PPP/CBYX 2012-2013

"Success is dependent on effort." Sophocles http://www.usagermanyscholarship.org/ "I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done." Buddha

[hannahgoestogermany]

Post-Return and Goodbye Update

It has been roughly three months since I have returned from Germany, and it feels as though I never left. My friends and I have made up for lost time, my soccer team is 10:1 and going to the division championships, and my family is wonderful as always. 

To be completely honest, my time spent as an exchange student does not cross my mind too often. I do not infer this negatively by any means, but I have my junior year of high school to finish with a bang, homecoming to attend, regattas to sail, and my friends to fill up my time and thoughts.

It was a wonderful experience, and I know that what I learned whilst living abroad at age 16 will stay with me from now on and shape and mold me into the young adult that I am becoming. I encourage you all to seek motivation, to find courage, and persevere through whatever may come your way. Best of wishes, and goodnight Old Sports.

[hannahgoestogermany]

Well, I leave Germany tomorrow. Excuse the Kate Middleton, but I'd like to pretend this is how I will look while boarding my plane. Probably not, because I will be sweaty and tired from lugging my baggage around and emotionally wiped but we can always pretend, right? Oh, what a wonderful ride it has been.

[hannahgoestogermany]

Voicing My Opinion

I am not against technology. I for one, make use of today's newest innovations quite frequently. I use my laptop practically every day to complete my homework assignments, to translate documents, and to talk to friends. I listen to my iPod often, and enjoy perusing the Apple store and purchasing new music to add to it as my tastes change. My cell phone is practically glued to my hand.. and that is the problem.

Today's society has became far too dependent on technology. And when I refer to technology in this spiel, please know that I speak specifically in regards to the internet and cell phones, not to the fascinating advances in biomedical engineering or the auto industry. Those types of technology are sorely needed as our world evolves. But... I have read patient studies from children as young as four years old who are being treated for internet addiction. Countless times on the train I have seen a frazzled mother hand her crying tot a cool, touchscreen gadget to earn her a few moments of silence. On vacation in Italy last month I witnessed a child who could not have been older than two parked in front of an iPad playing the latest episode of some brightly animated "educational" cartoon while his parents and him ate supper. I understand that as children gain more independence it is harder to keep them settled, especially at a long dinner, but letting an iPad play in a restaurant is not only rude and distracting to the other diners, it also takes away from the time you spend together as a family. If you are worried about your child becoming restless and upset, bring along a few colorfully illustrated books or some of his favorite toys to keep him busy. I have also many a time given up chances to hang out with my parents in favor of holing up in my room and watching a movie on my laptop. I can tell you honestly that that was the incorrect thing to do. It isolates you. 

Technology brings along a slew of societally degrading vices along with it's cool, metal demeanor. When you expose yourself and your children not only does it cut off person-to-person interaction, but also interferes with work and schoolwork. It leads to less physical activity (and Wii does NOT count as a sport), and can expose you to the worst types of subliminal (and non) advertising. I strongly believe that the advertisement industry that appears on television and the radio has a direct connection to the quickly rising health concerns in the United States, as well as the lethargy and overall apathetic behavior that is becoming widespread in schools. 

Technology is not an enemy, and it is not necessarily "bad". Places like Google and Bing will help you get an A on that politics research paper, and Facebook and Skype will let you keep in touch with friends and family at the touch of a button. However, there is plenty of accurate, up-to-date information that can be found at your local library. Some math, you will not be able to do on your calculator. And some teachers will refuse to let you site a webpage as a source on that paper. Facebook and Skype are great as well, but sometimes they can do more harm than good. When you have that instant contact, you can be caught saying things and then sending them without a second though to who you may hurt. You may end up building relationships on the internet that sadly just do not function in real life. I will not sit at another coffee date with a friend and spend half the time typing away on some mundane piece of plastic, and I expect the same of them. The amount of time we spend using the internet and our phones and the dependence that we have on them is damaging our interpersonal relationships. The internet exposes us to topics and ideas that are damaging to our psyche and to our nation's health, and it needs to be slowed down. 

[hannahgoestogermany]

Oh Mann, ich will unbedingt nicht nach Hause. Zur letze Zeit, ich habe viel Freunden gemacht und ganz viel schönes Sachen erlebt, und ich trauer mich ein bisschen weil ich fühle als es ist für immer vorbei. 

Photos from the party my class had for the few who are leaving (one German to Chile, another to Costa Rica, one Mexican to Mexico, and one me to the USA)

[hannahgoestogermany]

Yet another End of Stay camp..

this time with my AFS committee as well as the committees from Freiburg and Konstance! We spent a long weekend on Schluchsee in the Black Forest, and tried to focus on having a good time instead of our impending departure. It was incredibly difficult to say "tschüss", knowing that this would be the last time I would get to see some of these amazing, lively, beautiful people.

This camp has made me realize again how thankful I am to AFS for bringing us all together.. I truly have friends from every corner of the Earth now, and although we may be separated by oceans and deserts and borders, what we've learned from each other in terms of tolerance, acceptance, and individuality with surely carry on. 

[hannahgoestogermany]

It felt unreal as I packed my little suitcase and boarded the train heading to Berlin (almost nine hours, mind you).

Once I arrived in Berlin's central station, the few who were already there waited on the others to arive. At around 5pm we headed to the youth hostel and just hung out for the rest of the night. The following day we took a bus tour of the city and went to the Jewish museum, which was very sobering. Afterwords we held a seminar in the garden of the museum and then went back to the youth hostel and went early to bed because the next day, Bundestag day, we had to be out the door in the wee hours of the morning.

