Germany 1997 with ISE group from Lincoln High School {the tour group comprised of three different high schools and their German teachers. We had Frau Borksi and Herr Zander with us.}
7 June - Today was our traveling day. Yesterday, I said good-bye to some of my friends - Bill M, Theresa L and Karl G. This morning, the ISE group met at LHS and left for Madison. Kendra J and I played magnetic checkers. We got to the airport and waited. The flight to Detroit left at 1:30 pm and lasted an hour. We had about three hours to kill in the airport, so Kendra and I wandered around. I carry the Beanie Baby moose that Karl sent with me everywhere. I bought pizza, a Redwings hockey puck for $4, frozen yogurt and a pack of stamps for $3.20. I wrote letters to Karl and my mom and dad. I mailed them, then I talked to some of the people in our group and a German couple. I took a few pictures. The flight was delayed a long time because it was overbooked. We were supposed to leave at 7:15, but didn't go until 8:40 pm. I had some fish for dinner that they served around 10:30 pm ET. Then I fell asleep.
8 June - I slept for a few hours. I hope adjusting isn't that hard. Molly K and I got up and looked out the window at England. They served us some breakfast at 3:40 am ET. This is really weird. We flew and flew. We finally landed at 11:00 am Frankfurt time. We got our luggage and headed to the buses. It'll be a few more hours before we stop. It's really warm and humid here - it rained before we got in. It looks a lot like Wisconsin here in Frankfurt. There are trees and pines and mini-vans. We are driving on the Autobahn from Frankfurt to Triberg. We're past farmland and trees like the ones in California. All the houses I see look really plain with high, pointed red or brown roofs; most houses are white. I took a little nap and then we stopped in Baden-Baden for some lunch. As we drove on, we got deeper in the Black Forest. It is so beautiful here, with the high rolling hills and the little villages nestled here and there. I noticed that the clouds look exactly like they do in Rapids. That made me feel better. There are some of the prettiest houses here with woodwork and flowers. The streets are really narrow. I'd really like to go to sleep, but I'm afraid I'll miss something. Kendra's being cranky, because she didn't get any sleep, which she keeps telling me. We just drove through a tunnel; actually, a couple. I keep trying to get a good picture of this little river that runs along this road. Oh, well, didn't get it. We got to our hotel in Triberg and our room. It's really small and plain. There is no TV. The bathroom has a shower. There is a double bed with two down comforters. We're supposed to wrap ourselves up in these. Kendra and I walked along the main road to see what's here. We got tired and went back. Later, we went to an Italian restaurant for dinner. I'm really tired, so I'm going to read then go to bed. There was also a brief thunderstorm while we were eating. Just like home.
9 June - We got up late and had to hurry to breakfast. We took a bus ride to this park. But first we stopped at a shop that sold cuckoo clocks. I bought two nutcrackers. One was 120 marks for my mom. The other, 54.50 DM for someone else. I got a few postcards, too. The place we stopped at had a whole bunch of Black Forest houses and barns from the 1600-1900s. It was pretty neat. It's also a very nice, sunny day. Then we went back on the bus to go back to Triberg. We were going on a picnic lunch, so we had to buy things for it. I got chips. We got on the bus and drove into a meadow in the middle of nowhere. We ate lunch in a group with three girls from Menomonie - Lecia, Jeanette and Cassie. Then we did this dopey "let's all sing and dance" type tying. We drove back and then we went to the Black Forest museum. Interesting history, but kinda boring, too. We (Kendra, Molly, Jessica E and I) wandered into shops for stuff to buy. I bought two cuckoo clocks, little ones, for 27.50 DM each. I've resolved to stop spending money. It didn't last long, though. I wanted some stamps and decided to mail home the big nutcracker. Everything total at the post office cost me 40 DM. I couldn't believe it! We all met in the hotel and took a walk up the city street to see the waterfall. It as really pretty and high up. I got plenty of pictures. I met some girls from Minnesota, too, Susan and Katie. We ate dinner in the hotel - potato pancakes for me. I spent most of the time afterwards writing and talking to my friends. I sent postcards to Gramma, Grandma & Grandpa, Cheryl, Bill & Theresa.
