11/18/13-12/1/13

11/18/13

Well today was my first day alone at school without my other American J and it was not too hard! I had a fun day in religion class and just relaxed. It was really nice too. I went home with the determination to get tons of stuff done, but what actually happened was that I passed out for like 4 hours. I filled out my travel request so I could do to my friend’s house this weekend and then got some stuff done (finally)! I then stayed with my neighbors and talked with them for a while. I then stayed in my room for the rest of the night. My host brother is sick, so I am trying to avoid it! I really don’t want to miss school I’m having too much fun! Well I’m off to bed now! Tons to do this week!!

11/19/13

Today was a roller coaster!!! I found out where I can play badminton ish. Haha. I hunted the whole day for the person who was supposed to help me, but I couldn’t find him for the life of me! All of my classes went by so fast and then I had tutoring for the younger kids. I went to the teacher’s room to make sure that it was today and then the craziness happened. This little old woman came up to me and asked me what teacher I would like to talk to. I told her I had a question, but the teacher was there. She insisted on trying to help me, but I told her it was only a question that certain teacher could answer. She then made me tell her my question and only talked to me in English because she said my German was horrible. She said that I should just speak in English until I can learn German. It was very frustrating and I was really mad. I don’t see why people think I am hopeless at German and dumb. It made me really disappointed in myself, even though I shouldn’t feel that way. It made me upset and since then I have looked up hundreds of tutoring places so I could learn better German. I got my travel request signed by my parents and my host dad now to ask my host mom and then send it to the Scholarship!

11/20/13

I found the kid who helps with badminton and I start tonight!! YAYAYAAYYA!!! Today was just over all amazing! I worked on my friends’ birthday cards and then did home work. I got Jutta to sign the travel request so now it is off to PI for approval!!! Yay is more epic! I talked with tons of my German friends and hung out with my host family. I then mentally prepared for my first day of badminton! It was really exciting! I got there super early and helped set up. We had dancing practice before that so I learned how to dance from the Badminton/Dance coach! I had a great time learning how to play badminton correctly and it was so much fun! I then went home and relaxed. I can’t wait to the next badminton practice! It was so much fun and I know that I will have a great time!

11/21/13

Today was a long day for sure. I had a chemistry test which was kind of hard, and kind of easy. In the end I think I did really well. I relaxed for a while and then did my homework. I was invited to sit with some people with at lunch today which was a huge step! I mean I usually sit with people, but today I was actually invited!! I then danced went to choir and had a great time! After choir I went outside and relaxed in the snow! YEAH SNOW!!!!!!!! After that I went to philosophy class and we had a really interesting conversation! I had a great time and I am so excited for our next class. After school I waited for a couple hours and then went to another choir class in the city. It was kind of boring because I was the oldest person there. The next oldest kid was 13, so I thought it was really awkward. My teacher said she would help me find a choir my age, I can’t wait till that happens. Now off to bed a crazy day tomorrow!

11/22/13

Today I woke up and felt like death was with me. I had the worst cough, a huge head ache, and the sniffles. I didn’t want to go to school, but I pulled myself out of bed and did something. I tried to finish my friends’ cards but I didn’t finish it. I’ll just have to keep working! I went home and coughed and tried to feel better, which ended up failing. I went with my host brother and host dad to posaune chor and just sat there trying to feel better. I am so pumped for the weekend! I get to go to Frankfurt this weekend and I am so excited! I can’t wait to hang out with my friends and see one of my close friends on her 16^th birthday!! Now off to bed! I can’t have the sniffles tomorrow! I need to have a great time!

11/23/13

Today was one of the best days ever!! I met Laretta in Kassel and then we set upon our journey to Frankfurt! It took forever (like 2hours J ) but we made it to Frankfurt! We decided to go to Frankfurt and then to Butzbach, because Laretta and I really wanted Chipotle!!! We got to Frankfurt bahnhof with no problems. We googled where the chipotle was, because it wasn’t in the bahnhof where I thought it was .The 5 minute walk actually turned into an hour walk and we go the ever loving crap scared out of us! We were walking to the chipotle and we walked by a wig store. Laretta walked by and when she turned to look at me she let out a HUGE scream! She jumped like 3 feet into the air! There was a man sitting with the wig heads, and we ran like heck away from the creepy wig place! It was scary but somehow really funny! We hoped on the train and met Keili’s host dad in Butzbach. He picked us up and took us to Keili! We all got ready for the party and then went! It was really cool. We met Keili’s friends and relaxed for a while. Then I had a bad moment. I started having a really hard time breathing. It was really horrible and I was really scared. Keili’s host mom was there to help me thank goodness and I was really glad. She kept me clam and I was really glad. After that issue I went and hung out with everyone. We had a lot of fun talking to everyone and tons of people were really interested in us.  After that we went with Keili’s host sisters to a dance. It was so much fun and we danced until like 2:30 in the morning. We finally got home around 4 and then went to bed.

11/24/13

Today was horrible-ish. We woke up late, and then went to clean up the party mess. That wasn’t bad at all was kind of fun. Well at least we made it fun. Haha. After that we stayed inside and talked and looked through photos and took more pictures. Then Laretta and I had to get on the train. When we go on the train everything was okay, until we had to get on another train. On the second train (an ICE train) our ticket, apparently didn’t cover it. So we had to buy a new ticket. It was really frustrating because the original ticket did cover it. We explained how we got mixed up and he was totally okay about it and he let us buy new tickets. I was glad, but they were really expensive. But it was worth it. We then sat on the train floor and then moved into seats. We talked to this really nice woman who let us sit with her in the special “for babies and family” room and it was really relaxing. We talked with her for a while and then drove  back to Kassel. When we got to Kassel Laretta and her family went home and I waited for my bus. I got home with no problems, took a shower, finally finished the birthday cards for my friends’ birthday tomorrow and now I’m off to bed… Man it was a long 2 days!

11/25/13

Happy 18^th  birthday to an amazing pair of twins! Today was a really nice day. School flew by and then I went  home. I practiced trombone and relaxed with my host family, before we went to the birthday party. When we got there I gave my friends their cards and they loved them! It made me so happy!!! After that everyone ate and sat and talked together. We played taboo in German and it was really fun because I understood almost all the words!! YEA!! Then we all talked some more and finally I went home. I tried to do some homework, but it was late so I decieded to just do it tomorrow. Now off to bed math tomorrow!

