Herbstferien Urlaub nach Pepelow (Vacation trip to Pepelow)

     I'm writing this from Sievershausen, but it's about a totally different place.  This past week (a whole week, from Sunday to Sunday) I was in Pepelow, a town on the Baltic Sea.  Well, not directly on.  It's on a little bay, which is connected to the Baltic Sea.  But still, only about 4 miles from the sea.  We didn't all go, just me, Papa, Jonathon, and Mathilde.  But it was a lot of fun!

     The main reason we went was to be able to go sailing.  Jonathon and Papa each had a little sailboat they brought (not a bit yacht, just little ones that could carry maybe 4 people each).  And they sure used the boats a lot!  Nearly every day they went out on the water for at least 2-4 hours.  I don't blame them, either.  Mathilde and I went out three times, and I loved it. Usually it was sunny, even though it rained one day, and the wind off the water was so fresh!  I didn't even mind when the waves splashed up on me and I got soaked.  Haha, okay, maybe I cared a bit...  I mean, I was totally wet afterwards!  But still, I enjoyed it.

     And the times when Papa and Jonathon went sailing and we didn't go along, Mathilde and I usually rode our bikes around, or we played games.  Once we rode along the beach, where we discovered a little stream that flowed into the bay.  We, being us, decided to build a dam there, which took up quite a bit of our time.  And, I'm a bit sad to say, it didn't work all too well.  Whenever we got the water blocked, then it would just erode some sand away and go right around the whole dam.  But, it was really entertaining.  And I found some sea glass, as well as a 50 Pfennig  (that's from the Deutschemark, before Germany switched to the Euro) coin from 1990.  I was pretty excited about that, even though Jonathon informed me that it really isn't anything too special, because Germany only switched to the Euro in 2001.  Not like it's a rare Roman coin or something.  But still, that's 10 years ago, now.  So to me, it's pretty interesting.

     Before we left home, Mama had given me a kite to fly.  Good thing, too, because it was always pretty windy and we flew them quite often.  At first, I had some issues trying to control it (alright, so twice it landed in the water).  Sometimes, though, I was convinced that the Drachen (kite) was, for some reason, dead set on repeatedly ramming itself into the sand on the beach.  But once I got the hang of it, it was really easy.  I even managed to keep it from committing suicide and flying into trees, or doing a kamikatze dive into the water.

     Like I said earlier, it rained one whole day.  Originally, we had thought about going to an indoor waterpark in Wismar (next big city in the area).  Once we got there, though, and saw the long lines waiting to get in, we changed our minds.  Instead, we walked around Wismar and looked at... everything.  Papa studied here for two years, so he knew all the history of everything.  Even if a lot had changed since Germany's reunification (Wismar is in former East Germany).

     One thing we saw there was one of the three churches/cathedrals.  Well, we didn't really see the church itself, because it was mostly destroyed in a bombing raid in WWII.  Strangely enough, the bell tower wasn't destroyed, though.  So that's still standing, but there's nothing else.  Inside the bell tower is a

little museum about the style of building it was.  There is a nice little 10 minute 3-D movie about how the church was built.  Which I found really interesting.  They showed how the foundations were made, how the bricks were made, and finally, how the bricklayers eventually put it all together and made it into a beautiful building.  Now they are beginning to raise money to rebuild the church, so that there isn't the empty space there anymore.

     Whenever the weather was nice, we went to the beach.  Not to go swimming (the water was about 45 degrees), but to just walk along and enjoy it.  Mathilde picked up a whole bunch of stones, and Papa found a crystallized tree branch.  I think I might have found one, too, but... then again, I might just have tricked myself into thinking that.  You know what I mean; you can convince yourself to think anything if you try hard enough at it.

