This morning has been interesting...I kept pressing snooze this morning because I did not want to get up! I got ready pretty quick, and then grandma and I took off for the airport. Grandma wanted to grab breakfast on the way, so we went to Denny's lol. it was good though. We tried to speak as much German as possible during breakfast. I was trying to talk about raisins for some reason, but I couldn't think of the word in German, so I said "dried grapes" in German and we both laughed. it works!? Right now I'm sitting at my gate and it's so quiet here...there is a family sitting near me who speak Dutch, and then a couple other people. I hope I get to sit next to someone cool. "seatmate"
A lot of my friends/family have given me some useful yet interesting advice. I wanted to share:
"Have fun"
"Be safe"
"Take vitamins and fluids, make SURE you stay hydrated while you travel"
"I wish you all the luck in the world and have fun. Try new things and don't be afraid to take chances and do things you wouldn't normally do."
"Getting a bit buzzed was always the best way to get past fears of speaking. Language and conversation just flows."
"A little partying is good for you...maybe not shopping though."
"So have fun on your vacation...get some absinth...see the fairies"
"If you get hit in a crosswalk and break your leg, there will always be someone to help you. Don't worry."
thanks for all the advice guys!! I'll follow...some of it.
Well...I guess this will be my last entry from the states. It's weird to think that I won't be here for two months. It seems like a long time, but it will go by fast too. I'm going to miss my bed. And my car... and my friends/family. I'm so antsy to get on that plane!! ahhh. I feel like a nerd, but I got National Geographic and Time magazine for my flight. :) I don't know why, but it's tradition for me to get Time for my flights. This way I'll be kept occupied for a decent amount of time, hopefully.
So my plan is to arrive in Amsterdam, get through customs, catch my flight to Stuttgart, make it to the Hauptbahnhof (central train station), and take a train to Moeckmuehl to meet Marianne. I realized today that I haven't seen her since 2006, so I'm not exactly sure what she looks like. Oh well, it should work out. Well I better get some snacks. :)
Take care, bye bye now.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
5 Days Till Departure
Well...I'm leaving in five days and I literally can hardly believe it. When I signed up for the language program back in November, June seemed so far away. Now it's almost time to leave and I feel so unprepared (even though I am prepared..). Just feeling the stress of it all....the traveling, switching flights, customs in Amsterdam (ugh..), taking 2 different trains when I land... It's a lot to think about all at once I guess, but I know it will all work out. I just worry... :-)
Right now I'm trying to figure out the power converter/adapter situation for my laptop. yup.
Leaving my home and my usual environment for two months is going to be weird. Don't get me wrong, I love to travel. But it takes a lot out of someone to put yourself in a completely new and different environment. You have to adjust to many things, such as the time change, the culture, language!!, food, laws, religions, even social etiquette. Living/traveling abroad is really a huge test of patience, independence, and the ability to step out of your comfort zone in order to get by. I find this to be a fun challenge, because you really get to know what you are capable of and can feel confident being on your own, even when your surroundings are completely unfamiliar. I'm really really hoping that I won't have any delays or lose my luggage this time. Those kinds of mishaps really just suck lol. But if it does happen, I'm prepared to deal with it. I could probably type so much right now, just with everything that is on my mind, but i'll have to cut it short. bummer... I keep thinking of all these little things I need to do, like charge my ipod, write down addresses, check my flights, study some German...lol oh i'll save that for the plane ride. I'm so excited to be in Germany this time next week! I can't believe it's already here.... I'm about to embark on this huge adventure. Weeeeee flyin solo.
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I can't wait to order a Wiener Schnitzel mit Kartoffelsalat.. :)
Right now I'm trying to figure out the power converter/adapter situation for my laptop. yup.
