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Sunday, April 30, 2006

Two Hour Bremen

Wow, this has been a crazily busy week! I had so much to do, and so little time.

Let's start from the beginning...on Sunday I really didn't do much, just hung around at home, watched a movie and stuff. At least that's what I think I did...I don't remember. It's been such a long time, since Sunday.

Went back to school, and did the normal stuff. Schoolwork, chatted with friends and things. It was fun.
The Russian exchange student came into our class on Monday, I have got to say, I expected him to be cool or something, but he is an idiot. I think he is gay, I just get these vibes. And he stinks and is quite annoying. But, this isn't going to turn into a bitch fest. LOL.

On Monday night I went to this classical concert, it was pretty cool. I mean, I wouln't go there every day, or want to hear it every day, but once in a while, it wouldn't exactly kill me. I also saw two of my teachers there...that was embarassing.

On Tuesday it was a really nice warm day. Unbelievably warm, I went to hockey in shorts and a t-shirt, I didn't even bother taking a jacket with me.
On Thursday I went to hockey again, it is heaps fun, and on Thursday I shot the best goal, it was soo cool. Right in the left top hand corner, and it was on purpose, it wasn't even an accident.
The only bad thing about hockey is that I have to travel there and back for nearly an hour each way. But that is OK, since I can take music with me, and I am starting to read a book, and it is really good. So I can occupy myself with that for a while.

On Friday I only had three lessons of school, and after them Caro and I left for the train station. We travelled to Bremen with a group of her friends, table tennis friends. they team world cup thing or something is in Bremen right now.
It was really good, all the people are really nice, and I got to tal with Sabrina, who I usually don't see, or am able to talk to her very often. It was really nice.

We also got to look in the city a little bit, Caro and I. Bremen is such a cool city as well, but two hours was enough to have seen most of the things that there is to see.
I love going to cities and being able to use the Unterground Train and the trams, that's such a good feeling. I don't know why though.
We got back to Braunschweig at 23:42, that was pretty cool. Then we went home and talked for a little while. Then I crashed into bed.

Yesterday I went to Ikea, which is like this furniture place, with Caro and Johannes. It is so cool, there is so much to do there, even if it is only a furniture place.
Then today I am meeting a friend in about half an hour, so I should go and get ready anytime soon. Tomorrow is a public holiday here in germany as well, not only in Belgium, and I am meeting another friend in the city. We are going to see Ice Age 2, I have wanted to see that film for ages!!

So, I'll let you all go. Those of my loyal readers (?? ;-P) who are going to the Gold Coast next week, I hope you all have fun. We all know how fun it will be, and I am upset that it had to be at the beginning of the year, but I think a year in Germany is worth missing out on it. Maybe, maybe not. Anyway, have fun!!

I haven't got anything witty to say here...

Table tennis is an actual sport, and they have a world cup!! Who would have thunk it...?

Vera was here at 10:05 PM

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Sunday, April 23, 2006

My week has been pretty good, since I last updated.

On the weekend I didn't really do much, the normal stuff, slept in, got up late and ate breakfast really slowly, hung around and stuff. I did that on Monday and Tuesday as well, just slept out, made the most of my holidays by doing nothing. But doing something at the same time.

On Saturday night I went to a church service in the cathedral, here in Braunschweig. It was really nice, it was just a pity that I wasn't able to see anything, because we were sitting on the side and there was a massive pole in my vision.
But it was good anyway.
I got home at about 2am and crashed...the next day I was able to sleep in pretty well.

Yeah, then Tuesday was the last day of our holidays. I used that well, and then on Wednesday school started again. It was great to see everyone again, and not to be so bored the whole day, but I think it would be great...I dunno.
So I had to get up soo early again. Yep, that was my whole week, like that.

On Wednesday after school I was talking to Annika for a little while, and we were walking together down the stairs, I wanted to meet Caro at the replacement plan thing. (You know when teachers are absent and then they have to fill the places...well, in the schools here the lessons change, and you have to check if there has been anything changed.)
Anyway, it was really lucky that I went down with her, because I looked at the plan and we saw that our class had our first lesson on Thursday cancelled. If I hadn't looked I would have gotten to school for the first lesson.
Another thing that happened on Wednesday, we found out that our class is getting another exchange student, this time from Russia. There are about 15 of them coming to our school.

