Zu Esse, Kochen, Und Lernen (To eat, cook, and learn)

 So as promised, here is a blog about German Food.

First off, you already know that I can eat ice cream here as the fruit ice cream is made with water!!! Although I am extremely excited and thankful for that, it is difficult seeing the specialty ice cream dishes that the Italians can make here knowing that I can’t eat that, the side effects are not worth it. There are many ice cream shops, but I have been informed that the Italian shops make the best ice cream. In Wurttenburg, the ice cream shops that are run by Italians are only open in the summer, as they go back to Italy during the winter. That is an interesting concept.

There are many interesting things about getting food in Germany. In some places, like up at Gesche’s house-there is an ice cream truck that goes through each day. Here there is not an ice cream truck, but instead every Samstag there is a Backerei (Bakery)  truck that comes through and sells brot (bread), brotchen (rolls), pretzel, and other pastries/desserts. It is quite nice that the people can get fresh bread each week instead of having to drive into a city to find a backerei.  I stupidly did not take my camera this morning though, so sorry-no picture. Maybe I’ll remember to do so next week. I will also miss the Brot and Pastries here, they are so good!

Purchasing meat: Meat can be found in the market/store, but people can also get their meat from local butchers. Which is really not that different than in the USA either.

A lot of the village people here in Kleinansbach have large gardens with various produce-including erdbeer! Aka Strawberries! I am getting very spoiled by eating fresh strawberries multiple times a week, going back and not getting fresh strawberries will be very tough.

Ok onto the meals: breakfast I have already learned varies from family to family, just like in the USA. Some have more, some less-but in all it is good. At Gesche’s we had a full breakfast with brot, brotchen, jam, fleish, kase, tea, kaffee, milch, saft, wasser,  and maybe veggies (bread, rolls, jam, meat, cheese, tea, coffee, milk, juice, water). Here at Hollenbach’s breakfast is simple: brot, jam/miel (honey), or kuchen-yes cake. Most mornings, I go in the kitchen make my tea, and eat a piece of brot and a piece of kuchen. (FYI-kuchen may be eaten at breakfast, for mid-morning snack, and afternoon snack-very easy for a person to gain weight! Luckily for me, gaining weight is very difficult).

Unlike in the USA, lunch is the big meal of the day. On the farm, we typically also have workers who also come to eat lunch. A few of the workers are here on a very regular basis and so I have gotten to know some of them over time. It is really fun that a couple of our regular guys are from Poland, and regardless of the language barrier, we are able to communicate. One speaks only a few words English, very rough German, and I speak only a little German but we have worked to teach each other words-mainly by pointing. So at lunch it is a two course meal. First-you eat soup. Then the rest of the meal consists of salat (salad), fleish(meat), and noodles or potatoes. Typcially the fleish is either wurst(sausage), ham, or turkey meat. I think I have only had beef a couple times in Germany (granted this may be more normal for being on a Turkey farm). For my friends with cattle and heavy beef eaters-I can only imagine how much you would miss beef, as I have started to miss beef again as I did when I was in Israel. I do not mean that I need beef by any means or am unhappy with the meat we eat, only that I also miss beef as that is what I am used to. Instead being on a turkey farm, we eat a lot of turkey. But the turkey steaks that we have, they are quite good!

Supper then is usually a very light meal. Sometimes it is leftovers reheated, sometimes it is sausages, or currywurst (ketchup over German sausage with curry sprinkled on top), or fleish, kase, und brot (meat, cheese, and bread.  

A couple interesting things:

Weinachten (Christmas)-instead of eating a big turkey or ham with all the fixings, they eat geese! The geese are raised in a farm and they are white. (At least in this part of Deutschland)

A friend apparently makes very good hamburgers-but they are not made with hamburger, instead they are made with sausage! I decided to call it a Sausageburger, lol.

So the refrigerators in Germany are probably only ¾ the size of just the refrigerator in the USA (not including the freezer). This means there is not much room to store food. It is not unusual to see food left in the pots on the stove throughout the afternoon. Especially as students come home at random times from school to the middle of the afternoon it stays on the stove to be reheated. And no-it is not kept warm at all, no two hour rule here of putting meat in the fridge. And yes I have eaten a meal hours later-it still tastes good, and I have not gotten sick at all-so its all good. I’m starting to wonder if in the USA we are too worried about our food, or maybe it has to do with the way the meat is processed in the USA that makes us so concerned, I don’t really know.

