More photos

I have loaded some more photos onto my facebook, so if you want to check that out, you can see more of what I did in Germany.

Wow, time is going fast! I have only a few weeks before I leave the country again! Next weekend I should have some Taiwanese friends coming to visit me, they went to school with me and now they shall drive down for a visit. I am excited to see them! They are really neat.

I saw the movie "Snakes on a Plane" last night. That was really interesting. Well done considering the concept which wasn't soo great. But I am glad I saw it! Now I just have to wait for "Babel" to come out. Check it out sometime online if you have a chance, it looks like it will be really interesting, though potentially hard to follow (as I guess it was filmed in four different languages, playing off the biblical theme of the Tower of Bable).

This week everyone is moving onto campus and I am not.... That makes me sad, though I will have my own things to do soon, which I am slowly getting really excited about. The excitement can take a while to set in for me, I have known for a while about me studying abroad this fall, so it is kind of an expected thing, now that it is about to happen it hasn't actually registered yet, but we shall see soon enough how it is.

Random Things

So after I posted a lot I haven't really posted anything. Camp has been wonderful and I really haven't had enough of a reason to post anything. The people have been great to work with, although most of them are gone now. There are only 6 of us (3 guys and 3 girls, funny that it is evenly split) living on camp now and a few more living nearby that still come in.

To expand a bit on my host family, I have a Mom and three siblings at home. One of the kids is married and doesn't live at home anymore, but he visits often the paper said. Then the other three are 28, 31 and 33. I was reading up on this and apparently rent is high in Spain, but income is low. When I am there I guess I will find out why, but that is the reason I have read so far. Also in my program we are placed with one other student and my roommate is Natasha. We talked on the phone and she seems really nice, I am excited to meet her.

Yesterday Paul, he works with me here and we go to school together, taught me how to drive manuel transmission. That was fun. I have wanted to learn for quite a while now and I finally got to try! I am not great at it yet, but I am not bad for a beginner apparently. I only killed the car once and at first I had difficulties, but I can get the car to move forward on the first try most times now, with little error with how much gas I give it. It was fun!

Last night I went to see "The World Trade Center" with several other workers from here. One other girl and I went in thinking it was going to be documentation like, but then again neither of us had really heard anything about it yet. It has a definite story line that really draws you into it and you feel like you know some of these people by the end. It follows two people who were actually pulled out of the rubble. I do not know if enjoy is the correct term, but I did like it and I think it was well done. It is worth a viewing if you are thinking about it, though it is really hard to watch.

I am looking forward to the release of the movie "Babel." I read online that it was filmed in four different languages. Just my cup of tea. It should come out end of October/beginning of November. I do not go to movies often, but this one looks worth my time to se ein theaters.

Spain Address

Oh, and if anyone wants my mailing address or phone number for my semester this fall in Spain, feel free to email me!

Stuff I have been doing after Germany

So after I got back from Germany I had only a few days to recover and it was off to Chicago. Now you must understand that this was not a trip I wanted to make, but I had to make. For whatever reason the Spanish Embassy has very few Consulats and I had to go to the one in Chicago. So into the car with me to make the 8-9 hour trek out to Chicago. My meeting there went by very quickly and painlessly, so that was good. I just have to go and pick up my passport later, this way I can study abroad in Spain! Yippee.

One very good thing about the trip was that I could see my Great Aunt and one of Dad's cousins and his family. So that was a neat way to spend an afternoon. I also got to meet my Great Aunt's helper, she was really sweet. The trip back wasn't so great though, I think at that point I had been riding in vehicles way to much, but I am ready to go at it again. :-)

The Wednesday after returning home my family and I traveled to Omaha so we could see my cousin Anna and the rest of her family. The reason I highlight Anna is because she is the one that is a teacher missionary (see Anna under family links, her blog is there). She teaches English in Taiwan. It was really good to see that whole family and catch up with them. My cousin Rachel is going to start at a different college this fall, so it was interesting to find out how everything with that is going. Then my cousin Tim is going to start in college this fall, he just graduated high school.

