As some of you may know, I recently switched host families. Not for bad reasons, but my first placement was simply temporary. I will always be grateful to both my family and the friends I've made in Brüggen. The thought of Brüggen is bittersweet, in that I have so many wonderful memories, but that now I'm starting again. Until this year, I'd never been a new student at school. Now I've been a new student twice. In a new country. It's definitely hard to say I do things by halves. Overall, the past two weeks have been good. Stressful at times, and slightly awkward, but good.
My host parents here in Lemgo picked me up Oct. 16th, and it was an emotional day. My friends, Jana and Loreen, came to say goodbye. We talked and chatted for about an hour before the doorbell rang. I'm a little embarrassed to admit Jana had to remind me to breathe. I said my goodbyes, cried a little, and was on my way. The week passed slowly, adjusting to a new family and a new place. I met another exchange student, Julia, that Wednesday. It was nice to catch up, and startling to speak English with a native speaker again. It's reassuring to speak with other exchange students, in a way no "You'll get through this" will ever be. They understand what you're going through, and it's an emotional burden lifted to be able to confide in them. That's not to say I don't talk with my friends and family. I do, but there's a gap there. It's hard for someone who hasn't done an exchange to understand the struggles with the same weight. Whether it's how easy it is to feel lonely, the perpetual confusion, learning a new language, or just simply shifting to adjust to a host family. That Friday I went to "Mädelsabend" or girls night, at my family's church. I met a bunch of girls, learned two new line dances for cotton eye joe, and in general had a great time. The girls are really kind, and it was fun to just laugh and have fun. Sometimes I was a little lost, but people were very helpful when I looked too confused. My new host family is really nice. The kids like soccer, and it's endlessly entertaining to watch them interact. There's a boy my age, and two twins about five years younger. Watching them interact is scarily similar to my brother and I when we were younger. It's fun to watch, even if I can't always keep up with the conversation or don't understand everything. All in all, I think it's going well with them. I've stopped being the awkward tip-toe shy presence in the house, but I can't say I'm as relaxed as I could be. That will come with time. They speak a lot of english, which is both good and bad. Bad in that I speak more english than I should, but good in that they can explain grammar to me. Grammar is my best frenemy. I don't understand when to use genitive or dative yet, but I think I'm improving. I haven't made any leaps and bounds, but I understand more grammar now. School, has been an adventure. A fun, slightly stressful adventure. My first day, I went with Justin (my host brother) to his first class, and then went to an advanced english class. The teacher of the advanced english class helped me work out what classes I needed, and a tentative schedule. I then proceeded to get lost. I wandered around trying to find the office for a bit, found it, and asked for directions to Treffpunkt (where I catch my bus). I managed to turn just a little too early, and as a result, did not know where I was. I asked a stranger for directions, but I think I misunderstood them. I'm afraid my vocabulary when it comes to navigation is rather limited. I managed to go in the completely wrong direction, but managed to make it to the Treffpunkt about half an hour later. I got home, and went for a run to blow off steam. The next day, I had chemistry, which is fun except I'm still fairly lost. They're already well into the semester, and I've never studied chemistry before. It's like physics, but physics is math. Math isn't as hard. Since then, the week has gone fairly well. I've made some acquaintances, who will hopefully become friends, who are super duper helpful. I think I might broadcast my emotions on my face sometimes, because one of the girls in my english class told me "It looks like you have a question mark on your face. Are you lost?" today. I wasn't sure I was in the right hallway, and was very confused, but she helped me figure it out. School is more fun than I thought it would be. I'm studying calculus in my math class, because I've already learned what they're going over. My teacher just happened to have an american calculus textbook. It's very nice. I'm struggling to understand Chemistry and Physics, but that's what I have crash course and online guides for. It's been good so far, and I hope things continue to improve as I make more friends and learn more German. Also, if you ever get the chance, try Döner. Heaven, I swear. It's so good. It's a turkish specialty, and it's delicious. Ciao!
1 Comment
Tony Klimas
10/27/2016 06:00:46 pm
Great blog, McKenna!! I'm really enjoying hearing about your experience aborad. I know it's hard to be away from home, but it's time well spent and I think you will be glad you did it. Have fun and keep the updates coming!
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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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