Kochen: So cooking-I have learned how to make several dishes:

Southern German Kartuffel Salat (Potato Salad). Instead of making it with mayo, pickles, onions, and eggs like we do-here it is made with vinegar and seasonings and you slice the kartuffel instead of chunks or mashed.

Deutsch Shokolade Kuchen (German Chocolate Cake): So I got to make real German Chocolate Cake, the recipes we have in the USA are not true German Chocolate Cake. But I think the chocolate sheet cake that my Grandma Funk makes, and in turn we make sometimes, is a very similar consistency to these cakes.

Within so many of the desserts, hazelnut is used. It is kinda crazy how much hazelnut I have probably eaten when I have never eaten hazelnut before coming to Germany. And if you know me, you know I do not like nuts in my desserts especially in chocolate-ok, I have to say I think I’ve changed my mind. Here the hazelnut is finely chopped/minced into little pieces and adds so slight a crunch to the cakes/desserts that you barely even notice.

I have also learned to make Spatzle. There are apparently two different ways to make this-one very difficult with brot and a knife; the other with dough and a spatzle tool-I learned with the tool and was very proud to learn to make it. It is tough though to press the tool all the way-builds good muscle in your arms!

Snowballs-this is a dessert that I am going to learn how to make from Ute yet. And then I may need to buy a snowball press (that’s what I’m going to call it anyway) to bring home with me, and I can make them for all of you!

I have also made something similar to dumplings. It is dough and two spoons-you go back and forth between the two spoons to round the dough before dropping it into the boiling water to cook and turn into a soup.

As far as American dishes: I have made and showed Anna how to make French Toast. She has tried it without me, and decided she is not very good at it. But I said we will try it again, this time she can make it while I am there to help, and I’m sure it will go better. As I have learned, it takes time to perfect making French toast, and a lot of butter! Lol.

I also plan to make a barbecue dish this week for my family. We have been trying to find a time for me to cook, but stuff keeps getting in the way, but I hope to do so soon. I’m also going to make one of my favorite desserts-Choco Mallow Bars, and if you’ve had them, you know why I’m making them!

 

I hope you are all enjoying summer and had a wonderful 4^th of July! To those of you at the conference in Phoenix, I hope you have a great time and that you are able to make many connections and see God at work around you and can be open to him working in you also. Take care, Tchus!

Familie, German Activities, und Musik Festival!

Welkommen to Kleinansbach und the Hollenbach Familie!



In Freitag, 22 Juni, 2013, I left from Getsche’s house and went to the train station with Charlotte in Borg. (I apologize in advance for any misspelled German words!). This was my first time riding a train! Some of the trains are fancier than others, it really just depends on what train you are on, and where the train is going as to the condition of the train. Early in the morning, the train was pretty open, but by the time I got to the fast-high paced train, it was packed. I had to change seats twice because I was sitting in a reserved seat. I quickly learned how to say “Ist das frei?”-meaning “Is this free?” and pointing to the seat. It was not unusual on any of the trains to see people just standing or sitting in-between cars. I also realized what Bettina meant by “finding your luggage,” because on the train, people store their luggage either above, like in an airplane, or they put them by the door-which is where my big suitcase went halfway through the four hour train ride I had. That is something that I don’t think would happen in the USA, we are so careful about keeping our bags with us, concerned about terrorists or people stealing stuff that we keep our bags by us constantly, so you can imagine this was a bit of a shock and a little tough for me to leave my suitcase over there. I was constantly watching to make sure it was still there after every train station (I could see from my seat). Finally, after 6 ½ hours in trains, I made it to Crailsheim to meet my host family! Now in Germany-this is a very long trip, in the USA-this is considered an easy drive for a vacation. Anyway, I got off the train and had to go from one platform to the other, but I got downstairs and didn’t know which way to go. Thank goodness Ute and Anna came to look for me, cuz that’s where we found each other, lol.  By the way-going to the bathroom in a moving train is tougher than in a moving airplane!

