Wrap It Up!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iqwDg3YfAY 

This is a video explaining what I did after Berlin, and how the rest of the year went!

Berlin-CBYX Week

Sorry for the quality, my computer isn't the best!

Update!

Sorry it's been so long! Here is an update for everyone.

18th Birthday!

18th birthday is a big deal here in Germany. But I had an amazing time! On my birthday, Kerstin, Micheal, and Nele woke me up and sang me a birthday song. Then we have a "birthday table" and I had 18 roses, lots of pictures drawn by Nele, and she made me a lot of flowers. I got a leather jacket, two yoga books, the one that is in German, the yoga poses are shown with cows! It's super funny. Then I have a book in English, about Dresden. I got a card, some chocolates. I got a silver identification bracelet with a heart and it says "Dresden" on it! Super pretty. A lot of people came up to me at school and gave me hugs and said happy birthday! It was super nice. Then we had my host brother come over for dinner, and we had Mac&Cheese (: Then on Friday we had a small dinner party with family friends. They stayed over for a couple hours, ate, and just had a good time. Then on Saturday I had a party with all my German friends! I rented out this small place. A lot of people came, and we had a good time, partied, and just had fun! I'm so thankful that I met so many nice people here that I can come back and keep connections with when I go back home. I had an amazing birthday here in Germany!! <3 

Holiday!

The first week we stayed at home and just hung out. The second week we went to Italy! On Saturday the 22nd, and drove 6.5 hours to Austria. We checked out the Sarowski crystal world. We saw, of course, lots of diamonds. And everything was so pretty! And Sparkly! The next day we drove two more hours to Italy! It was so unbelievable! The Mountains! They were so pretty! It was just so crazy to say that I was in Italy! As soon as we got everything into the room, we got changed to go skiing! We went up so freaking high, it was a little bit scary. It was so warm! I had to take a few layers off. I wasn't in the same room as my family, I stayed with family friends in a different room. After skiing Nele and I went into the outdoor pool. It was so beautiful seeing the Alps while you were swimming. We ran out into the snow and I walked in the wrong place and sunk into the snow so deep that it came up to my hip and it took me a couple of minutes to get out! On Monday it was going really good with the skiing. But on this hill I was going fast and didn't quite know how to control it. So I ran into this little boy, he was completely fine, i just skimmed his ski, but I lost one of mine and got a huge bruise on my thigh and his dad or trainer started yelling at me in German telling me how I could do that and what I was thinking. I lost my confidence after that. We ate and I was just done. But we had to go down a black diamond to get back to the hotel...I was so done after that. I was tired and just felt like i couldn't do anything anymore. So on Tuesday Kerstin, Micheal and I went cross country skiing. And I didn't realize how hard it was going to be! That was about two hours. Then Kerstin and I got into our bikinis and laid in the sun on her balcony. It was about 90 degrees in the sun, and I listened to my music, drank tea, and started at the alps. It was so relaxing. On Wednesday we went back skiing, and we worked on my Technics. I got the hang of it eventually. Just had to gain my confidence back. Then with an hour left for the gondolas, we went bobsledding! We all raced to the bottom, Kerstin won the first round, then Nele and I together won the second. I had snowballs IN MY PANTS from steering with my feet. It was so much fun though! Then on Thrusday we skiied for a little bit but Nele had a small accident so I went back to the hotel with her and watched some movies until dinner. On Friday Kerstin, Micheal, and I did a 7 hour snow shoe hike. Wow that was crazy. It was super pretty and not as hard as I thought. But At the end I had these huge blisters on my pinkie toes taht I actually bled through my socks. But My legs didn't hurt or anything the next day. Saturday Nele and I couldn't do much so we had a movie lazy day. I'll tell you a little about the hotel quick. It was called the Berghotel (mountain hotel) and they always had breakfast, cake in the afternoon, and a 5 course dinner. Everything was super delicious. On one ski route you had to drive, but the other one you could go right from the hotel. There were lots of saunas, and a relaxing room (with water beds!), an indoor and outdoor pool. It was super pretty with an amazing view. I was so lucky to be able to experience something like this. I hope I will be able to come back some day! 

