Today is the day that the American GAPP group goes home. There are a few staying behind, including my brother, sister, and I. We got picked up at the Munich airport by my Oma and Opa (German for Grandma and Grandpa). We are staying with them in a small part of Stuttgart known as Schönaich.
So far we spent the day two and a half hours on a bus, an hour in the airport, and four hours in my grandparent's car. We went to the grocery store, a small Italian resturant, and then walked home. Today was an emotional day for everyone. I will dearly miss my great host family. I am already missing some of the friends who on this trip I have grown immensely closer to. Overall, it was a fantastic adventure of my lifetime.
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Today was our last day we would be staying with our host family. With the help of me Travis Fulton and Ms Chris in paying our Frau fines. Frau bought us I'll amazing ice cream at the Gelato place. Where some of us had the famous spaghetti ice. I had a nice surprise here as I met up with my brother. I enjoyed my last and final day at the pool where me and Foster had our last epic game of beach volleyball against the Germans. We got so good at beach volleyball wow. I was gonna miss these days hanging out at the pool. The goodbye party came around and once again had a fantastic time with everyone. The food was amazing as always as its german food. Ill remember me doing backflips in the sunset that night well Andy failed. I thought this was my last time going to see everyone as I was leaving early on a train tomorrow morning. I got my last hugs goodbye to everyone that night even though I did see them the next morning. We finally left to Flo house to celebrate his birthday and to enjoy our final night. His mom made an amazing cake that was one of my favorite cakes I had while I was there. My brother and Karl spent that night at my house that night as I could say I enjoyed my last day but I was ready to go off hiking now. Today my group Lily Dylan and I went on a adventure back to 5th grade it was different from American schools math was different different meanings for signs that we know some of the teacher's were gone in one period I played chess and I lost to a 5th grader but it was close PE was different instead of one class they split up the groups and they played different things Lilly went to the girls side while Dylan and I watched the boys play fußball or soccer they played like they were professionals.
I woke up today to a cup of green tea and a stunning view of Strasbourg, France. The morning was bitter-sweet as I had to pack my things and say "au revoir" to the peaceful and lovely city I had stayed in for the last 2 days. We still had one highlight left before we set off on the grueling 7 hour drive home...the museum of modern and contemporary art! I had always dreamed of seeing the works of Picasso, Magritte and Kandinsky in person but never thought I would get the opportunity. To see all of these and many more, not to mention finding new artists and incredible instillation made my trip to Europe worth it by itself! The day only got better when we were graced with light traffic and a smooth drive on the Autobahn. We even got home in time for me to check off another dream, seeing the town put on "Dracula". I had passed the posters hung around town every morning on my run and was absolutely thrilled we made it home for the last showing. The play was completely in German but luckily the story of Dracula isn't terribly hard to follow. I had never been to a play outside but the darkness definitely added (not to mention the proximity to the graveyard). It was truly a wonderful day with everything going my way. We unfortunately never received a blog post from Piper.
We unfortunately never received a blog post from Kat.
Today we went to school and followed our host partners to there classes. We had our two breaks like normal. To be honest it was just a normal day for school.
After school Chloe Dylan and I went to a fun park . We played mini golf and went go carting . Today we started at our usually time skipping form room directly to the train station where we went from Eggenfelden to Munich with a few stops in between. Once in Munich we took free time to explore/shop around. My group of friends got lost and went to Starbucks, The Hofbräuhaus, and to two souvenir shops. Between all of that I got myself 2 shirts, a sweat shirt and a white chocolate mocha! After so we met back at our meeting place to be introduced to our tour guide for the Dachau Concentration Camp. Once meeting Ulrich our fantastic tour guide, we all walked together to the subway (?) to get ourselves to the concentration camp itself. Once arrived and ready Uli gave us a introduction to why the concentration camp first came to exist (Adolf Hitler) and he gave us information about Adolf's past with growing up and such before our tour had officially begun. Given that the tour was very long and informational in going to keep it brief with saying that a few things we saw were the remakes of the living quarters, the real gas chambers, torture rooms, and hidden churches. All of which were quite a shock to be walking through. All around I don't think I'd want to go through that experience again but it's definitely something you should do once in your life to get the real feel of how serious it all is/was. Lastly after grabbing a quick snack we ventured our way back to the trains for our journey home. I met probably the coolest guy ever at a Döner/pizza shop and Frau and Ms. Chris met "the cutest conductor ever" in the mean time. Sad to believe that that was our last field trip for Gapp 2017 but a good one of course. Danke Frau und Ms. Chris! Today, we went to school. We got adopted by younger kids ranging from 5th grade to 7th grade. It was very fun, however I had two periods of science and was having a hard time keeping up (because they speak in German). After school, we got ice cream and walked home.