So far I have done a ton of laundry, and I know what I want to pack, but I haven't done it yet lol. I guess it just hasn't really dawned on me that I'm leaving so soon! ahhhhh. I really am excited though. Being abroad, especially immersed into the German culture, is so exciting for me. Like I mentioned before, i'm really into my family's history and being able to experience it for myself is just amazing. I'm looking forward to staying with Marianne in Jagsthausen. She lives alone, and in such a small town, so it will be fun for her to have someone around. She got us tickets to see the "Blues Brothers" in town the day after I get there. I'm not sure who exactly they are, though I probably should... I'm just so grateful for her to open up her home to me and go out of her way to make me feel welcome. I'm trying to think of what kind of gift I should bring her to show my appreciation, since it is also a German custom to bring the host/hostess something from your home country (or just something in general). Marianne also doesn't have any children or any family that she sees on a regular basis so she is also excited for my visit. :)
Leaving my home and my usual environment for two months is going to be weird. Don't get me wrong, I love to travel. But it takes a lot out of someone to put yourself in a completely new and different environment. You have to adjust to many things, such as the time change, the culture, language!!, food, laws, religions, even social etiquette. Living/traveling abroad is really a huge test of patience, independence, and the ability to step out of your comfort zone in order to get by. I find this to be a fun challenge, because you really get to know what you are capable of and can feel confident being on your own, even when your surroundings are completely unfamiliar. I'm really really hoping that I won't have any delays or lose my luggage this time. Those kinds of mishaps really just suck lol. But if it does happen, I'm prepared to deal with it. I could probably type so much right now, just with everything that is on my mind, but i'll have to cut it short. bummer... I keep thinking of all these little things I need to do, like charge my ipod, write down addresses, check my flights, study some German...lol oh i'll save that for the plane ride. I'm so excited to be in Germany this time next week! I can't believe it's already here.... I'm about to embark on this huge adventure. Weeeeee flyin solo.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Counting Down the Days..
This is my first blog. I'm blogging. :) ...anyways...
All right.
I'm leaving for Germany in just under 2 weeks. This will be my 4th trip to Europe and my 2nd time to Germany. I will be taking a 4-week language course at the Goethe Institut in Schwäbisch Hall, Germany. I am really excited for this program because the Goethe Institut is known for their German courses all over the world and I'm looking forward to every minute of it. I will be living in a student apartment, in a single room. Every day I will be taking approx. 4 1/2 hours of class........! It seems like a lot just for one subject, and I guess it is, but I'm so excited to learn. Technically I'm cramming 2 terms worth of German into one month...crazy :) I should have a good amount of free time though, after classes and on the weekends. I'm hoping to explore the city quite a bit on my own or with friends? and I'd like to visit Jagsthausen on a weekend too. I'm still considering going to Berlin for a weekend, just because i've never been! At the end of my language course I'm hoping to leave with my Zertifikat Deutsch (B1) which is a certificate showing my proficiency in the German language. The B1 certificate is what is required when applying for German citizenship. So that would be super cool! (not saying i'm going to become a German citizen, but you never know...).
To begin my trip I will be flying into Stuttgart, which is about an hour southeast of Schwäbisch Hall. Since I will be arriving 4 days early for my program, a relative from the town of Jagsthausen will be picking me up from the train station in Möckmühl, which is a small town in between Stuttgart and Jagsthausen. I'm a little nervous, just because I have only met Marianne (the relative) once five years ago, and we hardly spoke. She speaks very little English so it will be the first time I will really put my German to the test! I will be staying with her for 4 nights, and will be helping her out with things around the house and in the garden. You have no idea how excited I am for this! The town of Jagsthausen is where the Schifferer family originated from, and the original house from the 1600s is still standing (survived the Thirty Years War when most of the town was burned.) Of course there have been some renovations, but there are areas in the house when you can still see the mud and straw that make up the walls of the house. I will touch on that later though...