On Wednesday afternoon Caro, her mother and I went to the movies and say a movie, called "The Life Of The Others". It is a German film and was so brilliant.

Yea, on Thursday I played hockey for 4 hours, we are learning hockey in school, and I also went to the my first hockey training, with Eintracht Braunschweig. It was really cool, I really can't wait to go back again. =D
I also got to sleep in, 30 minutes longer than normal!!!
After school there was also our Jazz Band, which is always fun. I play my clarinet in the band...it is really great, plus I know alot of the people in the band, and they are all so nice.

Friday...interesting. Yea, school again, but somehow it was a great day...maybe because I knew that tomorrow would be the weekend. And that it a great feeling.
I also thought that I would be spending the day with Katharina today, we both wanted to, but she told me yesterday that she has to look after her brother, so we can't do anything.
Now it is really boring, and I really want to do something. Oh well.

Nothing more, just some really cool news...I have found a WEX placement...in Sydney!! I think that when I get back, and it all works out OK, that I will be doing work experience in Sydney at the YFU office. How cool is that?? I would stay with my dad for the week as well. I am so excited, I hope that the school let me. That will be soo cool!!

That's all I have to say, apart from that, I am really bored right now. Maybe I will play my clarinet for a while. Maybe not.

I am listening to a song from John Lennon right now, and it is called...

Give Peace A Chance.

Vera was here at 12:01 AM

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Saturday, April 15, 2006

Hamburg! (Meine Perle...??)

As all of you know, and as I mentioned about ten times in this blog already, yesterday I went to Hamburg!! I love Hamburg, it is such a pretty city, and so big, with so many things to see and do.

Anyway, I went with Caro, my host sister, and a friend of her's, who quickly became my friend as well, Corinna. We wanted to go with a friend of all of us as well, Sabrina, but at the last minute she said she couldn't come, which is a pity.

Caro and I had to get up at 6:40 to be able to get to the bus in time, so we could get to the train station in time. It was funny, because I left the blinds a little open, so that sun would come in and wake me up at about 6:30, just in case I slept through the alarm. I woke up from the light, and as soon as I reached up to get my phone and turn off the alarm, the alarm went off.

Did the normal things, I got up, had a shower and got my stuff ready.
Caro and I made a deal the night before, if I hadn't seen her, and she hadn't seen me before 7am, that we would go and see if the other was awake. We thought it would be so embarassing if we missed the train, especially because we told Corinna to be on time.
So, at 7:05 I went down to her room and knocked on the door, only to find Caro lying in bed, having just been woken up by me. I told her how late it was and panic followed.

We got out of the house on time though, and got our bus and eventually our tram as well. In the tram we saw Corinna, and we all sat down and talked for the whole time...tram rides are fun, if there are people you know. And a camera.

We got to the train station a little bit early, at 8:20. Our train was supposed to leave at 9:03, but we thought if we got there at 8:30, it would leave enough time to buy a ticket as well.
We didn't count on the fact that buying a ticket takes about ten seconds, and that after that we wouldn't have anything to do.
It was so funny, when we were buying the ticket, this dodgy guy came and asked us if we were travelling to Hannover. (With the Niedersachsen ticket, which is what we used, you can travel in groups of up to five people.) He obviously wanted to join us, but he looked so dodgy we just said we weren't.
So, we were in the train station and had nothing better to do, we looked in the shops and bought ourselves some nice baby mixture. I couldn't believe it, when they bought it, but they actually ate it all!

OK, after that we went to the platform and took heaps of photos, and waited for our train. Alot of people travel with that train, to Hamburg. I have got to say that.
On the platform there is this sign, written in German and then in English again. It says "here not get out."
OK, people understand what is meant, but it's just such bad English! The funny thing is, it is just directly translated from German, because that is the word order in German...it was funny.