11/26/13

Today was a nice day I only had math because my history teacher was at a teaching seminar. I did my homework and hung out with all of my friends. I felt really German like and I felt amazing! I went to the after school help and was greeted by 15 students who really needed English help! It was really exciting and I loved helping them! After that I went home and relaxed. I watched a little TV and then I practiced trombone for two hours, minimum. I talked to mom and Tae and just relaxed for a while. It was really nice and I am trying to keep completely calm before the craziness of this weekend!

11/27/13

Today is the first day I have ever missed my brother’s birthday. It was quite odd, but I still had an ok day. Today was a double English day and it was not too bad. I talked with all of my teachers about grades and such and just worked. I wasn’t feeling too great so I was slowly falling asleep in class. It is bad to say, but I really wanted to sleep. I decided to stay at home after school while my host and brother went to practice. I read/finished my German book and just relaxed. I tried to sleep and I tried to just keep warm, but I was just so cold and not feeling well. I decided that going to Badminton wasn’t great so instead I went to bed early. I then tossed and turned so much I woke myself up and now I am typing and becoming tired again. Good night. I bet I’ll feel better tomorrow.

11/28/13

Today was the first huge holiday that I have missed! I can defiantly say that I miss Thanksgiving.  More importantly I miss pumpkin pie, eating till I am unable to eat, and my family. I still had a great day though, with no home sickness! I’m rocking it! Chemistry was absolutely great. I socialized with people and enjoyed talking with everyone. I liked feeling like a true German. I could get used to itJ. The day I relaxed in all of my classes and did my class work with no problems. I had a great time in Choir and I liked all the free time I had. I really wish I had philosophy today, but since my teacher is away we have no philosophy… I then went home and hung out with my host family for a while. I then ate with them and went to talk with my real family. I had Thanksgiving “dinner” (lunch) virtually with my family and then hunted for my host brother’s Christmas gift. I had no luck so far, but I am going to find him the perfect gift! Well I’m off to bed now. Tomorrow starts the 3 days of madness!

11/29/13

School went by so so so slowly. I had my art Klasur which I think I did really good on. I then had math and chemistry and then I FINALLY went home! Thank goodness! I then went and took a quick shower. Then madness began. Oh my gosh. I practiced trombone for 3 hours. WOWZA. 3 continuous hours of trombone. I then stopped practicing for a whole 30 minutes to eat and then went to early posaune chor practice. I learned how to play the lower notes and then I practiced the Christmas music for our Christmas concert and then official posaune choir started. We then practiced for another 2 hours, so I practiced 6 hours total on the trombone. I was so exhausted by the end of the night, I was excited to just sit around with everyone and talk. I hung out with my friends at posaune chor and just relaxed. I went home, got in my Pjs, wrote a little and now I’m off to bed. Long day tomorrow and 5 hours of practice.

11/30/13

Today was a REALLY long day. I woke up early and went to the church. The whole posaune chor met and we started our long day of practicing. I thought I did wonderful and I had a great time. It was full of laughter and we had a great time. After posaune chor I went with my friend and her older sister to another city near us. We shopped around and got some Christmas items and then ate ice cream.  We then went back to her house and then hung out for a while. After that we did my makeup and we went back to the same city to go see a movie. It was a really funny German film and I laughed so hard. It was so good and I understood all of it. After that I went to my house and got ready for bed. I have another extremely long day tomorrow. More trombone playing and my first Christmas market!

12/1/13

Today was a lot of fun! I woke up early and my host family and I went to church and we played in the posaune chor. Today was the first day of advents and my host parents got me an advents calendar. It was really excited about it because I’ve never heard of one. It is FC Bayern themed and it is so cool! I opened the first little box thingy and it was a piece of chocolate with a wrapper of a Bayern team member. I relaxed at home for a little while and then I went with my host dad and brother to the Christmas market. They played and I took tons of pictures for my first Christmas market. It was so exciting! I then hung out there with my friends for a while and we had a great time. It wasn’t really big but it was fun to just walk around and such. We hung out there for a couple hours and then my friend and I went back to my house. We looked through pictures together and talked for a couple hours. Then she had to go and I had to study. I studied for a little while and then read a book. I was really tired so I am going to bed early. I have a really long day tomorrow. 2 HUGE tests await. 

11/11/13-11/17/13

11/11/13

Today was a rather easy day. I had a really easy but fun day at school and then came home. I hunted for an Intense German course near where I live or near castle, but no luck so far. All the classes have either started or they are only offered in the day time. It’s very frustrating, but I think I can find one eventually! Then I went to the church and celebrated Saint Martin’s day. We had a huge light festival and the Posaune chor played. We played outside the Edeka (super store) then went to another place and played. Then we finally went to the kindergarten school and played there. We finished off the night, talking and meeting new people. Tons of people were excited to meet me and asked a lot of questions! They were very pleased to have met an American exchange student. I hung out with Lara and we just had a great time! I am excited for tomorrow! Lara is driving me to school, so I can sleep in late!! YAY!

11/12/13

Today was an adventure! I only had math today which was really nice! I played on my tablet a little, did my homework, read a German book, and then met with Meredith! We decided to “defy time” as I call it. We had 45 minutes to get tons of things done. We managed to run/walk the whole time and I barely made my bus. We somehow got from one side of the town to the other in a good 5 minutes or so! Talk about luck! Meredith is really good with time! Then I went home! I got a letter from the post office, and they told me that they have my package!!!! They told me since I didn’t write “used” or “previously owned” that I would have to have the receipts sent to me. But all the stuff isn’t new. So my host dad called and they told us we would need a letter from the package sender. So I talked to my mom and nana, and got the letter. Now all we have to do it go pick it up on Friday or Monday! After almost 3 weeks I will get my package! I’m glad this mistake happened, because now I know what to write on my package! Then I hung out with my host family for the rest of the night. We played board games and it was a great day!

