The first week has come to an end

My first week in Deutschland has been very exciting but extremely hard! The language barrier is frustrating, making me less confident in situations which normally I'd be fine with.
The German lessons are sort of helping.. but the language is soooooooooo difficult! In English there is only one meaning for a word.. whereas in German there are like 5 meanings for a word or more words with one meaning - confusing.


FINALLY THERE IS SNOW!!! with temperatures reaching -10 snow fell :) very cool - literally.

Saturday (Samstag) - I was able to wake up relatively late and just laze around in the morning with my host parents, as no one hardly works on weekends here. Around lunch time I went hunting with Peter. On the way to the forest we stopped at Peter's friends house, who has many pregnant cows - weird, and we ate deer, which just takes like beef. The forest is pretty close to our house, about 15 minutes drive, so we took Emma, our dog, with us - very cute as she sat at my feet when in the car.

When in the forest Peter showed me the dam some beavers made (amazing) and his "hunting caves". He also taught me how to lay the food/bait for the animals - sprinkle corn on the ground near some wooden stumps and paint tar stuff on trees. The actual hunting would be on the next day, to allow time for the animals take some bait.

At night all of my host family were over for Lisa's birthday, where we had cake and wine, then went to an American Restaurant - "the old western". After a massive serving of schnitzel we headed home to watch the Bundesliga and to play cards.


Sunday (Sonntag) - During the day I practiced my German, talked with my host parents and just relaxed. In the afternoon I met with Roy, the exchange student from Argentina, and we had coffee. It was really nice just to talk to someone and have a proper conversation without feeling restricted with what to say or how to say it. He was also just as excited or even more excited about the snow, and we found a frozen lake which we attempted to walk on - very dodge - and also had a snowball fight. Since we are both 18, most of the people at our school are 17, we planned a list of things to do together before we both leave, so now I have a partner in crime which is really refreshing.

 At night we went to dinner for Karin's best friends Birthday, Rosie, at a cute riverside restaurant. At the dinner it was just adults most of the Rotarians and their wives. They included me in conversation which was nice and I met one of the most lovely ladies, Anne, who pretty much told me I was her host daughter too - she invited me to go shopping with her and her children, and over for their special once a year family dinner in Feb - so nice!

Monday (Montag) - I had German lessons once again at 9am, i'm getting used to hearing German now.. it doesn't sounds like an alien language anymore which is good. After another tea with lunch, I think I finally hit a wall of tiredness which caffeine would not help causing nap time. In the afternoon I went shopping with Anne and her children, Thea and Carl, they are all very nice and helpful, and they also speak English really well. Lucky for me I came to Germany at a good time - WINTER SALES!! I bought two coats, a scarf and a beanie for under 40 euros :) - loving H&M.

Our shopping went later than expected and into dinner time, I thought that I was going home for dinner but Anne swept me into the car and told me that I was her daughter tonight and that I was having dinner with the family at a restaurant which they will celebrate their 25th year anniversary. It was a very pleasant evening. 


Tuesday (Dienstag) - Today was quite slow.. I just had a German lesson and went home as my tiredness has got the better off me. I'm going to have a big sleep and report back when something else interesting happens :)

Kate Middleton?

I have been almost a week and about 4 people have told me I look like Kate Middleton.. Really? I don't see it.  Some of them asked me if she is Australian.. a bit awkward. 

Also the Germans are impressed by our array of dangerous and weird animals.. like crocodiles, sharks, snakes, platypus, echindas and dingos especially the ones that eating humans.. and they also have questions about Aboriginals and the white Australians treatment of them, it quite interesting trying to word the answers.

This weekend I am learning more German.. yay.. and I am spending time my whole host family as it is my host sister birthday :) pretty cute -  we are having a German dinner, hopefully there is schnitzel haha. 

Disliking the cold with no purpose - I want to make a snowman, have snowball fights and ski - but I am loving the morning sky.

Das Australien

Still no snow, but more and more frost on the ground.. which makes it difficult to walk anywhere without slipping over - annoying and it has no purpose.

Wednesday - My first day of independence since arriving, I took the train or "zug" from Roggentin to the centre of Rostock for my first German lesson. Many Germans starred at me once I was on Roggentin train station, as it is very small and everyone knows everyone in the village, so I was "the other" as my high school English teacher would say. After arriving in Rostock I blended into the morning commotion and seemed like everyone else. The German school is only a 2 minute walk from the station, thank goodness otherwise I would freeze in the sub zero temperatures with my inadequate Australian ski parker - note to self get a warm German coat before it snows!

The German lesson was quite scary at first since my teacher only spoke in German and very quickly might I add.. then he laughed and said "I'm just kidding, you should have seen your face!". I slowly learnt all the alphabet and numbers, then verbs and important words such as hello (guten tag/hallo), bye (tschüs), please/sorry (bitte) and thanks (danke) - which I already knew.