10 June - We checked out this morning and drove to Birnau on Lake Constance. We visited a church there. It was really beautiful inside, but I didn't stay inside that long. Then we drove along the coast to Meersburg. We looked around and went on a boat ride to the island of Mainau. I got a headache, but the flowers there were pretty. But the time we went back to Meersburg, I wasn't feeling very well, with the sun and not having eaten much for lunch. I went with the teachers to find some shade. Amanda J and I split vanilla ice cream and strawberries. I've gotten a nice sunburn. I'm kinda ready to go home. We left for our hotel in Friedrichshafen. Oh, my god. You wouldn't believe how nice and expensive this hotel is. It has a television and our room has a balcony. I didn't have anything to do, so I watched TV. I saw The Littles, Home Improvement, and Married with Children. It is so weird hearing it all in German. I had to quick go down for a group meeting. {I got scolded by Herr Zander for being barefoot in the lobby} Amanda and I decided to go find food for ourselves - the rest of the group went swimming, but we didn't want to be in the sun. We walked towards the pier and ate at a little cafe. We shared a cheese pizza. I decided I needed money, so I tried getting some from an ATM. At first, the stupid thing wouldn't take my card, but it ate it after I asked it to. I took out 50 DM because I was down to 3 some in cash. I went back up to my room. I was bored, so I came up with a little list of German differences that no one would usually notice - door handles instead of knobs; no clicks in the room; light buttons instead of switches; no quilts or blankets, just a feather cover; showers with movable shower head positioning; big room key chains; you HAVE to wear shoes everywhere; pretty plain rooms; few radios or televisions; the voltage plug-ins; very few grocery stores, mostly specialty shops; and also the whole German language/Deutsche Mark thing. Well, at least somebody notices these things! A couple more things: the windows [are hinged at the bottom, not sash windows]; you have to to push the big toilet BUTTON on the wall to flush; etc. etc. etc. If I think of any more I'll write them down. I wrote a letter to Kathy, then called it a night.
11 June - This morning we watched Rugrats, the Smurfs, Tiny Toons and The Simpsons in German. I'm going to miss this hotel - it's so nice. We checked out and drove a long ways to Füssen. There we visited Schloß Neuschwanstein. It was really pretty, but it took forever to get in and around. I got pretty impatient. Some girls from Menomonie and I went to take pictures from the Marianbrücke, high over a waterfall and across from the castle. I had to keep myself from shaking, I got so scared on the bridge! Rob and Bill would have loved it. I walked the whole 30 some minutes back. I bought some postcards and an nice bierstein for Dave & Kathy for 42.50 DM. I got some yogurt for lunch, and sat and talked with Amanda and Joel. There was something wrong with the bus, so we had to sit around and wait. I through of some more differences between Germany and America - no screens on the windows => no mosquitoes; no sales tax on little things; water for drinking is carbonated and minerally; they don't serve water with meals; forests are really dense; the towels feel like gravel. We drove on through the Alps. They're a lot greener and grayer than I thought they'd be, but they're still really tall. I didn't stay with Kendra in the hotel; she wanted to be in a different room, so I stayed with Amanda and Jamie K. We went out to find dinner and finally found a Mex-American restaurant. I got a vegetarian quesadilla, but all it had in it were red, green, and yellow peppers, and onions. We walked around the middle of the city {Innsbruck} a little bit, then went back to our hotel. The guy at the front desk fixed our TV. I stayed up late writing a letting to Karl and talking to Frau Borski about a few things. I'm really not having fun yet, though I'm still hoping it gets better.
