Family and Friends! This is the third update from Germany! Somehow the time has just flown by. I can't believe I have already been here for 7 months! A lot has happened since I last wrote. I am happy to be able to share a couple of things with you all...
First of all, I took a trip to Vienna with my host family. Vienna is a beautiful city! They have been able to preserve a lot of the old buildings, and with them, the old charm of Austria. Here is a picture of a street leading to a palace...
While there we were able to tour the city, by foot and by horse drawn carriage. We saw palaces, roman ruins, famous paintings, and beautiful churches. We also got to taste some of the local specialties. For example: Wienerschnitzel, Melange (coffee) and Cake...lots of Cake.
After one stop at a famous "Konditorei" (confectioner), I thought I would never want to even look at cake again. However, on the next day I had no problem eating just one more piece : )
In the past months, I also had the chance to go to Cologne and Bonn. The purpose of the trip was my AFS (exchange organization) Half-Stay Camp. It was great to get to meet back up with all the students who I hadn't seen since September. We spent the whole week just talking, non-stop. We talked about host families, school, Germany, home, and much more. We also did a little sightseeing. Such as....
The Kölner Dom, a giant of a church. The dimensions are almost unimaginable, especially considering that the windows, the most fragile part of the building, are 500 years old! Speaking of 500, that is also how many steps wind up to the top of the tower. I can proudly say that, though out of breath, I made it to the top!
Having expended so much energy, we all decided to find a good Brauhaus for dinner.
The most exciting event of the last few months is a recent one. At the end of March, my parents came to visit. I can't say enough how much fun we had! I got to show them all around Berlin, as well as learn about their experiences in the Berlin of the past- a divided Berlin. Six and a half months was long enough away from my parents, and I loved having them here. Here we are in front of the Victory column...
And most recently, this past Sunday, I ran the Berlin Half-Marathon. It was exhausting, but fun, as well as something nice to share with my host dad.
What I enjoyed the most was all the different types of people that came out, to run and to watch. There were old and young, slow and fast, and runners coming from 58 different countries. Music groups stood by the street (ranging from drummers to Peruvian bands), playing to keep us going!
Now I have spring break, a vacation that I will thoroughly enjoy. I am ready for a little quiet! The weather has been beautiful. This is a photo I took on the bank of the Spree River...
Well, I have to be on my way now. My host family is watching a documentary on wildlife in Russia, and I don't want to miss out on some family time!
I love you all, and wish you the best for the start of spring! Some of you I will see in three months, the rest I will be in touch with (at the latest with an update before I leave Germany!).
Love,
Kelly
P.S. Thanks for reading!
I have a host family! My little sister wrote me a lovely letter in which she told me...
- Her mother is a teacher at an Elementary school
- Her father is from Turkey and is a doctor of science
- He runs marathons, so we will be running together
- She is twelve and will attend the same school as I
-She likes to read (like me!)
-She is a member of a Church youth group
- Her brother is twenty and has spent time in the U.S. (with relatives)
She has also told me that she lives in Berlin, the capital of Germany!
Here is a picture of the skyline at night...pretty cool...
Berlin is also home to the Brandenburg Gate (once in "no man's land" during the seperation of Berlin)
And the German Reichstag. This is where the German Bundestag (congress) meets...they can be thanked for my scholarship.
Here is the symbolic dome of the Reichstag. It is transparent so that anyone can look in and see the Bundestag in action - a show of transparency of government...
Some quick facts about Berlin...
-Population: 3.4 million
-Ethnicities: 86% German, 14% from foreign countries. The non-German population includes 3.43% Turks, 1.26% Polish and 1.53% from the former Yugoslavia.
-Home of the Berlin Wall: symbol for the Cold War, most of it is now destroyed
-Cross roads of world industries, cultures, and businesses
Below is a link for my school: Gabriele-von-Bülow Gymnasium, it is all in German, but some of you may be interested anyway!
Thanks for Reading! Till next time...eure (your) Kelly
Hello all! I am very excited to share with you that I have recieved a scholarship to study in Germany for a 13th year of high school. I am leaving in September and returning in July. Before I leave I will be attending an orientation in Washington D.C. Once I am in Germany I will go to a 4 week language program while staying with a temporary host family. Afterwards I will go to stay with my permanent host family.
"The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange program is one of the essential elements of the US-Germany bond by strengthening the deep ties of friendship and understanding between our two peoples. For the young people who participate, it offers an extraordinary opportunity to learn about the world, gain a deeper understanding of people and issues, build lifelong skills and expand their horizons."
- US Senator Richard Lugar
Just a thought for travel....
George: You know what the three most exciting sounds in the world are?
Uncle Billy: Uh-huh. Breakfast is served; lunch is served, dinner...
George: No, no, no, no! Anchor chains, plane motors, and train whistles.
