Author: Krysta Boyer

Since I have arrived in Germany for my study abroad program every day has been jam packed with new things. Here is a quick recap of what my week has looked like on my ongoing adventure abroad.

Tuesday– Today was the first day of P.E. (sports is what we call it here.) We had to do the Cooper Test… and it is not fun! You are supposed to run around the track for 12 minutes and see how many laps you make. I made about 4 or 5 (I lost count somewhere) and the goal is to run 2 kilometers. (Please don’t ask me how many laps are in a kilometer because I honestly don’t know.) I did the conversion and 2 kilometers is about 1.4 miles. Then we played dodge ball (our team won both times!). Svea and I made cookies!!!! They had toffee chips in them and were very delicious! Svea’s friend came over for a while and we talked and had a good time. Birgit randomly asked me if and when my parents would visit me here. I told her they would be coming at the end of the year, either June or July. She then mused upon the idea of my family and host family going on vacation together. We talked about the Alps, site seeing in Munich, Frankfort, or Hamburg, and even visiting some amazing caves! I’m sure that if we do end up going on vacation together it will be awesome!

Wednesday– Let’s give a thank you to all the high school Chemistry and Biology teachers that most of us would say we can’t stand. Yes, I will admit I didn’t like my 10^th grade Biology teacher at the time (anyone who knows me and is reading this… please don’t tell her because now I really love her) or organic chemistry in 11^th grade, but THANK GOD that I already know some of this stuff. Just think… you’re in class… you don’t know what the teacher is saying…. the only clues to what you are doing come from the pictures in your packet and your English speaking friends… so it is GREAT that I already know what we are talking about (I am pretty sure grammar flew out the window for that sentence). So thanks! We don’t give you enough appreciation. Wednesday was the first day I went to the Kindercentrum (Kids center) to play football (soccer) with the kids there. When I came home Svea was making Panekochen (pancakes: more like crepes though) and for dinner I had Panekochen and nutella, Svea had cheese and meat on hers though. It would have been a good day if I had remembered to pack my cookie for lunch.

Thursday– First day of language school! Birgit got me and Khem into a language school near Hauptbahnhof. The classes are amazing: our teacher is amazing, its really fun and interesting, there are no dumb questions, and when our teacher tries to mime things it is so funny. There are a lot of Syrians in the class. There is a girl from Portugual, Bulgaria, and a boy from Afghanistan. Khem is the youngest, being 16, and almost everyone else is in their 20s. I know we are going to have a fun time. Birgit and Svea were gone when I got home so Per went down the street to get chicken for dinner. What I hadn’t realized was that he had gotten a whole (small) chicken for each of us!

Friday– First day of choir! It was actually really great and I think choir will help me pronounce some of the German words I don’t know. We took the bus to Khem and Herbert’s place and decided we were hungry, so we tried to make some vegetable rolls in a pan on the stove. They were burnt and cold (how does that happen?) but that isn’t even the best part. After ignoring my protests not to, Khem poured some cold water in the pan and a lot of stem rose from the mess, which ended up setting off the FIRE ALARM! Khem went running around like a chicken without a head. He was frantically calling anyone and everyone as the bell rang. Finally Birgit picked up and told him to shut off all the electricity in the house. He was so relieved… that the fire department wasn’t called! (seriously… that’s what he was relieved about!) He was worried he would have to pay for the firefighters (like we would have had to at the hostel)! Hahaha silly Khem! Once I got home I watched an episode of Sherlock (in German with English subtitles) with Svea before getting ready to go out. Me, Khem, and a few friends went out to dinner. It was great! We had a great time and it was great to know Khem and I had friends who wanted to hang out with us outside of school.

Saturday– Bodo, Khem, and I went on an impromptu hike on the Rhein river. We started at Rüdesheim and took a cable car up a little ways past the wine fields. It was so beautiful. Then we saw this amazing statue of Niederwald monument, Vater Rhein (Father Rhein), and Lady Mosel. We took a quick 1 hour hike through the forest and met up with a ski lift to take us back down. While in the forest we talked a lot about trees, American national parks, and anything that came to mind. Once down the mountain (more like hilly thing) we walked through Hollengasse (Hell’s gate) in Assmannshausen to get a bite to eat before catching a boat back to the train station. It was very peaceful and beautiful. Plus I think pictures speak better than words so look at them and you can see for yourself. Once we got home I was SO tired, but I told my family I would stay up and watch a movie with them. What movie do you think they picked?… a comedy or action or… CLOUD ATLAS! The hardest, most confusing movie EVER. So lets recap… I am super tired, (it’s in German so) I don’t understand anything being said, and I have no clue of any plot. My host family pretty much explained the movie once it was over. (Thank god they can put up with me.)