     And then it was Sunday again, and we had to leave.  I really had a lot of fun, but it's kinda nice to be back home again.  I've got one more week to just relax, and then it's back into school again!  Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention-- I'm on break now.  From last Monday until this Friday I don't have school.  Nice, right?  : )



Cows + living on ocean's edge = Spoiled bovine



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Thomas the Train!!! A steam engine we saw



My ticket to anywhere I want to go, as long as I've got the strength to get there: my bike



A normal school week

     I've been getting a lot of questions lately about my school schedule.  Which is pretty hard to try and explain.  You see, the thing about my schedule here is, every day I have different classes.  That means, Monday I can get homework that's not due until the next Monday.  Not too bad, right?  It just requires a whole lot more organization than I had at home.  I can't stand by my locker at the end of the school day (if I had a locker) and run through each class I had, and remember if I had homework in each one or not.  I have a planner like I did at home, but even then it's difficult to decide how to organize it.  Do you write the homework down on the day you get it?  Or on the day it's due? Or...???  What I've been doing is writing it down for the day before it's due.  That way, every night I can look at my planner, see what's due the next day and see if I've done it or not.  So far, it's been working pretty well.  I haven't forgotten anything. Yet.
     But I'm going to tell you about my schedule, not my homework woes.  I'll give you a basic outline for every day first, and then I'll fill in the classes and details later.
     I get up about 5:45, get ready, have breakfast, and leave the house at 6:48-ish for the bus stop.  The bus comes at 6:53, or there's a later bus at 6:56 if I'm a bit slow eating or something.  Usually I get to school after a 25 or so minute bus ride, so that's normally at 7:25.  First hour starts at 7:45 and goes until 8:35.  Five minute Pause (basically, a break where we can eat, drink, or go to the bathroom), then second hour is from 8:40 until 9:25.  15 minute Pause, and then third hour begins at 9:40 and runs until 10:25.  Another five minute break, then fourth hour is 10:30 until 11:15.  15 minutes to rest, then 11:30 until 12:15 is fifth hour.  Five minutes, then sixth hour is 12:20 to 1:05.
     For lunch we have a full hour.  I only have to stay after lunch on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.  Wednesday and Friday I get to go home for lunch, because I don't have any classes in the afternoon.  So... after lunch, we start again at 1:55 to 2:40 for seventh hour.  Five minutes, eighth hour starts at 2:45.  At 3:30 it's done, and then we have another fifteen minutes.  Ninth hour begins at 3:45 and goes until 4:30, when we have another break.  And finally, tenth hour starts at 4:35 and goes until 5:20.  Of course, all the times are rough, as really class only begins when the teacher gets there, and sometimes we take breaks early...  but as a general rule, that's it.
     Most of my classes are Doppelstunden, which means that I have two hours of the same class right after each other.  Monday:  1&2 hour, Physics; 3&4 free (I can't speak French or Latin, and that's what the class has then); 5&6 Religion; 7&8 Big Band (a club, really).  Tuesday: 1 German; 2 English; 3&4 Politics and Business; 5&6 Informatik (Computer programming); 7&8 Erdkunde (geography and information about the world's countries).  Wednesday: 1&2 Darstellendespiel (theater); 3&4 Math; 5&6 English.  Thursday: I get to sleep in, because I decided not to take Art 1&2 hour, and 3&4 hour is French/Latin!! :)  5&6 History; 7&8 Biology; 9&10 German.  Friday: 1&2 Chemistry; 3&4 Math; 5&6 PE.
     Phew!  That was a lot of numbers to type!  Hope it makes sense to some of you.  To the others, well... I guess that you'll just have to read what my classes are, and then just know that I'm working hard and learning a lot and still having a ton of fun!!!

     But beyond that...  I had my first Arbeit (test) today, and it was in English.  We had to read a selection and then write a characterization about the person in it.  So, I had it pretty easy.  But since we had 1.5 hours to do it, I took the time to take notes, write an outline, and then to write my essay.  I was so proud of myself for making an outline!  I usually don't do that, I just sit down and start writing, and re-read it later to see if it's organized or not (usually it's not, but, hey.).  And I still had a half an hour left at the end.  So, I wrote a shorter version of my characerization in German, too.  I turned that in as well, and Frau Schulz, my teacher, said that she would read it and correct my grammar for me.  Which is good.  Otherwise, how can I expect to ever get better at German?  Tomorrow is the next Arbeit, and that's for German.  We're going to have to analyze a text.  I'm pretty nervous for it!  I mean, the writing's not too bad, but first I've got to figure out what the selection says, then I'll have to think in my head what it means, and then I'll have to write that down on paper!  I'm getting the feeling that tomorrow's gonna be a day when I don't use an outline!  Cuz I'm definately going to be in a crunch for time.
     It's been a bit rainy and cloudy lately.  Okay, so just about every day in the past week it has rained or sprinkled.  Not too bad though.  Well, soccer practice on Tuesday was cancelled because it was raining and only 3 people showed up, but... I didn't want to have to train in the rain anyways.  I guess that it's this rainy all fall, and winter is mostly rainy, too.  Because it doesn't get cold enough usually for it to become snow.  So, "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas", and I know that I'll see it "If only in my dreams".  But why am I quoting Christmas songs? It's only October!  (Although there are already Christmas cookies in the stores here)  But if I'm writing about Christmas, I think it's time to stop.