11/13/13

Today was a surprising day. Today I found out that my best friend was assigned a new host family, and will be moving this Saturday! OMG! I was so happy for her, but also really shocked! I will miss her so much, but an upside to her leaving (which is horrible to say) is that I will actually learn a lot more German. I had an easy day besides that. I had 4 hours of English today and everyone was really excited to ask questions about the United States and about my “American” life. I studied a lot for my chemistry test, that I have been trying to do good on and then just relaxed. I talked to some of my new German friends and talked to my host family, and hung out with them for the rest of the night. It was a really relaxed day and I enjoyed hanging out with my awesome host family.

11/14/13

So that chemistry test I was freaking out, wasn’t worth the freak out. I think I understood it all really well or I completely failed. I am going to be optimistic and say I did awesome! Politics class went by super slow and then Meredith did our last run to Wolfhagen together. I have gotten pretty good at “defying time” as I call it and somehow we made it to class early!! Haha talk about luck! I then went to choir which was a lot of fun today! We found almost all of Meredith’s teachers and told them about her leaving. They were all sad, just as I was, but happy that she will have a new family to make new adventures with! Then I went to philosophy and relaxed! It wasn’t hard today, which was nice after that chemistry test that I had! I then went home and hung out with my neighbors for a while. I recorded the voice of Germany and watched the TV show my host dad wanted to watch. It was actually really cool and interesting and he had a fun time hanging out with me. Now off to bed! I am not really ready for tomorrow, because it will be a happy and sad day! I’ll tell you how it goes!

11/15/13

Today was sad but not as bad as I thought it would be. I was shocked that I didn’t cry, we both kind of were! We had our last class together and it was nice. We just talked and hung out while we were drawing on our art projects and taking notes. We hung out during both breaks in between classes and took pictures. I was really talkative in chemistry and my teacher was really happy. I feel a lot more comfortable about talking German and I know that now Meredith is leaving I need to not be how shy, because if I keep being shy how am I supposed to make friends! After chemistry Meredith and I took pictures and then went to the bus. I got on and she went home to pack. It was a good last day for sure and I know we will definitely be meeting up in Kassel a couple times this year! I then went home worked on my homework for chemistry and practiced trombone. I am having trouble transitioning from treble to bass clef, but I know I will get it! I then hung out with my host parents. We played board games and then watched the Germany vs. Italy game. It was really exciting and I loved hanging out with my host dad. I am really glad he is feeling better! I can’t wait to see what I do tomorrow! A possible meet up with Laretta I hope! Miss that girl bunches!

11/16/13

Today was a blast! I slept in really late, clan my room, clan the bathroom and then made plans with Laretta! Her host family said she could hang out with me for the whole day which was really nice of them! We meet at the train station in Wolfhagen and then we walked around and talked. We went and got ice cream! After ice cream we went to the movies and saw Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2. It was absolutely adorable and we both understood tons of it! After that, since all the stores were closed by 4:30 in the afternoon, we just walked around and talked. We went and bought batteries so we could take more pictures and I showed her around the town. She thought it was adorable and she took more pictures on my camera than I did. We then went to the cute little park and took pictures. It was really cold but really fun! We talked about both going to Frankfurt for our friend Keili’s birthday! After pictures and walking around we went and got food at the pizza place. Then we went to the train station and she went home. I then went home and talked to my old host mom about visiting in January! I filled out travel requests for this weekend’s friend’s birthday party (hopefully to which I could go to) and a travel request to visit my old host family!

11/17/13

Today was nice and active. I went to church with my host parents and then went home and relaxed. We then after lunch, relaxed and went on a long walk. We walked and met my host family’s friends. We talked back to the house and talked for a while. The rest of our friend’s family came to the house and we had coffee and cake. We talked around the table for a while and then they went home. I talked to my family about my Christmas wish list, and talked about how I would like an iPhone or a cheap smart phone so then I could get whatsapp. Germans aren’t big on normal texting because it is really expensive, so they all love whatsapp. I love my tablet, but it is hard to talk to people when it depends on Wifi! I can’t wait to get the unlocked Iphone, because then it would be so much easier to talk to everyone! I can’t wait! After that I talked with my papa, because today is his birthday, and then updated my blogs!!! YAY! I then talked with Meredith about her new host family, and relaxed with my host family for the rest of the night! Now off to bed! Tomorrow is my first day of no English people in my school! Super excited, but kind of nervous! I will now know what it is like to be a true exchange student!

11/3/13-11/10/13

10/3/13

So trying to get home was exciting, but I made it in one piece! I almost missed my train to Kassel. I ended up running down a massive hill and running into the train itself. It was awkward, but I made it! Then I trained to Kassel and got home with no more problems! Yay! I ate lunch and then updated photos and just relaxed. I relaxed around with my host family, and it was just another lazy day in the life of a German. School tomorrow which will be nice. I hope something interesting happens this week! It would be nice to go and do something, but all of this pouring ran stuff kind of sucks!! Haha. Let’s see how the week goes!

10/4/13

Today was a lazy day, as I suspected! Luckily I had tons of homework! I went home after a super-fast day of school and just relaxed. I got all of my homework done, and then studied a lot of German. I did philosophy homework, which was wonderful. I am hoping I can find another philosophy class to go to, because I love it so much! I also spent a lot of the day trying to think of things to do here in the winter, and other activities to join.  I also helped look for a host family for my friend, because right now she is only with a welcome family. Hopefully luck is on our side and we find her an amazing family!

10/5/13

Today was really nice. I had a normal day of school and then went into the city. I walked around the city for a while and got something to eat. It was nice to walk more around the city and just see how cool it is. It is kind of small, but I really like it. I got pizza to eat and then I went to the school to help with the students who need English help. I relaxed at home, practiced trombone and just read music. I then had another breathing problem like I did in language camp. It was kind of scary, but I have such amazing host parents and they kept me pretty calm. I tried to stay up by I ended up passing out on the couch at 8. I woke up, went upstairs, wrote this, and now I’m slowly failing into a sleepy “comatose” state. Good night all.

