Oh, Germany...You Have My Heart.

I think I was supposed to be born in Germany...
(I know that doesn't make sense, but just go with it)

I have only about one week of class left, and then I will be leaving Schwäbisch Hall...but I'll still be around in Germany for another month or so. On Friday I took an exam, called Zertifikat Deutsch: B1. If I pass then I will receive a certificate stating my proficiency in the German language. This certificate will only be a stepping stone in my study of the German language, but it's an important one. It is also the language requirement when applying for German citizenship...sweet! I still have to speaking-proficiency part of the exam on Wednesday. I will have a brief interview with the instructor about myself, where I live, my family, etc. Then I will have to look at different graphs/statistics/pictures/"story problems" in German, and be able to direct a conversation about it. That will be interesting, but I think I'll manage just fine :) let's hope so.
I have made some really great friends since I've been here. Most of us have class together, and then hang out a lot outside of class too. My friend Maria and I speak german most of the time when we hang out, even though it would be much easier to speak english. For the most part our weekends have been spent hanging out, and going to the disko/bars. It's a lot of fun when you are with the right people, and when you stick together.... Last Friday night was a ton of fun, and there are some pictures up on facebook from it. It's just fun to go out, all dressed up, and dance/socialize. Also I'm in a foreign country so 99.9% of the time I won't see people from the bar/disko again hahaha. Not like in Monmouth where you see everyone from school everywhere you go....blah.
 It's hard to believe that we will all have to say goodbye to each other soon. We will have so many fun memories though...from dancing in the disko, going on little adventures, giggling during class because we have stupid inside jokes, speaking in German when we're pissed off and then laughing because it sounds funny or we make a mistake lol, etc etc etc. :)

All in all, I just want to make my time here count. Obviously I want to do well in my language course and have something to show for it, but I also want to have fun with my friends while we still have the chance. There was a girl named Alex here for 2 weeks who was from California. Since Oregon and Cali are both on the west coast, we would joke around and basically 'talk slang' to each other, since many students here only know "proper English". For example, "whattya wanna do" or "gonna" instead of "going to". oops...sometimes other people who were around us at the time didn't understand, so we would have to correct our English! bad... dooooood.

Oh yeah and us west-coasters managed to find the only Burger joint in town (who says burger joint??). It was one of the best burgers i've ever had! :)

Emily

PS John and the grandparents will be here in 4 days!!! can't wait for that.

PS again.. I don't want to go home. As in to the US. I like it here way too much. But...I will still come back. However I might have to return to Germany once I finish my degree! You never know :)

Maria & I @ Barfüsser

2 Weeks Down

Right now I'm taking some down time in my room. Every day is filled with people, events, class, running around. Tonight I'm feeling kinda worn out.

I have had a blast here so far though. I have met some really great people, and it's been really fun getting to know other students. Maria and I hang out every day, and she has become one of my really good friends. We have a lot in common and it's fun going with her to the discothek. We hang out with Kim, Miguel, and Juan a lot. They are all really cool. we went as a group of about 8 people to the Biergarten last night. I didn't drink, but it was still super fun. Since all of us are learning German, we try our best to communicate in only German. We actually do pretty well :) Some hilarious conversations have taken place. After the biergarten we walked around the city taking stupid pictures. I'm sure those will show up on facebook at some point... The kind where someone sets a timer on their camera, and then we all try to cram into a little group before the flash goes off hahaha. Funny times.

Today I bought the German course book for the next level up. This way I will be able to continue my German after this program is over, and during the term that I won't be taking German at WOU. I'm so determined to learn and to do my very best at learning German. I'm excited for when my grandmother gets to Germany, because then we can talk a lot :) I have realized this week that I am actually learning things in my class. I had briefly learned the grammar we covered this week before, but now I understand it so much better. This course is going to make a lot of grammar really concrete for me so that I will be able to use it properly. Sometimes one has to review different concepts/grammar many times before it sticks/makes sense.. I will be taking my Zertifikat Deutsch (B1) test later this month. If I pass, that will be awesome. :)

I miss my friends at home. I also miss my family. And my dog. + Burgerville.

Tomorrow we are going on a bus tour through the countryside. It only costs five Euros, so why not. It sounds like we are a group of old people though lol idk... nevermind.

Well I think that's all for today. The disco is open again tomorrow night so that's where I'll be. I just love to dance! It's so much fun. :)

Oh and i'm getting such a workout every day.. the walk to and from school is filled with hills... these hills are really steep and made of cobblestone. My first few days here were brutal. haha. Today it was SO hot out. Then within 30 minutes the weather changed, and a huge thunder/lightning storm rolled in. Huge rain drops! and it was still hot out... weird. Lightning freaks me out a little though. Anyways. bye now :)

Emily

New Friends & Fun Experiences :)

Let's just start off this post by saying that Germany is SO much different than America. (in mostly good ways, but just stating that life here is a complete 180 from what I'm used to at home).