Then a week and a half ago I came out to camp to counsel for the high school camp. I went as a camper for three years and I absolutely loved it, so now it is my chance to give back to it. The week was really good and just being back at camp gave me a renewed interest to make sure I read my Bible every day. My campers were not the easiest bunch of campers I had, but they were fun. They just needed a little extra help to start discussions, but once they started they were really good and just going off with it. That week was definitely not the best week of my life and I did feel rather lacking as a counseling because I got a cold that took me out for about 1 and a half days. That was no fun, but regardless it was a good week. In the beginning of the week it was really hot outside, but it slowly cooled off, which was great. Otherwards I am certain that we would have had some terribly dehydrated campers.

Now I am working at camp. I serve food in the dining hall and clean up in the kitchens. As cabins empty I clean them and I help clean the shower house. I also watch rec check so people can use basketballs and such here. This is definitely not a glamorous job, but it's a lot of fun. Yesterday after dinner I got a little frustrated with the piles of pans we had to clean (it was hard to clean during the meal, as we were unfortunately one person short, so I ended doing pans all by myself, which can only go so long until you have to move pans from one sink to the next and then to the next and then just dry them and then put them away. In otherwards, it is kind of hard with soo much by yourself, but a little got done during the serving.). In the end it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Besides Joy (a fellow worker) is a super washer. She can get through the pots and pans quicker than anyone I know! So she washed and I dried, it was a good time.

So that is basically what is going on in my life now. It is quite the neat experience and I am always excited about what is going to come next. :-) Maybe too excited at times....

Rothenburg ob der Tauber with AJ and then onto home!

So I arrived at Rothenburg on July 15, 2006, the evening before my brother arrived there. I stayed in the youth hostel, which was a new experience, as I have only stayed in youth hostels in large groups before. I stayed in a room with several other people, people from Korea, Mexico and the US. The girls from the US were never in the room that night, so I didn't talk to them much, but I talked to the two Korean girls and the Mexican girl. It was fun to chat with the Korean girls, they even taught me a bit of Korean! I don't remember many words, but I didn't learn a lot either. I can still say that's ok, cucumber and cheese. Oh and some of the names of money. Good thing I won't be dropped off in Korea today, I wouldn't be able to ask for the restroom!

The Mexican girl, Lily, and I walked around town together that night. She lives in Madrid right now and we spoke in Spanish. That was a very cool experience because it gave me the opportunity to try out my Spanish and to see if I can really actually speak in Spanish. Yay for comfort right before I leave for Spain (that is not until September though). Then on Sunday we walked around some more together and got some ice cream. Before Lily left we exchanged contact information, so I can call her when I am in Madrid.

That evening my brother came, so I went and bought him a typical southern German pretzel. The first person I talked to was Dr. Jones, the band director. He did remember me, I was surprised. :-) The group was a large one two years ago, when I went as an Iowa Ambassador of Music. Then a little while later the purple bus (AJ's bus) arrived). I then first talked to my high school flute teacher and her husband. It was really nice to see them again. Then I saw AJ and gave him the pretzel.

That evening was the orientation which was funny for me, because I had gone through it two years ago right in that spot again. Then when they had dinner I went and ate somewhere. Afterwards AJ, his friend Tony, and I went and saw "Der Meister Trunk," a theater piece based on a war when the Swedes tried to take over. But an official from Rothenburg had drunk out a large mug of beer in one drink. Basically the beginning of chugging contests. It was funny and I translated for AJ and his friend.

On Monday I met with Diane, my flute teacher, for coffee, that was really nice, I always enjoy getting together with her. AJ, a few friends of his, and I went to lunch and I exposed them to schnitzel. Their concerts were in the afternoon, and they were very good this year. The group had grown by about 200, so they now have around 500 kids total. After the concerts we went and bought 40 Euros worth of candy, trust me, it's worth every cent.

In the evening there was the ending party for the group and I joined in. The skits and songs were all well done and the kids all looked very enthusiastic. Two years ago I got sick which we were in Germany, so I wasn't able to go to the party, which was sad. I slept through the party and through dinner.

Tuesday came around and AJ's group had to wake up at 3am to get ready to leave and I woke up around 8am, nice and comfortably. Then I found the train station and went back to Munich to meet up with Kordula. Since Wednesday was her birthday I went and bought her some of her favorite food (according to Isabel) for her for the next day. In the evening I picked up my suitcase and brought it down to the Pharmacy where Kordula works, so we wouldn't have to haul it up the stairs again. Then I repacked everything and we went for food and at a really good Mexican resturaunt. It was a good time. That late evening when Mirja came back I stopped by her apartment to say goodbye. Tuesday I woke up around 7 and got ready to leave.

