(Time Frame: Sep. 18-Oct. 2) Unfortunately, this past week didn't have a great start. What promised to be a good day, exploring the town going stand to stand during the flea market, ended up with me asleep for most of the day. I'd gotten sick. I had a viral infection, and proceeded to do nothing but sleep for three-ish days. My waking time was spent reading, drinking tea, and listening to the calm playlist I always update during exams. Thankfully, by Friday I was up and moving again.
My return to health brought about a trip to Oktoberfest in Hannover. In all honesty, it reminded me of the State Fair. Rides, food, and games, although I didn't see any that offered fish as a prize. We arrived relatively late in the evening, about eight forty five, and made it back home around eleven thirty. We spent the time wait for fireworks eating, and in my case, playing shooting games. I'm not a great shot, but I'm not a bad one either. With stationary targets about four feet away at most, the shooting games at the festival weren't much of a challenge. I came home with five stuffed animals and a large blow-up cudgel. At the first booth, I didn't miss a single shot. I'm still really proud of that. After the fireworks, we went on the ferris wheel. It provided a beautiful view of the fair, which was lit up with a myriad of colorful lights. We went home, and that was that. Saturday was a lot of fun. I helped get things ready for an event on Sunday, and then we went home and relaxed for a bit. At one point in the afternoon, Rainer and I went for a motorbike ride. We visited some really awesome caves that inspired one of the Grimm Brother's fairy tales. The area was a park, with trails and picnic tables. Being me, I scrambled up the hill and onto several rock formations very quickly. I spent about fifteen minutes exploring and climbing various sections of the formation before we had to leave. We met with some friends for dinner, grilling out. I had my first conversation with no english whatsoever! None! I'm incredibly proud of that, even if it was a simple conversation. Sunday I helped out with the Haxenessen, where I stirred the Kraut and then dished it out. I really enjoyed talking with people, in somewhat halting and probably not correct German. After that we cleaned up and wound down at home. Monday went as normal, but Tuesday and Wednesday I got out of school early! My teachers were (unfortunately) sick, so class was cancelled and we went home early. Today, which marks my last day at Gronau Gesamtschule, brought mixed emotions. I've had a wonderful time getting to know people here, and I'm incredibly saddened to not be joining them in the classroom again. Whether it's helping me with my German (which often results in laughter), or sharing stories in a mix of English and German, I've come to really like Brüggen. I'm going to miss the friends I've made here, but I doubt this is going to be the last time I see them. If there's only one thing leaving the U.S. has taught me, it's that those who really care will respond when you reach out. I think I might be closer with some of my friends now that I'm distanced from them. I realized how much I took for granted the roots my parents and friends had given me, and the history that came with it. Being in a new place, not being able to tell someone "Hey, remember when we were 9 and wrecked your kitchen making cookies?", it's a startling difference to the history of my hometown. Edit: I've belatedly realized I didn't post this when originally intended. As such, I've included a frame of reference for the time this talks about and was written in.
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It has been a whirlwind these past five weeks. A blur of excitement, sadness, anticipation, and pure fondness. I didn't know I could love to grow so many people so quickly, but something about being in a foreign country and not knowing much of the language bonds people together. There was a trip to Marburg, which was wonderful. The schloss was absolutely stunning, and we saw a lot of cool graffiti. Asking people what this or that word meant, (mine was holterdipolter) was incredibly fun. We had ice cream, wandered around book stores, and had a great time just getting lost. We didn't miss the train back to Bad Laasphe, which I count as a victory.
A few nights later, all fifty of us learned to dance in the courtyard. That led to just plain dancing, which led to one mildly injured ankle. There was Girl's Night, which I can honestly say was one of the best of my life. On one of the last nights, some of us (Sabrina, Lucas, Hannah, Alexis, Ame, Cecilia, Virginia, Sav, and I) went and laid out on the grass, stargazed, and talked. About an hour before roomcheck, Lucas had the wonderful idea to have a "Honey Roast" session. You go around the circle, and complement on person, until everyone in the circle has been complimented. When it was my turn, I started crying, and Cecilia just leapt over Ame and tackle hugged me. I was so incredibly happy with them. Then, our final night comes. With it, the talent show. The talent show was w o n d e r f u l. Amelia, amazing person that she is, had lights, a prize, and even snacks, along with introductions. All of the acts were absolutely amazing, two original songs (TWO, shoutout to Beth and Molly for being wonderful), and I even managed to get up and sing. There was a fight over my biggest fan. I love them so much. As the final act, a fashion show took place. It will go down in history, and never be forgotten. We had one last cuddle puddle on the floor, listened to Miriam tell a story, and likely cried a little bit. Some of us dragged our mattresses down to the plenum room, and slept down there. The next morning was crying and cleaning and that feeling of "holy shit it's happening what how why aaaahhhh". We all cleared out our rooms (those of us left), and went down and hung out in the small plenum room. As it got closer to eleven everyone got antsier. Finally it was time. We all walked up to the hallway outside the plenum room, and we waited for about five minutes. Then, we met our host families. I don't think I've ever been antsier. My German is very limited, and while it's growing, that first day it felt like all I could do was count. We drove home, had dinner, and I unpacked. My host community is beautiful, if small. My host family has been really helpful, telling me what things are called time and time again so I can learn. As the weeks have gone by I've slowly learnt more, but it's still a struggle. Something I didn't fully realize when I first started this program: School is going to sorta suck for a while. It's incredibly frustrating to know about the topic being discussed, but be unable to participate. The best classes so far have been Kunst (Art), and Sport (P.E.). They don't rely on lectures, so I can generally still follow a bit of what's going on. They're also just fun. Listening to the other students banter, even though I don't understand all of it, is fun. Somehow, some of them heard that American high school was easy. "Did you ever have homework? Aren't your classes in the U.S. super easy? Is your quarterback hot? Wait you actually have sports teams?" Yes, I had homework. A lot of it actually. No my classes in the U.S. aren't super easy. (I also explained A.P., which incurred many incredulous looks), no the quarterback isn't hot (in my opinion) and yes, we have high school sports. The fact that yellow school busses exist seems to stump some ("But that's so cliche!), and for some it seems like their only point of reference is High School Musical. Last Saturday my host family and I visited Marienburg Schloss, which is a nearby castle. It was absolutely stunning. A beautiful place, it was built as Queen Marie's "summer home". When she and her husband were ousted as the rulers of Hanover by Prussia, and her husband fled to Austria, she lived there in defiance with her two daughters. As it was her personal property, and tax funds hadn't been used to build it, Prussian officials couldn't seize the property. While we were there, a wedding was taking place. The bride and the setting were absolutely stunning. They were taking photos against the backdrop of the church doors and the beautiful stained glass. It was a bit rainy, but still a good time. We had hot chocolate (Heiß Skokolade auf Deutsch), and a general good time touring the castle. I'll try and post more frequently, but no promises! My German tutor said something to me that I thought was an appropriate end to this post. "My friend once said this: I know just enough to be misunderstood." It's startlingly appropriate. |
McKennaI'm originally from Virginia, I'm going to Germany via CBYX. The blog title is a reference to a beloved nickname from my mother. Archives
October 2016
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