Last post

So this is my last post! Tomorrow will dawn bright and early and I will not get on line...

We leave at 11:30am here and 4:30am in Gulfport. We get to Gulfport at 10:30pm. So we will be flying all day and I will be working on my English homework...joy to the world! haha! just kidding!

I'm looking foward to being home but not so much to leaving Germany! It was an overall amazing trip! I'm looking foward to them coming to Gulfport!

I may or may not be at school on Friday... I may come for the pep rally...and maybe get some make-up work! Anyways...home bound tomorrow! :)

peace!

Wednesday...last day here.. :(

Today is the last day we are in Germany! Tomorrow we get on a jet plane and go home!

Today was foreign language day at Carl Bechstein! It was really cool...all the kids had different activities to do and they had to do all of them in English! That was nice becasue we could understand! FINALLY! It was great! We also helped them with some stuff because we are "native speakers." It was funny..I've never been called a native speaker before so I was enjoying it! oh! I finally got to correct an English teacher instead of her correcting me! It was sooo nice! :) (She spelled first-aid kit wrong...) haha!

So then we came home and I packed a little bit...very saddening. Then I took a nap! It was a nice nap! haha! Took some photos with Marie's family and now we are about to go to a farewell party! All of our group is meeting at someone's house and eating and partying and so on... I think afterwards a lot of the kids are going to Berlin to a bar or club or something...i'm not really sure what and I don't know if me and Marie are going...

It was an intresting day and it will be a fun night! :)

peace!

Tuesday...super long fun day!

Tuesday was sooooooooooooooo long! Also a little stressful!

It started with a trip to Berlin. We went to a technology center... It was ok. A little more entertaining then the other one we went to. Still pretty boring but we got to see some cool robot stuff...

Then we went shopping...i got the rest of the gifts I needed to get for my family and friends! However...shopping was a little stressful because we had a time crunch! We had to make it back to Erkner with time to get ready and then go back to Berlin!

Tuesday night we went and saw the ballet Snowwhite! So...it started with us getting ready and rushing out of the house... So we thought we were going to be late for the train...turns out the train was 15 min. late! So ha! forget being late for the train... However, the whole train ride to the ballet the guys with us were hoping that the train was late enough for us to miss getting into the ballet (when the doors close at 7:30...they really close...and don't open back up.). The play was really cool...there were a bunch of guys in tights. One guy had a really big butt... Oh! So in one scene there was a deer that came out...she was completely topless. Welcome to Europe. It was gross...the guys loved it. Really great dancing throughout the ballet!

So yeah...then we caught the train home really late. I was tired and went to sleep. Guten nacht.

peace!

Monday a.k.a. boring day...

Alright...so today was pretty boring...well at least the end was!

It started with a tour of Berlin! That was pretty cool! Berlin has a very intresting past! If ever I have to do a report about a city I will do it on Berlin! Our tour guide was really funny! He was Canadian and really cute! haha! He knew a lot about Berlin and that was really cool! Also he didn't try to completely earse Hitler from history like some of our other tour guides have...

We saw the place where 20,000 books were burned when the Natzi's took power, the hotel where Micheal Jackson held his baby over the rail, the bunker where Hitler killed himself (which now has a bunch of hotels over it...), the t.v. tower, the memorial for murder Jews in Eruope (a.k.a. the holocaust mesum), Checkpoint Charlie again... All really intresting places... Berlin's history is still very evident...

By the way...we did all of this in the rain...and cold....and rain. it was pleasent. not.

Then we went on a bus, a train, and another train to a technology park...It was really boring... You see what had happened was...we were walking around outside in the cold....and then they brought us into a warm building...and let us sit...while he went on and on in a sweet little rythmeic accent that you couldn't really understand.... it was pleasent and put us to sleep pretty quickly... even the adults were having a hard time staying awake...besides Mr. Gunkel who was sitting right in front of the guy! haha!

Then he made us get up and walk around the area...in the rain. pleasent. This is how that went...(i'm really quoting..not making this up...) "and...uh...this building...here...is...uh...oh...the "something german" building for....uh......" He would finish that and then we would nod our heads and go yeah...

We did see a really cool robot thingy but that was by someone else...i posted a video with it maybe...? too tired...

Alright...really tired! Tomorrow we go to the ballet! yeah! Also it will be below freezing...yeah...not.

frieden. (peace.)

Actually on Sunday...

Alright...feeling much better!