12 June - We got to sleep in today. I'm really, really, REALLY cold and wet. This morning we did a little more shopping. I bought a Stormtrooper PEZ dispenser, some candy and a little marizpan potato. We all drove up to the Olympic ski-jump arena. Amanda and I climbed up to the top and took pictures. We had time afterwards to go eat lunch, so Amanda and I went to a little cafe. I got a dumpling soup made with semolina and broth, raspberry soda and Linzer torte. It tasted so good! We all got together again and took a little walking tour of Innsbruck. We went on a tramcar up the mountain side. We were just getting into the forest when the heavens opened up. We had to walk for two hours soaking wet until we got to the restaurant we were going to eat dinner at. No one was too happy with the whole hike. We sat a long time before we got food. I don't want to walk all the way back to the hotel. My legs hurt so much and they won't stop shaking! I just want to take a nice, warm shower and put my sweatshirt & PJs on! I finally got my dinner, käsespätzle. At first it tasted good, then it got a bit sickening. It took forever to pay. It was STILL raining out. It's so dreary and I feel miserable. On the way back, Mark S kept talking about how "fun" everything was. Ha! I got back to the hotel, sore and wet. I went to the room and took a long, warm shower. It felt so good after being soaked to the skin and sitting around for five hours. Amanda and Jamie put up a clothes line in the middle of the room to dry clothes. It feels so good just to stop moving for once. I wonder exactly how many miles I've actually walked since we got here. I'm going to have calves of steel when I get back.
13 June - We got up this morning and checked out. I'm getting really sick of bread and jam for breakfast! We drove out of Austria to Mittenwald, where we took a little break. It was a really pretty village. I bought a crystal Rolls-Royce keychain for 10 DM. I also got a piece of cherry strudel. We drove on to Oberammergau. We took time to see the theater they stage the Passion Play every ten years, and also the fairy-tale painted houses. I bought some little painted and carved balls for 11 DM. Amanda and I went into a bunch of little souvenir shops. We bought some fruit for lunch. We drove on to Linderhof to see ANOTHER castle - King Ludwig II's residence. I used Frau Borski's calling card to say hi to my mom. I also bought a birthday card for Cassie - her 14th birthday is today. We finally got to Munich and checked into our hotel. we're in a room of four - me, Amanda, Kendra and Jessica E. It's good that our room's pretty big. Other difference - so polite here!; all the post boxes and telephones are yellow; the doors don't fit in the frames; not very many bums on the street {really, high-school me?}. We had a meeting in the lobby to discuss rules, then we all left to go to a beer hall to find dinner. Well, on the way we got lost and the heavens opened up once more. I got soaked (again!). We ended up at a little German restaurant. I had baked cheese (camembert) that tasted like fish. Not too good. After dinner, we had an orientation of the S-Bahn. We got on and went to the Marienplatz, where the Glockenspiel is. Quite an adventure, let me say. There was a small group of us standing around listening to some street musicians. Then this drunk midget {sigh, another instance of how non-PC I was then...} on a bike started chasing us around and swearing at us. Some of the girls got pretty frightened. We had an hour free and waited for the teachers to come back. The group I was with walked back to the hotel. I was so tired by then. You could tell it was Friday the 13th.
