A Taste of Germany's Political Structure

In Germany, there are two major political parties in their Bundestag (our Congress):  the CDU (Christian Democratic Union), kind of like our Republican Party, and the SPD (Social Democratic Party of Germany), which is kind of like our Democratic Party.  Both parties are democratic, but the divide is based on conservative and liberal democratic approaches. 

In Germany's general elections, the people vote for members to represent them in the Bundestag.  The Bundestag members then elect a Bundes Chancellor, whom today is Angela Merkel (CDU).  This is just a brief synopsis of how their system works.  It's similar to how we receive a Speaker of the House; we elect members of Congress, and the members elect a Speaker. 

The "congresswoman" I'm pictured with above, is Michaela Noll, and she's our district's member of the Bundestag.  She's in the CDU Party.  Ms. Noll met with the other exchange student I and in this program, that live in her district she represents.  We had dinner at Zwoelf Apostel (Twelve Apostles) restaurant.   

Erntedankfest

I hope everyone at home is having a wonderful Thanksgiving (as well as Black Friday tomorrow)!  So yes, I did have school this Thursday and Friday.  Germany has the celebration of Erntedankfest in Autumn, which is like our Thanksgiving. 

Two weeks ago, the 11th and 12th grade took a 2-night field trip to the city of Wuppertal (about a half-hour away from my town, Hilden).  For this year, 11th and 12th grades are combined into a single class because the 13th grade will be eliminated in two years.  In other words, they'll be graduating at the same time.  The purpose of this outing was to be a bonding experience to get to know everybody.  It was nice for me--this was a convenient way for me to get to know others. 

This past weekend, I visited my first host-family from Geilenkirchen (same province, North Rhine-Westphalia) and went to the Weinachtsmarkt (Christmas Market) in the city of Aachen.  Traditional German specialties include Glueh Wein ("glow wine" in English), nutcrackers, Gooses, and many other types of meat.  It was nice to see them again, especially during the wintery, snowy Christmas season. 

Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas!

The sign reads, "Aachen Weinachtsmarkt."

Happy Halloween!

It's nice to settle in to a fun weekend since I'm still thinking about our vacation from the week prior.  I'm happy that Germany as well as the rest of Europe knows about the USA's Halloween!  Most people celebrate it and it's becoming more popular.  The same goes for the Trick-or-Treating aspect of it.  What Germany does that we don't do is in November on Saint Martin's Day.  On November 6th, children go door-to-door with special lanterns and bags and sing Saint Martin's Day songs.  Each house gives candy to them after they sing (typically kids in grades kindergarten - 4th).

Unser Haus                                                                

It was nice to have the Monday, November 1st off, in observance of All Saints Day; especially after  Halloween.  The next big break I have is for Christmas, and I'm in school until Christmas Eve.  December 23rd is our last day of school, and we go back on January 10th.  

Autumn Break

School was out for the past two weeks of Fall (October 8 - 22), my host-family and I went on vacation to the France-Monaco area.  Monaco is about a 12-hour drive from where we are in Germany, so on the way we passed through Luxemburg (I had no idea that this and Monaco were individual nations) and France.  Everything in the surrounding beaches were very beautiful and we stayed in a condo-type unit.

It felt great to see Palm Trees and lay on the beach in 24 degrees celsius (about 75 farenheit) in October!  There are many traders and vendors on the beaches.  Monaco is very close to Africa, particularly Egypt, so there are many Egyptians and other Africans selling native towels, sunglasses, tanning lotion, massages, etc.  Most of days were spent by the pool at the resort, the beach, or hiking downtown through the cities or countryside.  In France we visited the Fragonard Perfumery, which mostly appealed to women, but was still fun.  They call cologne for men, "perfume" as well.

This reminded of the James Bond film, Casino Royale.  Look close at the building.

An Eerie cloud.

The palace of Monaco.

October Arrives!

A very BIG SLIDE.

Diving in CORN!

Hilden is the name of the suburb I'm living in this year, in the North Rhine-Westphalia province.  The population is around 57,000, and there are two Gymnasiums (high schools).  Some of my friends took me to see the new Resident Evil movie in theaters (in German of course) and popcorn here is sweet tasting!  I couldn't believe that German theaters don't use salt.  I've also been telling my family and friends about this new soda that many have not heard of...root beer!  I have a large amount of root beer candy that was given to me before I left, so it's been fun introducing it to others.  Popular music on the radio dates back to the 1990s (Backstreet Boys still plays on the radio).