So my first week of classes is finished. I have met a lot of great people here, and from all over the world. I mostly hang out with the same group of people, made up of Lorenzo, Christina, and Nicoletta from Italy, Marco from Switzerland, Maria from Brazil, Kim from South Korea, Alex from California, and Miguel from Colombia. It's really fun because we all share at least one common interest...learning German. Most of them speak English pretty well, but we still try to communicate in German. Yesterday a few of us when to an indoor salt-therapy pool. It was really fun, and the water was amazing. It's so salty that you aren't supposed to be in the water for more than 20 min at a time. We were in there for about 1.5 hours lol... No wonder I felt like crap afterwards. There was also a sauna upstairs that we practically snuck into with paying because we couldn't figure out how to work the card-reader thing. Anyways, we got in trouble for being in the spa because we had our swimsuits on. Apparently it's mandatory to be naked, so obviously I left lol. No thank you... Strange.

That night we went to a welcoming party put on by the school and then to the Discothek (club). It was a lot of fun, and everyone there went to the school, so there were a lot of familiar faces. Maria and I got ready together and that was a lot of fun. So anyways that Disco... they played about 90% American hip hop/pop, and so much of it was old R&B hits from the early 90's...hahaha. It was fun. I didn't get back to my room until 3am though. (and then had to get up around 8...)oops :) Just couldn't leave the dance floor.

Today we went as a group to Stuttgart to the Mercedes-Benz Museum. It was so cool! I saw over 130 different models, from the mid 1800's until 2012/futuristic models. One of the most interesting things was seeing the very first 4-cylinder engine. Compared to how they look today, we have come a long way! After the museum we got a little free time in the city, and then took the train back to S. Hall. Now we are going out to get pizza in about an hour, but Maria is coming over soon to catch up and we are gonna post some pictures on fb from yesterday/last night :)

Okay so this is unfortunate, but every single time that I drink beer over here, my throat gets really scratchy and it itches in the back of my throat/ears. It drives me crazy!! Last night I had to give my beer away because it was that irritating. Could this be an allergy to something in the beer?? I guess I'll have to drink something else...lol.

Later :)

All Settled In :)

Today was my 3rd day in Schwäbisch Hall, and my second day of classes. The first day of class was a lot of fun. Lots of new faces, everyone was excited to be there. Our teacher is really nice so that's a plus. There are students from all around the world in my class, and like last time I'm the only American haha. I have already made a few friends here, and we hang out and have meals together. Over the past few days I have spoken a lot of English and German, but I really need to focus on more German. The people that I hang around the most all speak Italian and French, so they rattle off in their languages together. I don't really mind it, but sometimes it's weird not being able to understand what everyone is laughing about. But anyways I put my German to good use today. I first had to ask at the reception desk where I can find a doctor to go to, since I have been sick for almost two weeks now and it's not improving. (usually colds go away...). So anyways I went to the Dr office and made an appointment, all in German. Then later when I went to the Dr I also only used German, even during my appointment with the Dr. She told me that I speak good German :) I don't know if she just said that to be nice, but it made me happy. So I got some antibiotics and should be good to go.

Oh yeah, I left class early today because I felt really sick. On the way home from school I tripped walking up some cement steps and it hurt really bad. Then later I was walking up some stairs at the Dr office and did the exact same thing!! Today just wasn't my day....

The town is so beautiful. The streets are all cobblestone and every house or building has its own charm. There is also a river that runs through the city and its so beautiful near the water. We have already gone to the Biergarten and it was a lot of fun. :) i'm hoping to go on sort of a walking tour of the city soon, but we have all been so tired and sick lately. lol. Maybe Friday. On Saturday I think i'm going to the Mercedes Benz musuem in Stuttgart, but I'm still not sure. It would be cool!

We received the books for our language course today. As I was looking through it, I realized that I have already studied a lot of the grammar/subjects in the book in 3rd year German at WOU. So....I don't know if I should say something to the teacher? I don't want to sound like I'm better than everyone else or something, but I feel like the homework is a little too easy for me. I want to be challenged...so that my homework really makes me think. I'm afraid that if I continue with this course I won't learn new Grammar...(Frau Hoobler already covered everything in the book!)... what to do...?

Oh and the beer here is really good.. I approve.

Emily M. :)

My First Few Days in Deutschland..

