[50] Days of Germany

As of today I only have fifty days left in Germany. That's right. Fifty days. Like what? Where did the time go? I'm not sure, but if you find it, please tell it to SLOW DOWN! or SPEED UP! depending on the day and my current view on the situation. 

I don't even know where to begin with how I feel. Because first off, I'm so excited to see my family and friends and american food again! But then again, I'm so devastated to leave my family and friends and german food here. It's like I'm torn in two, half of me just wants to be home, and the other half never wants to leave. 

I read a quote the other day, and I'm going to change it a bit to make it more accurate for my situation, but it went a little like this:

I built a life for 17 years and left it for 10 months; then I built a life for 10 months and left it forever.Which was harder? 

I'm gonna guess the second. Even at my hardest times in Germany, when I was missing America, I knew that in a matter of months I would be going back home. Back home where I know how everything works and I can talk without having to plan it all out beforehand and I don't have to rely on other people to explain everything to me. But when I get back to America, and I start missing Germany, I won't have the knowledge of one day being home again to comfort me. I will never again get to experience this life fully. Even if I come back to Germany, I won't be able to see all of my friends again. I won't get the chance to get into a daily routine with my host family again. It just won't be the same.
And that is why I am choosing to focus on the "I never want to leave" feelings right now. Instead of counting the days down to when I get to go home, I'm keeping track of the days I have left. I'm making to most of the next 49 days. And there will be plenty of time for my "I just want to be home" feelings when I get home. It's okay to look forward to things in the future, but you can't forget to make the most of things today.

A German Easter

Despite the fact the America is a more religious nation than Germany, I found that easter in Germany was actually a pretty big deal.

It started on Green Thursday with communion and a short church service. People get out of school and work Friday and Monday for the holiday. On Good Friday it's actually against the law in Germany to dance, but many youth have parties or go to clubs anyway. My host family went to a church service instead. Then on Saturday I went to REfresh, which is a service just for teenagers. The topic was where am I going after I die. It was really cool and I loved the atmosphere. Then on Sunday everyone in the church met early to eat breakfast together. Afterwards we had our normal service. Then we went to my host grandmother's house for lunch. The easter bunny brought lots of candy and goodies this year. After lunch I took a nap and then we all went on a short walk to a park nearby with ducks. Then on Monday we went to my host great grandmother's house to celebrate with the other side of the family. Another day full of good food and family.

So all in all, the easter celebration was about 5 days long. Of course, for the majority in Germany it's just an opportunity to miss a little school, get some presents, and eat food. But I guess for many Americans it's just an opportunity to buy a new dress or suit, eat, and buy cheap candy the next few days.

I hope that everyone had a wonderful easter and kept in mind the real reason to celebrate!

The Heltons Take on Germany! Day 9

Today my family flew back home. I was really really worried that after they left I would be incredibly homesick and wish I could of gone with them, but it turns I was just incredibly sick and wished I didn't have to go anywhere. I woke up a few hours before my parents had to catch their flight (so around like 4) and ended up getting really sick. I wasn't able to catch my train as planned and everyone was pretty stressed about how I was going to get home. I got in touch with my wonderful host family, who then drove all the way to Frankfurt, brought me medicine, and got me back home. My parents had to leave before my host family got there, but at least they knew someone was on the way. Being sick did help take some of the focus off of my family leaving and I ended up not being too terribly sad. I was feeling better by the end of the day, and just had to get my strength back. Tuesday is already April, then in April I have 2 weeks of spring break. After that it's already May, and we get another few days off of school. In May I'm going to Berlin with my exchange program, and then it's basically June and I've only got a two weeks until I'm going home. Time won't slow down and before I know it my 10 months in Germany are gonna be over. Let's make the most of the time we have left.

The Heltons Take on Germany! Day 8

Kaylee and me at Linderhof <3

Today was my last full day with my family. We seperated from my host family after breakfasted and headed to Frankfurt, while they headed back home. We stopped to see the Linderhof palace and a few churches. We didn't make it to Frankfurt until late, and we were all worn out from the day in the car. My parents turned in their rental car, checked into the hotel room, and made sure all of the bags were ready for the flight tomorrow. I can't really believe they're already about to leave when they just go here, but it was such a wonderful experience to show my parents around my new home and new life.

The Heltons Take on Germany! Day 7

Today is Friday and it's our first full day in Bayern. We enjoyed a lovely breakfast in our hotel and then left to go see Schloss Neuschwanstein, which is probably the most famous castle in Germany. This is the castle that Disney World used as inspiration for their Cinderella castle. After a lot of waiting and frustration and ticket changes, we finally made it to the top and were able to go on our tour. It was disappointingly short and we didn't really have a tour guide, just headphones, but the castle really was beautiful. Afterwards my family spent a pretty chill evening in the hotel room. We found a really cool place to eat at, but they were unfortunately too busy and we ended up at McDonalds. Tomorrow will be my last full day with my parents, and that's pretty sad. This week feels like it just began.