Nothing except restaurants are open on Sundays.  Most German kids here think that American youth have a school life in High School Musical, and colleg life in American Pie.  People typically think Americans love to work, and constantly overdo everything.  Something else that's different is that most Germans wear their clothes a few days, rather than what we do in America by switching our attire daily.  German youth are viewed more as young adults more so than Americans.  Age restrictions are less for theater films, clubs, and alcohol (beer and wine), all of which are 16.  Eighteen is the big year here since it's when you're a legal adult and can drive! 

What really surprises me is that Germany, as well as the rest of Europe, views America as an extremely religious and conservative nation.  Most kids couldn't believe that abortion is illegal in some states, and how a death penalty is practiced in most.  Plus, none of their government entities endorse God in any way (we have the U.S. Dollar, Pledge of Allegiance, prayer every morning in Congress, etc.)  They typically think that every family goes to church every week regrardless, owns firearms, and eats burgers all the time.  It's been interesting for me to view the USA from a foreigner's perspective. 

With October right around the corner that means one thing...Oktober Fest!  The year 2010 happens to be the 200th anniversary of this special German tradition.  Oktober Fest is traditionally the last 16 days of September for the coming of harvest in October (September 15 - 30).  The biggest festival is in southern Germany--the city of Munich, in the Baveria province.  Although every city does its own thing during the Fall Equinox.  Transportation is very "high-tech," inexpensive, and convenient here so it's easy to travel throughout Germany during holidays.  In the workplace, most employees get six weeks a year for vacation.

Life Outside of School

The Hilden City Orchestra

Well, I've finally gotten my school routine down.  (It only took the three weeks that I've been in school!)  Understanding German is  much easier than speaking right now.  On Mondays and Wednesdays (for the next six months), I attend a German language course for immigrants.  It's after school for two hours, and at home I'm using the Rosetta Stone language-learning online course throughout the entire year; lots and lots of German going on!  Every Tuesday is orchestra rehearsal from 6 PM - 8:30 PM.  It's at a music center and has no affiliation to the high school orchestra.  All extracurricular activities are completely separate from school.  And Thursday is jazz band after school and swimming!  I joined the city's swim team to get back in the water for my own fun.  Other than that, I have three more weeks until school is out for our two-week Autumn break!

We're awaiting news about school tomorrow.  One of the teachers of my host-brother, Marvin, just passed away this weekend from a heart attack.  He taught psychology for the thirteenth grade.  It was very sad news for Marvin...the teacher was gone from school the entire week before his heart attack, and now finals are in one week.

School Begins...

This was a very interesting, but confusing day (at least for me)!  I'm in the 12th grade (they have a 13th) at Dietrich Bonhoeffer Gymnasium (grades 5 - 13), which is a Lutheran school.  School doesn't have an exact time that it begins or ends.  It depends on the student's schedule.  On some days, classes start at 7:25 AM and I'm finished at 12:45 PM.  On others, I begin at 8:10 and finish 2:30 PM.  The school is open-campus all day because of the different schedules everyone has.  I live only 10 minutes away by bike, so I usually go home for lunch. 

Every student of every grade at a Gymnasium (college-bound high school) has a full schedule.  What's nice is that you spend more time in two classes that you need to study for your major and minor.  For example, I have politics more than math.  My classes are politics, English, religion (they offer Catholicism), German, history, math, computer programming (it's in English), psychology, and PE.  Everything but English and computer programming is conducted in German.  All classes are organized by grade, and at a Gymnasium it's all one ability level (college preparatory).  Four of my 5 host-siblings attend the same school; Leonie is only 9 years old and she's in the 4th grade.   

This is a "schultuete."  It's a cone filled with candy that students receive on the first day of school, to make their day sweeter; 1st - 4th grade!

A New Beginning

Now that immersion is over, I've settled in with my permanent host-family in Hilden (still in the province of North Rhine-Westphalia).  Coincidentally, there are 6 other kids besides me, however 1 is abroad in the USA, so there will be 5 others like my last one!  Their names are Marvin (18-male), Philip (14-male), Yannik (12-male), Saskia (10-female), and Leonie (9-female). 