     Sometimes when I’m here, I start thinking about my future.  Especially about college.  Do I really want to go into baking?  Would it be a better idea to go into linguistics or engineering, and just keep baking as a hobby?  Or should I keep following my dream in spite of all these other thoughts???  What about paying for the education?  Will I be able to get enough scholarships to make it affordable for me?  And how about applying to colleges?  Should I just apply blindly, since I can’t really tour any of the campuses?  There doesn’t really seem to be any other option, you know?  Not like I can just fly home and see a college, and then come back.  Not really allowed with YFU.  And what sort of a college do I want?  A nice little friendly, neighborly campus, or a large university with something exciting going on all the time?  And what about…?



That's what I'm sometimes like (photo from: dannyschulz.com)



     See?  When you’re overseas, in a new country and a new home, spending every day with a family that you just met a few weeks ago, it tends to make you really stop and think about what sort of a college you want.  Atmosphere, major, friends… everything.  A part of me thinks of this exchange year not only as my senior year abroad, but also as a “practice run” for college.  I mean, look at it;  I’m away from my family for an extended time (a year is definitely extended, and is longer than any time I’d be away at college), going to school (so the grades are mildly irrelevant—except math—but I still have to do the homework , pay attention in class, take tests, and basically, I have to learn), making new friends (haha, couldn’t really pack my suitcase full of my buddies in Frankenmuth—they’ve gotta live their own lives and do school, too), and –most of all—I am learning to live together with people who are not my real family.  People who I’ve gotta learn to work issues out with.  And with different backgrounds/ cultures, that is a task in and of itself!

     And this all is teaching me valuable lessons for while I’m at college:  how to choose friends wisely; how to schedule my time responsibly; how to get along with formerly complete strangers living in the same house as I am…  The list goes on and on!  A major thing that I’ve found very important to everything here is the atmosphere I have in my new home.  ‘Cause no matter how full my schedule gets, I still have to come back home here to sleep.  And having a place where you feel comfortable is vital to being able to live life, and enjoy it.  Even cavemen had a cave they called home, right?  So every now and then, as I turn this thought to next year, and even years into the future, I put a lot of thought into what sort of a house and community I want to live in.

     My experience so far has been (and I’ve talked with some other exchange students I know who are here now) that it is easier to feel at home and to fit in when there are plenty of people your age around you.  I had figured that before I even came; that’s part of the reason why I specifically asked to be in a family with kids my age.  Now turn this thought over to college:  Why wouldn’t I want to live the first year on campus?  That’s a vital part of college, in my opinion!  That’s just how you get to know people, is by getting involved in clubs and everything.  But after that first year, who knows?  Maybe I’ll want to get an apartment somewhere.

     Another important thing to me is the setting of where I live.  A nice area to live in is always a plus.  I’d rather live in a friendly small town than in the middle of the chaos of a big city.  Not secluded and out in the middle of nowhere—just a nice, comfortable distance away from the next big city so I don’t have to constantly live in the stress that goes on there.  And with some kind of setting.  For nature, I mean.  So I’ll always be in awe of God’s awesome creation. Maybe some paths or trails so I can go walking, jogging, biking, whatever.

Photo from: culinaryinstitutemi.com

     Since I’m currently looking at going into Baking & Pastries at Baker College/ Culinary Institute of Michigan in Muskegon, that’s where I started looking at apartments.  And I found a great one on vacancy.com.  It’s not directly in Muskegon, rather in Spring Lake.  Which looks to be about a 10 minute drive or less from the college.  Easy drive to school, but still in a nice small town.