Munich Week!

From the 9th of February until the 14th I was in Munich for a YFU seminar. We were actually in a little village called Possenhofen. It was about 40 minutes with subway. It was so nice to see everyone from the airport in Chicago, to the people I met in the 3 weeks in Flensburg. It's been so long! For most of the week we talked about our host families and our language skills. The first night we introduced ourselves and played some warm up games. That Monday was SOOOO long! We did so much group work. But we got to see the mountains. They looked like someone painted them in the background. They were so unbelievably beautiful. My friend and I stood in the crystal clear water, and it was so freakin cold! I was fine with the group work, but I was getting so tired, and I didn't understand everything so I got really frustrated with myself, and just felt really bad. But things got better, when some of the kids and I started talking about funny youtube videos. I almost peed myself laughing so hard! On Tuesday we went to Munich! We  had only 15 minutes to eat breakfast. We separated into all different groups. My group started with the BMW manufacture. It was super cool because we got a tour, so we actually got to see the machines putting the cars together, and putting paint on them and everything! We had Pizza Hut afterwards...it tasted like home. It was amazing! Then we headed to the Allianz Arena, the soccer field. We got to tour it, and see where the players locker room is and where they chill in a hot tub afterward the games. it was actually really interesting. Then we only had 20 minutes to go through the German Museum. My friend and I ran through three levels and saw everything that we wanted to! After with our little group we went and ate Doener. Yummm! Then we got together as a large group and had a tour of the city. Our tour guide..I can't even explain her. She was weird but not too weird. She was funny at times, and made it really interesting. Wednesday we were back in the city but we were all alone without YFU people. We got into groups and did a scavenger hunt in the city. WE basically got to do what we wanted. We actually got to see where Sophie Schiller and her brother threw the papers in the university! We came back and had a movie pajama party! We all got into our pajamas, and watched a movie! It was really cool. On Thursday we did a little bit of group work, and then we all went our different ways because we were throwing a party for us and we had to get things together. Some went grocery shopping, I stayed back and worked on the slideshow. We had fun looking through the pictures and just hung our for a couple of hours. The party started off with embarrassing stories. My favorite was from Jack, he when to go say Entschuldigung (excuse me) to someone because he accidentally ran into him, but he accidentally said Enchilada, and another woman said "Enchilada? I love that animal!!" Oh my god that was so freakin funny!!! Then we had a little "dance party" where we were just being stupid the whole time. Then my slideshow, and then we played a couple games. First caputre the flag and the sardiens. Then it was off to bed. The week went by so fast! But we see everyone again in May, so it's not too bad! But it was a really good time with everyone!

Tour Guide

Allianz Arena 

Super Bowl 2014!

Today I was supposed to go met a friend in a movie theatre to watch the game but he had to work. So here I am at now 3 in the morning watching the game in the guest room! It's better than nothing(: It's my first game of the season do there is no way I was missing it(: By the time the game is done I will get like half an hour of sleep then off to school d: Of course the Packers are going to win! (running joke with Super Bowl party, Packers will always win no matter what) but I decided to go with the Seahawks. The poor Broncos are getting thier butts kicked! I was super excited that Bruno Mars was headlining the halftime show! Hope you enjoyed your Super Bowl! 

Skiing at Altenberg!

On Saturday my host dad and I went to see if I could ski! We went to Altenberg, a small mountain, and I relearned how to ski! It was really really pretty, and the mountain was all lit up because it was dark. I actually did pretty good for not having skied for 5 years!! I needed to practice for our Winter break in February. It was a lot of fun! Then Micheal and I stopped in a hotel and 9:45 for dinner. It was that good...well at least the salad was good. We were both exhausted by the time we got home. I came up and checked on my knee( I fell on it three times on the same spot) and saw it was nice, red, and fat! ...And I could barely walk on my leg, my calf hurt so bad...but that's what fun is...right?