Moving along now, the train ride was fun, we ate alot, talked alot, took alot of photos and saw alot of crazy little cities we never knew existed.
Then we got out in a town called Uelzen, and got into this really cool train, the Metronom. Or something like that. The train was so cool, even the toilets were classy. They had this automatic door and everything, the room was bigger than our bathroom here!
Trying to get to Hamburg...we did the whole routine again, ate lots and had lots of fun in the train. Then eventually we pulled into the train station in Hamburg...

The train station alone is really cool. It is so big and...roomy. And all the shops and stuff, I love places like that, even if it does smell like rotten eggs. Anyway.

The first thing we did is find our way to a public transport office, so we could get a plan for the U-Bahn (Underground). I wanted to go the YFU office, which was in Hamburg, and I knew where it was, and which station we had to go to, I just didn't know with what line we should have travelled. Eventually we got the plans, and took a few more than was really necessary...but it doesn't matter.

Turns out we had to travel with the...something. U3 I think, so we found our way to the platform for that and got in the train. Oddly enough, it said on the...thing, that tells you when all the trains come, that we had to change trains in the station called Berliner Tor.
Well, somehow we ignored that. Two or three stops later we realised that when it says you have to change trains, it means that you have to change trains.
We quickly changed our little problem, got out of the train and got on another one to go in the right direction. It is great in the big cities, in Hamburg comes a train every 5 minutes. I love it. So we got back to Berliner Tor and got on the right train, and three stops later we were there.

We had to walk a little bit, but eventually we found the right building and got let in, walked up the steps and found the YFU office. It was so cool, to actually there. I can't explain it. It was YFU!! (I have been going through this stage, where I am really proud of YFU...) Anyway, we went in and I gave them the two letters. Then we went again.
It was quite disappointing, I mean, I would have liked to have seen the office, maybe talked to some of the people or something, but we went away again. At least I have the photos to prove that I was actually there.
And, it just means we have reason to go back to Hamburg once again.

We jumped on some random bus that took us back to the train station, and then made our way from there out to the Town Hall.
The town hall is so cool. It's so big and...prestigious. I don't know the word, how to explain it. It is just so beautiful. You'll all just have to see it for yourself.
We looked around inside, then set off on foot towards a famous church...which I have forgotten the name of.

It was really funny, because we couldn't figure out exactly where we were, so we asked a man, who helped us and told us where we should go. The only thing was that he was wrong as well.
So we were walking along this street, with the map guru (me) looking for where we actually were, when we suddenly see this church.
We went there and were like, yea, cool. This is it.
We looked around, it really was a beautiful church, really was. Then we read some sign and saw something about a church called St. Nikolai.
We thought it was a little bit weird, but eventually we got the courage to ask if that was even the right church.
It wasn't even right.
But to look on the bright side, we saw another beautiful church, and got directions to the right one.

We walked there and went up to the top of it, to look over Hamburg. From the top, Hamburg is really pretty. It's not too shabby, not too shabby at all. It as cold, and just a little bit windy, and hey, it only snowed a little bit, but it was really nice. I am guessing it would be alot prettier on a nice warm summer day though...
After taking numerous photos, we went down again and set off in direction harbour.

For me, the harbour isn't really that interesting. You know, I have been in Sydney many times. And Sydney is alot prettier, especially when you're on a yacht, and steering the yacht is even better. But, it is a famous thing in Hamburg.
It was a little cold, especially as it was raining, but it doesn't matter. We may as well have jumped into the water though.
We walked along the water front for a while and then went further "inland" to find somewhere where we could travel back to the train station.

We had to cross a pretty busy road, to get to a bus stop, but somehow Corinna and I acheived it. Caro didn't though.
And then the bus came. She ran over the road, and we got on the bus. OMG, the bus driver was crazy though.
We were driving down this road right? And all of a sudden he just starts screaming, oncoming traffic and stuff, swearing his head off at some person. And then he was fuming the rest of the ride.
We were happy to get out of that bus and step into the cold.