10/6/13

Today was really nice after last night. It was my English day and I had a lot of fun. Meredith brought candy corn to class and we introduced it to the Germans. They now think every American has diabetes, because they think we eat that stuff year round. Haha! After my German and other English class, I went home and practiced trombone for a good 3 hours. It relaxed me and I can kind of play Christmas music. I prepared my friends’ package to send back for his birthday/Christmas present, and then went to bed early. Trying to prepare for my long day tomorrow. Philosophy here I come!!!

10/7/13

Easy day and not as long as I thought it would be. Chemistry was really easy and then I went to politics. It was really boring, but I didn’t mind. It was kind of hard to pay attention, I was too excited for choir! I then had English again and then a 45 minute break. I then went to choir and had a great time. We sang tons of fun music and we did some really weird warm ups in our seats. It was a great day in the school and I sadly didn’t have philosophy. I can’t wait for next week! After school I went home and relaxed with my host family. We played board games and just relaxed. I watched the voice of Germany and then went to my room. Now blogging and going to bed, tons of stuff to do tomorrow!!!

10/8/13

Today was super productive and really fun! I went to school and only had 2 hours of class. Art was a lot of fun, even though I have no artistic talent! J I then went to the post office and sent my friends’ package, went to the book handler’s store and got To kill a Mockingbird for my English class, went back to the school and did all of my homework, and finally started reading my book. I went home and practiced trombone for a good 3 hours, and then read notes for another hour or so. I am really hoping to learn trombone well! I then went to posaune chor. It was not as fun tonight. I had a lot of trouble reading the notes for some reason and wasn’t as confidence. I think I need to practice a little more, and get better with note reading. I can’t wait to play complicated music, and hopefully I can play with everyone on Christmas when we go to the hospitals and play for the sick people. J It will be so much fun!

10/9/13

Today was half productive half lazy. I got up early clan my room, bathroom, and backpack and then organized a lot. I watched a little bit of the voice of Germany and eventually read all day. I went with my host mom to the church for a concert and that was so much fun!!! The group sang a lot of fun music that I knew somehow. It was really nice to hear the music and it was just a great day. Then I went to my room and watched The breakfast club. Now off to bed, I have no clue what tomorrow holds!

10/10/13

I have been in Germany for 3 months!!! Holy cow! Time flies! Today was a really productive day. I reorganized my closet and then relaxed with my host dad. I read some of a German book my friend gave me and then laid around the house. After lunch my host parents and I played board games and had a great time. We watched a little TV and then just chilled around. Then we had some of my host parents’ friends over. Then more of their friends came over and then more and then there were like 7 or 8 people in the house just talking and relaxing. It was nice and they stayed for a long time. When they left we ate dinner and then watched The hunger Games in German. Now off to bed!

10/28/13-11/2/13

10/28/13

So happy to be back in school! Today was a lazy day for me which was a bummer for me, but still fun!! School flew by and everyone was really busy with other stuff. I relaxed at home, played trombone and finished the Indiana Jones series. I did tons of homework for science, but it wasn’t complicated, just time consuming. I then talked with my school friends and hopefully we will be having a sleep over on Saturday. I am going to the Abitur party on Friday and I am so excited! Tons of socializing and German speaking!

10/29/13

Today was supposed to be a long day, but it turned out to be a short day. I understood all of my classes today and got all of the homework done while waiting for the girl I tutor to come. She never came, but I had to wait because of the bus. I finished all of my homework for the next week, and then went home. I talked to my friends and asked them questions about Halloween. It is not a huge holiday here in Germany like it is in the US, which is really different. I also started gathering recipes from my friends and family in the US so that then I can cook for my host family sometime soon, and maybe I’ll even cook Thanksgiving if they let me! I can’t wait to talk to them about it and hopefully I can cook a delicious traditional meal.

10/30/13

Today was a long and kind of stressful day. I went to school and then went to the Austauschbüro to get my visa or whatever it really is.  We were late to the appointment, and got lost trying to get there. I was very frustrated. When we got there they told me that my biometric photo was wrong, and then I had to pay to get a new one. It was all very frustrating and I can tell you it was not fun at all. We finally got that sorted out, but the woman who was helping us, had no clue how to use the computer. I totally understood, because I have days where I can’t use mine, and I helped her. We had to call the IT guy in the building, and we found out we didn’t have the printer plugged in. It was really embarrassing for both of us, and everyone was cranky by the end of it. Language barrier can be really hard some days, and today was defiantly one of those days. We went home and I went to my room. I just needed a little alone time, I think everyone did. We all just had alone time for the rest of the night, and I ended up falling asleep at 8 and waking up an hour or two later. Now off to bed for real this time, Meredith and I are celebrating Halloween tomorrow and I have a long day too!

10/31/13

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!! Today was so much fun!!! It was my first holiday from my family, which was odd, but I was keeping so busy that I was too busy to even think! I had a really easy beginning of the day and Meredith and I went and found Halloween like candy and had a great time. We got our grades in our classes, and so far I am doing outstanding! The lowest grade I have is a 12(80% in the US) and my highest grade is a 15(100% in the US). The school is really proud of Meredith and I for trying so hard and we are happy that they are noticing that we are trying. They told us our German is a thousand times better and it made my day great. I had a great time in choir and in philosophy. Those 2 classes are my favorite, they beat English class any day! We talked about immortally in Philosophy to go along with Halloween and I loved hearing everyone’s philosophical opinion! Choir was a blast and I met some new friends! I can’t wait for next Thursday! I think it’s my new favorite day of the week!

 11/1/13

It’s a new month already! Holy smokes time flies by!!!!! Today was better than yesterday! It was an extremely fast day of school and then I got ready for the Abitur party for tonight. I did all of my home work for the week end, and I talked with some of my friends who were going to the Abitur party. I finished getting ready and we left! Meredith and I hung out until more people got there and then found some of our friends. My friend Felix bought us a drink (non-alcoholic of course) and then we all just talked and danced. After mingling with some of my friends we went and found some of Meredith’s friends and danced with them. It was such a fun night! Hopefully tomorrow I can go and spend the night with my friends in Kassel! I love having friends here that speak English. Sometimes you just need an English day!! Off to bed, the sooner I fall asleep the sooner I find out if I can go!