We drove back to their house, and Anna showed me around the house, and the farm. The Hollenbach’s own a turkey farm, they have three barns full of turkeys! The family consists of five members: Rainer (Father), Ute (Mother), Max (Oldest), Anna (middle), and Lina (youngest). We ate leftover goulash for supper and then I had time to unpack and get settled in my room.

Throughout the week, we did a lot of farm work, a little sight-seeing and various activities. These activities included building silos (yes I did help build silos!), a roof on a small stone structure, going to Wurttenburg, a community celebration of summer, a special church gathering for a good summer and harvests, high ropes courses, and playing in a band.  We also tend to play games in the late afternoon/evening. So far a favorite seems to be Wurfel Ligretto-a game I would like to bring home! This week, I also learned how to cook some different German food-but I think I will write a different blog focused on food and various observations, as it will be easier and better since this post will be very long.

It was interesting in seeing how a German Roof is built. Rainer thinks that a German roof would be able to withstand a tornado or hurricane. German homes are also made from stone, so my host family thought they would be tougher against tornados and hurricanes. But I have seen old stone buildings destroyed by tornados. I have yet to see a structure that could withstand a tornado or hurricane

On Samstag (Saturday 6/23) we went to a community party to celebrate summer. There was food: turkey steaks and German sausage for supper. Stockbrot, which is roasting bread on a stick (this is after the main meal kinda like we make smores after the meal, they make stockbrot). And in typical German fashion there is many different drinks, from carbonated water to pop to beer. For this party, there was a great big bonfire, that I got to help light, and then people stay up all night long and wait for the sunrise. I learned that a sunrise here is not like a sunrise in Kansas. While the sun does not go down until 9:30 or 10pm at night, there are not really colors in the sky as we see at home. The same is with a sunrise, the sky lightens, and that is considered the sunrise.  Anyway, the party was fun, several of the adults tried to speak with me and we could understand one another at least to an extent. There were a couple people there (outside of my host family) who spoke English that I could talk with too, which was very nice as it was my second day here in S. Germany and the dialect in S. Germany is very difficult to understand.  I think that may have been the toughest part in coming to Germany so far, is the language barrier the first couple days here in S. Germany. While my family is wonderful and talking with me and helping me learn English, it was tough helping to build silos and trying to figure out the language at times too.

On Sonntag (Sunday) afternoon, we also went to Wurttenberg, which is a Medieval village that is still standing. We went and walked around a bit, ate ice cream (I can eat the fruit ice cream here! It’s made from wasser (water) not milch (milk)!) Rainer pointed out various places within the city, we stopped at the cathedral, but it was closed so we couldn’t go in, and we also walked along the wall. You can see a lot of the city from within the wall, so it was very interesting. Wurttenburg is considered to be a big tourist location-all Americans and Japanese tours make a point to stop at Wurttenburg.

On Montag, I went with Anna to go to a high ropes course. I have never done a high ropes course, and although I wasn’t sure about it, I knew that I would rather go with Anna than stay and sit at home. Plus this trip is also about trying new things, so why not finally conquer a ropes course? The ropes course is different from at home, they have various levels of courses and various heights off the ground. It is also all self-led. Once you go through the informational section you are on your own to complete the course. Instead of using ropes, they use clamps to hook into each section with. Maybe that made it seem less scary, I don’t know, but it was still difficult moving through the courses. We never got to the 50 ft high course, but we did complete the two hardest courses at the site. I cannot decide whether this version of a ropes course where it is all self-led is better, or having to learn to trust someone with a rope is better. I think each way has its + and –‘s. One thing I do like, is you progress in stages, not just high or low. That was a lot of fun!

