Rules and Top Ten Reasons for Studying Abroad

Rule #1: It's not a good idea to speak English in public, and if you decide to do so be prepared to encounter some odd situations.

Last Saturday I went to a soccer game in München with some Americans that are studying abroad here and well they couldn't speak German and it's nice to be able to speak your mother tongue every once in a while so naturally we spoke English. I never knew that doing a simple thing such as speaking English was seen as an invitation for strangers to come up to you and just start asking you random, off the wall questions. Not saying that this will always happen but it is a good possibility that it will happen especially when in a bigger city.

Rule #2: Expectations aren't exactly your friend... don't be fooled

If there is one thing that being here as taught me I would have to say that being flexible it one of them. It's always really easy to just expect people to react a certain way but at the end of the day it is and will always be better to just go with the flow. Expect anything expect the unexpected. The people, culture and custom are often times different and you can't really understand 'why?' but just go with it because that is just how it is.

Top Ten Reasons for Studying Abroad:

1. Learn a language in the country that it is spoken.

Studying abroad is the perfect way for you to becoming fluent in a language. Immersion is the only way to become fluent in a language and not to mention you don't have to memorize vocabulary list :)

2. Learn about yourself and gain independence.

Many people spend a lifetime trying to learn about themselves and fail to realize that sometimes in order to see yourself in a different light you need to change your surroundings and take a journey to a place that is different from what they are used to.

3. Traveling/Studying abroad is a life-altering experience!

Experiencing life abroad is truly an eye opening experience. You are able to think different due to the fact that you have seen the world through different eyes; which is far better than any movie, and magazing could ever portray.

4. Gain perspective on your own country and culture.

When the average American thinks about Halloween, the first thing that comes to mind is trick-or-treat. Do you know why Halloween is a holiday? Most don't, so it's ok but going abroad can aid you in learning so much about your own culture, things that you haven't even thought about before.

5. See the world (or at least a part of it).

There is so much to see in the world and yea you could take a week or two vacation to another country but when it comes to the differences in cultures you won't really be able to see that. Well, lets be honest here most tourist are trying to see as many sites as possible you aren't able to see just the every day to day life.

6. Make connections that can last a lifetime.

Everybody knows the saying "It's not what you got, it's who you know" and well the connections that are formed while on an exchange between your host family or even the friends that you make are connections that you have never been made had you not traveled to another country.

7. Resume builder.

In today's competitive work force it is always helpful to have a little something extra under your belt. Global unification is becoming increasingly important and companies seek people that are able to provide a positive working environment with people from other cultural backgrounds. Studying abroad shows that you have these qualities that they are looking for.

8. Experience hands-on learning.

The amount that is learned from from you actually being there and doing it yourself is so much more worthwhile than reading a book or watching a film; Instead of hearing about somebody else's experiences you get to form your own.

9. Programs work with any academic program.

There is a program that is perfect for you. Can't afford to miss a year of school? Then you can always do a summer program.

10. International travel and study are fun and exciting.

I think this one is pretty self explanatory.

Oktoberfest und Orchester

So on the 2nd of Oktober I went with my host family to Oktoberfest because that was the last weekend that it would be going for this year. We drove to Munchen which is actually only like an hour away to my surprise and I got to see tons and tons of fields where they make beer. Pretty much it was like a HUGE carnival like yea beer was a part of it but I mean there was a lot more too it than that. Not everybody wears Ledershosen und Dirndls although a good amount of people do. I am glad that I was able to experience it, oh and the Bier tents aren't impossible to get into assuming that you are willing to wait a long time in line, and the line isn't even a line its more like a big bundle of people that are crowded together... I must say they are very dedicated because I know it had to be really sweaty standing there. There were tons of rides too but they are really, really expensive and there is no such thing as buying a day pass... it's kind of like the way that there are no refills (which sucks by the way).

The day after that I went to the Junior Classic Orchester (Orchestra) that plays here where I live and it was really nice, I enjoyed it alot and since I didn't have a violin yet the teacher let me use his.

On Sunday, Oktober 3, I went out with my host siblings. We went bowling and well I suck at bowling but it was fun.

Dienstag, Oktober 5, my host mother and I went to the Geigenbauer and I got a violin!

And now it has been a little bit over a month since I have been with my host family and well I think my German is getting better, I know that I can understand a lot more than I could before. Some days you feel awesome because you understand most things and then there are days when you feel like you haven't learned anything so it's pretty up and down.