11/2/13

Today was amazing! I woke up and Jutta told me that I could go and spend the night with my friends in Kassel! I was so happy I went and immediately packed! Meredith and I finished making plans on how to get to Kassel by bus, and then we just talked. I went to kinder Kirche and helped with the wonderful little kids. It was so much fun, and they were all so eager to teach me German! After I ate and waited for Meredith. See I told Meredith to come here early because we had to go to the next city over to get a ticket to Kassel. She never got that message and she was late. She ran to my car and we were yelling for her to hurry up and get in the car! We drove really fast to the next city over and got there 2 minutes before the bus was supposed to leave! We barely made it and it was kind of scary, because if we were late we would have had to wait another hour, and would have been late! We got on the bus and then got to the train station. We hoped on the tram my host mom told us to get on, but apparently it was the wrong one. So we rode that train to the wrong part of town, and then back to the train station and then finally to the right place. We met our friends and then we just stood there and talked for like an hour. We went and got on a train and went to the store. We bought junk food and then got on the train and went to the movie store. As we were walking my ADHD kicked in and I saw something move in the grass. It was a hedgehog!! I screamed in excitement, and we all stopped and took pictures with it. I picked it up and we all took a good 50 pictures with the hedgehog. It was so cute and I really wanted to keep it, but I’m pretty sure my host mom would have had a fit if I kept it, so I put it back in the grass. We then tried to find the movie rental place and could not find it. We asked for directions and after a good hour, we were told that it is closed forever. We gave up and went back to my friend’s house. We talked and joked and hung out all night and watched American TV. We printed out “New Girl” (TV show) masks for our mini Halloween party and had a great time! We talked about everything and then we all fell asleep. It was so fun and we all had a great time. I can’t wait till we do it another time! Pretty great night!

10/19/13-10/27/13

10/19/13

Easy day for me. Slept in really late, studied my trombone slide positions, updated my blogs, went on a really long walk with my host dad and host mom, and just relaxed all day. To was “relax day” so we all sat down stairs and read. It was so soothing and pretty amazing. I made a perfect chart for the trombone, and reread for the millionth time insurgent! ALIGENT COMES OUT IN 3 DAYS!!! ERMERHGERD!!!!!!! I can’t wait to start reading it, I preordered it for my nook! Pumped with energy for a book J. I enjoyed our relaxing reading and sipping on hot cocoa time and then we watched the sport highlights! GO FC BAYERN!!!!!!!! My favorite team is kicking butt!!! Next week is Fc Bayern vs Dortman (I think), I am pumped for that game! Family rivalry! Christian and I VS host dad! Then I hung out with my host parents and their friends for a while. We all sat around and talked and it was nice. Then I went up to my room and listened to my music, read, and relaxed until bed! Now off to bed! Hope we do something awesome tomorrow! But not something to awesome because we don’t want my host dad to get hurt by this epic-ness that gets unleashed!

10/20/13

Easy day. I got up watched my new favorite show “the voice of Germany” and was just really lazy. I was kind of grumpy, so not much in a talking mood, more of a grunting trying to act happy even though I was tired. I didn’t get much sleep last night. Haha. We played some board games, and relaxed. We (the posaune chor, my host dad, and I) then went to a birthday party for an elderly man and played for him. It made my day a little better, and the older man was really happy! We went on a walk and we found a couple horses in the middle of our city. They are adorable and one of them tried to eat my pony tail, and ended up licking me in the face. It was so funny and they are so close to me that I plan to visit them a lot, and maybe even ride them! I the watched pirates of the Caribbean: Strange Tides, with my host dad, and now I’m off to bed! 

10/21/13

Today was full of email writing, homework doing, and trying to survive the day. We skyped with my host sister for a while and I even got to talk to her. Her English is really good and I was really happy to hear about how amazing she is doing in the US even with everything that is going on. I went to the church and helped the adults plan “Kinder Kirche” which is where we all join the little kids together and teach them about the church and how to grow up. I helped plan the Christmas “Kinder Kirche” and it was a blast. We are possibly going to watch Charlie Brown Christmas and do a cute white elephant gift thing. I can’t wait! Now off to bed I have my day in Kassel tomorrow, and my book comes out tomorrow too!!

10/22/13

Today was so much fun! Probably one of the best days I have had this year so far! We all met up in the city center and it was awesome. We talked at first and then we went to the Grimm Brother’s museum. We got lost on the way, but when we got there it was fun! We slowly went through it talking a lot and just enjoyed talking about our experiences here. We then went and got sushi. We talked all throughout lunch and had a lot of laughs. We ended up hiding a bowl under the table and it was so funny! After that we walked to the Martin’s church and it was nice to see a cool modern church in a very old building. After the church we went to Starbucks and sat around.  We talked for a while and then we went to the mall. We browsed some shops and we all ended up deciding to make me more fashionable! I ended up buying a new sweater, which looks really cute on me and it makes me really warm, because it is pure wool J. After shopping I had to go home. We went by city train and it was the first time I have rode a “strassbahn” I can’t wait to hand out with the girls again. Next time I think we are going to have a sleep over and hopefully we can all go the Imagine Dragons concert in Hamburg in November. I can’t wait!

10/23/13

So my new book came out yesterday and I spent 4 hours or so of my day starting and finishing my book. If you need a great series to read I highly suggest Divergent by Veronica Roth. Amazing series! I then practiced my trombone for a little while. I can play almost play all of “Hedwig’s theme” on my trombone, and it was really cool to hear how much I have improved. I then decided that Pirates of the Caribbean was a great idea and I watched the first one. I did some more homework, relaxed and then also watched the second Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Now off to bed, I think I might go to the pool tomorrow! And practice a little more trombone!

10/24/13

Today was another relaxing, but kind of boring day. I am on fall break for 4 more days and I am excited to go back to school! Today I hung out with my wonderful host dad around the house and then I helped this girl with English. I now tutor her every week and I love helping her.  I tried to talk to my dad, but that was extremely hard. We plan to talk Saturday and I am more than excited to see him. I watched my new favorite show The voice of Germany and then watched some more TV with my family. I then went to my room. I am slowly starting my Christmas wish list but I have no clue what I want. I just want to have a great time here in Germany, and to maybe travel some more while I am hereJ.