Flights/Traveling/Jagsthausen  30. Juni 2011

The journey to Germany was long. My flight from Portland to Amsterdam was about 10 hours. Somehow it seemed to go by quickly; probably because I watched four movies :) I would not recommend watching Black Swan though.. it’s just not a happy movie to watch on a flight lol.

It was strange, because I didn’t go through customs in Amsterdam. By the time I got to my 2^nd flight to Germany, I was so tired…at that point it had been about 24 hours since I had woken up the day before. I’m usually a very light sleeper and can’t fall asleep with noise or light, lol, but I feel asleep sitting in my chair on the plane a few times, just to be bumped by people and woken up. It was worth a shot. I had no problem getting my luggage when I got to Stuttgart (which is amazing! :)). Within 30 minutes of landing I had my luggage and had purchased a cell phone. It is the smallest, function-less Nokia in the world, but it works! As I was walking out of the cell phone shop, the corner of my suitcase got caught on a display lol made out of cardboard. I’m so clumsy.

I had to take the S-Bahn to the Stuttgart Hbf, and that was a long weird ride. People kept looking at me funny. It’s fun being a foreigner lol. At the Hbf I had 1.5 hours to kill, and all I wanted to do was lay down on the ground and sleep. I managed to get some food, and finally find a bench to wait for my train at. This old man walked up to me and started asking me questions in German. I replied, but he didn’t understand me. Awesome! I was so tired that nothing I said sounded right. English or German. I felt like I had gone to the dentist and my tongue was numb or something lol. Finally he’s like “I’ll be back in a minute” and I had to watch his luggage… Thanks man. He returned with cigarettes and reeked of beer lol and I also noticed there was a dead bumblebee in his hair. but I guess it was nice to have someone to chat with. The train ride was about an hour, but it felt like forever. I kept dozing off, despite how hard I tried to keep my eyes open. Finally, my head fell forward and hit the window sill…and then I was wide awake :/ talk about embarrassing lol. And painful. Haha at least I can laugh about it right..

I got off the train and Marianne met me. To be honest it was somewhat awkward at first. Should I speak English? Should I speak German… She started speaking English to me, so I replied that way. My grandmother said she speaks very good English, but I soon learned that this was not the case lol. She does speak some, but it’s more “Business English” from working in a bank for many years. The car ride was a bit quiet lol. Luckily it was only about 20 minutes. I just didn’t know what to say, and I was still super tired.

We got to Jagsthausen and she showed me where I would be sleeping. She is letting me stay in the old Schifferer house, which is believed to have been built in the 17^th Century. I have the whole house to myself…it’s crazy. This house is so old and so full of character. The woodwork, the staircase, the floors…all so beautiful and unique. I haven’t done much exploring yet, but I will when I’m not so tired :)It’s just weird to think that so many generations of my family have lived in this house, and here I am in 2011, in this same house. Unvbelievable. I’ll post pics later.

Sorry this blog is getting so long! It’s about 2 days worth of ….blogging.

In Germany it’s tradition for the host to feed you when you get there. At least that’s what always happens to me lol. She took us to her Tea house in the backyard, and made Green Tea. For those of you who know me well, you know that I HATE tea. All kinds. Always. However, I drank two cups and I liked it! Progress. We ate raspberry cake and chatted for a long time in German and threw in a few words in English when necessary.

Anyways…the night concluded with a walking tour of Jagsthausen. The town has about 1400 people.  I like it. It’s more of a village, since there isn’t a grocery store, pharmacy, post office, Metzgerei (butcher shop)… Something I noticed right away is that everyone is outside doing something. Whether it’s washing the car, having a beer with friends, gardening, kids playing in the street, everyone is active. It’s refreshing. Marianne really is such a nice lady, and she has prepared so much for my stay here. It’s greatly appreciated :)

Until next time

1. Juli 2011

Today I got up at noon, had breakfast with Marianne, and then we chatted for a bit. About an hour later we had lunch haha. We then drove to Eberstadt where she bought some wine for a friend’s upcoming birthday. The drive there was about 30 min, and most of it on the Autobahn. I have never seen so many Audi’s in one day.. Actually on the train ride yesterday, we passed an Audi production plant (or however you say it??). There were Audi’s everywhere! Beautiful ones that were so new that they were wrapped with pretty white Audi paper lol. So anyways, an Audi zooms by us on the Autobahn, and then a BMW, then a Mercedes and then…wait for it…a Chevy Tahoe. What…the…heck lol. Interesting? Yes. Cool? No..

