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.