Sunday we woke up and drove to Berlin! That was scccaaarrryyy.... 100kph on a very narrow one way road...scary! AHH! But it was fun! haha!

After we got to Berlin we stopped and saw the East Side Gallery a.k.a. The old Berlin Wall! That was really cool... They have turned the wall into a memorial kind of... Where a bunch of artists have painted murals onto the wall... The one I posted with this is really intresting... The first little window shows the Berlin and the Berlin wall... the second window shows everywhere and I don't think there is really a wall there...and then the third one shows china and the Great Wall of China and the last one shows Moscow and the wall there... and then at the end it says...wouldn't it be nice to live without walls? What a message!

After we saw the wall...we drove around Berlin for a little while and then went to Checkpoint Charlie... that was really cool.... I got a picture at it! See?? >>>

I know it's with a british soldier but oh well! It was still really cool!

That was pretty much all we did Sunday... it was a long day with lots of walking pretty much! Tons of fun!

The food here is pretty intresting...i think it's making me sick though...not good! :(

Alright...moving on to today...

peace!

Sunday

not feeling well today..will post about my day tomorrow

Zoo Day!

So I can't keep track of the days anymore so each day will have a nickname! Today is zoo day because we went to the zoo today! duh! haha!

The zoo was amazing! I had sooo much fun! We got to ride on the train again! YAY! That's always fun! :) I've had a great time with the trains so far! They are a lot of fun! :)

At the zoo we got to see a panda! They fed it while we were there! It was really cool! We also got to see Knut! Knut is the only polar bear in the world bred in captivity! That was really cool! We also say a bunch of other animals that we don't have at the zoo in New Orleans! It was a lot of fun! We also went to the aquarium...that's pretty much the same as the aquarium in New Orleans...they had a few more different fish from Asia that were pretty intresting looking! They also had black tip sharks in there! I told Marie that we fish and eat those in MS...she thought I was kidding! It was soo funny! :)

I also saw my dad at the zoo! See him in the picture! HAHAHA! :) Today was a lot of fun! We went and hung out with everyone else and watched the Germany vs. Russia Soccer game! Germany won! YAY!

So there a couple of differences I've discovered so far...

One is the toliets... I'm enjoying trying to figure out how to flush them! It's often a five minute process! HAHA! The bathrooms here are almost the same size as the bed rooms! It's pretty amazing! So going to the bathrooms is a pretty entertaining thing! Also..when you are out in public you have to pay to use the restroom! That's soo wierd!

The food is different! Some of it I like...some not so much! Curry apparently makes me sick because I have had it twice and it made me sick both times! My stomach has been in constant turmoil while we have been here...it can't decide wheather it likes it here or not!

They listen to American music! So far I have heard: Britney Spears, Rihana, Lady Gaga, Kayne West, Usher, Beyonce and I know some more I just can't think of any right now!

Transportation here is intresting! I love the trains! They are soo much fun! Car rides are SCARY!!!! I'm cringing and holding on to the door for dear life! The sad part is..I'm not kidding. It really does scare me! Also...since we've been here I have seen two SUV's and no trucks! Lots of little automatic cars though!

The school systems are a little different...here's something I said earlier...becasue I don't feel like reexplaining it! .... There are 13 grades instead of 12. There are also two different school systems... One is an acadmeic school system and the other is a vocational/technical school system. At the end of grade 7 they take a test and it decides what school system they will enter! Really different from the U.S. I haven't really figured out which is better... I know we are doing our exchange with a gymnasium (the academic school system)! They go to school starting at 8am and get out at 2,3, or 4 depending on their classes! (They stay after school very, very seldomly...) There are private schools but I don't know much about them... They go to school longer then 180 days... Their holidays are really strange... They get random two weeks off and then they have six weeks off in the summer... Students are about the same age as in our schools.. Subjects in the academic schools are about the same as in the U.S.. Although they have more langages... (All of the kids here speak EXCELLENT English! It's AMAZING!) The vocational/technical schools are a little different...ummm...a lot different...

We are going to a meusum tomorrow...the Story of Berlin!

No ice in drinks is a change I wasn't expecting! Hot coke is nasty! yuck! Still can't get over this! I finally got some normal water though! Thank goodness for that!

I miss home! As much as I'm loving it here...I'm ready to go home! I want to see Momma and Daddy and even annoying Amber and Chrissy! Hayden and Julie I really miss also! I also miss American food!!!!!!!! I feel bad in the morning when I don't eat much and Marie is tryin to feed me! I just don't eat much in the morning!