- It's a Wonderful Life
Check out video at Berlin Philharmonic Center
Pre-Departure Update:
Durring the summer, I had the opportunity to visit Germany for three weeks. Durring that time I was able to get a taste of German culture and meet my host family...
I leave for my orientation in D.C. tomorrow (the 30th). I will then depart for Germany on Friday the 5th of September. After arriving in Frankfurt, I will travel to be with my host family!
As the year goes on I will have much more to share! Until then, I hope everyone's end of summer goes great! Thanks for sharing in my experience.
First Update from Germany!
Hello all! I have now been in Germany for 7 weeks. My German is improving everyday, and I have already experienced a lot of German Culture. Here is a brief overview of my last weeks.
I arrived in Berlin on September 6th, where my family picked me up at the Trainstation...
My family is everything I could have wished for. We all get along well, and have a lot in common. Most evenings we just sit around talking and enjoying simply being together. They have shown me a lot of Berlin...
Here we are infront of the Brandenburger Tor (host mom Gunda took the picture).
My favorite place in Berlin so far is the Berliner Dom...
I have played my violin in the Berlin Philharmonie as part of a school orchestra meeting (Check out video at Berlin Philharmonic Center, under links). I went to the Berlin Marathon and watched Haile beat his own world record, I have seen countless Churches, the street that East Germany built especially for t.v. filmings, Alexander Platz (where the t.v. tower is), and much more. I have also enjoyed various family activities, such as the birthday of Gunda's mom, and celebrating Halloween in the family Garden.
We have also taken a trip to Wittenberg, where Martin Luther nailed up his 95 thesis. Religion is not very important to most Germans in a personal sense, but the history of Religion in Europe is just amazing. As we walked through Wittenberg it was mind blowing to think that Martin Luther and many other great figures of the Reformation, an event that changed the world, walked on the same streets or preached in the churches that we were standing in. This feeling is not just limited to Wittenberg, but almost every other city in Europe. Berlin, of course, is also a "treasure chest" of history, of which I have only scratched the surface. I am very fortunate to be put in a place such as Berlin. There is really something here for everyone, and it is impossible to see and experience everything. I will certainly not be bored in the next seven months.
Other than seeing the sites and living in the culture, I have also been attending German Gymnasium (the highest level of high school). I am in the 11th grade, which can be strange at times, as most of the students are one or two years younger than I am, but I am starting to fit in and make friends. Everyone is very friendly. I don't understand everything, but everyday my German is better and I am able to follow along a little bit more.
I will just leave you with one more photo from the local Berlin Oktoberfest. These hay people reminded me of something very similar I had seen when I was in Germany as a child....
I miss everyone back home and wish you all the best! Much Love! I'll be in touch!
Hello again to all my family and friends back home!!! Merry Christmas (Frohe Weihnachten) and Happy New Year (Viel Glück (much luck) im Neuen Jahr)!
Here is my second update from Germany!
The last couple of months, with the holidays approaching, have been VERY busy. I haven't been able to do as much "sight seeing," but instead have really gotten to see how a normal german family prepares for and celebrates Christmas and New Years.
We started off on the first sunday of advent, but lighting the first candle on our advent wreath. On December 1st, the "kids" in the family, myself included, recieved our advents calenders. They all consisted of a pocket for each day between the 1st and the 24th of December that was filled with chocolate or some other special treat.
In the holiday season, we have also gone to many Christmas Markets...
I have been to countless little stands, all selling small trinkets and special Christmas time treats, in the past month. The markets really have a Christmas magic about them!
I got off from vacation from school the weekend before Christmas. Soon after, we got up our Christmas tree...
Notice that it is decorated with real candles!
We celebrated Christmas mainly on Dec. 24. This is when we opened presents, and lit the candles on the tree. On the 25th we also had a special dinner of roasted goose to celebrate the "first day of Christmas."
Durring vacation I spent most of my time with my host siblings. My host family is still everything I could have wished for. My host sister and I make each other laugh all the time, and we have a lot of fun.
We did make one big "sight seeing" outing, however, which was to the Pergamon Museum. This is a picture of the "Pergamon" which was transported carefully piece by piece to Germany from Turkey (it is from the hight of Greek cutlure)...
Yesterday was New Years Eve. We started off by having a nice dinner, the highlight of which was the stuffed grape leaves that we had made ourselves. We then played games until mid-night. When the clock struck "0" in Berlin, we drank champagne, and then went outside to shoot off fireworks. The streets were filled with other people shooting off fireworks. The flashing lights and loud cracks all added to the festive atmosphere as we celebrated our first hour in the New Year.
Here is a picture of me and a firework that I lit...
Now that the holidays are coming to an end, things will get back to "normal." I have made some friends at school, and my german is getting much better everyday. I really can't complain about much, for which I am very thankful! I still miss everyone back home, and I am glad to be able to share this adventure with you all!
I send all my love! I wish you all the best for the next year!
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