Sunday– My local coordinator came for another orientation. (I think it was mostly for Joao (Brazilian) because he didn’t have an orientation in Köln.) We had a nice meal together and  took a tour around the city. We drank some of the spring water. It tastes weird but it is really good for you. I tried my first dönner. It is a Turkish meal with flat bread, meat, lettuce, and some weird sauce. It was pretty good (I try to keep an open mind, but if I really didn’t like it I would tell someone.) but there was a lot. We came home and watched Sherlock again. Then I skyped with my parents and Grandparents. I really feel like I fit in with my host family. I feel like we have known each other more than two weeks because we click so well. But I still like to talk to my parents and grandparents and siblings to make sure they are ok. Sometimes I can feel the distance and sometimes I feel like if I walked in the right direction for a few minutes I would be at my house. It is a weird feeling.

Monday was the first day of school for me and Khem for our study abroad program in Germany. I was very excited, there were butterflies in my stomach. The only classes I had were Tutorium, for an hour, English for an hour, and Biology, for two hours, and the day ended at 11:30. Me and Khem got a little lost on the way home, but we eventually found our way. We tried to get into an intensive language course but they don’t start until November so Birgit is going to get us into a different school. We went to the Burger Buro (citizen’s office) to get our bus tickets for the year.

Tuesday I got lost on the way to school. I have to take the bus, but its not like a normal school bus that goes directly to the school with a few stops in-between. This is a giant bus system like those in Washington D.C. or Chicago, but WAY more complicated. I have to get on one of the buses but I have to switch to a different one later. So I took two buses and I ended up at a school. I looked around but couldn’t find anything I remembered so I asked someone where I was. I WAS AT THE WRONG SCHOOL!

I got back on the bus and went to the central station Hauptbahnhof. I looked on the board and it said that 38 went to my school. So I waited… and waited… but 38 never showed up. I tried to text Svea but there was something wrong with my phone and I couldn’t do anything. I started asking people if they knew where my school was and how to get there. No one did. Finally, I had a mental break down and started crying really badly. This college aged guy looked it up on his phone and found the closest bus station. He directed me where to go and told me where to get off. He was so nice.

Then when I got to school, an hour late by the way, I went to the classroom that was on my schedule. Apparently, though, the classroom had been changed. I looked really stupid, my eyes were still a little puffy, and I was super late; I am sure I looked really stupid for my first religion class. Plus, my teacher doesn’t know English so I couldn’t really explain why I was late, but a classmate helped me out and told my story. I was very homesick after that. Plus, since I didn’t know the way to school, what makes you think I could find my way home.

I took one of the buses all the way to the end on accident and had to take a different bus just to get back into town. Then I found a place I had passed a few times on my way through town. I walked the way everyone was walking and I came by the Burger Buro. I knew kind of where I was and I knew a bus stop nearby, but I didn’t trust the buses at this point. I walked and walked until I came to the bottom of a hill. I thought, “I live on a hill!” So I started walking up. I got to the top of the hill and sure enough one turn to the left and there my house was. I was an hour and a half late, but I had made it home!

Wednesday, Birgit took me to school (because I told her the day before about taking the wrong buses and getting to school and home late). I finally made friends!!!!! (Party music and loud cheering in background) Friends I made (class/es we have together): Abuelina (English), Lara (Religion, Music, History), Sophie (English, History), Milina (Biology), and Paula (English, History). Svea and I watched the second Hunger Games movie in German.  All in all it was a GREAT, AWESOMELY FANTASTIC, SUPER day!!!!!!!

But then Thursday I took the wrong bus AGAIN! (but still on time.) and had school lunch for the first time. I played a game on Abuelina’s friend’s phone. (I dominated… even though it was in German.) Me and Abuelina like/know/watch the same shows. (Lab Rats) *It is so nice to have someone I can totally fan-girl with while I am here* Svea and I had a long philosophical discussion about the future and life in general. Then, Bodo, Birgit, Svea, and I went to see Monseiur Clyde und siene tochter. It was a very funny movie.

Friday I finally got the buses right on the way to school! Plus I had a three hour break between classes so Abuelina and I went around Wiesbaden to see everything there was to see. We stopped at bookstores (to buy “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “The Death of a Salesman”), clothing shops, and we saw some local sites. We ate at McDonald’s (which is much better here, but more expensive) and also got some chocolate for 40 cents at a local grocery store. We also saw the biggest cuckoo clock in the world (which is, long story short, actually not the biggest but they trademarked the name so they get to call it the biggest.) My music class got changed to Thursday during my free period so I can’t do choir. My music teacher told me they might move choir to Friday anyway… so maybe I can. This also means I get out at 12:30 on Fridays. I also figured out Netflix doesn’t work here.

On Saturday, Khem and Herbert came and picked me up to go to the Kinderfest. I made Svea, Khem, and I matching rubber band bracelets. They are black, yellow, and orange (cause there was no red) for the German flag. Then me and Khem went shopping for school supplies, gym shoes (for Khem), and shampoo. Then we met up with Bodo at the Internationalist’s festival and tried foods from all over the world. I had some fried potato thing from Korea and a cupcake from Britain. Then we went for Italian ice cream. I had a chocolate milkshake, and let me tell you the Italian’s own the milkshake in my eyes. It was sooooooo good. I found out that the reason my phone wasn’t working was because I gave out the wrong number. Then Khem, Svea, and I  watched Pitch Perfect. Plus we danced and sang to all the songs. SUPER FUN!!!! After Khem left me and Svea had another one of our hour and a half philosophical talks right before heading to bed.

