2. September
So the WiFi that we “borrowed” from our neighbor Michael is
no more. I have temporary access to the Internet right now, so I’m taking the
opportunity to share some things I’ve written and done! The weather is has been
a bit warmer again, so the weekend saw several long walks around town and out
into the countryside down one of my favorite roads. I frequent that area a lot.
There are orchards and then several streams and then fields.
Last Thursday we went to Thale. Here are some pictures!
Sarabeth and I rode a bobsled together. Sehr schnell!
Emma, ich, Sarabeth, Brittney, und Nick.
30. August
I have felt so refreshed and alive these past few days,
thanks to more sleep every night. It’s amazing what a difference it makes! For
the first two weeks, I got up to go running every morning with some other
girls, which is a great way to start the day. However, this week I believe I’ve
found a better way for myself: Wake up five minutes before breakfast! I tend to
wake up and then fall back asleep, and I have the most vivid dreams and the
best sleep. I’ve found time to run or do yoga in the midday break.
Speaking of schedules, let me give you a little bit of a
better idea of our schedule here at language camp:
8:00 - Frühstück. I really enjoy the style of breakfast. I
have yogurt and Brötchen (bread rolls) with cheese and then with nutella and
bananas. I haven’t permanently replaced peanut butter with nutella as my banana
companion, but chocolate in the morning can’t really be beat…
9:00 bis 12:00 - Class. We’ve covered various material like
grammar, vocabulary, and some culture. Juli, my teacher, is great. She also has
a good sense of humor which is necessary when listening to us. We do try to
keep the jokes in German, so it’s learning…right?
12:00 - Mittagessen. Lunch is served to the tables, usually
with a plated vegetarian option for those of us who it applies to. I have been
eating some meat when we eat outside the Kloster, and some has tasted good. I
still prefer the vegetarian diet best, though. We often go out to the
supermarket after lunch since we have time before the homework hour. There are
lots of delicious fresh pastries and anything else you might need there.
13:00 bis 14:00 - Hausaufgaben, oder lernen. Homework, which
is often to study and learn what we covered in class.
14:00 bis 15:00 - Freizeit! This is when I’ve been doing
yoga, running, etc. Or, just hang out and talk and eat more chocolate.
15:00 bis 18:00 - Class again.
18:00 - Abendessen
19:00 - Nachrichten. We watch the news auf Deutsch! I’m
slowly able to understand what they’re talking about, but it’s pretty fast and
sometimes very difficult to understand. It’s good to stay updated though.
In the evenings after that, there is usually some sort of
optional organized activity. Otherwise we can hang out. Walks in the evenings
are nice. Sometimes we have dance parties in the hallway.
22:30 - Curfew.
Yesterday, as a tradition and also to return the favor to
our neighbor Michael from whom we borrow WiFi, we did work in the fields next
to the Kloster. I learned how to use more machinery (weed eater) and cleared
out a large section of brush (many of which were stinging nettles…). Then we
had a FANTASTIC dinner outside. For me, it was grilled veggies, some nice
potato salad type dish, and a bean, corn, and feta salad--so good! Then we had
a bonfire and made s’mores, which are also quite delicious with German cookies
and chocolate. I spent about an hour talking with some locals in German about
differences between Germany and America and about politics. I can understand
most things I hear now in conversations, and, if I work at it, I can get my
point across. This morning we watched the movie Die Welle, with German
closed-captioning turned on, and I could understand just about everything.
Progress is progress!
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