     Woodland Ridge… even the name sounds beautiful!!!  So I can just begin to imagine what it actually looks like around there.  Actually, the pictures that there are on the website are stunning.  And it's relatively close to Lake Michigan, which means that whenever I wanted to, I could ride my bike to the beach and just enjoy it.  There's also a paved bike trail, hiking trails, and a park all very close.  So I'd have plenty of outside activities.

     And as to fellowship and companionship--there are clubhouses and common kitchens where I could easily get to know people.  There are tennis courts as well.  Oh, and did I mention the swimming pool?  So I'd be able to find people there, too.  And a fitness center so I could keep fit when it's rainy outside and I can't do something else outdoors.

     The apartment rooms are available for one, two, or three people.  I would probably ask my friends from my first year at college if they would want to room with me, and then we would share a three-bedroom apartment.  Because having an empty home is just sad.... and lonely!

     What other people think of the apartments also is important.  So I looked at some of the reviews for Woodland Ridge.  The only negative things I read were that sometimes it's a bit noisy.  But I could live with that.  Actually, I'd welcome that.  When it's so silent all the time, then it's strange.  Kinda as though no one lives there, or something...  So I'd expect there to be some noise, since people actually do live there.

     So, let's go back to the criteria.  Great setting?  Check.  Comfortable distance from college?  Check.  People to meet?  Check.  Yup, looks like we've got a winner!!!  Of course, I don't know yet if I'd really take it.  That's just another one of those debates I'll get to have for the next year!  Great.

     Oh, yeah.  In case you wanted to see this apartment for yourself:  http://www.vacancy.com/michigan/spring-lake-apartments/woodland-ridge-apartment-homes/photos/ 

Neustrelitz bei Oma



The view from Oma's balcony

     Last weekend my family and I went to visit Oma, who lives in Neustrelitz.  That's in formerly East Germany, about 50 miles north of Berlin.  It was a 4.5 hour drive there, because we got caught in traffic.  But the drive was definately worth the time!  Cuz there it was absolutely breathtaking!!!

     Most of the time Jonathon and Papa went sailing.  I went with Oma and Mama to walk around the town, for a while.  We went through a park where there used to be a castle.  But, it began to get old, and no one renovated it.  So, eventually, it was torn down.  There was also a Russian soldier cemetery there, and Mama talked about how, when she was young and growing up there, some soldiers would march through on holidays and for festivals.  It was a really strange thought for me.  I mean, the thought that, just over 20 years ago, East Germany was still occupied by Russians, and where I was walking was where their soldiers marched just a few decades ago.  All of my life, there's only been one Germany, so I thought it was strange to think that this part of history happened so recently and still influences life here today, but that it had happened before I was born.  I guess that's probably how young kids feel about 9/11, though.

     So, as we kept going around town, Mama

kept telling me stories of her childhood.  And I tried my hardest to imagine what it must have felt like to live under Communist rule.  How it must have felt to never see the Russian soldiers (only officers and their wives were allowed to talk with the German citizens), but to still know that, if anyone tried to do anything against the government, there would be hundreds of soldiers there in very little time.  I guess that I'll never really be able to fully comprehend how it felt.

     Saturday afternoon, Konstantin, Jonathon, and I went to a flea market in the next village.  And there they found this remote controlled boat!  I thought it was pretty cool, too.  So, we brought it back to Oma's apartment (which is right on the water at the harbor) and they had a lot of fun driving it around.

     And what would a weekend on the sea be without a beautiful sunset?  All day was nice and warm, about 80 degrees. Without any clouds!  Before we went in to eat supper, Mama, Oma, and I went out to watch and wait for Jonathon and Papa to come in from sailing.  It was just perfect!  A wonderful way to end a wonderful weekend.  Haha, even though we were still there for half of Sunday... I just tend to think of sunsets as the end of something.
     And after another 4 hour drive, we were back home, safe and sound.
     Today is Mathilde's birthday, so Oma is coming here to visit and for the party.  But I'll write about that later.  Cuz now Mathilde wants to play Sequence, and I told her I'd be there in a minute or two.