Second Sunday in Bayern

Today was a good Sunday :) this morning I went in the city (well I live in the city but like in the center, I guess I should say) with a girl from my class. We walked part of the Donau which is the river than runs through my city and it was awesome and very pretty. For lunch I had some of the best pizza EVER. Eventually when I returned home me and my host parents went cycling and got some Italian Eis (ice cream) and es schmeckt gut :P and then we went sight seeing because there is tons to see where I leave. I saw a lot of old churches and I learned a lot. When we returned home I ate and I don't know what it's called but it was out of this world and then my host dad helped me with homework... which consisted of me reading outloud, saying what I thought it meant and then him telling me what it actually meant... it took over 30 minutes to read 2 pages :( but I learned the material and I guess that is all that matters. Anyways it is kind of late and I have school in the morning so Bis spaeter :)

Schultüte und Schule

Yesterday my host family gave me a Schultüte or some call it a Zuckertüte either way I got one because well yesterday was my first day of German school :). I haven't opened it yet because it looks too pretty to open but all of the candy (that I can see anyways) are delicious because well lets just say that I have had way more than my fair share of candy while I was in Hedersleben.

So today was my first real day of school and well it was ok, school will always be school and it was just school in a different language basically. They speak so ridiculously fast like some of them I can understand but when they mumble there is just no hope. Today was more like rules for every class and what you should bring but in Geographie und Physik we actually talked about something. Oh and then in Sport we did play Fußball so that was fun. The locker rooms are really different because it is just one room and you just change no lockers or anything. Sport is only on Wednesday so you just bring your Sport clothes with you on Wednesdays it's not that bad. I could actually understand that teacher. I am kind of considering getting out of some of my classes because it seems that I am one of the only that have 15 classes here where are some others have like 10 or 7 or something but then I kind of want to experience all of school and it's not too much because they don't like expect me to write essays or anything so I think I will be fine but it is a thought. Daniela (my oldest host sister) will be going back from Egypt tomorrow and depending when I get out of school I might be able to go with my host dad to go pick her up in Munich, we shall see.

Oh and I almost forgot to mention, this morning I totally took the wrong bus to school, I totally figured it all out though but still it was a crazy morning and I got to school like 2 minutes before the bell rang. At least I know now, so hopefully that doesn't happen again any time soon. Servus

Host Family

So I didn't really write about my host family last time but in a word they are amazing and I think they are the perfect match for me. I was greeted by Elke, Richard and Nicole at the trainstation in Regensburg and to my surprise it wasn't awkward at all (thank goodness). They are constantly speaking German to me which is a good thing and most of the time when I don't understand they just say it in another way but in German of course. Normally in the evening I walk the dog with my host dad but the evenings are normally free which is nice. Uh actually they have a Handy for me so YAY!

Well I don't know what else would be interesting but since today was my first day at school I think that I will talk a little bit about that ok so. We I have never felt as lost as I did today at the beginning when I had to go ask the secretary in broken German what my schedule was and other random need to know questions. In language camp there was always somebody there that could speak English if you get stuck when speaking German but here NO you pretty much just have to go with it because if not well nothing gets accomplished and there is nobody to ask questions for you. Anyways though there is a girl that sits beside me in class her name is Maria and she helped me the ENTIRE time because only understood probably 10% of what was going on so she would explain to me what was going on in German but I could understand. The teacher talked so fast it is insane like by the time I realize that I knew a word she said she is already in a whole different sentence. Not to mention the students talking I just sit there, and anybody that knows me knows that I love to talk well that has changed I still talk which I know what is going on but I don't think I have ever been so quiet in my life. Anyways even though the language was a no go the day was good. I got tons of books for all my classes, all fifteen, yes I said 15 and its whatever... for now. Oh I was hoaxed into introducing myself to the class and our Klass Lehrerin is also my English teacher so she said that I could speak in English also. So it was more like German sentence, Englisch sentence and so on but apparently I speak English too fast so they couldn't understand and I got blank stares... which is actually how I feel everyday here. My school is really nice it is modern and just like WOW. I shall post pictures later. I like the fact that people are willing to help and are really patient with me because well it's difficult not understanding what is going on but I know it will get better in time so I am not too worried about it. I will try and write more often about whatever and post pictures later too. Bis dann.

Another long update

I arrived at my host family's yesterday but I will make another post for that. I am just going to talk about my last weeks at language camp. In short language camp was a blast and went by quicker than I imagined. I made some friends and got a good foundation that I can build on this year.