While i'm staying with Marianne, i'm hoping to get to know her pretty well and talk with her about growing up in Jagst. (i'm gonna shorten it because I'm getting tired of typing it out lol) and I would also like to ask her about some family history. There are old record books in the town that I would love to take a look at. My grandmother Gerda, who lived in Jagst. for quite some time growing up, has record books of her own that she put together. Everything from birthdates to baptisms to weddings was recorded. They even wrote the occupation of the person, and for most of my ancestors it was "Bauer" or farmer. It would be so cool to look at the originals. The first record of our family being in Jagst. was in 1664, and his name was Andreas Schifferer. I was recently at my grandmother's house and we were looking at old records, and trying to make out the old scribbled German on pieces of paper. Oh goodness it looks like I rambled on here... For those of you who don't already know, I'm a history nerd and I love learning about my family's heritage. So far I know the lineage about 7 generations back, just on my dad's side, but that's still a lot! It's crazy but so interesting all at the same time. I'm going to use my stay in Jagst. as a time to learn even more about my family history, use my German, and get to know Marianne. If you got bored from this post, I do apologize. The first few posts from my trip will probably touch on this kind of stuff, since i'll be in Jagst., but I promise i'll talk about more interesting things as my trip goes forward! and pictures :)
Here is a view of Jagsthausen: ( the castle is in the top right corner)
If you really want to, you can click on this link to see a map of the towns I mentioned, to get an idea of the distance between :
http://www.zeemaps.com/243327
ciao.
All right.
I'm leaving for Germany in just under 2 weeks. This will be my 4th trip to Europe and my 2nd time to Germany. I will be taking a 4-week language course at the Goethe Institut in Schwäbisch Hall, Germany. I am really excited for this program because the Goethe Institut is known for their German courses all over the world and I'm looking forward to every minute of it. I will be living in a student apartment, in a single room. Every day I will be taking approx. 4 1/2 hours of class........! It seems like a lot just for one subject, and I guess it is, but I'm so excited to learn. Technically I'm cramming 2 terms worth of German into one month...crazy :) I should have a good amount of free time though, after classes and on the weekends. I'm hoping to explore the city quite a bit on my own or with friends? and I'd like to visit Jagsthausen on a weekend too. I'm still considering going to Berlin for a weekend, just because i've never been! At the end of my language course I'm hoping to leave with my Zertifikat Deutsch (B1) which is a certificate showing my proficiency in the German language. The B1 certificate is what is required when applying for German citizenship. So that would be super cool! (not saying i'm going to become a German citizen, but you never know...).
To begin my trip I will be flying into Stuttgart, which is about an hour southeast of Schwäbisch Hall. Since I will be arriving 4 days early for my program, a relative from the town of Jagsthausen will be picking me up from the train station in Möckmühl, which is a small town in between Stuttgart and Jagsthausen. I'm a little nervous, just because I have only met Marianne (the relative) once five years ago, and we hardly spoke. She speaks very little English so it will be the first time I will really put my German to the test! I will be staying with her for 4 nights, and will be helping her out with things around the house and in the garden. You have no idea how excited I am for this! The town of Jagsthausen is where the Schifferer family originated from, and the original house from the 1600s is still standing (survived the Thirty Years War when most of the town was burned.) Of course there have been some renovations, but there are areas in the house when you can still see the mud and straw that make up the walls of the house. I will touch on that later though...
While i'm staying with Marianne, i'm hoping to get to know her pretty well and talk with her about growing up in Jagst. (i'm gonna shorten it because I'm getting tired of typing it out lol) and I would also like to ask her about some family history. There are old record books in the town that I would love to take a look at. My grandmother Gerda, who lived in Jagst. for quite some time growing up, has record books of her own that she put together. Everything from birthdates to baptisms to weddings was recorded. They even wrote the occupation of the person, and for most of my ancestors it was "Bauer" or farmer. It would be so cool to look at the originals. The first record of our family being in Jagst. was in 1664, and his name was Andreas Schifferer. I was recently at my grandmother's house and we were looking at old records, and trying to make out the old scribbled German on pieces of paper. Oh goodness it looks like I rambled on here... For those of you who don't already know, I'm a history nerd and I love learning about my family's heritage. So far I know the lineage about 7 generations back, just on my dad's side, but that's still a lot! It's crazy but so interesting all at the same time. I'm going to use my stay in Jagst. as a time to learn even more about my family history, use my German, and get to know Marianne. If you got bored from this post, I do apologize. The first few posts from my trip will probably touch on this kind of stuff, since i'll be in Jagst., but I promise i'll talk about more interesting things as my trip goes forward! and pictures :)
Here is a view of Jagsthausen: ( the castle is in the top right corner)
If you really want to, you can click on this link to see a map of the towns I mentioned, to get an idea of the distance between :
http://www.zeemaps.com/243327
ciao.
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