Today I spoke only German with Marianne.. It was difficult, because a lot of times she used words that I have never ever heard of before. I used my dictionary a few times to help. I also noticed that when she speaks, she abbreviates things and even throws in a little dialect. I doubt that she notices she is doing that, but I’m starting to catch on. For example, instead of saying “ist” she says “ish” which really confused me at first. Or instead of ‘was willst du’ she says ‘was willsch’. Oh well, German is confusing afterall :P I. But earlier we had a miscommunication… She kept telling me that mice were crawling on the walls and that they come in through the window, hang in the curtains, and fly through the house. I was beyond confused, but I went with it. After talking about this “mouse” several times, I decided to grab my dictionary because things weren’t making sense. It turns out she was talking about bats… Mouse in German is “Maus” and bat is “Fledermaus”. I heard “Maus!!” ahhh Deutsch.

We had dinner at a little restaurant in Jagsthausen. The table we sat at was built by my late 3^rd cousin Fritz Schifferer. He was a carpenter and a few of the things he made are still around. We had to share a table with a married couple because there weren’t any open seats. I had a brief conversation with the lady about what I’m doing in Germany, and it turns out they are travelling to San Fran/Vegas soon. Also to all of the National Parks in that area.  Sweet.

Well that is all for today.

Tschuess.

Heilbronn/more German 2. Juli 2011

Today we went to Heilbronn. While we were there, Marianne purchased some shoes and got some groceries since Jagsthausen doesn’t have a supermarket (Supermarkt!). It was a nice drive and the weather was fairly decent. I was so tired though, still from the time change, that I just wanted to fall asleep in the car. I didn’t though.. Before we left this morning, we were waiting around for the postman to get to her house. She had gone outside and I was sitting in the living room alone reading magazines and such. I then look out the window, and there sits a beautiful Porsche!? What! She had been standing outside talking to the owner of this car, and I had no idea…lol. Apparently her neighbor works for Porsche in Stuttgart, and he was home today. It was pretty sporty and a little older, but still a beauty. We also went by a Porsche dealership in Heilbronn today. All in a row sat a Panamere (sp?), Carrera, Cayenne, and a Cayman. Ahhhhh.

 I love the German language and I enjoy speaking it. However it is hard to communicate all the time with a native speaker when I have only had so much German instruction (meaning I’m not yet fluent..). That is why it is difficult. She doesn’t speak very much English, and she talks to me in German as if I was fluent. Difficult at times, yes. But it’s also very good practice for me. I kind of miss speaking English though. It almost makes me sad that I can’t speak my own language. It’s a strange feeling, to be in a foreign place and having to communicate with only the language skills you have been taught. It’s almost like I had taken on a new identity or something. I’m looking forward to my language course, because I will learn so much more!! J I am already feeling more confident in my speaking skills though, since Marianne and I speak all day. Earlier we even went through the family genealogy books, and discussed it in German. It worked out really well. It’s fun when I surprise myself, and am able to say something in German that I didn’t know I could.

Emily M.

Schwaebisch Hall 4. Juli 2011

Today I arrived in S. Hall and checked in at the Goethe Institut. I was assigned my room key and paid a deposit for the key. I then had an interview with some staff from the Goethe Inst. I was able to answer all the of the questions with ease…my confidence in my spoken language skills has grown so much since school got out one month ago. After that I took a placement test, which was 70 questions long (all grammar). At the end there was a writing section in German, where I could choose to write about  "My journey to Germany" or "Food and Drinks in my homeland" or something like that. I chose the first one and tried to make it as good as possible, with still remaining relatively simple. As I’m typing this, I feel like I keep mixing up English and German grammar. So I apologize ahead of time if things sound…weird.

Anyways I finished my test, and the instructor went over it with me. He said my writing section was well-written, which is a major plus. The other two sections were over grammar, and that can be a bit tricky. Anyways, all in all it was all right and I placed in where I wanted to. So. I got settled into my room, then I decided to go get groceries… I also walked to the school to see how the walk is, and it’s barely 5 min from my apartment J very good. I ended up buying quite a lot of food (see…my English sounds weird! Who says ‘quite a lot of food..’.). Then I had to carry it home…next time I’ll bring my backpack. Can’t believe I forgot about that.

I’m really looking forward to class tomorrow and meeting other students. I’m super excited! There is also a weekly plan of things going on, including parties at the pub and a field trip to the Mercedes Benz museum hehe should be fun.  I also already found the H&M here in town. :) Had to go there first. The town is pretty small, but big enough to get lost in. It’s very unique, with the narrow cobblestone streets, small shops, and the beautiful church/Marktplatz (marketplace?). When I was in the grocery store, it took me about an hour to get 12 items haha. There was another guy in there that I recognized from the Institute earlier, and he also walked in circles looking for different things.  I don’t know what I’m going to do now…maybe take a nap :)

EMS.

i like airports?

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.

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.

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.

I can't wait to order a Wiener Schnitzel mit Kartoffelsalat.. :)