Problem Solved, I Think

Apparently there have been issues with posting comments. I hadn't realized some people were blocked, but I fixed the settings so now anyone who wants to comment should be able to. If you're still having problems I'd love to get an e-mail at mari618@gmail.com.

German Spicy is kind of like Water

So you know that piece of skin between your bottom front teeth and your gums? Yea, well I have a lovely canker-sore there. Yay for mouth problems… This hasn't stopped me from eating food though. I am an Asian Warrior, I can handle the pain (inside joke with 11th grade english class). 

Things I have learned about Germany so far:

Netflix is illegal

My brown Birkenstocks are for men

They wear tons of bright colors here

If you ask for "water" in a restaurant they will give you fizzy water

They go swimming in freezing water when it's cold and windy and about to storm

They call NCIS, Navy CIS

Their opinion of spicy is my opinion of bland, like really. Kate you'd think so too

These obviously don't stand for the entire country, and I should've known some beforehand.

I have been using children's books to learn german words. They are really good tools because they use short sentences with easy words. I feel so smart when I read them. My host family has also been really good about naming things for me. This happens almost all the time and is really helpful.

I went to a history museum all about the island Führ that I'm currently living on. It was very interesting and had models of old houses and boats. The richest people on Führ way back when were whale hunters. I also visited the oldest landmark on Führ. It's an old living area of the Vikings. It was cool, they were pretty advanced for their time. 

No worries Dad, I'm staying plenty active with tennis lessons, bike rides, freezing cold swims, and hour+ dog walks.

Reese's Not Jelly Beans July 25th

Yoreme had to wake me up this morning evening though I set two alarms. Dumb jet lag. We had rolls and different kinds of spreads and toppings, including sliced meat and cheeses, for breakfast. Niklaus put both Peanut Butter and Nutella on one of his rolls and that prompted some "Blech" and "Gross" comments, all in German of course. Then Reese's candy was brought up because of its similarity to his breakfast. They had never heard of Reese's candy before. Yoreme and I tried convincing them that it was really good, but Engel just thought it was gross.

We went over the first night questions after breakfast. It was really nice that they occurred on the first morning and not night. I would have been too tired to remember anything. I am really excited to spend the next three/four months with my host family. They are all wonderful. They can all speak english so conversations aren't one ended.

I swam in the North Sea today!!! It was cold... but just like Flathead Lake in Montana, I swam anyway.   It was fine once I got used to the temperature. We took Lily, their Golden Retriever, and she had a blast swimming after sticks and chasing other dogs.

Engel helped me with my german too. He is really good at english and he taught me the differences between mein - meine, dein - deine, sein - seine, ihr - ihre, unser - unsere, and sein - seine. Confusing, I know.

Dead Girl Walking July 24th

I know technically this is late, but I wrote this the first night ( I just didn't post it). 

Today was my first day in Germany. It was great. Antje and Yoreme picked me up from the airport and we went straight to the autobahn. Yay for fast driving!! We stopped at a rest stop, Marché, where I had yogurt and strawberries and where bathrooms cost 70 cents to use. The toilet seat did, however, rotate to clean themselves after you flush. 

The drive to the Dethleffsen summer house was long. I tried to stay awake to see Germany, but I quickly fell asleep. The ferry ride over to the island took 45 minutes. It was interesting at first, but the water was calm and the sun was hot and it didn't take long for the rocking to put me to sleep… well almost.

Introductions were slightly awkward, as all introductions can be, especially since I didn't speak German. I met Lorenz, Greta, and their uncle and cousins, Engel, Niklaus, and Jannis. I probably butchered the spelling, tut mir leid!! They are all really great and LOVE to laugh, loudly. 

I wish I could have enjoyed more of the day, but unfortunately I was falling asleep for most of it. 

Three for the price of One July 23rd/24th

I am currently sitting in the Amsterdam airport with Nora. My flight doesn't leave for another couple hours, so I thought I would share how my flight went.

When I first found out which seat I would be sitting in, I was disappointed because I was in the middle of the middle section. Turns out, I couldn't have asked for a better seat. Not only did I have seat 16F, but I also used seats 16E and 16D! I had three seats to my disposal the entire flight so needless to say, the flight was pretty good.

Everyone in Rotary always said that wearing my Rotary blazer would make the journey easier. I just didn't realize how true those words were until I went through security at the Minneapolis airport. All the officials were very nice and reassuring. They could probably see my teary eyes from saying goodbye to my parents.

One downside to my journey so far. When we reached the Amsterdam airport, we had to go through security again... Apparently here in Amsterdam they need to check solid objects as well as liquids. My carry-on was searched and things were taken out. Everything was sent through again. Then one particular item was searched again. Apparently a year's supply of prescriptions are a rarity. Luckily everything was returned to me at the end.

That's it so far. Even as I sit in Amsterdam, this whole experience is still surreal. It hasn't fully hit me yet. Yes there were emotional goodbyes, but after that I was busied by finding my gate and eating some food :).

So to my family and friends - I have arrived safely in Amsterdam and will soon head off to Hamburg.