10/25/13

Today was a really fun day for me. I moved pictures around on my laptop, and I am slowly updating my electronic photo album. I am adding new pictures and it looks really good so far! After that I went with my neighbors to a light festival in Kassel. I helped by passing out cake, tried to light candles (but it was to windy so I gave up, and then I eventually helped sell shoes, and it was a blast. I met all types of people, and I even helped with this deaf group, who came into the store. Everyone was shocked because I could speak sign language, but I was really happy to meet them. I learned the differences between German and American sign, and I am very happy that they spoke American sign because if they didn’t it would have been really bad. It was a great day and I had a great time. I even went all the way up to the top of Hercules and got a ton of amazing pictures. There were tons of people, from all over the world. I hear English speakers, Germans (of courseJ) and even a Russian or two! I can’t wait to help my neighbors tomorrow at the shoe store, and I can’t wait to make my own pair of shoes!

10/26/13

Today I helped out in the shoe store. It was fun and I felt like I helped a lot. I then went home and skyped with my dad for the first time in 3 months. It was so nice! We skyped for an hour and then my siblings stole the computer form him and we talked for another 45 minutes to an hour. I then got ready for my friends’ youth symphony concert. It was wonderful to go to, and they absolutely amazing! I loved hearing the music, and they only played 3 songs. The songs were extremely long, but I loved hearing the violin and trombone parts. It was truly amazing to hear classical music and it was amazing to see then what they do best! Off to bed now, adventure in Kassel tomorrow!

10/27/13

Today was really fun! I went to church with my host family and then I went to Kassel, to visit my host dad in the hospital. I didn’t go to the hospital. Instead my friend and I went to the inner city of Kassel and shopped. The stores are normally not open on Sundays but it was a special day, so all the stores were open and there were tons of carnival like rides and games. We shopped a little bit in all sorts of stores and my friend and I bought matching long sleeve shirts that have the little patches on the elbows.  It was a blast to walk around the city. We stopped and bought crepes and talked and had a great time. We then went home and relaxed. We ate dinner and played skipbo. I then went and relaxed in my room. I got ready for school tomorrow and then watched Indiana Jones until bed!

10/9/13-10/18/13

10/9/13

Today was another normal day in the life of Saige. I went to school and had a great time in English and in German also. I then went home and relaxed. I read the book “Der Besuch Der Alte Dame”, which is really interesting. I like the synopsis and I can’t wait to read and watch the movie auf Deutsch! I relaxed, studied a lot of German, and read more books in German. I have been trying to learn more about the structure of German writing, and I am really anxious to learn even more. It was a super lazy day and I can’t wait till next week! I have fall break, which will consist of reading, writing, mastering German and trombone, and hanging out with my new found friends! Now off to bed, long 10 hour school day tomorrow.

10/10/13

Today is my two month mark in Germany! It has flown by and I am excited to see what else goes on in my life! Today was a pretty good day for me. Chemistry was really hard, but I am slowly getting used to it. I hope that some people are nice enough to help me, but that doesn’t seem to be a problem. Everyone helps when they can. I had no choir today so philosophy got moved to choir hours. I had a heart to heart talk with my “tutor” (teacher in charge of helping me through the year) and he gave me tips on how to survive the year, and how to open out of my “Shy shell”. It was really nice to have someone listen, especially since I don’t have a community representative in my area, or at least in 50 km. haha! After my wonderful philosophy class I went home and did homework, so I didn’t have to do as much for break! I went and hung out with my oma and opa for the night, and showed them my wonderful dirndl. We all had a great time and then we played card games! Now off to bed! Break starts tomorrow <3!!

10/11/13

Today was a good day.  I had art today and that was my only class. I went home and just chilled out for a while. I watched a little German Tv, worked on the computer a little bit, updated my blogs, and just relaxed. I practiced my trombone and googled a lot to learn more about said trombone. I still have no idea, so my wonderful friend is going to help me soon. I went to posaune chor tonight and it was really fun. My friend just got back from London, from a class trip, which unfortunately, I was unable to go on. She knew I was sad about it and she brought me home a key chain and a pencil from London! It was really nice of her to do that and I couldn’t have been happier. After posaune chor I went home and jammed to music, until I was too tired. I’m now tying and going to bed! Hopefully tomorrow I can practice the trombone and help with the church to fix the church yard!

10/12/13

Today was a blast! I got up super early and helped my host mom clean around the house. I practiced the trombone for a couple hours and watched a little TV. I baked with my host mom and went and fed my grandpas chickens. It was a great morning. Then I got really bored so I went to the church to see how they were doing. I eventually stayed and helped. My host dad convinced my host mom to let me stay and I helped clean bricks! It was off and on raining and it was really cool. The whole posaune chor was there, because we volunteered to do it. I hung out with my friends while we helped and we all got mud everywhere. I had a great time helping the church, cleaning and laughing! We finished and then everyone went home. We relaxed and then later played card games. I talked with my friend for a long time and it was nice to show off my epic German skills, even though I did make some pretty funny mistakes along the way! It was a really relaxed night. We all sat around and watched TV and it was really interesting to see German game shows and German “make your dreams come true” shows. Let’s just say I think I won’t be too sad when I go back to the US in a year and watch American TV J it was a good day.

10/13/13

After the crazy night I had with my host family, I decided to sleep in late. I relaxed a lot and pretty much did nothing all day. I watched harry potter again and dosed in and out of sleep. We really didn’t do anything exciting today, and everyone was drained of energy. We played Uno after dinner and I talked with my mom and a couple of my friends for the rest of the night. Everyone needed a little space after the chaos and I didn’t agree. Now off to bed, I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow!

10/14/13

Today was the first day of fall break, so I slept in super late! Today consisted of a whole lot of trombone learning and attempting to play. I thought it was going to be a challenge and it is a little bit, but I am catching on really quick, by observing people playing. I need to learn the bass clef  and learn the slide positions without looking at my cheat sheet but other than that I think I can start playing songs! I can’t wait to play music, hopefully Friday I can participate in Posaunenchor! Haha next joke!