On Freitag, I went to Blaskapelle Rehearsal in Kirchegard. It is a community band made up of families. Rainer and Ute’s cousin is the conductor of the band. In Germany there are three levels of bands, and this was considered a middle level band. As I discussed with one of the clarinetists later, I think that playing music should be fun regardless of the difficulty. Yes, I can play and enjoy the challenge of tough music, but if it is not fun-what is the point of playing? Music is meant to be fun, and playing to play was so much fun! It’s been a long time since I have played in an ensemble and I enjoyed it a lot. I also met several people at the rehearsal which was fun.  They invited me to play on Sonntag (6/30) at a Musik Festival in Bavaria. Before I could even answer, they had everything figured out and called Rainer and Ute to inform them of the parade. So I got to participate in a German Musik Festival!!! How cool is that! We marched and played (first time for me since um 8^th grade, I would have been 13 or 14 then!), and at the end of the parade all the bands gathered outside the tent where concerts were held during the festival. There were between 25 and 30 bands in the parade, so that amounted to something like 400 musicians! And we played as one large band then! We played: Festmusik by Wagner, Mein Heinmatland, Bayerhymne (Bavaria State Song), and Deustchlandlied (German National Song). One of the cool parts-I could understand the director’s instructions and announcements for each song! It was great! And to play with so many people! Oh my goodness! It was crazy, but such a neat experience too!

There is a lot to learn about Germany customs and food and many new experiences being on a farm and all. Probably one of the greatest things though, is hanging out with my host sisters too. Last night, we couldn’t stop laughing from various random funny things that were said or happened. Lina even got one portion of laughter on a recording! I enjoy spending time with the family and playing games, laughing, or just relaxing.

Welkommen to Deutschland!

Wow, so I’m here! Finally! After a travel for a day and a half (time change) I finally reached my destination in Hamburg. Getting out of Bloomington,  many of us had to leave the hotel at 6am to catch the bus back to the O’Hare Airport in Chicago. I think at some point each one of us slept a little. As we came to each terminal we starting saying goodbye to one another and best wishes for our trips. Although Lana and I are both in Germany, we had different flights. I think it may have something to do with her going to Greece after Germany….but I don’t know. Anyway, Annie, Klaire, and I traveled to Dublin, Ireland together and I split off to go to Germany while they go to Austria. Customs in Dublin was slightly nerve-wracking-not because its customs but because I only had about an hour to get through before my flight would begin boarding! But it all worked out and I even had time to buy a water (they took my empty one at security! ) I was pleasantly surprised by customs at Germany. The officer said hello, I said hello back, he scanned my passport, stamped it, and sent me on my way. That was probably the easiest and fastest that I have ever come through customs-and there was no security scans either to go through. As soon as I got my luggage I met Neele (IFYE to USA  Alum), Lana (Colorado) , and Esteban (Costa Rica). We were all very tired, and I think the three of us fell asleep in the car ride even though we tried to stay awake, lol. We got to Gesche’s house (IFYE to USA Alum) for orientation and had free time for the afternoon. Later we went for a walk and for ice cream-and I even got some! I was surprised to learn that in Germany they make fruit ice cream using water which means I can have it! Yay! Later that evening the other inbounds arrived-Oystein (Norway) and Laura (Finland). There will be another girl from Finland coming later that I will meet at debriefing in August. Charlotte (IFYE to USA Alum) brought the others by train from the airport that evening.

                On Wednesday, we started orientation when Bettina arrived (German Cooridinator/IFYE to USA Alum). At first we went over our host families, where we would be going in Germany, and our packets of information. After Edith (retired coordinator/IFYE Alum), Marten (Germany to USA), and Felix (Germany to USA) arrived we went over information regarding living with another host family/country. We were asked to give presentations about our home countries, so I kinda threw mine together on the spot (yay for spontaneity!), and then later at the party we gave brief presentations and I was asked to play my clarinet. That was fun, and should have been expected but I wasn’t thinking about it either. That evening we stayed up and played Spoons, listened to music, talked about various things, and then Marten showed me how the German’s typically dance (similar to swing style) and then I taught him a couple stunts, so it was fun.

                Probably the best day of orientation week was going to The North Sea. We got to walk on the much where the tide goes out from each day and find worms, crabs, and feel sea shells. It is interesting if you don’t keep moving you will be stuck in the mud and may not be able to get back out again. Sometimes the tide is so low that you can walk to an island from Germany-craziness! Apparently, this is the only sea that you can do this with. As we walked in the mud, a couple people were trying to throw mud, which was funny in some ways I suppose, but I had my camera at the time, so that wasn’t cool then. We took group photos, and also an “IFYE” pose. Some of us then went to the water on the other side to wash of the mud, but when we started splashing water I quickly went down to just my swimsuit. It was quite fun. Finally we ate lunch, and then layed in the sun for a couple hours-during which time even with sunscreen some of us burned.