Me lookin' super sexy...and fat! (But Warm)

Rockin' It!

Today was so funny! The kids have to sing for a grade in music class, and I chose We Will Rock You by Queen! It was short simple and I've known the words since I was in elementary school d: Everyone did the clapping part and sang along to the chorus! I was pretty much a Rock Star :D

Wendischbora!

Today my family took me to Wendischbora. What's in Wendischbora you ask? Not much, it was a small village, BUT my great great great grandfather lived there! We were able to see the church he was married in and his wife and children were baptized in! My grandpa Horn helped make this possible, without him, I wouldn't have known were my ancestors directly came from. And the crazy part is that it could have been anywhere in Germany, and it ends up being only 45 minutes from Dresden! It was so cool thinking that my ancestors were there. It was a little disappointing because the church was closed, but it was still amazing. Then we ate at a little restaurant there called "Zum heissen Stein" (to the hot stone). It was so cool. You were able to choose what dish you wanted, I choose steak, and then you got this big platter with a hot stone and you got to cook your own meat! It was so delicious!!  

Birthday Party!

Yesterday on the 18th I went to a friends birthday party. It was so much fun! I was only there for a couple hours but it was great! He rented this really small club called the Red Tree. I met a friends boyfriend from Russia and we talked about music for a little bit, then Lili, these two guys, and I played some foosball! Best two out of three and my partner and I won!! It was so funny, we had people cheering for us and everything. When it was about to hit midnight, everyone counted down from 10, then when it hit midnight four guys carried the friend in on a chair and he was holding a staff. It was great!

Opa's Birthday: Jan. 11th&12th

We went to Berlin for Opa Klaus' birthday! It was so much fun! There were so many generation's in that room. We had Opa's siblings then his kids their kids with uncles and grandchildren. It was crazy! He turned 81 on the 12th. We ate a nice dinner and talked until 11:00. I was so tired by the end with all the German!

Silvester: New Years Eve

For New Years Eve I went and hung out with some friends from school. It was so crazy! Their New Years is like our 4th of July. Everyone was out on the streets shooting off fireworks. On the sidewalks, in front of stores, in ally ways...Everywhere!! There were 4 girls that hung out before, then we met up with the guys downtown later. We went onto a bridge going over the Elbe river, and watched the fireworks. When it hit midnight it was like the "grand finale" of 4th of July fireworks. It was so beautiful and everyone was having an amazing time! Then we went back to one girls' house and watched this hilarious T.V. show for 2 hours! We were just hanging out enjoying the warmth of her home! Then we shot off some of our own fireworks and headed home. Some drunk jerk shot off a firework really close to us and it was just a loud one but it was super loud and we had some trouble hearing out of our left ears...THANK YOU. But we went back home it was super late and fell asleep watching Family Guy! Happy New Years! 

Christmas!

Then comes 24th! Merry Christmas Eve! We went to church and sang a little, then came home for some cake and coffee. We didn't have to wait till after dinner and all the dishes were clean to open presents! When we were eating Santa came and left to large sacks of presents by our front door. After eating then we opened presents. I got a lot of bath stuff for a spa day, a beautiful watch, and a Räuchermann. Its a small figure that you light these scented things in and the smoke comes out of his mouth. The direct translation is smoking man. I also had a small package from my grandparents, and they sent me my favorite lotion, some candy, a "map" of some of my ancestors that come from a town near Dresden, and a cute necklace charm. That was really nice! As my family was opening their present from their daughter, who is in the USA, I saw pictures on facebook my mom posted of the tree, and a video of my family saying I love you and miss you and thank you for the gifts, I got a blow of homesickness. It's really normal especially this time of year. But I got to skype with them the next day so it was good. In my American family we have a tradition that on the 24th we get new pj's and on the 25th we stay in our pj's the entire day. So my German family helped keep up that tradition. We got new pj's and had a lazy pj day! It was nice for me because I got sick on the 24th, and did not feel up to changing into real clothes. 

The rest of Christmas break was pretty relaxed. We didn't' do much, which was fine because I wasn't feeling up to do anything.