In the evening I went with my host family to a friends house for a warm 
German dinner.We had some weird cheese and meat soup, which tasted amazing,
and thick dark bread, yum. For about 3 hours they spoke in German and occasionally
said a sentence or two in English so I could be involved.. it was very irritating not
being able to just listen and follow the conversation, so I just played with the 
family dog - a massive old English sheep dog.


Thursday - AUSTRALIA DAY - Though it really didn't feel like it with no sun blaring into
my bedroom window like every other 26th of January, this Australia day would be different.
I did my usual routine though, sticking some tacky aussie tattoos on my arms and
being as aussie as possible with limited resourses (shown below). It felt particularly
weird to be learning German on Australia day but I went along with it since I need
to learn to be able to survive a year here. Once home from an intense German lesson
which frustrated the heck out of me, I asked my host parents if I could make them an
aussie dessert (pav). They were very happy for me to and were excited for a little
taste of "Australien". I also taught them the aussie chant; aussie aussie aussie oi oi oi!

Note: Snow predicted for the weeked, yay!
Tschüs :)

Playing tourist and tagging along.

Each morning since I've been in Deutschland, once I wake up, I peer out the window by my bed to see if there is some sign of snow.. but unfortunately no luck. It has been -6.5 degrees with frost but no snow. The weather guide says snow by Friday, fingers crossed!


The last few days I've been my host families shadow, since I can't speak German they translate for me - I kind of feel incompetent and stupid, but i'll get there and be fluent in no time since I am attending an intensive German language course.


Monday - My host sister Susi showed me most of the sights of Rostock, the larger town near my home, which include the "sexual" fountain, the many churches, the wharf and the main street - very pretty. My favourite place was an old church built in the 1700s, it had freaky graves everywhere, brilliant paintings and a weird astrology clock with two faces which works up until 2014!

Tuesday - Slowly I am settling in and starting to be a normal German citizen (even though I can't speak a sentence in the native longue..) as I have received a German mobile, bank card, school ID and train/bus pass. I visited my school "Ecolea" today, it was unexpectedly modern and very small. There is only 400 student in the entire school and about 40 in my year. I was shown around by two students and another exchange student, they were very friendly and spoke to me in English which was nice. The exchange student (from Argentina i think) was very excited to not be the newbie and he offered to help me everything, even invited me to go out to a party or something on the weekend - very exciting.
Because I am in year 11, the school has allowed me to go on school camp to Italy in May to Venice and Verona with the rest of my year - for only 250 euros!

Also I found out about my Euro tours while over here.In April - May I am going to Dresden, Prag, Vienna, Venice, Rome, Innsbruck, Fuessen (New Schwanstein), Berlin, Munich and Regensburg. AND in Novemeber I am going on a trip to Paris :)


So far I'm content and excited for my adventure. Tomorrow I start my German course, I hope it isn't too hard..

Why hello Germany

I AM ALIVE.
24 hours, 3 plane trips and a bazillion kilometres later I made it to Berlin, Germany. I probably wouldn't have made it without my Aussie exchange friends Ellen, Charlie, Will and Alana, who entertained me, were my pillow and ushered me in the right direction. 

With only 4 hours sleep in me I made my way through the doors of Berlin airport with my trusty sidekick, Will, to find a crowd of Germans with bright and enthusiastic faces. Amoungst them were my host parents Peter and Karin who greeted me with "Guten Morgen" and a friendly hug. I was beyond nervous about my lack of German but Peter and Karin were quick to sense it and spoke in English. The two hour drive to Roggentin, my village, went so quick and there were hardly any awkward moments, which was surprising. 


At around 11.30am we pulled into the driveway of a cute and very German three storey house, in which I am going to live for at least 3 months.Once inside I was greeted by Susi, my host sister, and Emma, my new dog - who I got along with immediately. 
The day has flown with conversation, mostly in English, and tea - I think I could get used to this place. My room is spacious and I have my own balcony, which looks onto a mini forest - amazing.
Jetlag hasn't kicked in, though I look like a zombie, so I'm off to my German bed at 5pm - biggest party animal. 


I'll be back with more info of my school and village in the next few days :)
"Auf Wiedersehen"

2 days until I leave Aus

Guten Tag!
I have decided it would be wise to write a blog about my exchange year to Germany so I don't have to email everyone to update them on how I am going or annoy everyone on Facebook. Sorry if it is lame :)

My progress to leave down-under has been long and hectic but i'm almost ready... clothes, tim tams and soccer boots are packed... german translator has been downloaded onto my ipod... and I have an aussie recipe book in the making. 

Cassi thinks this is what Germany will be like^.. I beg to differ.
That is all until Deutschland.