 

Observations of a Kansan to Germany:

·         Most of the autos(cars) driven here are manual cars. It is hard to find an automatic car in Germany.

·         Farms are often within the villages. The fields are the country land, but within the villages are the livestock. In the USA this would not even be a possibility!

·         Germany is so GREEN!!!!

·         In the USA-teachers only need a bachelor’s degree and typically teach only one subject area. In Germany, teachers must have a master’s degree and they teach two subjects.

·         In Northern Germany-people speak Polkduestch which is a dialect. Germany is full of various dialects, but in general people can speak High German (which is universal and what I learned)

·         Speed limits-very fast compared to the USA and in some places the people get to choose their own speed

 

USA Welcomes IFYES- 28 total!

So on Friday morning June 14, bright and early, I left with my parents for the airport in Wichita. Flew to Chicago and met up with Annie (also from Kansas), and then we had to figure out how to get to Terminal 5 from the baggage claim. We walked, asked questions, searched for the train, and finally another traveler directed us to the elevator to the train. The fun part then was getting from the main level of Terminal 5 to the baggage claim-you would think this would be easy and all you should have to do is go done a flight of escalators. Not so-it was a little bit more confusing than that but made perfect sense when we finally found an information desk. Anyway, we got there, met Carolyn, and she found our other three international IFYE’s who would be riding the bus with us to Bloomington-Gillian (Scotland, Florian (Germany), and Rachel (Ireland). We talked a little bit off and on for the three two hours we had left in the airport. Then we were on the bus for three hours due to traffic, ugh. Finally we get to Bloomington in time for the get to know you games and to eat a couple pieces of pizza.
On Saturday morning, we had a lot of information about being abroad given to us, visited the Funk Seed Farm, went to a church, and supper at a Chinese Restaurant. I am not related to the Funk Seed Farm, although the guide tried to convince that I am, but if it was even remotely possible-it is so far down the line from me that it would not make a difference. Saturday evening, I got to know one of my roommates-Tone (Norway). Later we went down to meeting room where a movie was playing, but more importantly IFYEs were just hanging out and talking.
 

Sunday was probably my favorite day of the orientation. Again in the morning we had lectures and information, and that all gets very boring after a while, but it is useful information if you haven’t heard it before. For lunch we ate Famous Dave’s BBQ Chicken-yum! Then we went to the university’s garden-which may not sound all that cool-but in reality it gave us all a chance to relax, take random photos, and talk for one last day. I tried my best to rotate around the different groups and get pictures and spend time with all the IFYEs-some I missed but I was able to see a lot of them.  Same thing with the baseball field-not the most exciting thing in the world, but a great time to talk. Lastly we went to Ross’s Dairy Farm, where they make cheese, and they are also IFYE Alumni.  We had a fire, roasted hot dogs over the fire, which for some of the inbound IFYEs that was a first, we also made smores-another first for most of the inbound IFYEs .We then had to give presentations about our home country/state. It was so neat to see/participate in that-most people gave a few facts about their country/state and did a participatory activity. There was a lot of singing and a lot of dancing. I participated in learning several dances. After this we went back to the hotel to complete surveys, pack snacks, eat ice cream sundaes, take final pictures, and say goodnight/goodbye/until next time.

 So many wonderful nice volunteers here for the weekend, and wonderful IFYE reps here to meet, connect with, and form new friendships! So far this has been an unforgettable experience.

Friday-It's quickly approaching!

Well, the trip to Germany is quickly approaching. Only two more days after today in Almena, then two days in Salina, and I board the plane on Friday! As to be expected, I am excited and nervous all at the same time. I am excited to go and meet our coordinators in Germany, see IFYE people at the orientation prior to leaving the States, and really excited to meet my host families! Since my last post I have learned many new details about my upcoming trip and host families.

Over Memorial Day weekend, my family hosted a Benefit Garage Sale in Salina. As with any garage sales, they take a lot of work, and so I went back early to help set up. The garage sale was a huge success with help from many donations from Willing Workers and friends. For the Garage Sale I created a poster with information about IFYE and my trip for people who were interested in learning more.