14 June - Remind me never to spend money again. I spent a lot today, but I got some cool stuff for a lot of people. This morning we got up and ate a good breakfast. Then the LHS kids went to the U-Bahn to go to the Marienplatz. A bunch of us went to Kaufhof, a department store. I bought a soccer patch for 8 DM, and 2 F1 cars (one for me and one for Karl) for 79.90 DM, and a Ferrari tin with candy for 20 DM. Oh my. we went outside to watch the Glockenspiel at 11 am. It was pretty neat to see it live. This weekend, Munich was celebrating its 839th birthday, so there were many people in traditional clothing and German bands. Cool. We went and ate lunch at McDonald's. I had a vegetable burger and Fanta. We walked back to the Marienplatz where there was a "modern-historical" (?) play being sung like an opera. It was interesting, but I couldn't understand much of it. We came back on the U-Bahn to the hotel. I washed some of my clothes in the sink, and then I reorganized my suitcase. My back is starting to peel. Oh, today I also bought a chocolate-covered marzipan stick and a German F1 shirt for me, and a set of pictures. All three together cost me 47 DM. Aurgh! I like having this free time in the afternoon. Adding it all up, I found I've spend $231+ on presents. My day didn't get much better. We met in a group and rode the U-Bahn to the Olympic Park where the 1972 summer Olympics were held. It started to rain a little again. We went up the Olympic Tower (about 150 m high) and took some pictures of Munich from above. That wasn't so bad. It got worse. Instead of going to Pizza Hut with the rest of the group, I opted to go back to the city. The teachers didn't want me to go back to the hotel alone. They wanted to eat, and I wanted to save my money. They finally dragged me to an "internet cafe". There were two teachers and two other students with me. We ate (I had pizza anyway) and then I wanted to get on one of the computers there to send email to my dad. I finally got on and then both of the teachers had to try. I just wanted to go back! It started raining again when we were eating and I just felt miserable. I finally got back to the hotel, ready to go to sleep! Oh, and I hurt my foot jumping on the trampolines at the Olympic park. I rolled over it doing a somersault and took some big chunks of skin off it as well. Fun day, huh? Maybe it'll be better tomorrow. Happy Flag Day! {god, what a self-centered, self-pitying, ungrateful little brat I was. This travel account is almost painful for me to type up.}
15 June - Happy Father's Day! My butt really hurts, but today was one of the best days I've had so far. We got up and went to breakfast like usual. Then in groups we traveled to the Dachau concentration camp. I didn't like it at all, and I think that's how you're supposed to feel. I walked out of there feeling pretty somber. Then, we took the S-Bahn back to the Marienplatz, then took the U-Bahn to go to the BMW Museum. I through it was pretty neat. Not much to see, but still cool. I bought 4 postcards, all of the BMW Z3s for me, dad, Karl and Bill. We (Amanda, Joel, Jamie and I) walked over to the Olympic Park to buy pretzels and ice cream for lunch. We hurried to go on this {Mike's} bike tour of Munich. We got there and got really crappy bikes. Our guide, Marcus, was cool and from England. We got to see the opera house, the king's residence, the gardens, some churches (Lucaskirche), the English Garden, a beer hall, and many other places. I supposed I should mention that I crashes on the tour and banged my knee to hell. It was so much fun! I finally got a gift for my dad, an actual beer mug from the beer garden. I ate an applesauce crepe and drank half a liter of Spezi. Amanda, Joel and I were discussing why Minnesota or Wisconsin was better than the other with Misty, Meredith and Nichole, all from MN. We rode back to the Marienplatz around 9. Frau Borski suggested we get ice cream. We finally found a place and I got a scoop of blackberry adn a scoop of caramel. It was so good! On the way back, Misti and I tried to make calls home. She got through, I didn't. I was a little sad. I wanted to tell my dad happy father's day even through I can't be with him. Hopefully I'll be able to talk to him soon! I miss everyone!
16 June - We checked out of the hotel and were back on the road again on the bus. It actually felt good. We started to drive to Salzburg. The scenery was pretty and mysterious with the fog, but I couldn't stay awake. We stopped at the Chiemsee to see Ludwig II's castle (the third we've seen so far) - the Königschloß. We toured that and then had to get back on the bus. I bought some chocolate. We drove on in Austria. On the way to Salzburg, we stopped to tour a salt mine. It was a lot of fun. They made us wear these funny white outfits. We went deep into the mines. It was cool (cold) and a lot of fun. I got a picture of us on this little train. We left and checked into our hotel in Salzburg. I'm in a room with Kendra and Jessica. I can just imaging how much fun this is going to be and how much sleep I'm going to be getting! (sarcastic) I went out to dinner with a group of people to a chain-chicken restaurant here. The food there wasn't bad, but there were a lot of people there from our group getting drunk and smoking. I really didn't agree with that and the fact that the teachers are letting them get away with it. Jessica and Kendra were being really loud, so I went and talked to Amanda about some stuff. I changed rooms with her - so she'd have fun and I'd get sleep. I really didn't care. I really miss my friends and especially my family. {I was homesick and maybe depressed nearly the entire trip. I must have tried everyone else's patience. I'm so sorry!}