Carriage ride to the castle(:

The Heltons Take on Germany! Day 6

Car rides make us sleepy

Today is Thursday and we left this morning to drive down to Bayern. We stopped for lunch in Munich and ate at the Hofbrauhaus, an old german restaurant, and finished it off with some yummy ice cream we enjoyed while walking through town. We then made it to Garmisch Partenkirchen, which is a town in the alps where we were staying. The view was absolutely amazing! (I'll add some pictures to my posts when my parents finally upload them *cough, cough*) We took some time to walk around the town and then decided to eat american for dinner and had pizza hut. Today went by even faster than usual because most of it was spent in the car. Only 2 more days with my family and then they're flying back. :'(

The Heltons Take on Germany! Day 5

Today is Wednesday and it's our last day in Ronshausen. I headed off to school in the morning and my family went to visit a concentration camp nearby. They came back a little early so that I could show them around the school and introduce them to my class. It was cool to get to show everybody at school a little bit more from my background and where I come from and my parents a little bit more about where I am now. Afterwards I finally got to take a nap (I've been deprived of my daily naptime the past few days because we've been so busy). Afterwards we all (I mean all as in both sides of the host family plus my family, so like 13 people) got together to eat schnitzel at a restaurant in Ronshausen. It was already time for my family to say goodbye to everybody. Despite how short the time together was, we were all already family and it was hard to see everyone have to go. Here's a picture of almost all of us together:

The Heltons Take on Germany! Day 4

Today is Tuesday and it was back to school for me. I had to take a test in Economics. While I was in school my family went to visit Point Alpha, which was an American base on the border between east and west Germany (I visited there towards the beginning of my year here). After school we went to eat at my other host grandmother's house. We had a very stereotypical german meal with rouladen and dumplings. Then we went on a walk to das Bäumchen, which is a little tree in Ronshausen all by itself. It's a steep walk, but when you finally get there you have a great view of the town. Tuesday night we took some time to relax again and all watched a movie together. It's time like those I'll miss the most.

The Heltons Take on Germany! Day 3

Today was a Monday and I had to go to school. My parents are in Germany for one week, and I still had to go to school. It was one of the more difficult things I've had to do. But at least this week at school wasn't too bad. Today our class was chosen to help with a bone marrow bank thing. People were able to volunteer to register as donors of bone marrow to help patients with Leukemia (blood cancer). Our job was to swab the volunteer's mouths and collect their information. It was a bit monotone, but it was way better than actual class and it felt good to help out. Plus SO many people agreed to be donors, way more than I'd expected, which was really cool. I was not able to sign up as a donor because the organization works in Germany and I'll be gone in a couple of months, but it's definitely something I will consider doing when I get back to America. My parents picked me up after school and we drove to Kassel. We walked around a little bit and looked at some of the big churches, Hercules (a statue), and a fort that was close by. My parents had their first experience with Turkish food (Döners!) and then it was already time to head back home. Time goes by way too quickly

The Heltons Take on Germany! Day 2

Today was Sunday and I was really looking forward to getting to show my parents what my german church was like, but unfortunately our preacher wasn't preaching today and the service was later in the day, so we weren't able to go. Instead we went to visit the Wartburg, which is where Martin Luther went to translate the Bible. Castles are great and all, but you always have to hike a mountain to see them. Afterwards my parents enjoyed some real german bratwursts. We then went to my host grandmother's house for cake (yay!) and coffee. She made tradition black forest cake and my favorite cake, which is banana and chocolate. We all got to hang out together and even though my parents had just met everyone, it felt like family. We ordered italian for dinner and it was just a wonderful day.

The Heltons Take on Germany! Day 1

My parents landed today at the airport in Frankfurt around noon. My host family and I drove to pick them and I don't think I've ever felt more excited/impatient/nervous in my entire life as I felt while I was standing in the airport waiting to see my family come out of those doors. It was so great to finally get to really hug my parents and get kisses from my sister. And my two families finally got to meet (thankfully my german family can speak really good english, or else I would of had to do a lot more translating and a lot less actual talking). Afterwards we went to eat at a steakhouse in Frankfurt and then took sometime to walk around the town. But after the long flight my parents were exhausted and it wasn't long until the babies were worn out as well. We drove back to Ronshausen and I got to show my parents around my second home. It was such a wonderful feeling to be together again.

Karneval!

This Saturday was Karneval in Ronshausen and it was certainly a unique experience. I don't konw that I can really explain Karneval or even really compare it to something in America. Everyone was dressed up (the theme was the 70s, but you could really just dress how you wanted to) and there was quite a bit of alcohol. The program included lots of dance performances, stand up comedy, and lip synching. By the end most everyone was standing on the chairs and cheering. Afterwards there was an After Show Party, which was just more drinking and dancing to music that wasn't really all from the 70s. I was honestly a little disappointed and had expected a lot more from the evening, but I'm still excited that I was able to experience it and take part. They also played Sweet Home Alabama, which made me really happy and sad and homesick. In exactly one month from today my family will be here visiting me. I am unbelievably excited and yet I already know how sad I'm going to be when the leave. We're making big plans and I honestly cannot wait to really see them face to face and be able to hug them and just share with them a little bit of my life here. I hope that everything is good back home. If anyone has any questions or comments feel free to let me know!