About a week later, on June 1st, I woke up to find and email from Bettina saying that my first host family is confirmed and gave me an information sheet from my host family. The information sheet was in German, and I had a lot of fun trying to decipher the information that I could between my limited knowledge of German, my phrasebook, and the a translation site. Anyway my first host family will be the Hollenbach Family from Southwest Germany not to far from Stuttgard. It is a family of five, with one boy and two girls. Very similar to the size of family I grew up with. My host brother/sisters are in their teens, and the boy is close to my younger sister's age.

At this point, I thought to myself, I need to write a blog to update everyone on what is going on, but I thought to wait a few more days to see if I learned about my second host family.-that was a good bet. My second host family the Heineman Family is near Bremen. It is a family of four, with a 4 year old daughter and 1 year old son.

As different as these two families may seem, I am very excited to experience to different lifestyles between the families, as well as experience the cultural difference between North and South Germany. As far as gifts for my host families go, I am still working on getting a few things, but I have my photo books ready, recipes, working on a couple other things, and of course I have my big gifts for them already (but I'm not saying what they are).

There are only a few days left and I am quickly working to get everything ready in time. It has been crazy busy, but I am also making time to hang out with friends, talk to people, or just to read a book for an hour. Please keep me and others traveling this summer for safe travels, good health, and good experiences. Look for my next post in about a week! (it will probably be from Germany by then!)

Bravery? Adventurous? Traveler? or Trusting God?

Well, there are four weeks left until I leave for Germany. Yesterday I gave the okay on my business cards to hand out and shirts are ordered. In the past couple weeks I have been asked numerous times, "Do you have any big plans for the summer?" or "What are you doing this summer?" Of course I responded with "Well, I've got a few school projects to do in the next month, and then I'm going to Germany through 4-H." In the end, I typically explain what IFYE is and that I'm going to stay with host families. As I said in my last post, I have very little information other than that I will probably be staying with three different families while I am there. I do not know what part(s) of Germany I will be going to, or what I will be doing with the families other than the fact that I will be helping out with chores and hopefully getting to see different sights with my families. That alone is a difficult concept for me to still be patient in the "not knowing" field. As I have said before, it is a concept I am learning to give up to God, but it is becoming increasingly difficult as I get closer to the trip.

But then I get the response: "wow, you are so brave!"-meaning to travel on my own to another country, to just let go of the "not knowing" the details of the trip. Well, obviously I haven't let go of the not knowing part very well, but to say I'm brave? I don't feel very brave at all. Rather, I feel very uncertain. I feel as if I don't know if I'm strong enough to go and do this, can I travel alone to meet people I don't know, and in a language I speak very little of? As my departure date draws nearer I am filled with excitement, with uncertainties, and with some fear/anxiety. There is so much yet to determine and to prepare, at times it is almost overwhelming to think about. Am I truly "brave" as so many people have told me? I don't think so, or well, I don't think "brave" is the correct term. Adventurous? Maybe. Traveler? Yes. But "brave"? no I am not brave, I am not brave like so many of the people in the bible-Mary comes to mind first. I know I am meant to go on this trip, I know God will teach me many things through this trip just as He does in everyday life and has in so many ways already this year I am only beginning to digest & process those lessons, but I am so uncertain. Uncertain of what to expect and what's to come. Maybe that in and of itself is another lesson that I am still learning. You would think that maybe in college I would have learned this lesson by now, especially in moving as teaching in a new place and living with a new roommate and everything, but to trust God completely with every little thing-yeah that I am still working on. A part of me wonders if it is something that I will work on my whole life amongst other small lessons along the way.

How was it that Mary was able to trust God so easily? In that moment when the Angel Gabriel appeared to her. I know she must have had many doubts and fears, but she chose to trust, she chose to follow, and all so easily. At least that's how the stories make it sound. Maybe to trust God is an easy choice, but to live it out day to day without question, without fear, is the difficulty. And yet I strongly believe that through our doubts and our fears and our questioning that we pursue a deeper relationship with God, we learn what it means to trust Him wholeheartedly through each phase, and we are reminded of why we are His.

To trust God as Mary did, or as Jesus did, or as Paul did while in jail-those are three examples of people who were brave. I am not brave as these three were, but I am learning to trust and become brave as they were.

