On Saturday, Manfred, the kids, and I woke up early and headed North to visit his mother and attend the harvest festival parade in her village of Oldendorf (near Bremen). The countryside there was beautiful, and I so enjoyed looking at all the houses - brick, some with thatched roofs or with a barn and stables attached. Along the street where the parade was scheduled to run, there were seasonal decorations - colourful flags and straw wreaths garlanded with ribbons and flowers, like mini may-poles. Because the drive was more than three hours long we arrived in time for a lovely lunch, which included my first German Schnitzel. We visited a while with Manfred's mother, aka Oma, and I got a tour of the house, attached barn, and garden. After this, we all loaded into the car and went together to Bremerhaven to stroll along the waterside (the mouth of the Weser river opening into the NordSee) and stop for ice-cream at an Eiscafe. Emils had spaghetti ice cream (vanilla ice cream shaped like spaghetti noodles with strawberry sauce and white chocolate shavings), and the portion was very generous. I was not so adventurous, but my lemon frozen yogurt was delicious nonetheless. Upon returning to Oldendorf, we had only a little longer to wait until the parade began. We were lucky - crossing the street to stand in front of the hen-house (also belonging to Oma), we had not only a prime viewing spot but also a large area to collect candy thrown by the people in the floats (a business taken very seriously by Emils, Marta, and most of all Justus). Heading the parade was a tiny fire truck, followed by the floats, mostly pulled by tractors. Representing many different groups and themes (there was an 80's float, a Mario float, a Hawaiian float, etc.), they were very impressively done - beautifully painted or painstakingly decorated with a mosaic-like carpet of fresh flowers. I was blown away by the time and craftsmanship involved. Their riders, dressed in themed costumes and often dancing and singing to the music, were very generous with the amount of candy they threw. In the aftermath of the parade, we collected our enormous stash, then sorted it all and divided it evenly between us before eating supper and making our way back to Heiligenhaus.
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My first day of school was lovely. Emma contacted her friends and made sure that I had a welcoming committee (friends - the best kind of hand-me-down :) ), so I met many new people and always had a buddy to show me to the next class. I am lucky it is a very small school, because I am finding the block rotation a little difficult to get the hang of. In class, I don't understand a lot of what the teachers say (except in Spanish and hopefully French) but they are very understanding and I will write the notes from the board and translate later. Hopefully I will start my German Course (outside school) soon so I will be better able to follow along! With regards to food (always pivotal) there is a cafeteria where I can buy lunch the days I don't have time to go home. My schedule is as follows:
Montag Dienstag Mittwoch Donnerstag Freitag 7:55-8:40 Philosophy German French 8:45-9:30 Philosophy German Art 9:50-10:35 French History Physics 10:40-11:25 French History Physics Gym 11:45-12:30 Geography Philosophy German 12:35-13:20 Art Geography Spanish History Spanish 13:40-14:25 Art Gym Spanish Math Spanish 14:30-15:15 Physics Gym Geography Math Math I will spend the next few weeks settling in and searching for extracurriculars. If I have too much time on my hands, I might pick up a few more courses here and there - 45 minute blocks are very manageable! 'Till later, Sylvia My first blog post (so sorry for the delay). How exciting! Not as exciting as being here ‘though…
Since arriving in Heiligenhaus last Wednesday, I have basically been spending my time recovering from jet lag and hanging out with my host family: Justus (4 yrs. old), Emils (10 yrs. old), Marta (13 yrs. old), and Signe and Manfred (parents, and therefore ageless). Everyone has been so welcoming and helpful - I feel right at home. The fun and games have included water gun fights, a walking tour of Heiligenhaus and the park near our house (thank you Emils), crafts (Marta has been showing me how to make friendship bracelets), MarioKart (at which I am utterly abysmal) bouncing on the trampoline, board games, grocery shopping (always a hit with me), and Saturday night’s Straßfest (annual street/block party (a great idea - the neighbours can’t complain about the noise because they’re all there! (and all very lovely, too)) ). Justus has really taken me under his wing, and has been teaching me lots, although I am sure that my slowness must try his patience. The food is delicious, and I am enjoying having a hot meal in the middle of the day instead of at supper! Alles gut, and all in German - I am thinking in German (except right right now), playing in German, dreaming in German, meeting people and chatting in German, and reading and writing in German (admittedly this has only consisted so far of writing three journal entries and reading them over, but still…). I am amazed both by how little I know and by how much I am picking up - full immersion is truly humbling but helpful. Yesterday I went with Signe and Manfred to school to choose my courses (I will upload a school schedule when all is finalized). After that, I went to my first Velbert/Heiligenhaus Rotary Club meeting - a lunch meeting, but from 1:00-2:30 because lunch is so large. I was very warmly welcomed and got to meet the district Governor, who was a very engaging speaker. Beyond that, I also met my YEO and other Rotarians as well as the other inbound hosted by my club (in Velbert, the neighbouring town), Alejandro from Mexico. He seems to have a little culture shock, which is very understandable. Mexico to Germany must be quite a change! He does not speak German yet but his English was very good, so we were able to communicate. I have just a few more days (oh wait, one more day) before my big test; I will start school in earnest on Wednesday. Wish me luck! Cheers, Sylvia PS - Justus just asked me what I was doing. I told him that I was writing a story about my German adventure for my parents and friends. He replied: "Ah, sehr schön!" |