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!
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