Everything went smoothly in Munich, but my layover in Toronto was not soo smoothly. I had to pick up my suitcase and go through customs twice, but no one explained that to me at all. I knew I had to pick up my suitcase, but as I was going on into the States my suitcase was somewhere else other than where we were directed too. Then I had to go through American customs after just having gone through Canadian customs. I almost missed my plane, but I got there about 10 minutes before take off because I was pushed to the front of lines, due to my take off time. Once I was on the plane we ended up having a hour and a half long wait in the plane as they fixed a few things. By the time I got home I was overjoyed not to travel. Especially since I had to sit in a car for three hours after touching ground.

The trip was a ton of fun and I would repeat it in an instant. But as for now, I have to go work lunch.

Tübingen and on the way to Rothenburg ob der Tauber

So this post and the next few are going to be shorter, just as an fyi. The stays were shorter and if I don't talk about everything in one post I will forget something.

Late Wednesday Afternoon I rode on the train to go to Tübingen and arrive by 9pm. Lisa's aunt took me in for 3 nights. She was really sweet to me and I enjoyed her family a lot as well. Tübingen is where I am going to be spending a semester next school year and so this was just so I could go there and see the town as I was in Germany anyways. I also had a meeting with people taking care of my program there which was a good time to get to know them.

So Thursday I slept in and did a bit of laundry and then it was off to my meeting. Ingrid dropped me off a little early so I walked around that block area for a bit so I could familiarize myself with my surroundings. Then I went and met with the two people and talked about my program. With my program I will be doing a four week long language course in one of 4 or 5 cities that I will have to choose from. It was neat to hear where I could go so that I can be thinking about it now and not later while I am in Spain. I even think I have come to a decision. We talked about the different things offered in Tübingen and offered with the program. The more I find out about my program the more I believe that it is perfect for me.

That night I went out with the people I had met in Kiel that are down in Tübingen and they brought their friend Tom. We just kind of walked around town a bit and they told me about the different things students like to do in Tübingen. Friday was a slow day, I didn't do much and then I went to an open air music festival in a park in Tübingen. It is free to get in and it was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed Tübingen a lot.

On Saturday morning I left and rode the train for a little more than 3 hours to Munich. There I dropped my suitcase off with Mirja and stopped by Kordula's apartment to ask about staying over night with her on the following Tuesday night. Mirja and I talked for a while and it was just really good to talk to her again. I really enjoyed that.

Then I took the trains for a bit more than 3 hours again to go to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where I was to meet up with my brother on Sunday. The next post will be about Rothenburg, just to break things up a bit.

Düsseldorf -- and the end of the World Cup

So on that Monday I traveled on to Düsseldorf, that would have been July 3rd. I went to my friend Iris' house. The train ride was really interesting because we had to go on a detour and that added a bit of time and then they made us change trains and extra time. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but I was tired of hauling my suitcase around and wanted a break. Thankfully many times there are really nice people that help me out! I could generally through my suitcase around fairly well, but it does get tiring.

So I finally arrived in Düsseldorf and it was insanely warm. Most people don't have air conditioning in their cars, so I was thinking that I was going to be looking forward to a nice hot car ride to Iris' house. BUT she had air conditioning, so that was nice. Her cousin was also at her house because he wanted to go to a few World Cup games and catch the rest on tv in Germany. On that Tuesday (or maybe that Monday) we went into downtown to just walk around and whatnot. I ended up buying a skirt. Anyways, it was kind of interesting because when we first arrived downtown Iris saw this girl that looked like my ex-younger-host-sister. Apparently she kind of looked down when she saw us and kept walking away. I find this simply interesting. All in all I have no hard feelings against her, the time at her house simply did not work. (Basically as an exchange student in Germany I had to switch host families because my first one and myself did not get along together at all.) The skirt I had bought is really nice and I wear it a lot.