Nele's Birthday Party!

The 22nd was Nele's birthday party, I made brunch for the family, my grandpa's recipe for French Toast. Then she had 5 other 11/12 year olds come over. Yes I stayed in my room in the basement because all you could hear were 6 11/12 year olds running around screaming! But I came up for dinner and to watch the Men in Black trilogy. The next day was Nele's birthday. We woke the kids up at 7 to have Nele open presents and eat cake for breakfast! They wanted me to get into the games that day so I dunked for an apple, and had some kids, while blindfolded, feed me whipped cream. I ended up with whipped cream IN my nose AND eye!!! I couldn't eat lunch I was full from whipped cream!! 

Nele feeding me...

Dresdener-Weihnachten Circus Dec. 21st

Then it was finally the Circus! It was basically the German version of Cirque du Soleil. There were a lot of acts that made you pinch yourself to see if you were actually seeing this! My favorite act was these 2 brothers from Ethiopia. One brother laid on the ground with his legs in the air and his brother sat on his brothers feet. Then they would do flips! The brother on the bottom would help his brother get momentum to do flips, its hard to explain but it was unbelievable!! 

Christmas at School! Dec. 19th & 20th

The celebration with my class was so much fun! First we had a volleyball match with the other 10th grade classes, and my class won! Then we had a "brunch" so all very unhealthy Christmasy foods, and a present exchange. I ended up getting a 3-in-1 pen, with a USB, a stylus for an IPod or something, and a regular pen. Pretty cool! Then afterwards we went ice-skating! I wasn't as bad as I thought but defiantly not the best!! It was a lot of fun with the class. And the day after we went to a church to watch a Christmas concert from the chorus' in our school. It was funny (from what I could understand), and you got to see all the talent the school has. That night I went to another club with some friends. We ended up missing the tram that would bring us home by curfew, and got home an hour later, but it all worked out. 

Church for the concert

Seiffen, A Small Village. Dec. 15th

That Sunday, Nele, Micheal and I went to Seiffen's Christmas Market. It's about and hour away from us, but it was so beautiful! The whole village was lit up with Christmas lights, and you could smell bratwurst, chocolate, and roasted almonds everywhere. We took a short stop on the way to Seiffen in a little village 10 minutes away and saw the biggest Nutcracker! It was 19.25 feet tall!

Hanging out. Dec. 14th

The next Saturday went to go see Nele's (little host sister) show tunes for gymnastics. She had a solo because she was ill and didn't the choreography for the other dance. But it was really beautiful and fun to watch! Afterwards I went to a friends house and we made pizza, and watched some scary movies! 

Weihnachtsball! Dec. 13th

Then we had the Christmas Dance. It was okay. It would've been better if more people showed up. But for the first part of the dance I danced with my little host sister and her friends. They were so excited because it was their first dance. It was adorable! Then some of my friends came and we hung out for the rest of the night. It was nice having some friends just to hang out with and just have fun! 

English Presentation

The next Monday I had to give a presentation in my English class about early settlement in America so the kids could brush up on their American history. It was so funny, I was trying to talk slow enough for them to understand but not to slow, and I look and they all have these blank faces and I asked if they understood, and EVERYONE nodded their heads...it was like a little kid nodding their heads just so they don't have to listen anymore!

Second Advent Weekend Dec. 7th&8th

For the second Advent weekend it is tradition for my family to drive to Berlin to visit the grandpa, and have all the family come over and have a small Christmas get together. It was a nice time, and I got to meet a lot more of the family! They were all so nice! We ate a nice big dinner, and just hung out and talked for the whole night. I was so tired I ended up falling asleep on the couch! Just like a normal family weekend back in Wisconsin!

My host mom, Kerstin, and I 

Dancing! Dec. 6th

On the night of the 6th I went to a club with my friends Lili and Max. It was fun, we got there around 11, waiting outside freezing our butts off for 20 minutes then danced until 1 in the morning! I had to go home from Lili's early because we were heading to Berlin on the 7th.