17 June - This morning, we got up and went to breakfast. Then we went on a guided tour of old Salzburg by foot. We saw the Mirabell gardens (where they filmed the song Do-Re-Mi in The Sound of Music). Then we saw where Mozart lived for a while. Across the river we saw old shops and a Roman-Catholic Monastery (where, also, the Von Trapps hid behind gravestones). It ended at Mozart's birth house. The leaders gave us from 11 to 4 off, so we went around looking for T-shirts that said "In Austria, there are no kangaroos." I loved it, but I couldn't find it! I bought a pretzel and some Mozart chocolate balls. We walked back to the hotel under the sprinkling sky. We still had a lot of time and I planned on calling home. I walked over to the post office by the Hauptbahnhof to use the phone there. I called my mom and talked to her for a long time. Then I called Karl and talked to him, too. It made me feel so much better to talk to them when I'm not feeling all that great emotionally. Oh, and I also mailed out some postcards and letters while I was out. The teachers have some sort of special surprise for us later on tonight. I'm not sure I want to know. Okay, well, we all got the bus to go to ANOTHER castle, but this one turned out to be pretty cool. Some crazy prince bishop installed water jets all over and some water-powered figurines. I got wet in the rain room and on the path. I thought it was pretty funny. We even got to see the gazebo from The Sound of Music. We all got back on the bus and drove to Salzburg again. I think we're going out to dinner in a beer hall tonight. I hope it'll be good. I could use some good foot in me. And a good night's rest - we have to eat breakfast at 6 tomorrow. We had (witnessed, actually) a pretty scary moment before we went to dinner. A man passed out on the stairs and some girls tried to give him CPR. The ambulance arrived and took over. I think he was all right, but most of us were pretty shaken. We did got to a beer garden, in the rain (these countries never let up, do they!), and I had soup, salad and creme caramel. It was all good and I was trying to use up my schillings. I think I'll give them out back home as mementos. I'm really tired now and am looking forward to sleep.
18 June - Today, during the day, we had nothing to do while riding the bus to our family stays. I thought up a few more things that are different: the toilet stalls have actual doors; you get your food in restaurants when it's ready, not when all dishes are ready; the stop lights turn green, yellow, red, then right before it turns green again, the yellow flashes on; grocery stores close for lunch. We got to take a little time to see the medieval city of Rothenburg. It was pretty neat. I bought a lot of Christmas decorations for me, Mom and aunt Kathy that cost me about 190 DM. It was pretty expensive. We drove on to Bensheim in the rain. Everyone is getting pretty nervous about the family stay. I'm just a little. Well, we finally got there and I got to meet Birgit and her boyfriend, Karsten, in person. They both have long hair; they seem nice, though. We got to their house and I met with my host mother - she is really nice. I was shown my room and the rest of the house. It's kind of interesting, because Birgit's into the whole pop culture/marijuana/hard rock type thing that I don't get into. Oh, well, it's just a week (8 full days). Their backyard is just covered with flowers. I thought it was so pretty. They showed me their 50 canaries and 5 rabbits and parrot and dog and rat and fish. I'm in a zoo! Her mom gave me some fresh raspberries and cream. I also showed them my photo album. The father is away until we weekend, so I haven't met him yet. I have gotten pretty homesick, through. I'd like to sleep in my own bed and see all my friends. I especially miss Dad, to whom I haven't talked since I left (Cassie, either), Cassie and Mom. I just want to go back home to where I can understand what everyone is saying and I know how much money I'm spending. Oh, one thing I forgot. We got into Bensheim and hour and a half too early, so we turned the bus around and drove to Worms. There, we had a little time to see the church there where Martin Luther was questioned. This evening, I went to an Italian restaurant with Birgit, Karsten and two of Birgit's friends, Marian and Birgit. It was really interesting listening to their conversations and trying to understand what they were saying. I decided I really wanted to go to bed. I hung up my clothes and thought up a few more differences: the waiters come to your table and you pay right there; people park wherever they feel like it; and all the songs (the American ones) on the radio are early 90s or earlier. I heard "Runaway Train" tonight and "Take My Breath Away" which reminded me of Homecoming. I'd really like to be coming home, I think.