We found somewhere to eat, namedly McDonalds with their 1€ menu, heaps of things are 1€, and we sat down and ate some lunch, just before we went back to the train station again.
We were at the train station alot actually. Somehow it was just easier, because we could orienteer ourselves from there out.
I had organised to meet Hilary, from Passau, she comes from the USA, and we waited for a little while, and then I saw Hilary.
It was so cool, because I hadn't seen her since August, but we talked and talked and talked as if we saw each other every other day. Maybe we just had alot to catch up on.

Anyway, we walked around for a little while and did a little shopping, but none of us found anything anyway. Hilary and I were talking the whole way, and it was funny, because we kept on swapping between English and German the whole time. We then decided to go and sit down in a café somewhere, because we had so much to catch up on.

We chose a place called World Coffee, and picked out our drinks and sat down on these really comfy chairs. It is like Starbucks and things, but a little more...classy, without the whole plastic cup thing.
We sat there for about an hour and exchanged stories and things, it was great, because everyone just got on so well. It was really pleasing.

When it got to about 6pm we decided that we should get going, because we didn't want to miss our train. So we wandered towards the train station, stopping numerous times to look in shops and things. We eventually got to the station, and yes, we were a little early, but we looked around, made photos and bought post-cards. =D

We were looking around and all f a sudden we all saw the Subway sign...and all shouted and were really excited. Subway is so nice, I love it, but I haven't eaten it since I was in Munich sometime in August. They are not so common here though, so it is a big thing when we found it.
I love Subway...it tasted so good.

Eventually we had to say goodbye to Hilary again. We hugged and said goodbye, then she walked off. Somehow this time was easier than when we all left from Passau. We were on the same train and when we all said goodbye it was soo hard. I cried.
But this time I didn't cry.

We went to our platform with the masses of people who wanted to get on our train, and waited for it. I ate my Subway, and then the train came. It was good timing.
We had to get on the train really quickly if we wanted to be able to have a good 4-er place, and we were the first two or three people on the train, so we got our choice of pretty seats. =D

The train ride back was a little more boring, we were all exhausted and tired, but we still managed to make good conversation and have lots of fun with our cameras and the baby food.
We got to Hannover, where we had to change trains, and then we had to wait 40 mins. We looked around, bought some food and drinks, and got on the next train.
This one was empty, it was heaps good, but there were two couples who were making out the whole time, and that was really disgusting. We could see one of them and hear the other. Ewww.

We ate our biscuits and drunk our iced tea, then we eventually pulled into Braunschweig again.
We walked into the parking lot and got driven home.
When we got home we ate some more, and looked at some photos from the day, and then I called it a night and went to bed. I was so dead.

That was my amazing day in Hamburg. It was so much fun, I love Hamburg, and it would be so cool if we could go back, but I don't think we will. It is cheap, and lots of fun!! But anyway, that was it.

Yesterday we went for a massive walk, into the "woods" and then around Geitelde, my suburb, and then we came home. Spent alot of the day relaxing, or bumming around doing nothing, we were all so tired. Plus it was Good Friday.

And now I am here, isn't that weird?

Well, Happy Easter everyone,

Vera was here at 9:33 PM

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Wednesday, April 12, 2006

100 Days

I am one day away from reachng the double digit amount. I only have 100 days left...and some of them won't even be here in Germany. I have 100 days till I last set my foot upon German land and until I get into the aeroplane back home.
(And 92 days until I am officially off-program with YFU.)

Back home. It's such a weird thing to think of. I don't really think of Australia as my home anymore. Not even Canberra. I don't have one home.
On the 21st July 2005 I left Canberra, not knowing what was awaiting me. I couldn't speak any German, and I had never even been overseas before. I had no idea what I was waiting for.
263 days later, here I am. I survived, I am finally happy, I know where I am and what I am doing.
I love it here in Germany.
And that is why I can't call Canberra my home anymore. Because I have found a home here as well. I have found friends and family, all new. And I did it practically by myself. YFU didn't pick out this family or city for me. If they had have had their way, I would be somewhere on the north sea right now. But I am here.
I don't have a home, I have two.