Alright...enough for now! Soon it will be bed time!

peace.

Second Day...

So I will try this post again! Early I wrote something but it didn't go through...I don't know what happened because an error screen popped up in German! Haha! Isn't that great???

So anyways... My day started out better then yesterday! I was not sick or anything! That was good! We went to the school and got on a bus and then went to another school! Unfortunetly our hosts could not go with us! :(

There we learned about the German School System...however a lot of the information was lost in translation! So it was pretty boring! I did learn that out of 3,000 students only 800 were female! That was wierd!

Just want to say that German drivers are CRAZY!!!! Honestly..if anyone ever thinks I drive badly...they should come to Germany! AHH! Very Very scary!

Also! Why did no one tell me that most of Eruope does not drink their drinks with ice! What's up with that???? That just sucks! Also! They do not drink regular water... All the water they drink has "gas" or "bubbles" in it! Yucky! At the school we went to...all of us were fighting/beggin to share normal water! It was pretty funny!

I figured out what makes me sick! We had curry and fries again today for lunch and I got sick after lunch again...I did not throw up or anything but it was not pleasent...so I'm guessing that is what made me sick!

We went bowling tonight! It was Marie and me, Gordon and Christian, and Michelle and Katie Gunkel! It was a lot of fun! Guys against girls! I think the guys won but I came in second place! That was soo cool! I didn't completely suck! OH! and they were playing american music while we were in there! They played Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, and Rihanna! And some more! It was great! We were dancing and haveing a good time... the boys got themselves a beer but I didn't partake in that! It was increadible fun though!

I think that is everything! If I think of anything else I will post again! Tomorrow we go to Berlin to the zoo and shopping! :) More tomorrow!

peace.

No pic...

Sorry forgot to post that picture!

First Full Day!

So it's the end of my first full day in Germany! It didn't start off so great but it ended excellently!

I slept through the night without waking up once! (Apparently there was a big storm and Marie woke up but I didn't even realize it had rained!) I went to bed around 8ish and we woke up at 6. I took a shower and then started to get sick... It wasn't good... I threw up. I felt really bad because Marie was asking if I was ok and all I could say was yes yes I'm fine while I was sick! But afterwards I felt much better! However, just to be safe, I skipped breakfast and pretty much lunch. I ate a little bit of beef jerky and some crackers other people had out but that was pretty much it!

We went to the school about 7:40! Marie walks everyday to and from school...(even in the rain!) (Today it was raining and cold and pretty miserble...) Marie had drama class this morning...it was funny to listen to the class because I was making up what they said! It was very cool!

After that we did a presentation to a bunch of students about Team Fusion and HOSA! That was really intrestin because I haven't seen any of the Team Fusion videos before! Then we walked to the train station and RODE ON THE TRAIN! That was FUN! First time I've ever rode on a train! It was very cool! We rode for about an hour or less to Berlin and then we went to a castle! The name of the castle is "Sanssouci" Castle! (Don't ask me how to pronounce it because I can't...it was really funny because they laughed at me at dinner when I tried to pronounce it!)

The castle is older then the U.S.! That's really cool! When you go into the castle they make you wear slippers on your feet (like actually slippers you would wear in a home...see picture...) It was really funny...they said not to take pictures also but I got a few anyways...not to great one but some at least! Also, I figured out that the house we are in is older then Gulfport! That's pretty cool!

So...I figured out that there is a blind in the bathroom that you can pull down... So no one can see in... Ah. Stupid American. HAHA!

Did I mention that we rode on a TRAIN?!!?! That was sooooo cool! I enjoyed that! It was a lot of fun! :)

We had spegetti tonight! It was very gut(good)! Now I'm super tired after walking all day and I'm ready to go to sleep! Yes, Yes..I know it's only a 1:30 in Gulfport! But i'm tired! How's Cruisin the Coast goin???

peace.

Flights, sleep or lack of sleep, and wonderful Marie!

So... We made it to Berlin! :)

The flight out of Gulfport was delayed by thirty minutes and our layover in Atlanta was 59 min. So... As soon as we got to the Atlanta airport, we ran to catch our flight! It was GREAT! (not.) Luckily, we made our flight! We were worried about our bags but I guess they joined us on our flight to NYC and then to Berlin!

