Haircuts

Yesterday my brother was talking about how he needed a haircut and needed to make an appointment to get one. I (mostly jokingly) told him that I could cut his hair for him. I know how to cut hair and I've done it many times before, so it's not like I would cut off his ears or anything, but I didn't really think he would take my seriously. 

Today, I cut my host brother's hair. After I was finished, he liked it. So then I cut my host sister's hair too. 

All in all, everyone got a hair cut, and everyone still has both ears so I'd say it was successful.

Koblenz, Deutschland

These last two weeks we have had break from school. Last weekend, I went to Koblenz, Germany with my host family. It was about a 2 hour drive, and we left early. My host siblings and I slept in the back seat and my host dad drove while my host mom navigated. I think we got a little lost for part of the way, but we got there eventually. 

The first thing we did was go on a hike. It was absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful. We hiked up a place that looked like a gorge. There were high rock walls, and a stream running down the middle, and everything was green and luscious. It is hard to describe how beautiful it was. We got to the top, and kept heading up. All in all, we hiked about 30 kilometers, and it was wonderful.

We walked back to the car after wandering though a town for a little while, and then drove to a youth hostel. We all slept in a room that had 3 bunk beds (6 beds in total) and it was very nice for being a youth hostel. Then we walked around for a little while before heading to dinner. The hostel is in the middle of what appears to be an old fortress of some sort. There were museum-like displays, and old buildings and streets. It was all very pretty and very interesting. 

The next day, we went into the city of Koblenz. We took a tram over the Rhein river to where the twon was below, and I got to see the place where the youth hostel lays from below. It was mind blowing. They whole mountainside is covered in old fortress-like buildings, with old towers and stone walls. It was amazing how little you could see from above, and how vast and expansive it seemed form below. 

We walked through the city of Koblenz and made our was to Deutsche Eck. There was a big statue dedicated to the first ruler of Germany, and there were also plaques for each of Germany's states. 

After exploring and walking up the statue, we headed into the town itself. We walked down the main shopping street and went into a few stores and such, then headed back up to the youth hostel because we were all exhausted from our long hike the day before, then we headed back home. 

It was a very good trip, and I had a great time with my host family.

ZOO!

So I have made up my mind. I want to work in a zoo. Today I went to the Zoo in Frankfurt. It was very different form the Alaska Zoo. There were SO many different animals. It was amazing. There were so many crazy animals that I had never seen or heard of before, but the thing I was really excited for was the giraffes. They were amazing. They were pretty, and huge, and they were hilarious when they ran.
The majority of the animals were from Asia and Africa, but there were also Northern Fur Seals and Spotted Seals. My host mom started to explain to me stuff about the seals. I lived on an island with nothing but seals, so it was really good for me to hear it in German.
Anyways, seeing the animals was very cool, and then we walked around Frankfurt for a little while. We went to a REALLY big church, but my host family said it wasn't really that impressive compared to some of the others. A little while after that we headed home because we were all so tired.
Now we are discussing our possible plans for our weekend trip to somewhere that starts with a K.
More information later!

The Alaska Life

So while I was in 5th grade, I was talking to the kids about what life was like in Alaska. They thought it was so cool that I was from somewhere so far away. My favorite thing they asked me was "Do you know what McDonalds is?"

:)

Halloween

Halloween is a holiday that has been celebrated for a long time is America, and is an important holiday for the younger population. In Germany, Halloween was introduced about 10 years ago, and is still not widely accepted. Many Germans don't like the idea of the holiday, and would rather just celebrate holidays of their own traditions. Exchange students, on the other hand, wouldn't give up Halloween for anything. On Friday afternoon, I took a two hour train ride with a couple other exchange students, and we went to Marburg for a Halloween/Birthday party. We all got to Marburg, and went to some various peoples houses to get ready. I was a zombie. I found a big white shirt for 1 euro, and cut it up and used some red colored hair spray to make it look like the cuts were bloody. I wore it over a black skirt, with black boots and did my hair and make-up. That's how you make a costume on an exchange students budget.
We walked around Marburg for a little while, and ended up in the castle that overlooks Marburg. Being in an abandoned castle at night really helps the whole "Halloween" theme. We talked and danced for a while, and it was a lot of fun. At about 1:30, three of us called a taxi, and we went back to the house were we were sleeping at.
In the morning, we had breakfast and I talked with the girls host mother for a little while. It turns out that her son is currently an Inbound in Alaska!! His name is Alex and he is in Juneau. Also, Paula has a friend from Chile that is currently in Wasilla, and there are a couple other people here that randomly know people that I know, or have been to Alaska. It so amazing how small the world is.
More soon.

5th Grade

This last week in school, my class went on a class trip. I did not go, because I am going again with Rotary. While my class was gone, I still had to be in school. Coincidentally, the 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th classes were all gone too. I ended up in the 5th grade, and it was an amazing week. On Monday, we went to  a dog training place. We watched various demonstrations of obedience, agility, and a police dog demonstration. It was all very interesting, and I understood quite a bit, but it was a very cold day. I was freezing.
On Tuesday, we just stayed in the classroom. I read, and worked in my German workbook, and wrote in my journal, then went to German course.
On Wednesday, we went to a play. It was about an island, and someone being kidnapped, but I didn't really understand it. I asked one of the kids afterwards, and she didn't understand it either, so that is okay.
Friday, we had breakfast. It was very German and very good. There was a lot of bread, and pretzels, and cake. At the beginning of the week, the kids were afraid to talk to me, bu they had warmed up to me by Friday. I walked into the classroom, and half of them pulled up extra chairs for my to sit next to them. It was really sweet. It was also really good for my German. They didn't speak English, so I had to speak German with them, and I had to explain myself IN GERMAN if I didn't know the word for something. I think I learned a lot this past week.

Now we have a two week break for school, so I get to just lay around and hang out with my friends for two weeks. And of course learn German. It's also really weird for my to say German instead of Deutsch. I have begun mixing my languages together, and my English grammar is struggling. Oh well, I guess that comes with being in Germany, and it is very exciting.
More soon.

Alles gut zum Geburtstag!

Wednesday was my birthday! It also just so happens to be a national holiday so everyone go the day off of school and work. 

On Tuesday night, I went to a party in Bad Homburg with a few other exchange students, and came back on the Nightbus with Paula. She stayed the night, and on Wednesday I had a few people over for Brunch. 

I woke up on Wednesday morning, and I finally got to open the box from my family that had been siting in the dining room for a week.

I was all smiles opening my boxes, and the present from my host family. They got me one of these cool pens that I don't know the English name for, but it's real fancy and makes my writing look really pretty. And EVERYBODY uses them. I was SO excited.

So about 6 of my friends came over, along with my host-grandparents, and my counselor. Later in the day, the girls from my dance group came and we played Solo (Which is like Uno). My host mom had made these two soups that are my new favorite thing. One of them was a pumpkin cream soup, and the other was a Gyro soup. I'm not exactly sure what gyro is and it doesn't translate, but it tastes like heaven. Seriously. On Thursday, I ate it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It is amazing. So overall I had a very nice birthday, and my host family is amazing.