Not to get a philosophical on you all or anything though. Sorry. Didn't want to be corny. I just thought I should write something meaningful for once. It went horribly wrong.

I have nothing else to report...everything is the same as last time. Still holidays, still having heaps of fun, even though most of my friends aren't even in the city.
Tomorrow I am going to Hamburg. Yey. I am soo excited. You don't understand how cool it is in Hamburg. And I can see Hilary again. I'll write a post about that eventually as well. Unless it turns out to be a flop.

Anyway, I hope you all have a Happy Easter, and great school holidays as well. (In Canberra it is probably warmer than it is here. You lucky people.) And I am going to go the Rove way and say...
Say hi to your Mum for me!

Vera was here at 7:25 PM

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Monday, April 10, 2006

Well, I have been on holidays for a week already...it seems like so much less, but we still have till Wednesday next week, so I am not even half through my holidays.
The crappy thing is, I won't be getting holidays again, until September, because I will miss out on the Summer holidays here, and I will miss the Winter holidays too.

Today it is my host-father's (Christoph's) birthday. We all slept in, because...everyone loves sleeping in, and then we ate breakfast at 12. It was quite nice, but just like a normal breakfast, just with some presents. Us kids, we gave him a book, which we all contributed money to, and he also got some chocolate and beer from my host-mother's (Ursula's) mother.
Now I am sitting here.

During the holidays I have hung around here at home, talked with people, gone to the city with friends, gone jeans shopping with Caro and Johannes...done quite a few things, compared to what I have done in Schoenebeck.

On Thursday Caro and I were picked up by our grandmother and we both travelled to their house to stay with them for a while.
It was really fun, the grandparents are really nice, if not a little bit embarassing. (Hey, but whose grandparents aren't?)
We bought some food, got to the ouse, ate, looked at photos from the family when they were younger, ate, watched TV, ate some more.
As a general rule, you eat alot at that house.

We went to some crazy stone place on Friday, it was OK, but a little...I don't know. It took ages to do everything, when it could have taken less time. Frustrating. And it's not like it was completely interesting, but we walked around and looked at heaps of things, then went to the top of this giant tower and saw the region.
I tell you, this region of Germany is so much more beautiful as the other one. It's like you would imagine it, rolling countrysides...hills, rivers, small towns. Green. And heaps of those "typical" German houses.
We also visited some relatives, but I am not sure who they were exactly. They were nice, and when we visited them, I was in yet another state of Germany, Nordrhein Westfalen, I think it's called. I didn't realise, and then...i don't know. It's just so cool.
We got home, ate, watched TV.

Yesterday we went out and lunch together on the top of this hill, it is called "Schaumburg." It's pretty, to sit there and eat and look down at the countryside. And the food was really good as well. It was funny, because Caro and I ate almost the same thing. Well, we ate the same thing, just drunk something different.
Seriously, Caro and I are so similar it is scary.
Then we got home, got in a train and travelled back to Braunschweig.

In the train we made a list...deadlines, we called it. A list of all the things that we want to do together, while I am here. Included is things from seeing Dresden, a really old city, to baking fortune cookies together to going to the 1€ Bar.
We also thought about getting out of the train, as we stopped in Hannover, and looking around Hannover for an hour. But, we decided against it, and decided to add Hannover to our list.

So my holidays were excellent until now, and hopefully they will stay like they are.
On Thursday Caro and I, plus two or three friends are travelling with the train to Hamburg for a day, I am so excited!! We are leaving at 9:03 from Braunschweig and getting there at 12pm, which is a really good travelling time. We are going to buy a Niedersachsen ticket, it means you can travel anywhere in Niedersachsen, which is my state, Bremen and Hamburg with up to five people for any one ticket, for one day.
Then we are going to get the train at nearly 11pm and that means we will get back to Braunschweig at 1am.
I am really excited, because Sabrina is coming, and she is totally nice, and I haven't seen her for ages!
We are probably going to stay in the city and look around, and maybe do some shopping. We also thought it would be cool to go and see the YFU office, but we have no idea if that is anywhere in the city, or if we have to travel really far to go and see it. So, if it is close we are going to go there as well.