On that Wednesday Iris and I met two of our friends at the university and sad in on Chemistry class. I am really curious now to see if I like university classes in Germany, but there was a lot of talking during classes, which is unusual in the US, at least that is my experience. Being that I don't understand Chemistry anyways I sat there and did Soduku. Iris went to a Chemistry lecture with Eva and I went with Nadine, they took apr. the same amount of time anyways. One of Nadine's friend brough cake, so we ate some cake during class. After the lectures we went with Eva and one of her friends to grab lunch in the cafeteria and it wasn't that bad. Afterwards we went back to Iris' house and Eva came with.

That Thursday we went to Movie Park. It used to be affiliated with Warner Brothers, but Six Flags owns it now. And, to my surprise, I went on all the roller coasters! I normally don't think I would enjoy the bigger roller coasters and such, but I went on anyways and it was fun! They don't have as many spinning rides as I am accustomed to at amusement parks, so I went on the two they had. One spins you upside down and the other one is a regular spin against the wall and swings from side to side at the same time. I find these rides relaxing somehow. Anyways, the second one described, there was a guy that decided last minute to ride it and he ended up throwing up mid ride. That was really gross because of the nature of the ride. As soon as it was over everyone ran off.

We went on the water roller coaster 5 or 6 times. It started outside then you went into this mountain structure, saw a bunch of aliens doing alien things and then out and splash into the water. Anyways, there are two cameras on the ride and at the end you can buy a print out with both photos on it. So it took us a few times before we realized where the first camera was, so the last time or one of the last times, we decided to have fun with the camera. Iris' cousin sat on the side, then Iris and then me. So Iris and I shoved towards her cousin so that he would be crammed against the side. It looks like he is about ready to fly out of the car. Then we just had fun with the second camera because it is on the way down the slope into the water. They are both very good photos.

On Friday evening we went to Sylvia's house, she was my coordinator during my time in Düsseldorf. She now has year old twins Vincenz and Katharina. They are adorable! We went to the park with them and it was just a rocking good time. Then we had some dinner at her house and relaxed there for a while. Her husband, Matthias, is in the police force, so I had to ask him about the police uniforms becoming blue in Germany. In the last several decades or so, the police have been green there and now there is a movement to go to blue. Several states have already changed over but many are also still green. Matthias believe that in a year or so Nordrheinland-Westphalen will probably go blue in the next year or so. The reason for this is that blue policemen is more wide spread in the world, so that way if they go blue it can be easier to spot the police quickly. Or something like that. It's really interesting.

That Saturday Sylvia picked me up and we went to her sisters place in Gummersbach, she had her 25th wedding anniversary. It was really interesting because broken dishes equals good luck. So there were broken dishes every where by the door. Also they made a wreath and hung it around the door. It was really interesting, so please look at my facebook albums, I will put photos up and go into more detail about it. We watched the Germany versus Portugal game on tv that night. It was for 3rd place, a mention of the Germany/Italy game is coming after this section. Anyways Portugal and Germany both shot 2 goals each, but one of Portugal's was in Germany's net instead of theirs... So Germany got third which is great too!

Then I got to spend some time with Simone and Nick (Sylvia's neice and her boyfriend). It was good to spend time with them although I was really tired. I stayed over night and then Sylvia dropped me off at the train station on Sunday afternoon so I could go back to Düsseldorf. I bought a ticket and then I just kind of made up the route as I went, I didn't really know how to go. When I got back my train ended up being 10 minutes late and we rushed off to dinner at a golf club. The food was just really great, I really enjoyed it a lot. Then we went back to Iris' house and watched the championship game of the World Cup. Italy versus France. That was fun to watch.

So the Ital Germany game was kind of frustrating because there was no score until the last two minutes of the overtime! So frustrating, but it was a good game and a lot of fun to watch. Then of course the US didn't get past the pre-round, yet we gained one point in our group against Italy! We tied! So, we pretty much rock.

On Monday we brough Iris' cousin to the airport. He lives in South Africa, so he had to return home and to work. He even treated us to some pop in the airport before he went through security. Everything went smoothly there. On Tuesday Iris and I met up with Nadine in the downtown. It was a good time. Very good to see her again.

Sometime during the week we managed to watch episodes 4 and 5 of Star Wars in German. Wow, never do that if you are used to the English version. Darth Vader has a horrible voice. It is just bad. :-)

Well, I have to get some other things done, but I am almost finished with writing about my time in Germany, then it is on to camp! :-) Camp is soo much fun.