After we got home, Noah and his mom and dad took me "bowling" it wasn't exactly bowling, as the ball was smaller, but it was close enough. I had Wiener schnitzel and spezi (basically Coca-Cola mixed with orange Fanta). We also played table tennis at home; it was very fun. I am not very good at neither table tennis nor bowling. Today, we got up at around 8:30 to be ready at 10. We ate breakfast, got ready for the day, packed up all our things and went to the lobby. We had to put our luggage on the 6th floor (top of the hostel) because the luggage room was full and we weren't about to carry all our bags around Vienna for a few hours. We took the subway to the town center and split into groups to go through the city. My group which consisted of Tessa and Ryan did a bit of shopping in the beginning of the day then went into the cathedral and took a tour of the catacombs. The amount of bones in the catacombs was insane. most of them were victims of the black plague. the tour was in German and English, so anything we didn't understand in German was clarified in english. After the tour, my group and I went to a little cafe. we got coffee, apple strudel, and ice cream! After our snack, we did some more shopping and I got to go for my first time in the DM (Drogerie Markt or drug store in English). after our little shopping spree, we met back up at the meeting place so we could go back to the hostel and get our stuff. It took way too long to get our luggage because the workers too forever to bring the key up to the top floor, and our bags were locked away. we finally got our bags then walked to the train station. there, we had some time to ourselves so me and Tessa got sushi. it was delicious especially because the last thing we had eaten was ice cream, hours ago. we then headed to the bakery and got butter brezen (soft pretzels with butter), then it was time to catch the train. I slept and listened to music then we were in Passau. there, again we had some time to get some food, so I bought cookies, candy and soda to eat on the train. we got on the train and it was not air conditioned, so it was uncomfortably hot and the weather was about 80°. On the train,we talked, listened to music, complained about the heat, and slept. we got off the train in Eggenfelden and me, Nina, Nina's sister, and their mom went to eat at this amazing little restaurant called Luibls. they have the BEST lemonade. we then went home and I unpacked, facetimed with friends, told my host family about the trip, then went to sleep.
Sunday was our first and only full day in Vienna. After waking up early and eating some bread(surprise!) for breakfast, we headed to the u-bahn(underground subway). A few stops later and we were in the stunning center of Vienna. All around us were the amazing buildings that made up the old imperial palace. Today, many of the buildings were turned into museums, including the natural history museum and the museum of arts. Entry to the museums was free for students so we took our time exploring the wonders inside. My personal favorite exhibit was the cosmos exhibit in the natural history museum. It detailed the begging of earths history and the events leading up to present day. A few hours later and we were on our way to the next palace.
Schönbrun palace, the summer home Marie Antoinette grew up, was breathtaking from every angle. Soon after arriving at the palace grounds we headed to a little cafe where we would watch the creation of the most famous Viennese desert, apple strudel. During the show we enjoying fresh strudel and Viennese coffee. After the show we had time to explore the gardens. The palace grounds were filled with hedge mazes, impressive statues and magnificent fountains. Lost in the secret gardens, it was easy to imagine growing up there. After a few hours touring the sprawling gardens, we were finally ready to head back to the hostel. After stopping for a dinner of pasta and fresh bread, we took the u-bahn back to the hostel. Everyone was so tired, it was barely 20 minutes before we were all asleep. Today we left for Vienna via train! Though the train ride felt like 30 hours, we found ways to entertain ourselves. After we checked into the Hostel, we rode the U-Bahn (subway) into the city to meet our tour guide for the walking tour! The sights were stunning and our guide was incredibly knowledgeable about the city. The tour ended at the theme park outside the main train station, where we got to explore a bit and have dinner at a roller coaster themed restaurant! Overall it was an amazing first day in Vienna. Today we went to the elementary school for a few hours. We were all split up and put into different classes. Some of the elementary schoolers gave presentations and my group saw a presentation on a famous soccer player.
After this we still had time before are partners got out of school so we all got Döner (One of the best foods ever) and did stuff in groups. My group went to a store and bought Gabe a Dirndl that he has to wear at the farewell party. After school was out my host family took me to the worlds longest castle. There was a medieval festival at the castle with lots of people dressed up as knights. It was all very cool and I had lots of fun. Today we went to the Salzburg mines and then we went shopping. The mines were really cool literally. It was hot today and the mine tour was a nice break from the heat. There was a train thing to get down into the mines and also slides after that. We had to wear jumpsuits in the mines and Frau said they would make us look like Umpa-lumpas but i didn't think they did.
The tour led our group and some other people through the mines and gave the history of the Salzburg mines. There was also a short boatride that had a lightshow with it and that was really pretty. All of the designs were salt-related which was funny. I was surprised that there weren't more salt puns. After that we went to Salzburg and shopped. It was really hot out so my group tried to stay in the shade the whole time. Kelse had really bad blisters on her feet so we took breaks a lot but it was still a fun time and we went to a lot of different stores. Today we met the mayor of Eggenfelden. The students were welcomed into the meeting room of the city and at each place was a lanyard, chocolates, and home-made apple juice to mix with sparkling water. They got to snack while listening to the history of Eggenfelden. The students asked the mayor questions (shout-out to Garrett who asked the first question and to Hunter, who asked all in German!) and I was able to present him with a blanket present from our mayor in Enumclaw. The blanket had important places in Enumclaw woven into it. Afterwards I treated the kids to a scoop of ice-cream if they could order in German. Everyone did... even Ms. Chris!