10/15/13

Today was another busy day. I read my “Der Besuch der Alten Dame” for German “English” class, and it wasn’t too horrible. It was a lot of translating, but the story is really interesting so I didn’t mind J. I tried sending my best friend’s package, but they are so many things that I just don’t like about the German postal system at times. To send a 1300 gram box it will cost almost 17 euros! That is insanely priced!!!! I am trying to make the box lighter, but if I do so then the presents might break! It’s a true battle. I’ll try another time next week, try to find a good box and if I have to pay a lot I will, I love my best friend, he is there for everything! I practiced more trombone and I can play “Mary had a little lamb” which is good, even though it is a small step. I hope by the end of fall break I can play they Harry Potter theme song! Tomorrow will consist learning bass clef! Don’t think it will be too hard to pick up!

10/16/13

Easy day I think for me. I practiced a little trombone, still not learning the bass clef yet, haha, and read more of my book for class. I went with my host mom to visit my host dad in the hospital. He is doing a lot better, but he will have to have surgery! All my prayers go to him on November 20^th! It was really nice to see him and he was defiantly surprised that I came to visit, knowing my slight fear of hospitals. I then went home and tried to practice trombone. I am having a hard time with the slide positions, so I’m hoping my friend can help me on Friday. He is really good with teaching trombone! I then helped this girl who is a year younger than me with English homework. We decided I will help her every week and I’ll make money too! So I can send presents back, and maybe visit my old host sister in January or in the spring! I get to Skype with my mom and sister tomorrow which is exciting! I think the once every 2 week Skype “meeting” is a great idea! It helps a lot to have a schedule! Off to bed now, going biking tomorrow and hopefully going to take some amazing pictures!

10/17/13

Today I went biking. Man that was so much fun! I woke up at like 11, got dressed ate breakfast, and ran out to my bike. I thought the weather was going to be great, but I was half way to my destination and it started raining. I didn’t care because I was having a great time so I biked all the way to the beginning of this really pretty tree tunnel. It was about a kilometer from my house, but wasn’t a bad bike. I took tons of pictures, and got the most amazing picture of the tree tunnel. A huge gust of wind came in and I took a picture right as all the trees starting blowing off leaves! I then went home and clan my trombone. I had a huge “to do” list so I started that and ended up cleaning my trombone for a good 3 and a half to 4 hours! It is really freaking clean and very pretty. It is a little dented, and defiantly I finished almost everything on my list, and hung out with my host family, like normal. I was told I could go to a kirmes, which is like a huge party, so tomorrow will be crazy fun! Hopefully I can go with one of my friends! I know for sure it will be a great time!

10/18/13

Today was the best day ever! I went and slept in late, and then finished my “to do” list. I talked with my friends, and got our excursion to Kassel ready. I’m so excited to hang out with them on Tuesday! It is a most needed girl day! After that I practiced trombone and finally learned Bass clef! It was not hard to learn at all and I pretty much learned it in a good 20 minutes. Now matching the note with the slide position is the hard part. My host dad came home today, so he helped me a little bit. I am met my friend today and he helped me practice. He taught me tons of scales, great things to practice, and I actually go to play in the Posaune chor today! Like I played songs and everything. It was so exciting! I was surprised I could play a lot of it! After Posaune chor I went with my friend to her friend’s house. We hung out for a while, and then we went to Kirmes! It was so much fun! The people thought I was 18, which means I could have stayed until I wanted, while if you have a 16 year old band you must leave at midnight. It made me excited because I am use to people thinking I am younger than 16 when I am. We danced and had a great time and did a lot of people watching. I had to go home at midnight, but my host brother didn’t. I switched him armbands and he stayed with his friends. I feel like we are becoming closer, which is good, because I’ve been living there for a month, and we haven’t really talked much! I then went home and now I’m going to bed, I have no idea what we are doing tomorrow!

9/27/13-10/8/13

9/27/13

Today was not too horrible in school. I had my math test, which wasn’t as bad as I thought. I had a lot of free time so I translated a lot of Harry Potter! I then went into another English to help out, and was invited to come back every week! I was pretty happy! It gives me something to do since I usually have school until 12:30 and then I go home and do nothing… After English I went home and did most of my homework. I studied a lot for my religion test on Monday and then went to Church band. It was really fun and I am determined to learn trombone. My friend let me play his trombone and they say that I am pretty good. I think I could play it really good in just one year! I am determined to start extreme practicing tomorrow! I am tired, and ready to go to bed, tomorrow we are pear picking and then Sunday I have church and then a 25 km hike( hopefully a little less!). Crazy weekend here I come!

9/28/13

Today was AMAZING! I woke up late, and then went to help my host dad pick pears off of my grandpa’s pear tree. I was too short to help most of the time, but I tried really hard to help despite my size. I then went with the other girl from the US, Meredith, and her host sister to Oktoberfest in a small town called Altendorf. I didn’t know I would be helping with everything, but at the end of the night it was worth it. Meredith and I washed dishes, and helped all over. We carried crates in for the people, put glasses where they needed to be and had a great time doing it! I was allowed to keep a huge glass mug from it all and it was so much fun! We meet this really cool guy who we call “Chris”. His name is in quotes because we think that is his name, but we forgot to ask. He was the bar tender there, but he did help us a lot of crate carrying! We all had a great time dancing, and cleaning and meeting new people! I hope I get to go the Oktoberfest in Munich!

9/29/13

Today was a rollercoaster. I went to church and really enjoyed it. I was having a rough morning with my camera. It is apparently now broke, so church made my day a little bit better. I went home and started looking up how much a new camera would cost. We leave for Neuschwanstein on Friday and I have no camera. I was at the point of tears, when my host dad comes and gives me a camera to use. It is my host brothers, but he said I could use it. I started to cry of joy and went to hug my wonderful host brother. I am so lucky to have such an awesome family. I am so happy to be with them for these 10 months. After that we went on a long hike, and I tested out my new 10 month borrowing camera. We hiked through the woods, and it was really pretty. It was not what I was used to when I go hiking in the US. There were a lot of mountains and hills, but it was so pretty. After hiking we went and got ice cream and enjoyed the rest of the day. I spent the rest of the day with my awesome host family, watched a little TV and now I am off to bed!

