Wednesday, November 30, 2011
The adventure continues! Was fuer ein ausgefuellter Tag!
Okay, after rereading my previous post I do believe that I imposed a negative tone. That was completely unintentional, because Germany is nothing short of amazing so far. The people that I've gotten to know are amazing people, my German has improved beyond words (or so I think, I'm certainly more confident and it's only been a week!) and the places are beautiful.
That, however, is the thing I don't understand. People here are either extremely modest when it comes to their homeland, or it's just that when you live in a certain place, you can't see the beauty anymore. The town that I'm in currently is definitely a quaint, romantic little place. The houses are traditional and cute, like gingerbread houses or cottages in a storybook. Except, the funny thing is, everyone that I have talked to responds to my statement "Germany is beautiful" with a scrunched up face and a "No, really? I think it's ugly." No seriously guys, if you're reading this, Germany is beautiful! Hopefully my photographs can prove that to you! :P
Anyways, a lot has happened since I've last written. I went to Bielefeld (the main city in my area) several times. Bielefeld has a Christmas Markets too, which was conveniently the first place I ate Currywurst (Bratwurst with Ketchup and paprika powder or something?). Currywurst is the best, for those who are wondering. I'd highly recommend just coming to Germany to check it out.
That, however, is the thing I don't understand. People here are either extremely modest when it comes to their homeland, or it's just that when you live in a certain place, you can't see the beauty anymore. The town that I'm in currently is definitely a quaint, romantic little place. The houses are traditional and cute, like gingerbread houses or cottages in a storybook. Except, the funny thing is, everyone that I have talked to responds to my statement "Germany is beautiful" with a scrunched up face and a "No, really? I think it's ugly." No seriously guys, if you're reading this, Germany is beautiful! Hopefully my photographs can prove that to you! :P
Anyways, a lot has happened since I've last written. I went to Bielefeld (the main city in my area) several times. Bielefeld has a Christmas Markets too, which was conveniently the first place I ate Currywurst (Bratwurst with Ketchup and paprika powder or something?). Currywurst is the best, for those who are wondering. I'd highly recommend just coming to Germany to check it out.
Me with my Currywurst (Hey, it's sausages Haerim)
Weihnachtsmarkt
We also visited a fort, which was built on top of a mountain in Bielefeld for defense purposes. It was night, windy and cold when we visited there but it was definitely nice all the same! The view was good though.
That's what the fort looks like, pretty much!
The view of the city from the top! It was foggy, so I couldn't see much but it was nice nevertheless.
German Maccas, for those who are interested!
Anyways, today my host family and I travelled to Bremen, an odd 200km or so from where I'm currently situated. The drive itself was mostly uneventful. The houses, the countryside... everything was beautiful, as per usual. Bremen was also beautiful, as you can probably tell from these photos.
Bremen Christmas Markets
A pretty street.
There were also these hardcore traditional german guys cooking some traditional german food, including delicacies such as Bratwurst and traditional german steak (I believe). The steak would be cooked on a rotunda, so I think it's safe to say that it was smoked. Either way, it tasted fantastic!
The German Food Stand
Another popular attraction of Bremen is the Bremen Stadt Musical. I didn't see it, but it's basically a story of the resilience of these animals. It's supposed to be quite famous, and there's a statue erected in front of the Town Hall, which was crowded by all sorts of tourists.
Us in front of the Bremen Stadt Musical Statue
A statue of some significance
The church with the town hall in the foreground
The first thing on the agenda was a town hall tour! It was thoroughly fascinating. I'm not quite the Human German Dictionary yet so I decided to go with the english speaking group, but that didn't detract from my learning one bit because I learnt so feel about the town's rich cultural diversity and historical significance. Here are a few pictures from inside:
Entry Hallway
The Parliament Room
A beautiful room with the most amazing wooden spiral staircase
After the tour, we walked around a bit in the Weihnachtsmarkt, where quite conveniently we ran into a Gluehwein shop. I'm not saying anything in particular, but my glass went something like this:
To this;
Then we went and ate some food.
Steak Burger!
Pretty street.
Kanguru... I don't know why they spelt it like that. It's like chinese whispers but internationally :P
After the Weihnachtsmarkt, we went to the Bremen Universum, which was fantastic. It's like a gigantic science centre and it's really hands on, which means fun.
Exercise powered tv :P
Nah honestly guys.. I'm that pro
Looking attractive. Must've been all those doughnuts
Looking totes hot after this "mirror surgery"
So yeah, we did interesting things. There was this one room which was complete darkness and we had to navigate our way out of it. It was hilarious! We kept on screaming and running into things. I swear, the people who were monitoring the attraction thought we were crazy. They spared us a half smile after the attraction. I think that means that they thought we were crazy! :P
Anyways. After the museum, we headed for home. The was a Stau (traffic jam) for a while afterwards, but I didn't notice because I was knocked out sleeping! And for that matter, I should really sleep now! Goodnight.
