and drives, their license is revoked for 3 or more months…no court…end of story. When you have a driving error, you rack up points. If you rack up 18 points, then you are in trouble. You get degrees of points based on how bad it is. Say your speeding 5 or 10 over….not too much trouble for that…you just pay upfront. I haven’t seen many police. The radio was talking about police cameras and I asked about it. Johann said there are random cameras set up around Berlin that take a picture of your car if you are speeding. When people get pulled over, they call the radio station and say where they are. The station then announces to the public where the cameras are located! I said that was cheating! Also…say you are driving your mom’s car and get a picture taken…the police then track your car. It automatically goes to her to get the points, but if she says it wasn’t her and it was a member of her family, then she won’t get in trouble. Funny thing is, she can refuse to say who it was and then no one gets in trouble. So interesting.
Wow, that’s all I can say…wow. I can’t believe I am leaving for Hohen Neuendorf, Germany in 2 ½ months. There are so many things going through my mind right now. What do I bring? What is the weather going to be like? What gifts should I take? Will my electrical appliances work? How hard is school going to be? Do people like Americans? Will I be met with any hostility? How strict will my host family be? How long will it take me to pick up the language? Will my friends at home forget about me? Am I going to change a lot? Will I come back with an accent? Will I like German food? These are just some of the questions that I have in the back of my mind.
I am counting down the days but I don’t think the fact that I am leaving has actually hit me yet. I am not really very nervous, but I am a little anxious about the language barrier. I don’t think the culture will be too drastic….but I could be wrong. I have had a year of German but I don’t feel that it is nearly sufficient. I am scared of trying to say something and people looking at me like I am completely incompetent. I know many Germans, especially the younger generation, speak perfect English. But I don’t want to rely on that. I really want to make myself learn German.
I recently got paired with my family and I talked to the younger sister Luisa on the phone the other day. She seems incredibly sweet, smart, and like I had thought, her English is perfect! But she said her parents don’t really speak English. Actually I am kind of relieved by this. If they did I wouldn’t want to speak German when I was home. The older brother Johann is 22, I think. He has a girlfriend Stephanie who also lives with them. I really like that I have older and younger “siblings.” The parents, Carole and Klaus, seem like nice people. I haven’t actually spoken to them at all, but any family who would allow someone they don’t know to live in their home for a year must be pretty cool. My only problem with this family is that they aren’t religious at all. I am hoping they will let me go to church once in a while.
I have so many goals for my exchange. I am going to be 20 minutes outside of Berlin and I just HAVE to explore that city. Luisa is going to try to get tickets for us to see Dirty Dancing on Broadway! Learning the language is obviously a priority. I hope to be fluent or at least close to it upon returning. My host family is vegetarians. I am actually really excited about this. I think it will be really interesting. I am also extremely excited to meet lots of new people. I have heard Europeans are generally not as friendly as Americans and if you want to meet people you have to go to them. Coming from Oklahoma where everyone is friendly, this will probably be a bit difficult for me. I am really outgoing and easy to make friends, but with the language and different culture I am a bit intimidated. I am really hoping Luisa will introduce me to lots of people. I want to meet lots of friends through her, but I don’t necessarily want to hang out with her and her friends ALL the time. I wouldn’t want to be a burden. I think traveling is a great way to broaden your mind. I want to hear and see things from someone else’s perspective.
I am stressing just a little bit about all the stuff I have to do before I leave. I am working really hard to make money, but I think my mom is going to chip in a little bit. I also have to go to the bank sometime this week and get a visa debit card. My mom is paying for the program fees, but I basically have to come up with all of my spending money. Currently I work at Hastings, a movie/bookstore, but I think I am going to get another job in addition to it. I got some money for graduation high school, and that’s definitely going towards my trip.
Yes, I just graduated from high school, so this isn’t exactly a typical exchange. I am 18 right now and I am using this as a gap year between high school and college. It will be strange going to a Gymnasium while all of my friends are going to college. I am coming back at the end of my trip and going to college, so its not a big deal because I am not missing anything. I am actually already a second semester freshman at Oklahoma State University. Meaning I will only be 11 hrs behind my age group when I start college. If I can come back and test out of 3 hrs of lower level German ill only be 8 hrs behind. This isn’t a big deal to me at all. I am going to be living in Europe! That pretty much wins out being a little behind my age group in college.
I still have all summer to sort things out. I am having a going away party at some point. I submitted my request to leave August 15, 2009. This will give me two weeks to get settled in before school starts. I am to schedule my flight to Dulles International Airport in Washington DC and Intrax will schedule my overseas flight. I am getting jittery just typing about it! I hope this is an experience of a lifetime.