The flight from NYC to Berlin was LOOONNNNGGG!! They fed us dinner and breakfast. However, I didn't eat dinner because I was sleeping or at least attempting to sleep... Planes really aren't that comfortable. On my first flight I sat next to Ashley. On the second flight I sat next to Ashley again and Antonio. On the last flight I sat next to Mr. Fava and Ashley again! Ashley held my hand everytime! She's soo sweet! :)

Once we got to Berlin, our translator/guide met us at the airport and took us on a bus through downtown Berlin! People in Berlin drive CRAZY! I was really really scared. I'm also really really tired! The time change is getting me...

We went to the school and they showed us around the school...it's really really small! however, the buildings go up instead of around! There are only 800 students at the school and there's only ONE bathroom! But its such a nice bathroom! After they showed us around the school we ate and then the choir came and sang to us! They were really good!

The weather her is pleasant! It's not to hot and not to cold! Everything is more or less different... For example, the bath rooms are different...They all seem to be the same size as the bedrooms and they all have a window where you can see out of and people can see in. That's kinda wierd to me... Mostly everything is the same! It's so nice! Like I said before though...the buildings go up instead of around...

Marie Urbicht is my host! She's really really nice and cool! Right now we are both working on our computers! I haven't meet her parents yet...but her mom just got here!

Alrighty...I'm going to go meet my host mom and maybe catch a nap! More later!

peace!

Goodbyes...

Last post before I leave!

All of my friends and family are saying goodbye to me today! It's kinda been a sad morning...because everyone has been saying, "I love you and goodbye!" It scares me to think why they would not just say goodbye instead of I love you and goodbye. But I know everything will be ok!

I'm worried about Hayden (my boyfriend) while I'm gone. He might have to get surgery while I'm gone... not good.

This is only the second time I will have flown in my entire life. (The other time was in Febuary this year!) It's actually pretty ironic considering my dad is in the air force...

My mom is going crazy worrying about where everything is! (I packed a 2 liter Sunkist in my bag to go under the plane... :) ) She wants to know where my money, passport, and laptop, and everything else is.

I stayed up to two last night...it made me really tired this morning which is what I wanted so that I might be able to sleep on the plane!

Last night before she went to sleep, my best friend and I were skyping! She was helping me pick out which clothes I should take! It was really cool and I'm going to miss her!

Alrighty, I have to pack my laptop now and so I say goodbye until I get to GERMANY!!!!!!!!!!!

PEACE!

Done Packing

So...I'm finished packing. I managed to fit everything in one suitcase (wieghs 42.5 pounds), my backpack (which I emptied of everything except my English binder), and a carry-on! My laptop will go in my backpack along with snacks, my peacoat, and power cords!

I'm SUPER excited now! I'm laying in my bed listening to music waiting for the night to speed up. I wanted to try to stay awake later tonight so that I could sleep on the plane ride to Berlin!

I got my host family gifts! I got Marie and her mom t-shirts that have Gulfport High School Admirals on them (the ones you get from Walgreens) and I got Marie's dad a hat. I also am bringing them mardi gras beads, and necklesses from Stein Mart. They are a little childish but I think they are cute!

I talked to Julie on Skype tonight! She helped me pick out what clothes I needed and didn't need to bring with me! It actually helped a lot! She narrowed down a lot of the stuff I would have brought! Hayden didn't help any!

Mom and Dad made steak for me tonight! I am going to miss them! They also got ice cream! So we had steak and ice cream! THE BEST MEAL EVER! Yummy! Not that that has any relation to Germany...I was just thinking about it! Alrighty...enough for now!

Leaving in 11 hours! SOOO excited! :)

peace.

Packing and Exams

So I took my exams today! Physics was really hard the rest not so bad! That's done and over with now I am packing!

Funny thing at packing...I suck at it! See the picture... The worst part is....there's more.

Anyways, I will be at the airport tomorrow at 10:00am and our flight leaves at 12:00pm! Then to Atlanta, GA, then to JFK Airport in Washington, D.C., then to BERLIN! I'm so nervous and excited at the same time! AHH! More later...have to pack!

peace.

Before Germany...

So we have two days until we leave for Germany...

I am busy packing, studying for exams on Monday, collecting last minute stuff, and wishing everyone bye!

I am looking foward to this exchange! I am staying with Marie Urbicht! I included a picture of her and her family with this post!

I will try to upload something every day! So keep checking back and do realize that there is a seven hour time difference!

Alright...back to packing and studying! More tomorrow! SOOO EXCITED!

peace.