27.8.10 Today we went to the Feuerwehr (fire station), who ever imagined that a fire station could be so fun. First they told us about what they do and all the jazz but later we went to two other cities and visited their Feuerwehr. The last one had some type of childrens program so there were tons of kids and this one in particular gave us a tour and attempted to practice his English. Before we returned to the Kloster the Feuerwehr treated us to Würstchen which were really good. Grammar is such a pain and it seems to be never ending, not to mention complicated. Just so happens that you need it in order to not sound like you are stupid anyways though it's going to take some time.

31.9.10 We went to a German BBQ and it was indoors and just very different from the BBQ's I have been to. After the game we watched a game of soccer it was the Americans vs. Germans. We won one of the games and the other we lost (by a point!)

2.9.10 Went to Halberstadt we went by train, which was a first for me made my stomach hurt but it was still awesome. I bought a new dictionary because I lost my other one. We got a tour of this old church can't remember the name of it but the tour was in all german and I understood most of it. I fried one of the fuses in my convertor. Opps. kind of random but its ok because there was an extra fuse.

4.9.10 A guy named Max came to talk to us from P.I. so we didn't have morning class (YAY) but we got homework (BOO). We have had alot of people from PI come to talk to us they all kind of say the same thing though haha. I am starting to become scared of going to school here like I probably won't be able to understand anything.

7.9.10 So there are only 3 days left here in Hedersleben and only one day of class left and tomorrow we have finals. I am currently sick and I didn't go to class today but Juli bought me some medicine and tea so that was nice. I did go to evening class although I was coughing the entire time and blowing my nose. I am pretty sure my nose is raw. It is weird knowing that I have almost being here for a month and it seems like just last week I was getting off a plane in Frankfurt.

8.9.10 The finals went well and I am very proud of my ability to make up stuff on the spot and I figure this will be a very useful ability throughout the year.

9.9.10 Madgeburg day we went to see one of Hundertwasser buildings and he is a very famous architect and the building looked like candy land or something. We got a tour of this big Dom called the Madeburger Dom and it was a big cathedral. After that we got to watch the Sachsen-Anhalt Government in action and well it was just very different that any government. Some people were eating, some were walking around, people were constantly going in and out of the room and this one guy was on his phone. Shortly after watching them we were able to wonder around and by that time it was almost 14:00 so the first place we went was to eat and I had a Döner and it was so amazingly good OMG!

10.9.10 Today was pretty much a free day in the morning we cleaned up our class and Juli said goodbyes she told every individual person something. She also handed out T-Shirts from PI, candy and a card that included three pictures and a certificate. I really enjoyed that class and now it's over but I definantely have some good memories. For dinner we have a medical dinner and it was out of this world. I am really nervous now about my german skills or lack there of but it's a little to late to get cold feet. There was a talent show at 20:00 but I wanted to run to the store so India and Jenny went with me. When we came back all the doors were locked and everybody was already in the AULA (the room that the talent show was held in) so we were stuck outside for like 20 minutes until this guy from the Feuerwehr who came to see the talent show came and he called somebody that was inside to open the door. But the talent show was still epic even though I was 20 minutes late to see it.

11.9.10 Had breakfast and then took a bus to Madgeburg and said goodbye to everybody which was weird because well I have been around them 24/7 for the last month. But I will get to see them again in Januar. Anyways I am kind of in love with the trains and I am wondering why there aren't more and better ones in America. I got to have a 6 hour train ride on the ICE :D

Sorry for not updating but I am here ;)

