Differences

1. Water. When I ask for water here, the first thing that people give me is this mineralwasser that is carbonated. They have still water too, but the carbonated water is more common. At first I didn´t like the carbonated water, but now I have gotten used to it, and it tastes okay. My host mom drinks still water, so I always have it in the house to drink too.

2. The bed. No one uses sheets here. They have a fitted sheet over the mattress, but they do not have any sheet that goes over you. They just use a comforter. The pillows are also different. They are a lot bigger and not as thick. I really like my bed here though. I sleep good.

3. The windows. None of the windows slide up and down. They all open like a door. If you have the handle facing down, then the window is closed. If you have the handle pointed to the side, then the window opens like a door. If you have the handle facing up, then the window opens at the top. It took me awhile to figure this out, but it has gotten so cold here now that I never open the window anymore.

4. The restrooms. All of the toilets go into the wall. They do not have a tank, and the button to flush it is on the wall. I kind of like these toilets better than the ones in the U.S. None of the bathrooms ever have paper towels. They all have the stationary hand towels. You can press a button to try to find a dry spot, but you can hardly ever find a dry spot. These paper towels kind of gross me out. I always use my hand sanitizer that smells really good after touching these towels.

First Week in Germany

My first day of school was good. I am in Klasse 10c at Werkgymnasium. Another exchange student from Minnesota is in that class too. I get on the bus every morning at 6:50. I ride this bus from Königsbronn to the bus station in Heidenheim. I then have to wait for about 15 minutes, and I ride another bus. Luckily, several people from my class ride the same bus, so I just follow them and never get lost. All the kids in my class are very nice. They help me with whatever I need and are starting to become really good friends. My school starts at 7:45, and then I leave with the two other Rotary exchange students at my school at 12 to go to German lessons. We have German lessons at Hellensteingymnasium from 1:00 to 3:30 every Monday through Thursday. At school, I am taking German, Geography, English, Music, History, Math, Chemistry, Art, Sports, and Religion. My class also takes French, but during that time, all the exchange students go to the library to study German. The only classes I can keep up with are Chemistry, Math, and English. Our English teacher lets all the kids in the class ask me and the other exchange student questions about the US. When I said I didn´t really like Obama, one of the boys in the back of the room shouted out racist. He was just kidding though. It is funny to hear all the questions people ask about the US. Some boys also asked me to explain binge drinking. I went to a swim club practice on Wednesday night. I had never been on a swim team before, so it was hard. I enjoyed it though. I got to meet other kids from my school who are my age. All the kids in my class are 16. The people on the swim team were like little fish. They were so fast, and I was so slow. They would do six laps and I would do four. I think I am going to continue going to swim practice. By the time I come home, I should have massive arms. On Thursday night, I went to a pilates class with my host mom. I think I will continue to go to this too. I think I will lose weight while I am on exchange because people here eat so much healthier than in the US, and I am exercising a lot here. Friday night was so much fun, I finally got to go out with kids my own age. The kids in my class invited me to go out with them. We went in to town and just went from restaurant to restaurant hanging out. On Sunday, my host parents took me to a historic festival in Nödlingen. I guess it is one of the only cities in Europe to have a wall surrounding the entire city center. The festival was very interesting. Everything here is so much older than in the US. That is one of the things that I love about Europe. The history.

First few days in Germany

On my journey to Germany, I met 7 other exchange students. It was nice getting to talk to them. We were all so excited for our exchange to begin. My host parents picked me up from the airport in Stuttgart with some German chocolate as a present! It was about an hour drive to their house from the airport. We stopped at my host dad's parents house on the way there. At their house, they also had flowers and a Steiff teddy bear for me. The first night at my house I slept for 13 hours. My second day in Germany I got to go to a football game with my host dad and our neighbor. At the game, I sat with two of my host sister`s friends. (My host sister is in the US this year) They told me that I didn`t want to sit with old men, so they took me with them. The game was fun, but our team played very bad and lost. My host dad and neighbor were very sad. They are going to take me to another game in two weeks. That evening all the neighbors came over for dinner. They are all so nice. I showed them pictures of the US, and they tried some of the Sarris chocolate covered pretzels I brought with me. On Sunday, we went to a bird show with friends, and then we went with them to a grillen (barbecue). The food was very good. It was a lot different than a barbecue in the U.S. I got to try a banana that was grilled with chocolate inside of it. Yum! I haven`t tried anything I haven`t liked yet. Tomorrow I start school. Hopefully that goes well.

Koenigsbronn and Heidenheim look a lot like West Virginia. Lots of mountains and trees, and the road from Heidenheim to Koenigsbronn is little and windy. On the way from the airport the other day we got stuck behind several tractors on the road, and there are chickens outside right underneath my window. I think I am fitting in well here. I feel right at home with my host parents and this town. It is amazing how fast I am starting to pick up some German words. I can`t speak in German yet, but I am starting to understand some things. I guess it is from hearing German all the time now. The other day I was trying to think of something in English, and I couldn`t remember the word. So far, I am loving it here in Germany.

Departure day

In 5 hours, I will be leaving from the Pittsburgh airport to start my journey to Germany. I have my two suitcases all packed and am ready to go. The process to go on this exchange has been a long one and I can hardly believe that it has finally come time to depart. It has been hard waiting all summer to leave, but I made sure to pack my summer schedule full. I got to take a trip to New York City and the Outer Banks in North Carolina for the first time ever. The thought of going to Germany was always in the back of my mind through all of this. Everybody keeps asking me if I am nervous, but so far I haven't felt any nerves at all. I have just been thinking that even if some bad things happen while I am gone I still am getting to stay in Germany for a year. I have always wanted to go to Europe, and this year is going to give me the opportunity to see a good bit of it. So far, I really love my host family. I can't wait to meet them because I think I will like them even better in person. Sitting here now, I can't even imagine all of the things I am going to get to experience this year, and I have a feeling that in a year I won't even be able to remember all the wonderful experiences I had. Well here I go. It is time to start my adventure!