September 22, 2012

Fun fact: Grocery stores don't put stuff in bags... If you want it in bags, you have to bring them yourself.

Fun fact: Germans use white-out A LOT. In America, If you make a mistake you usually just scribble over it or start over... they use white-out.

Fun fact: To use a grocery cart in Germany you have to pay a Euro to unlock it from the line of grocery carts. When your done with, you lock it back up and get your Euro back. (It's to prevent people from stealing the grocery carts)

Fun fact: They only use the fitted sheet and main cover on there bed. They only use duvee covers and there pillows are huge squares.

So, I had a fun experience today... learning to get on a bike. Now, this may seem like an easy feet... but it's quite difficult for me to do. I think I have conquered that task... now it's learning how to get off. I tried to get off the bike numerous times... I ended up scraping my knuckles but... I can now do it, for the most part. My host sister, Julia, has told me that we will begin riding bikes to school beginning Monday. Oh, what fun.

On another note, it has, for the most part, been a good week. I had a full week of German school. I don't understand math (it's college level and in German), history has too many German words I haven't learned, in Deutsch they are preparing for a test I will not be taking, and in Catholic Religion they are analyzing text and comparing to a theory I was not there to learn. I am lost in class most of the time... except English. Apparenlty I have awful English because in all the grammar lessons I just sit back and think "Well, I say it like that... and so does everyone else I know" while my teacher laughs histarically at how horrible the grammar is.

School is difficult but, I was invited to go to lunch with some girls in my grade earlier this week... I think that means I'm on the road to friendship. I've heard becoming friends with Germans is really difficult because they don't just automatically accept people into being "friends" like most Americans do. There has even been a far-off plan of having a "German waffle party". It's nice... one of the girls has bee on the same scholarship as me in the US last year so, she has been really helpful and understanding along with another girl (I thik she was in Australia...I'm not really sure) 

Las tnight, I hungout with my host sister, Julia, and her cousin, Sarah. We had a "Robby Bubble" party. Basically we sat around and drank "Robby Bubble" (like sparkling cider) and alcohol free wine like substance with syrup that we added (I didn't like it much). Oh, and we ate junk food, talked, and looked at picture on Sarah's computer. It was fun.

It's been nice here. Really difficult and weird and awkward... but good.

I hope all is well in Topeka, Kansas, the USA, and elsewhere.

Sending my love, to all me friends and most importantly my family, all the way from Germany.

~ Madison Jeannine Wallace