Sorry for not updating this more but I really haven’t had the time to write about everything. Not to mention that there is no internet here at the Kloster (monastery) so I have to go to the next town over to use this café so anyways. This is how my experience in Germany has been so far. 15.8.10 Today has been quite an experience. For starters I procrastinated like crazy and didn’t start packing until two days ago and I was still packing as I was walking out the door… (go figure) Yesterday I spent the majority of my time with my family and I bought host family gifts. Have I mentioned how hard it is to buy gifts for people that you don’t know… well yea it is hard. While on the subject of host families it might be worth it to mention that it really sucks not having one like everybody is talking about where they are going and then when they get to me all I can say is “I don’t have a host family”… As I mentioned before my flight flew out of KCI really early but luckily there was somebody at the airport when I got there so me and Jennifer spent most of the day wondering around Dulles International Airport (IAD). Thankfully the time went by really quick so it was ok. It was fun and something that caught me COMPLETELY off-guard was that EVERY single worker there had a foreign accent… it was cool to say the least but still very unexpected. Since me and Jennifer were the first ones at the airport about an hour before it was time for us to meet at out terminal we went and sat and more and more people just started coming. Everybody was sharing random information that I am pretty sure nobody will remember tomorrow but the people are really great. Oh and ok this is random too but anyways, did I mention that I am the only black person here? Not, that is bothers me because it really doesn’t matter but I just expected more… I don’t know. Moving on… When the plane from DC to Frankfurt was starting up all the announcements were in English and German and even though I couldn’t understand it, knowing that in ten months I will understand all of it is beyond exciting. I am a bit nervous about the language, I just really don’t know what to expect. One last thing thought, I couldn’t be happier that I pushed myself to do this because for one it is a great honor and it’s just like all the packet I filled out weren’t in vain. PS. The only countdown left is the one to the end of camp. :P 16.8.10 After falling asleep I woke up to find out that we were going to be landing in 30 minutes to Frankfurt. So while I am talking about flying let’s talk about airplane food… um well it’s not really good but it’s not disgusting either I mean I don’t know it’s alright I guess. I had the honor (hence the sarcasm) of sitting next to this old man and he slept the ENTIRE ride and he had the window seat which I really wanted; talk about such a waste of the perfect seat. Moving on the awesomest (yes I know it’s not a word but don’t ruin my fun) part we got to walk down the stairs when we got off the plane feel free to take a moment and be jealous or just think um ok she is weird either way I thought it was the sweetest moment. That was my celebrity moment minus the heavy backpack and carryon. Then we got to ride the shuttle and I had to stand and was basically sliding everywhere not to mention it was hot and people were just packed together similar to sardines in a can. I had coffee in Frankfurt and it was called Wiener something can’t really remember but it was GROSS! Then I had a cappuccino which made it all better. One of the first differences that I noticed here is that there is a lot of greenery but minus that the people here (at least at the airport) are really direct and it is like almost rude but then again that might just be my American perspective I don’t really know. For example, there was this lady that was at the checkout desk which we had to go through before we could board the plane to Leipzig but you scan your own ticket she just makes sure like nobody jumps the gate or something silly like that and she completely flipped out because somebody didn’t know how to use the ticket scanner. The flight with the Lufthansa was hot and they gave me some of the nastiest, harshest water I have ever tasted (no it was not Sprudel Wasser). Anyways it made my stomach hurt. Actually all the flight caused my allergies to flare up really badly and I am still blowing my nose as I write this. This brings me to the subject of the toilet paper. In a sentence the toilet paper is not hard, well at least not like cut you or anything but it is NOTHING like Charmin (I miss Charmin). Any-who the Leipzig airport was really modern and it was mainly made of glass. Waiting for luggage was tedious and not to mention when you have to pull two large bags, wear a backpack, have a purse and carry a carry on; every muscle in your body including the ones that you didn’t know existed start to ache. We got bused to Hedersleben on two Mercedes-Benz buses they were nice and I should have taken pictures but at the time I was too concerned about just resting my bones. We might have traveled the Autobahn but I am not entirely sure to be completely honest. Being surrounded by German is definitely something that I will need to get used to I mean it’s not 24/7 seeing as I am with 47 other American kids and we speak English with one another but still not understanding leaves you with a weird feelings. I guess it is whatever and it will get better as the time goes by. We have TVs in our rooms and the main thing on are American movies that are all dubbed it is really odd seeing their mouths move on way and the sound not matching it. Speaking of sound there are more English songs on the radio than anything, we listened to Lady Gaga’s song on the way to Hedersleben. Hedersleben is really rustic looking and it smelly dusty. There are a lot of spiders here too but they don’t even bother you. They have probably been here so long only god knows. There is a group of guys that sit outside the monastery and just chill but they say really random stuff to you and it is best to just ignore them. For dinner we had Schnitzel which was delicious like it was seriously out of this world. We also had Pommes Frites and they were also very good, we are supposed to eat them with a fork… The soda and all the drinks for that matter aren’t really chilled. I drank a Fanta (orange) even though it looked more like Lemonade but it doesn’t really taste like American Fanta. I don’t even know how to describe it but it’s just different it is really good though. After dinner we had a meeting and got placed in out classes (there is one advanced class, one intermediate class and two beginners classes). I am not sure what my teachers name is but she is rather young and probably close to our age. Anyways Gerd, the old guy here talked about the rules here and he also said that we haven’t got any internet and that we can’t even call home to say we made it because of whatever reason. This was a bit disappointing because well I mean they DID tell us that we would be able to call home upon arrival and that every week we could use the internet. I explored the town with my roommate, Sara. We went to some type of youth place it is kind of like the YMCA and there were some old guys inside playing soccer. After that we went to this really small grocery store and I got a Kinder Egg. It was some of the best chocolate that I have ever tasted. I am going to go back tomorrow and get some more. Walking around here is so calming the air here is different like breathing is so much easier. Oh and did I mention that the roads in this village are cobblestone minus a couple parts. It was hard pulling luggage across it but it gives this place a nice feel. 17.8.10 So have I mentioned that Broetchen is some of the best bread ever? Well, it is. My teacher is seriously amazing. We don’t speak ANY English in my class (I am in the intermediate class by the way). Turns out the Jeanne is leaving AYUSA on Friday and is going to go back to school to get her degree to become a high school counselor. We watch the news called “Huete” everyday at 7 (on the dot) and I hardly understood anything. We found a “Computer Cabinet” at the Hedersleben HOF which is like a YMCA but it is also a town hall haha. The ladies there were kind of standoff- ish though so yea… 19.8.10 We got to use the internet today and that was pretty much it. Sorry it’s not anything more interesting. I feel kind of bad about not missing America but right now everything is just like really great. It doesn’t really feel like I am an ocean away from home but yea. Oh and we showed my teacher some American games in class like: duck, duck, goose; red light, green light; and charades. (sp?) I thought I would miss internet more than I do but it feels great knowing that I can live without it without going crazy. So I am rambling and I think I should stop.