Update #2-End of School-Onto Summer-Germany: 5 Weeks Away!

So there is only about a month left before I leave for Germany. It really seems unreal right now, but that is probably due to so much happening in general. Today is the last day of school, and this afternoon I will have completed my first year of teaching! The past few weeks have been crazy busy with activities-from music to sports to award banquets and ceremonies, there were days that I could barely seem to keep track of what was needing to be done, and yet many teachers including myself have been working long hours to get everything done.  It seems that April and May are actually busier than December is when you look at school activities and schedules, but it has been great to go to all the banquets and ceremonies, and attend various activities to see what all the students are involved in and the community support. I could not be prouder of my students or enjoying teaching more than at those events and on the brightest days in the classroom. As the school year comes to a close, it is hard to see the growth from an inside view, but when I step back and remember last fall to this spring, the changes that have occurred are drastic. There is still work to be done, but so much more growth too, and not only in the students but also in myself.

                So as summer approaches and I find myself planning for next year whether reviewing and fixing my handbooks, planning marching band camp, thinking about ideas for drill or for the Christmas concert already, the trip, or the summer projects I have, I tend to push Germany aside. I get caught up in the excitement of planning a new school year, but then I stop and realize how close Germany is, how excited I am to go, and how blessed I am to be able to go on a trip like this. There are so many unknowns yet-like the total cost of the trip, or knowing anything about the host families I will be with or where I will be going in Germany, but I have come to terms finally with the not-knowing. When it is time for me to know, I will be told the information needed. That may mean waiting until I get off the plane in Germany to find out where I am going first or that may mean finding information out next week. Regardless, I trust that God has everything under control and that He is guiding those who are in charge of organizing host families and the costs. It has taken me months to reach this place, at one point I even considered not going because I was frustrated with the not knowing, but now I have learned even more patience.

 In the meantime, I am starting to think again about the meal I will prepare for my host family (and the fact that I need to try making BBQ from scratch first), the gifts I want to bring for my host families, and the pictures that I would like to print and leave with each host family. If you have any tips or ideas, any would be appreciated. I have some ideas already like bringing measuring cups that we use here in the US, but I have had difficulty thinking of other ideas. I’m also looking for something that could represent Kansas, Ohio, and Colorado (or three separate things) as I have lived in all three states at various times over the past few years. I am also planning to work on reviewing my German language skills. I have yet to find the time but plan to make this a priority when school ends. I would like to be able to speak quite a bit of German when I return. Currently my German is very poor, I can understand certain words and phrases, even pronounce words yet, but speaking in a conversation is a challenge. I am looking forward to trying many new dishes while there, being adventurous and hopefully hiking some while I am there, as I have been told that Germans tend to be more active. I do not know yet whether I will be in a rural area or in the city, either experience will be wonderful and I hope I can learn a lot from the families about their lifestyle and how things are done there compared to the US. I also hope to learn about how music is taught, and if/how it has a part in their school system as their school system is quite different from ours.

There is so much to learn and experience, I wonder if I will have learned much in 8 weeks, or barely even touched the tip of an ice-burg in learning about Germany, it’s peoples, and it’s customs. I am so excited, and as I write becoming more excited, yet nervous for what is to come all at the same time! It is still so crazy and still so unreal yet to me. I wonder if it will not seem completely and utterly real until I pack up my stuff and prepare to board the plane to leave for the conference prior to flying to Germany. Whatever the case, there is little news to update in preparation for my trip, except to start a countdown (now that school is over, this is okay to do! Lol)-5 weeks!!! EEK! There’s so much to do between Germany and preparing for school next year!

As far as family or home-life goes: Mom is graduating from college this Saturday! Karen has finished her first year of grad school, Krystal has almost finished her first year of undergrad, and Dad is switching to a day position at school. My roommate and I are very close friends at this point, and our dogs seem to be happy although Winnie I think has felt abandoned the past couple of weeks with all my activities so I will be sure to give her extra attention when I get to stay home the second half of next week. For now, that seems to be all. If you want to know more about the IFYE program or have questions about my trip or school year, feel free to ask! (I also apologize for the length, maybe I should learn to post more often……don’t worry once I leave for Germany I’ll be posting an update once a week as well as a picture or two with each post J).