And, if anyone has any ideas for what I can print on the back of my Year 10 t-shirt/jumper, please comment with them. I have to decide, but I have no idea what I should write. I want something to do with Germany and my exchange year, or something in German, but I am not sure what!

That's about all for now,

Vera was here at 12:24 AM

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Saturday, April 01, 2006

It's Finally Holidays!!

Well, you may all call me totally lazy and a holiday pig, but I don't care. Because it's holidays...finally.
I am soo happy that it is holidays. I know it is stupid and pointless, that it is holidays, because now I can't go to school and get to know the people in my class better, which is what I would have liked, but I can't help to be happy about it as well. It's like I am infected, from all the other people being happy it i s holidays.

Anyway, the point is, it is holidays. I don't have to go to school (which isn't exactly good, but anyway), I can sleep in every day and go to bed late every day, do whatever I want, visit friends, go to the city with friends (which we all intend to do), can party with Anna...I can't even explain the plusses of holidays. You all know them already.

So I plan to sleep in for a little while every day, then...do things with my friends. Annika, from my class, wants to go to the cinemas with Carolina and I, which wilol turn out good, hopefully, because Annika and I get on really well, she is really nice. Then Eva and I, Katharina and I, Anna and I, Robert and I and Catrin and I want to meet sometime. Catrin's host-sister from the international week is coming to visit, and we all want to do something together. With Anna it will be partying, and I know it. Robert as well. That'll be lots of fun, with those two. But don't tell YFU. =D
Anyway.

In the last week I have done quite alot, but also not very much at the same time. I have been to school every day, which was really hard, especially at the beginning of the week. I was still sick, if you're wondering.
On Monday I had 8 lessons, which is a really long day, for us. It was hard to get through, but I survived. I am here, aren't I?
Then, to top off my day, my betreuerin came. She spoke and spoke and spoke. It was so irritating. then, I would ask a question and she wouldn't answer it, just change the subject. I got so annoyed after a while. I really don't like her, I don't know why though.
It was great when she left though.

Tuesday, I got to sleep in because I had my first lesson in the second period. it was great, even though it was only half an hour. I also caught the bus for the first time by myself, which is a big acheivement in itself, considering how complicated it is with the busses here.
Wednesday...nothing special.
Thursday I had sport, which was great. I love it, even though the teacher is bad. She is like, you're doing it completely wrong, you're ll so bad. And then she doesn't tell you how you can improve, only that you're wrong and that you suck. She really is a classic.
Friday was today. It was interesting, if I can say that. I wrote a test in English again, which was really easy, except when I had to translate something into German. I had problems there.

What is funny, is that I can speak German easily, and speak English easily enough, when I am in the mode. But, when I have to translate something from German into English for someone, like I tried with Sam, who didn't know any German, I just can't do it. I find it so hard, it is unbelievable.
I just speak German, without thinking or translating anything, like it is my own language. But, from one to the other...it's really weird.

Back to school, I am really happy, with my school and the people that I have found, who are my friends. The girls in my class are great, they are really nice and we all get on pretty well. I like talking to them, because they are all so interesting.
The only problem I have with my class is that I am stuck at the back next to a girl who doesn't talk to me because she thinks she is better than me or something. I knew her from the international week, and she was nice enough, and now I sit next to her and she doesn't really talk. I would rather sit with Annika and Claudia and the other girl whose name I have forgotten, but the shitty thing is there are no places. Crappy aye?

So, I have a question for you (unlucky or lucky?) people back in Melba, which is, have you done the Road-Ready course yet? I have heard from anonymous sources, telling me you have. Shitty. I also ask you all to keep in contact with my Mum if anything important comes up with WorkEx. When are we doing that? And, if there is anything important I need to know about college.
OK, enough with me stressing about what is going to happen with my life when I get back home. I am off to live here in Germany. I just don't know what I am going to do yet...

Bye, my friends who seem not to fall off the earth down there, unter, and friends who are in Germany, we don't need to worry about it, stimmt's?

Vera was here at 3:18 AM

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