9/30/13

Tomorrow is the start of a new month. WOW is time flying by! Today I had a super easy day. After school today I came home and watched TV and did homework. It was nice to be lazy! I went and got both pairs of my jeans fixed, and then went on a bike ride for a little while. It was nice to get some fresh air! I watched Law and order special victims unit and talked to my friends, and my clone(twin)! I hope to talk to her Wednesday, because I have no school Thursday! I hope it all works out!

10/1/13                           

Another super easy day was upon me today! I understood math class today, and was surprised about what happened in the US. It was really interesting to hear, and in politics class we all got into a HUGE debate about what is going on.  I went and was a guest speaker in the 6^th grade class room, and they want me to come every week now! Pretty exciting! Then I went home and relaxed. I watched some Law and order SVU and some pretty little liars. I then thanks to my wonderful dad bought divergent and insurgent by veronica roth, so I could read on my trip to Bayern(Bavaria) this Friday! I then started reading this book called Ranking and it was really good. Kind of short so I finished it in a couple hours. Not a bad book! Now to bed! School awaits!

10/2/13

Today was great! I had an English test, which was so easy! I then read some more books, and relaxed the whole day. I got a package from my mom and I was so excited about that! I got Starbursts! I practiced Trombone for a little while, because I am determined to learn it by the end of the year! I watched/ had a pretty little liars marathon and then I skyped with my wonderful clone for an good hour!! It was so nice to talk to her and to see how she is. I miss her so much and I miss fighting and making up with her! I miss my family, but I still have had no homesickness which is really cool! I don’t think I will! She showed me all my texts people have sent me, and showed me all of my snapchats! It feels good to be missed and I loved all the little messages people leave me! I had a great time talking with my sis, and I ended the night off reading and updating my blog! Now off to bed, I have no school tomorrow but I have birthday for my host uncle to go to!

10/3/13

Happy German national independence day! Tpday was really fun and productive! I woke up early and clan my room, and packed for my trip to Bavaria WHICH IS TOMORROW!!!! Then I did my chemistry homework that I have been procrastinating on and then started on history. I took a homework break and we went to my host uncle’s birthday party/get together. It was really nice and really laid back. I listened to a lot of different German dialects, and talked a little bit. I then went on a walk with my host parents and my host cousins. We went to the windmills and I took tons of pictures! We then went back to the birthday party and talked some more. After the party was over, I went home with my parents. I then went upstairs and practiced trombone with my host dad. I am determined to become really good at it, so when he was done practicing I practiced for another 2 hours. I am only practicing the “zero” tones, because I have a little trouble, since I have never played a wind instrument. I am really excited to learn it and I am so determined, and it makes me really happy to try something challenging! After that we played card games, and now I am updating my blog and going to bed! Long day tomorrow! Only going to Bayern (Bavaria) no big deal ;-)

10/4/13

Today flew by fast. After a long of anticipation! BAYERN!!! School flew by and I was so happy. I got ready to go and then we drove! I was too excited to sleep or read so I just looked at the wonderful German scenery. I finally got bored of that so I started reading for the 5^th time Divergent J I finished it and sat because I wanted to wait till tomorrow to read Insurgent. We met up with my host family’s friends and it was fun. We had a true Bayerisch dinner with them and talked for a while. Then we drove to the hostile we were staying in. It was really cool, and I heard so many different languages! I can’t wait for tomorrow!!!! I have no clue what we are doing, but it will be fun!!! Meeting new people!

10/5/13

Today was so much fun! We went into the heart of Füssen! We went and looked around and then we went to buy me a dirndl! It took a while to find a shirt to put under it, but finding the dress was so easy! It is blue and green and everything that I imagined. It looks just like how my great grandma described her dream dirndl. It is perfect! Then we went to Weiskirche and met more of my host family’s friends. It was really nice! We went and did a little shopping in the city, and I got my brother and my friend’s gift, and then hung out with my host brother and his friend. We then went hiking in the mountains and it was nice. I did fall down a hill and got my jeans and jacket covered in mud, so that was kind of a downer, but it was alright. We went to the hostile cleaned up and then went to dinner. After dinner I went with my host brother and his friend and walked more around the city! It was so nice, and I saw some really cool things. I am now blogging, reading and then going to bed! Neuschwanstein is tomorrow!!!!!

10/6/13

Today was perfect! We got up and went straight to Neuschwanstein! We got to tour both Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein! I was able to take the tour in English!! Both places were so rich in culture and it was just perfect! I can’t even express how happy I am! It was so wonderful to go to a place my great grandma Mary and I have always dreamed of. It was so wonderful, yet it brought tears to my eyes. I really wish she was alive so I could share these pictures with her, but at least I brought a piece of her with me, to remember how important she, and my amazing support team in the U.S is! Then after tons of picture taking we left for home. I didn’t want to go home, but we had to. I hope we come back! While in the car, I started and finished Insurgent and then started and finished another book, before my tablet died. It was a long car ride originally 5 hours, but turned into 7 or 8 hours. I was so happy to get out of the car! There was so much traffic, I was really shocked. Now off to bed school tomorrow.

10/7/13

So all my classes were cancelled today. I had no classes, so I could have slept in, but I thought I had class. I didn’t so I went and hung out with my friend Meredith until my host mom picked me up. When I got home I watched some TV, did homework, went and got my pants fixed, and then read a book. It was a really lazy day! Tomorrow I am having a girl day with Meredith, so off to bed I go!

10/8/13

Girl day was fun! We had school till 9:30 and then we went around Wolfhagen. We went to the school supply store, and then went to the bakery and had hot chocolate and cake. We walked around and then went to another store. We were walking around and I was blessed. In front of me I saw something so perfect I swear I screamed of joy. It was Dr. Pepper!!!! Of all places in Germany I found my favorite drink in the whole world in a super small grocery store, in a super small town, in the middle of nowhere! I bought a bottle and I knew my day was awesome! Then Meredith and I sat at the grocery store for a while and just hung out! After that I was picked up by my host mom, and went home. I read a lot, watched a German movie, and did homework. Another super easy day! After that I went with my host dad and brother to perform with the bass choir, for a birthday! It was so nice to see the man so happy and dancing! I jammed to music, and I am able to borrow a trombone, so now I can practice and now borrow my host brothers! Off to bed, I have trombone to master tomorrow!