19 June - Today I got to sleep in. I kind of like this arrangement: I have my own room and my own bathroom with a whirlpool spa. Pretty nice. I had pancakes for breakfast and we talked about a bunch of things - all in German. Then Biggi {Birgit's nickname} and I took Bilka, the dog, for a walk. We watched some television and she helped me with this German project booklet that we're doing. Two of her friends, Marian and Agnes, came over and talked and watched music videos. We had käsespätzle and salad for lunch. We sat out in the sun a while before her friends had to leave. It was nice sitting in the sun, because it wasn't that warm today. It hasn't been too hard trying to understand what everyone is saying, but I'm still trying to say as little as I can . I frustrate myself sometimes when I try to talk. I went with Biggi to her church where they were practicing something or other. I just sat there feeling uncomfortable. I got a big wave of homesickness and nothing seems to help. I'm upset, too, because I don't want this stay to be a drag on me or the family. They felt bad for me and tried to make me feel better. I got to talking about Wisconsin, gave Biggi the book and it did make me feel better - that and the fact that we might take a trip to the Hockenheim track on Saturday. I hope so! Birgit came over and we watched television {I tried to explain baseball to them in German with limited success translating the game.} and ate tomato and cheese salad for dinner. Then we went out into the street and hit the volleyball around for a little while. It was pretty funny. I talked with the mom for a little bit before going to bed.
20 June - This morning I had to get up earlier to join Biggi and her classmates in a "Wandertag." We biked for about thirty minutes until we got to the school I noticed a few of the girls form the ISE trip and said Hi. Two of them, Sara and Cheryl D were going hiking, too. I palled up with them and spoke ENGLISH. I found that I'm not the only one looking forward to the trip home. We wandered through the hills around Bensheim for what seemed to be forever. When you've done as much walking as we have, any more is too much. We stopped a few places to rest, but the sky was cold and windy and sprinkled on us a little bit. We got back to the school and rode back home. I think Germans are crazy for wanting to hike and wander everywhere like that. Biggi's mom is making fish for lunch. I'll at least try it. After lunch, I went back up to my room for a while. Then Biggi's dad came home and I went down to meet him. He seems nice and has a really low voice. I went back upstairs (first I got a tour of the garden and house) and fixed my passport carrier that had ripped. I read a little more, then went back downstairs. I watched TV for a bit before Biggi came back from a wedding. I realized that hair dye should be kept away from the German girls here. So many of those I saw today had some sort of different color in their hair, from blond streaks to burgundy to purple. Quite scary. Biggi and I had pizza for dinner that I got to eat with my HANDS! We watched a German movie from the 70s that reminded me of Animal House. I thought it was pretty funny. Biggi and Karsten left to go to a party, so I went up to my room to read.
21 June - It rained last night. June must be both the tourist and rainy season here. This is actually a really neat house. There is so much space and everyone in the house has their own bedroom and bathroom. They must also have a little bit of money. I found out that each person is going on a separate trip somewhere - Biggi to Sweden, Biggi's dad to the Himalayas and Biggi's mom to Turkey - all alone. Marian's mom drove us to Darmstadt this morning. We spent a few hours putzing around. I bought a big map of Germany for 15 DM. I'm running out of money really quickly. I wasn't feeling all that well and Biggi poked her head into so many different shops. Finally, I bought some candy and we got tickets to take the train back to Bensheim. I had developed a bad toothache by the time we got there. I don't know why, but it hurts. This things is really going to be grate to give with until we go home (6 more days total). I think I'll take a little nap. Oh, one thing I noticed coming back on the train was the farmland. There is actually a lot here and each farm has about six different crops, especially oats and asparagus. Instead of taking a nap, I marked on my map where I've been and how I got there. I went back downstairs and helped Biggi's mom to make currant jelly. They have all of their fruits and vegetables in their backyard. I've never eaten so many fresh raspberries in my life. I had pizza for dinner. Biggi left to go play pool, but I didn't really want to go with - all that smoke in there. Instead, I watched A League of Their Own and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? in German. I'm going to sleep in tomorrow - I get to go to Hockenheim (I hope!)! Oh, my aspirin kicked in and my toothache went away, hopefully for good.