Oh, and as a post script, I must say: Read Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. It's amazing.
Good dreams!
Steph
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Day One: Mein deutsches Abenteuer!
Okay, so I know it's been a while and most of you "loyal" followers will have most likely given up on me. I'm in Germany at the moment, for those who do not already know and I've decided to give you a small explanation on what it's like to be an exchange student in Germany
For those who do not know already, I'm here in a small town near Bielefeld for nine weeks and that is an adventure in itself. Even writing it here now (three days from first arrival) it's definitely having its effect. Firstly, the new immersion language part of it is definitely hard. I can understand barely anything and it's both tiring and stressful, mainly because I know my usual ability when it comes to education but it's hindered by my inability to speak and to understand, effectively. Don't get me wrong, I'm not exactly terrible at german. Surprisingly enough, I can understand most of the conversations that I have with my exchange partner and her friends. It's just, when I sit down and am ready to listen to a teacher speak, I have difficulty.
Let me explain it to you. Normally at home I would sit down in class, shut down my brain and move into hibernation mode. That's okay because I still understand what the teacher says and somehow manage to get adequately good marks in my exam. Yet in Germany, you have to listen! You really have to hang onto every word because if you don't, you just lose all sense of meaning. I know, you're probably thinking I'm really stupid, but I guarantee you! Ask any exchange student and they'll tell you how hard it is! (Unless of course my sources are wrong and everyone else is a genius and I'm just stupid!)
Okay, first before I describe Germany in a bigger depth, I'll talk to you briefly about the flight and departure. I've probably never felt more emotional in my life! The goodbyes were tear wreaking (literally) and I took my first steps (however small) to autonomy and self confidence! I didn't feel it at first, which was obviously because it hadn't quite hit me that I was leaving my family and friends behind for nine weeks, but undoubtedly this numbness was short lived. As I sit here writing this now, I have without a doubt a sharp pang that's calling out for my mum, my brothers, my dad and my grandma! Don't worry, I haven't made a scene in front of the school yet, but it's there and I have a feeling it'll take a while for it to go away! I'll just have to remain strong, I suppose.
The flight was mostly uneventful. It was mostly a culmination of 24 hours of sitting, squished in between two other people and unable to move because of the seats squished together. It was most definitely not the most comfortable trip I've ever been on, but it's not the worst either. The food was pretty okay and plentiful, so I didn't go starving. The service wasn't that great though, which was a shame. At one stage, I asked an air hostess whether or not I could get a pillow, from whom I got a reply: "Everyone got pillows." Consequently she picked one up from the alleyway and gave it to me. Obviously I hadn't got a pillow, seeing that I asked for one, but I saw no sense in smart chatting an air hostess (whom I could possibly depend on in the face of adversity.)
We stopped over in Dubai airport, where we had to actually walk onto the plane seeing that the hostesses somehow managed to break the boarding gate. That was okay. I can adequately describe the Dubai air as: sticky, dusty and humid. It was much like home, except not as clean and not as inviting.
Well, all in all, bitchy air hostesses or not, we made it and arrived at Duesseldorf Airport at approximately 12:50pm. The weather was lovely and it was roughly 11 or so degrees. I met Farina's parents and family for the first time and it was lovely to see all the other exchange people again! The reunion was only short, however, as many of us had to drive a long way to our guest homes, but it was a reunion nevertheless and most likely those memories will be forever cherished! I went on the Autobahn for the first time (we reached nearly 200km/hour) and arrived at home at roughly 4ishpm or so. Naturally, unpacking was in order and that took a while, seeing that my suitcase was massive! That took only a while, however, and the surprise at the tim tams were definitely worth it!
Anyways, I should probably describe Germany a little bit. The first thing is: it's cold. Only this morning it was almost -1 degrees Celsius. Frost could be seen on the grass and on the roof and it did look something like a picture book or something. I wore lots and lots of layers today and that still did little to keep me warm! But most people do refrain from staying outside. The school is completely integrated into one big building and all the houses and the cars have a heating system! Yup, it's definitely cold and the most interesting thing is: it'll only get colder!
Also, Germany is beautiful! The few days I've been here have given me sunshine and orange trees and it's been a real pretty picture! I was genuinely surprised the first time I came outside because I genuinely thought that I was in a fairytale!
Anyways, that's all for today! I suppose I should give you all a reason to stay here, so tomorrow or the day after I'll update you on my daily school routine! :)
Auf wiederhoeren!
Auf wiederhoeren!
Here are a few photos!
Me at the airport
Dubai Airport!
Almost at Duesseldorf!
Almost there!
A view from the window!
First day at school! I LOOK LIKE A MARSHMELLOW! :P :P
The view from the bus stop!
Die Schule!