Golden Twenties

Last Friday one of my good friends from youth group turned 20, and to celebrate she had a twenties themed party. The party was complete with costumes, swing music, and a photo room! It was a lot of fun and everyone did a great job dressing up!

I'm Still Alive I Promise

I would like to apologize for not updating my blog in almost a month. I know. I'm the worst. But I promise I'm about to post like 3 times today just to make up for it. The last month has been pretty routine. I'm doing well and I'm alive and I'm happy. I've got less than 4 months until I go home. But I'm starting to get really excited for college! I'm 97% sure I'm going to UAB (unless Johns Hopkins accepts me and then decides to give me all the scholarships) and I'm really looking forward to it. Yay growing up!!

Hey winter! Where've ya been??

We got our first real snow yesterday!

My American Bubble

Ahweiler

This past weekend was our Midyear Seminar and we spent it in the beautiful little town of Ahrweiler. It was a much needed break and one of the best weekends I've’ve had in a long time. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed all of my exchange friends and speaking English and telling jokes that people actually get, but I certainly realize it now. Four days was just not enough time to catch up on what’s happened in the past five months and it was actually really difficult to leave my little American bubble so soon.

Bonn <3

The weekend actually wasn't anything like I’d expected it to be. I wasn't even that excited to go besides the fact that I’d get to miss a little school, but before the end of the first night I knew I wasn't going to be ready to go by Sunday. I was ready for a lot more lectures and A LOT more sleep than we ended up getting, but I think I learned a lot. We got to go to Bonn and see the city and there was yet another wonderfully messy crepe to add to my memories. We also had a ton of free time to just hang out and talk and tell stories. It was great. Words can not accurately describe the relationship I have with my fellow exchange students. Even though each and every one of our experiences is different, no one understands how I'm feeling better than they do and to have access to 47 other people who know what you're going through is invaluable. Our connection is so strong and I don't think I could imagine a better group of people to be here with.

I know I can't wait to see everyone again in Berlin at our End Year Seminar, but yet again I can. That’s only a short four months away, and those months are going to fly by. I have so much to look forward to in each and every of the upcoming months, weeks, and days. And I don’t want to waste one moment of it wishing it’d go faster.

Happy New Years!! Frohes Neues Jahr!!

So to start off I'd like to apologize for taking so long to write this. I realize that new years eve was like last week and everything.. I'd like to be able to say that I've just been really busy, but it's more that I'm just lazy. But anyways I'm writing it now and hopefully that's good enough.
So I was able to bring in 2014 in a very special and memorable way. A few weeks before new years eve I had thought that I'd be celebrating the new year with my host family. But then they decided not to have a big party, so I ended up deciding to celebrate with my youth group. I was really torn because I really wanted to spend the night with family, but I also wanted to do something big for my one new years in Germany (or maybe I should just say my first new years in Germany. Who knows?). I thankfully ended up getting the best of both worlds and was able to eat dinner with my host family, and then go hang out with the youth. So in Germany most of the families eat a dish called Raclette for their new years eve dinner. It's a little bit like fondue in the sense that you're eating food covered in melted cheese. But the two differ in the method by which you get the melted cheese on the food. So instead of melting a pot of cheese and then dipping food in it, you fill up a little tray with food you want to eat, cover it with a slice of cheese, and then set it in a grill thingy which then melts the cheese. It takes a pretty long time and they're pretty small portions, but it's yummy!
So after dinner I went to the church, where the youth then proceeded to eat dinner. I was already stuffed, so I mostly just watched. After dinner we hung out for a little while until it was closer to midnight and then we proceeded to hike up a mountain with torches. I was taken a little off-guard at first since it was cold and dark and outside and everything, but I got to carry a torch which made me feel epic and adventurous. After we reached the end of our journey, we did a little bit more waiting. Then the clock struck midnight and the magic began. From our spot on the mountain we were overlooking at least 3 cities, and at midnight all throughout these cities people began to shoot off fireworks. From where we were we could see them all at once, and it was probably one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. 10 out of 10 would recommend. I wish I could share pictures, but I only had my iPod, which is a terrible firework picture taking apparatus. (If anyone reading this happened to be there and take pretty pictures, I'd love for you to send them to me so I can share).
But of course nothing can be completely perfect. When we got back to the church I realized I had lost my cell phone somewhere in between the top of the mountain and the church. My host parents picked me up short after and I was certain all hope was lost. But the next morning my host mom received a text from my phone saying that someone had found it while walking their dog and we could come pick it up that evening. Which just goes to show that there are good people all over the world. That is actually the second time I have lost my phone in the middle of the night and had someone find it, get in touch, and give it back. (The first time was at a haunted corn maze in America.)
I have one more week of Christmas vacation, and then I have to go back to school. I'm not particularly looking forward to it, but hopefully it won't be too bad. No big plans so far this week. I did cut all my hair off on Friday, but other than that things are pretty chill. I hope everyone had a wonderful new years!!