My new host-sisters and host-cousin.

Regular school will begin on August 30th, and I will attend Dietrich Bonhoeffer Gymnasium.  I live less than 2 miles from the school, so it's only a 10-minute bike ride!

My pet rabbit, Hermione.My pet rabbit, Felix.            

Now, It Really Begins!

 My host-family at the "school."The Karlspreis 

My exchange classmates--one of the 7 Americans is sick and not present.

The month of my immersion training has come to an end.  It was a very worth-while preparation before the school year, since all of my lessons will be conducted in German (except for English class).  I start school on August 30th at Dietrich Bonhoeffer Gymnasium (college-bound high school, not PE class) in Hilden, North Rhine-Westphalia (same province). 

Every bit of preparation at the immersion was so benefitial.  Every-so-often, the teachers would have the ten of us visit local businesses in town.  We asked store owners assigned questions, and would usually buy something to prove that we went there.  This last week we took the train from Geilenkirchen to Aachen (one of the biggest cities in North Rhine-Westphalia).  We visited historical sites such as the Karlspreis.  This is the best award to receive in Europe; it's given to one that vigorously works to establish peace and prosperity in the European Union.  (Former President Bill Clinton was the recipient of the Karlspreis in 2000.  In 2002, the Euro received the award when Germany reestablished its currency from Deutsche Marks to Euros.

All in all, this was a very successful preparation for me.  After 20 lessons (4 weeks), 7 hours a day of German culture, history, politics, and grammar, (not to mention it was taught only in German) I can finally hold a lengthy, but simple conversation in a second language.  What was very interesting was the way the teachers taught us.  German students learn English in first grade, and teachers only teach in English, whereas most American students start in high school.  It's becoming easier and more natural, however next week and the rest of the year, I won't have the luxury of being near other American English-speakers, since we all go to different schools!

Phantasia Land

This weekend, Elena, Teresa, Jonas, and I went to Phantasia Land!  It's an amusement park with several diverse cultural themes.  There's a section of Europe, the USA (mainly featuring the "wild west" in Colorado), Mexico, China, Africa, Australia, and South America.  Each area has special attractions and particular food and bevereges, featuring the region.  My favorite ride was the Black Mamba rollercoaster in Africa--like in Kill Bill. 

Later that evening we went home to celebrate my host parents' anniversary (August 8th).  The six kids, including me, bought them a giant American flag and wrote a bunch of English phrases they tried speaking to me.  They loved this and it was funny.

My Family in Geilenkirchen

Upper Left: Teresa (16)
Upper Middle: Simon (18)
Upper Right: Elena (19)

Lower Left: Anne (16)
Lower Right: Jonas (14)

                                    

Die Niederlande

For the majority of the day, my host parents and host brother, Simon, went biking for about fifty miles around Germany and into the Netherlands (no passports for nations in the European Union when traveling through the continent). It's gorgious scenery and very flat land. The Dutch are the biggest users of bikes in Europe, for it's a small country and again, flat.

What I've noticed is that television and radio in Germany, in a way, is really "Americanized." They have all the same shows that are on Fox and NBC; and they're in German--great practice! The radio plays a combination of German music and popular American songs with artists like Lady Gaga (in English). I've had delicious food for my first week here as well. Never in my life had I eaten Turkish or Dutch food before. The Dutch meal I had contained about ten percent horse meat...I couldn't believe how good it was! All I knew was that it tasted great, for I never knew what it was until my family told me afterword.

My Home Province: North Rhine-Westphalia

This is the province where I will live this year. North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populated federal state in Germany.

Deutsch "Schule"

Today was my first day of the four-week immersion training! It is a seven hour day all about German...I love it! Everything is entirely spoken auf Deutsch. There are 7 Americans here with Congress-Bundestag, and 3 students from South Korea. It will take the two teachers sometimes up to five minutes to explain something (absolutely no English), however they're fluent in both languages. After the course, we should "passably" be able to converse in German. After a year of living here, attending a "Gymnasium" (German word for college-bound high school) should gain fluency. Throughout the last twenty-six years of the Congress-Bundestag scholarship, nearly all recipients returned, testing at fluent levels.