22 June - I slept in this morning while Biggi and her mom went to a special ceremony at church. They invited me to join them, but they understand I don't feel comfortable in their church. I am, through, going to be joining Biggi for lunch. I ate breakfast alone and talked with her dad a little bit. He's harder to understand than the others. I reorganized my stuff and did a quick calculator check and found out I had spent about $400 on presents. I'm really going to have to work hard this summer to make it all back up. Today's been another cold and rainy day. I haven't been able to wear shorts since I got into Alsbach. I hope it gets a little nicer soon. Biggi's dad drove me to the church, then I walked with her to some people's house. I had no idea what was going on or who anyone was. I just ate my food and kept my mouth shut. I felt so uncomfortable there. The girls there played soccer until Biggi's parents came to drive me to Hockenheim. There, I got to see where they race the F1 Grand Prix of Germany. They were having some motorcycle races there and I also went to the Motorsport Museum there. On the way back home, we stopped in Heidelberg. We walked through the altstadt and Biggi's mom and dad bought me some ice cream. We three walked on and up to the Heidelberg Schloß. It was pretty plain, but interesting. We were caught by a thunderstorm and had to wait it out. We walked back to the car and drove on the Bergstraße home. I ate a little dinner before I called my dad. I finally got a hold of him. That made me really happy. we talked for twenty minutes. I had to go to bed early, because tomorrow I go to school. It wasn't easy going to sleep, because Bilka was barking and the parrot, Jaco, was screeching.
23 June - Today I got up early to go to school. I can't believe I just wrote that. It's the end of June and I'm getting up to go to school. Biggi and I gook the bus today from Alsbach to Bensheim. When we got to the school, there was a big party going on. The 13th grader girls were celebrating the completion of the "Abitur" - kind of like finals. Well, it was loud inside, so I stayed outside and chatted with some people in our group about our family stays. It started raining again (big surprise). After about an hour, school actually started. Sara from Menomonie's gastschewester was in all the same classes a Birgit, so we paired up together. We sat through biology, physics, math and Latin. It was so hard to understand anything, so it just ended up being boring. Some things I noticed at this Liebfrau Schule were that students could eat in class, their raise their index finger when they know an answer and they have chimes instead of bells. I decided that I'm not going to go back on Tuesday or Wednesday. Birgit and I walked through the Bensheim altstadt before taking the train home. I came home and complete the family stay booklet we were given, and took some pictures of the house and garden because the sun finally came out. I'm actually exhausted. I ate potato pancakes and applesauce for dinner, with fresh raspberries for dessert. I sat through an hour and a half of really boring racing to find out what I wanted to know - who won Portland {IndyCar race} = Mark Blundell. I saw the highlights and now I want to see the race. Birgit's mom and I took Bilka for a little walk just before dark. I'm going to sleep in tomorrow, then go buy chocolate.
24 June - I slept in this morning and then took a nice, warm bath. Birgit's mom made me French toast for breakfast. we went shopping and I bought some chocolate bars to take back home with me. We came back and she showed me how to use the washing machine. Finally, my clothes will be clean. I'll pack them up tomorrow. When Birgit came home from school we ate lunch - cooked asparagus with cheese. It tasted quite interesting. After lunch, I took what change I had and called Karl up. I had a little trouble getting through at first, but I was finally able to talk to him for two or three minutes. I got to brag about going to Hockenheim. After that, I kind of just putzed around in my room. I read and listened to the radio, just took it easy. Later, Biggi invited me to go play volleyball, but she was leaving right then and I hadn't eaten. I was going to join her later, but a thunderstorm came around when I was going to leave. I sketched a picture for them as a parting gift instead, and watched a little TV with Biggi's mom. We talked about a bunch of different things. By then, it was pretty late. I decided to go to bed and have a good final day here with Familie Müller.