21.8.10 I watched some movie this morning instead of going to morning class… well ok I didn’t watch it because I feel asleep but shh don’t tell. I seriously sleep through the whole thing but I really couldn’t help it like I had no control over my eyes and I didn’t get caught so it was completely ok. About 18 of us (American kids) went to Quedlinburg which is much bigger than Hedersleben. We went to a small café that just so happened to have internet and I ordered an Eiskaffeeschokolade and it was delicious like you just have to have one you won’t regret it. It was kind of expensive though but whatever it was worth it. Today was actually hot it was like 29 degrees C and which is really rare because it is always like semi cold. Oh and when we went to Quedlinburg we took a bus/taxi thingy like I am not even going to try and explain it haha but like we got to go by ourselves meaning no teachers. I love the amount of freedom we get but it is really safe here so it’s ok. Oh and I left my purse on the bus so Gerd (the top dog here) had to call the company and yea… 22.8.10 Today right after breakfast I walked to the bus station to get my purse and luckily everything was right where I had left it. So since today is Sunday I decided to go to church and there are only two churches here one is Catholic and the other the Protestant. So I ended up going to the Protestant one because I had to go to the bus station this morning and I would have been late for the Catholic one. Church here (at least in Hedersleben) is really short like I wasn’t there for even an hour. I think next Sunday I will go to the Catholic Church because I have never been to a catholic church before. I met 4 German girls and I have been talking to them for the last couple of days anyways though they are really nice and they help us Americans a lot without German. Apparently we live here on the 11th of September and not the 15th. 25.8.10 This morning we did some community service and painted random object here around Hedersleben maybe that sounds lame but it was really fun :] my group painted a crate that will be used for “Laub” I know what it means but I can’t really translate it to English sorry. We painted ours with an ocean theme and it was seriously awesome. In the evening we went to the town hall we played a game at the Kegelbahn, ate and line danced. Oh and Kegeln was fun like it is basically like bowling only the balls don’t have holes and the pins are held with string. ABOUT TODAY WHICH WAS THE BEST DAY EVER!! Ok just guess.. I will wait anyways. I GOT A HOST FAMILY!!!! So this evening our class went to watch this German movie called “Das Leben der Anderen” and I was passing Gerd and he had a hand full of Host family placements and I was thinking ‘oh great I have to listen to everybody rant about their families while I on the other hand am homeless’ and then Gerd goes “Jenaé” in the best German accent. I then saw the paper with my name on it and screamed like the world was coming to an end. So about my host family I have a mom, dad, and two sisters, a dog (beagle) and a hamster. I am going to be staying with the Gottswinter family and they live in Regensburg, Bavaria. I am going to be living in BAYERN which is where I wanted to go so like it’s just perfect. It’s a city that has 150,000 so it is going to be way different from where I am from. My host mom is Elke and she is a dental assistant part time and she likes to swim, go cycling and garden. My host dad is Richard and he is a business economist and worlds for a big company. The oldest sister is 21 and her name is Daniela and she is an industrial clerk. And then there is Nicole and she is only 8 days older than me she just finished school in July and now is doing an apprenticeship to be an office clerk. She likes to play soccer and is just really athletic. The dogs name is Othello and he is 11 years old and the hamster is 5 months old. I am going to have my own room and I am only a 10 minutes bike ride of bus ride from the center of town. I am not that far from Munich and I am also close to Nuremburg. So that is all, I am EXCITED. I will write more later but I have to go call my parents and host family.