On Wednesday we were planned to meet the Mayor of Eggenfelden! I was so excited to see what he had to say about the lovely town and was so interested. When we finally sat in a huge room with candy, pens, drinks, etc. sitting at our tables in each spot, I knew it was going to be good. His English was exellent and he was very nice and welcoming to all of us Americans. I know that this town is well taken care of and I just knew that the mayor would be the same way and if not, better! I wish to run into him again some day in my time in Germany. :)
Today we met in home room at the school. Then we got on the and road on the bus for three and a half hours the Neuschwannstein castle. When we got to the base of the mountain we got in to groups and walked around. Are group walked around and looked at all of the different shops. We eat at a Little cafe at the bottom of the mountain. We meet at the bottom of the hill around one. I did not enjoy Walking up the mountain at all. Are tour was pretty interesting. he described some of the paintings on the walls. This Castle was based off of mid-evil stories but was not complete because the mad King Ludwig died before it was able to be finished. The Castle has four stories that we were able to look at. My favorite part was when some friends and I went to a small cafe and ordered some ice cream before we had to get back on to the bus. We stopped at a small gas Station on the way home to let us get something to eat and use the bathroom. We got back around 6 in the evening and then my host Family took me out Shopping for clothes for Vienna
we meet at a class call home room where we discuss upcoming plans for announcements. Today me and the other GAPPERS followed around there partners from class to class. Depending on the day there partners could have a different class. The schedule of the school day goes (class,class, break, class,class,break, class,class) every different the we are used to in enumclaw. after school it depends on what each GAPPER did most went to folks fest. me I went shopping then after went to folks fest
Hallo!
Today we woke up and had breakfast, it was a little hectic with what with the little boy and all. We got ready and went to the pool it was a really cool pool they put a wave in the water every hour and it feels like you were in the sea. I had ham and cheese pizza there and it was so good. Annika and I then went home and put our dirndles on and did our makeup. I can breathe in my dirndle but I can't take deep breath's. but I am in love with it. We got to the party and there was really good food there it was a great night and I love all the people there. After that we went home and me and Annika sat in bed talking. Savanna - Today was my 18th birthday and it is one that I won't forget. Lara and I woke up late because we went to the Volksfest the night before and that was amazing! Her parents threw a party for friends, family, and company members and it was a lot of fun. There was music, traditional German food, and lots of laughs! I tried new German foods and while some were good, others were not so good. In the evening Lara and I left to go to a Philipp Poisel concert. We met up with her friends Annika and Lukas and their American partners Harmony and Mason. At the concert I got a crepe while the others got flamkucken. It was all really good. We got there early so when they opened the doors we could run up front and get spots right in front of the stage! The opening acts were good but Poisel was by far the best. I didn't understand anything but I still liked the music and had a great time. I'm so glad I got to spend my birthday with Lara because she made it so much better!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Macie - Saturday, July 1 we slept in until about 10:30 and then we ate breakfast and for that I had a pretzel with butter and yogurt. Then we drove to a town called mühldorf and bought a dirndl from a small shop called countryline ! It was very cool! After we went there we went out to lunch and I ate schnitzel witch was amazing ! After we went home and took a nap! Later that night we went to voiksfest it was very neat, everyone wore the little outfits and it was almost like a carnival but more fun! There were some rides that you could go on and there was a big tent and in the tent there was a band and when the band played we all stood on the tables and danced! It was very fun Today we had our first homeroom. Our partner school, Karl-von-Closen Gymnasium, is wonderful and we've got our own room (with lots of windows!) School was over after 2nd period today as the seniors were graduating (students who had completed the Abitur - a series of tests in various subjects). Graduation was held in their version of the "Commons" and afterwards they toasted the graduates with champagne! In the evening was the Abiball - like a "Prom" but open to parents, siblings, former students and teachers! We had dinner and stayed and danced until 1:30 am!
Hallo und Servus. Today was our first full day in Deutschland and it was so fun! We went to school but only for 1 class but it was nice to be in a school that was not under construction! After school, we went to the largest water park in all of Europe with Maxi, Foster, Bubs, and Leon. We all had such a good time. Then we all met up at Maxi's house for a German BBQ dinner and swam in his pool and had a fire. The next morning Foster, Bubs, and I ran a 12 kilometer race placing 1st, 2nd, and 3rd for our age groups. It has been so much fun already and I can't wait to see what else is in store for us!
Today was the last day in Iceland, which kinda sucks since it was a beautiful and peaceful place, but but like most good things it had to come to an end to another good thing could happen. When we landed in Munich everyone was very excited to finally be in Germany. The bus ride to Eggenfelden was long, but in the end it was all worth the wait. |
AuthorThis blog is moderated by Frau Holmquist, Enumclaw High School German Teacher. It is written by the participants of Archives |