25 June - I slept in again (I'm really going to miss that!) and took a bath. I picked some roses this morning to, hopefully, take back with me. When Birgit came home from school, we had apricot-stuffed dumplings. I took a little time to write down and translate the recipe for that and also for marzipan. After lunch, I went and packed up all my clothes again in my suitcase. I had a radio in my room and a listened to a local US Military station near here. I finally got to hear American news. I took a little time to read and just take it easy. Tomorrow is going to be another go-go-go day, so it's really nice just to sit in once place quietly and do as little as possible. As much as I'm going to enjoy being back home, I am going to miss it here a little bit. I'm going to miss all the meals that I didn't have to cook and all the fresh raspberries. Talking with Birgit and her mom, too. Later, I went with Biggi to her handball practice. I sat there for an hour and a half and just watched. What astounded me, though, was that after practice some of the girls around Biggi's age and some of the coaches went outside and smoked. I thought that was so stupid. When we got back home, I found out that Kendra had called and I returned her call. I ate a croissant for dinner, then watched some television with Biggi and her mom, then to bed.
26 June - I got up early, showered and went downstairs for breakfast - toast. My ride came at 7:45 and I said good-bye and thanks for Biggi and her mom. At the Hauptbahnhof in Bensheim, I met up with people that I hadn't seen for a week. Finally, after a while, we got on the way to Mainz. On the bus, we talked about our experiences. I wasn't the only one to have an interesting family stay. We drove for about two hours, past Mainz. We drove along the Rhine for a while. There were a lot of castles along the river. We stopped for two hours by Loreley. It was raining (big surprise) and we found that two hours was way too long. We poked into a bakery and in a supermarket to buy lunch. We sat down under a covered area and ate it. We found a little souvenir stand. I bought a shot glass and two patches from German (7 DM total). We waited in the rain for the bus. We finally got on and drove back to Mainz. It was pretty noisy on the bus and a lot of people were trying to sleep. We checked into our hotel - right across from the Hauptbahnhof. I'm in a room with Jamie and Cheryl again, but I basically have my own separate room. They left and I reorganized some of my stuff for tomorrow. Then I went next door and talked to Kendra, Jessica, Amanda and Joel. Amanda and I walked across the street to the Hauptbahnhof because I wanted to find an American paper. They didn't have any though. I went back up to my room to rest. I had developed a sore throat and earache, so I was trying to make it feel better. One thing about Germans - they have absolutely no problem with public displays of affection. I can't count all the people I've seen groping each other here. Yuck. We were all going to eat as a group tonight, free (good!). I went down at 6:30. We did a trivia sheet and my team got 3rd (I got a chocolate egg). For dinner, they made me special vegetable lasagna and some buffet with salad and potato balls. The teachers sang and danced for us. After dinner, Kendra, Jessica and I went out walking. We got some ice cream and took a few pictures of the cathedral here. We came back and I wanted to get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a bit boring - oh, but first watched the Tonight Show with Jay Leno - Drew Carey was on.
27 June - Today was a really "hurry-up-and-wait" day. It never actually seemed lie we had too much time anywhere - except on the plan coming back from Frankfurt. I got my tax forms stamped in Frankfurt. The things that took the longest were going through customs and standing in check-in lines. I had gotten a pretty bad ear-and throat-ache and it didn't make me feel too well. The eight-hour plane ride was worse than before. I couldn't get any sleep and many people were being noisy. Finally, we got into Detroit - so near and yet so far! It's nice to be where English is spoken again! At the airport here, Kendra and Jessica and I got Little Caesar's pizza and a Cinnabon. It tasted so good after icky plane food. We had more time to wait, but I'll be home in just a few hours! Overall, this trip has been quiet an experience I'll never forget.
{One thing I didn't write down in my journal was that for the first part of the trip, the teachers refused to let any music other than German music be played on the bus's music system. That meant we were hearing the same Beatles and Die Prinzen songs over and over. I think they finally cracked, too, because we got different music as the trip went on.}
{Transcribed 2/4/2020}