Sunday the seven of us had breakfast together: Svea, Bodo, Birgit, Khem, Bobo (Per’s friend), Per, and I. Then Khem, Bodo, Birgit, and I went to the palace because you could get in for free today. There was an antique car show outside the palace. We went to the Markt Kirche (market church) and the theatre. It was such an exciting day and I was really tired when we came home for tea and cakes (which is a normal thing we do on Sundays). Svea, Khem, and I watched “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” in German (which is still funny even if you don’t know what they are saying).

This week has been very eventful. I can’t believe I have only been here for 9 days. I feel so at home here. I have a great older sister (It’s weird not being the oldest) who I can talk to and laugh with. We have so much fun!  And I have an older brother who teases, makes fun of, and annoys me. He plays tons of video games and the few times I see him we end up making sarcastic remarks at each other. I feel so excepted here, like I have known and loved my host family like my real brother and sister my whole life. Don’t get me wrong I love and miss my family SO MUCH. But I understand that I have to let them go for a while and I will see them again.​

I arrived at my host family home yesterday for the start of my high school abroad program in Germany. We were so busy working around the bus strike that me and Khem (from Thailand) didn’t arrive until around 2:00 pm when we should have arrived at 12:00 pm or so. Once we had made it to the train station in Mainz, I met Bodo and Svea in person for the first time. It was wonderful to finally meet the people I had been in contact with for such a long time, and Svea and I had gotten along so well online that I knew already we would be friends.

We dropped Khem off at his host father’s house, which is about five minutes from mine, and then headed home. We are on the top floor so that means climbing a lot of stairs, and I unpacked. We sat down to have drinks, have snacks, and talk. Once we were done I quietly read in the family room, and took a short nap on accident (Whoops!), but after that the house was full of people. Per (my host brother) came back from Ecuador yesterday and a few of his and Svea’s friends came over for dinner and went out for drinks. Unfortunately, I could not accompany because Bodo, Birgit, and I went for a walk around Wiesbaden. There were many interesting churches and they explained the shops and layout of the town. Once we got home I was so tired, I walked up to my room and fell right asleep.

Today, I got up and the family, some friends, and I went to an American sports restaurant to have brunch.  There was an all you can eat buffet with everything from pancakes to ribs. Some of the foods I had never seen. I tried as many as I could but I became very full and the line was long. After that we came home and Svea and I watch “Die Tribute von Panem” which is the first Hunger Games movie in German. Sometime we plan on watching the second. After that we had a birthday celebration for Per, Bodo, and Birgit because all of their birthdays have past. We had a marzipan cake and they received presents. After that I tried to Skype my best friend and my parents but they did not answer. Khem came over at about 8:00 with his host dad because Birgit is Khem’s local coordinator. I wonder when my coordinator will come and visit? Tomorrow we start school and I am really excited, but I need to go to bed now.

After flying 21 hours (exhausting by the way) I arrived in the Koeln airport to start orientation for my high school abroad program in Germany. I met up with an Italian boy on my flight, his name was Matteo, a boy from Brazil named Guilerhme, and  another Italian boy named, Alessio. We learned a lot about each other and our different countries in the fifteen minute trip between the airport and the hostel. For those of you who don’t know a hostel is like a hotel for young people. There are four to a room, two bunk beds, and an itty-bitty bathroom.

Over the three(ish) days we were here we learned German history, culture, traditions, grammar, and we were always learning something new about each other. Everyday we were allowed three meals in the cafeteria, and I can’t speak for everyone, but I never sat with the same group of people twice. There are a lot of eccentrics, Rebecca and TONS of Italians (they are like half of our group.) and many Brazilians.

Today, we wrote letters to our future selves, and I don’t know if I will feel the same about what I have written at the end of my journey, but I look optimistically at the start. We are about to go our own ways, meet our perspective new host families and we are all terribly sad (but also super excited!!!!!!!!). Some of us will leave by plane, some will be picked up, but for those of us trying to take the train… we are elated by the mystery. See… train workers tomorrow will be going on strike from 4:00-9:00. SO, that’s gonna be fun. (Sarcasm!) We are all in the dark about what will happen, even those who have reliable transportation.

We have been prepared, but it is like Columbus discovering America. We will be discovering new things, trying new foods, and far from our roots/parents. (Some more than others.) But we are strong. Only 90% will get homesick and go through culture shock!!!! (I am planning to be in the 10%.) But we will climb these mountains as if they were the Alps. (Which I hope to be doing sometime this year.) And we will come out on top. We will adapt. And we will never be the same!

Photo caption for above image: Here are my roommates. From left to right: Me, Sylvianna (Italian), Giulia (Italian), and Paola (Mexican).