Bundestag day was by far the best day I have ever experienced in Germany. We started off by meeting with the other organizations (Young Professionals as well) at the Reichstag building, which is the seat of the German parliament. We listened to an introductory speech which covered history, WWII in specific, and current events in the Bundestag and explained how business is conducted. After this presentation we listened for about 30 minutes to an actual session of parliament, where they discussed a bill that allows homosexual couples the same rights within marriage as straight couples that was passed last week. It was interesting to observe how the different political parties interacted with one another, as well as slightly amusing to see that the liberal parties were all brightly clothed while the conservative parties stuck to grey, black and white outfits. After this, we went to a different room where we were able to pose questions. The federal president, as well as the American ambassador to Germany, were both there and held speeches over the importance of the program.

Lunch break followed, where the Bundestag really went to town catering to our every gastronomical desire. I was able to meet with my representative for the third time which was very nice. 

Following lunch, all 200 some-odd of us headed over to the American embassy, which is right next to Brandenburg Gate. The embassy was just one gigantic party. Seriously. We were all in out business suits and dresses, twerking and going absolutely crazy dancing. The energy in the courtyard where we were was incredible. Also, they bought us all American soda! We all definitely enjoyed the taste of corn syrup (it is banned in German sodas), as well as the Dunkin' Donuts that came with. Afterwords Ambassador Murphy as well as other diplomats spoke to us, and we had one last dance before heading back to the youth hostel. The next few days were full of workshops and exploring the city. 

Coming home, I was shocked to realize that I have just over three weeks left here. Buying my train ticket to Frankfurt's airport was a weird feeling, and seeing my suitcase for the first time in 8 months also felt very foreign. The end of stay camp put the year in perspective. We all found out how fleeting our time here, not just here in Germany, but here as people is, and I truly for one plan on using it to the max. 

[hannahgoestogermany]

Ohh, wie glücklich mir ist.. :)

Spending the Pfingstferien on the beautiful island of Sardinia, Italy is pure bliss. Leaving all negativity behind in Germany, and wont be meeting with it upon my return. Ciao!

[hannahgoestogermany]

Hi I'm going to Germany next year with AFS and I was wondering what you do with your money. Do you use a specific bank in Germany? And do you have a cellphone? Did you bring it with you fron the States? What carrier is the best?

Money- Money that I receive in Germany is placed on a debit card that I have been using for the past several years. Basically the money is put into my account, and I am free to withdraw it from an ATM. I do know of some friends who have opened bank accounts with Deutsche Bank, but I'm not sure how that works. The only issue with using an ATM all of the time is that taking out many withdrawals in a month can rack up fees, and some cards have a limited number of withdrawals. It is my opinion that the easiest way to handle money over here is to simply withdraw it once a month and then budget. I have never had a problem with withdrawing money, and that goes for France and Switzerland as well. *One thing, many businesses here do not accept credit/debit cards. It is usually easier to use cash as opposed to paying with a card*

Cell Phone- I did in fact bring a cell phone from the States, but it unfortunately broke. Before it stopped working, it had accepted a German SIM card with no problems. After I settled down I bought an unlocked phone and then went to a store called Aldi and bought a phone plan. It isn't the best of plans per say, but it is the cheapest out there (I didn't purchase a plan with internet, simply pay-as-you-go). Another alternative is Vodafone, where you can buy combined internet/talk/text plans for around 40 Euros a month. In terms of cell phones, either unlock yours before you come over or just purchase one here.

[hannahgoestogermany]

Zürich was beautiful. My friend and I took a bus down and then simply wandered around the entire time that we were there, stopping for lunch at a cafe and then spending the afternoon at a huge park watching the world go by. Bliss.

[hannahgoestogermany]

In genau acht Woche fliege ich mit meinen lieber AFS'ers nach Washington. Es ist unglaublich, wie schnell die Zeit lauft. Trotzdem bin ich froh, dass ich habe vielen wunderschöne Kollegen hier gemacht. War in Basel heute mit ein paar. Jetzt, bin ich am Bilder machen mit meine Fahne. Heute Abend geht's los mit Filmen. Tschau Schatzen!

[hannahgoestogermany]

Trafen wir uns einen französiche Esel in Ecomusée d'Alsace!

[hannahgoestogermany]

Gosh your friend Gillian looks magestic as anything. You are so lucky to have her with you there. Oh and watermellon is better than mint ;)

Only real Gs can handle the mint and still manage to be half as majestic as Gillian is

[hannahgoestogermany]

Hint to next year's CBers.. Google Books is amazing. My local library's selection of English books consists of dictionaries, English cuisine (can I even call it that?), and romantic novels (you know, those books who's covers have a photoshopped picture of a woman riding on a horse into the sunset with a chiseled, tanned man with flowing blonde hair)... not really down my alley. Anyways, Google Books has a fairly good selection of reading material! Here's what I'm planning on tackling from now until D.C.

[hannahgoestogermany]

Recent Happenings

I meant to write this last weekend but I completely ran out of time, which is always a good thing!

There was a lot going on in the last couple of weeks. Right around my 7th month here the weather turned amazing, around 70 degrees Fahrenheit and sunny, clear skies. My last two weekends were spent lying around in the sun with friends, reading good books and hanging out with a new friend from New Zealand. 

From the 15th to the 19th I participated in something called "BOGY". BOGY stands for Berufsorientierung an Gymnasien, which in essential means a chance to orientate yourself with a profession that you'd perhaps like to pursue in the future. You have to create a profile for yourself highlighting your academic interests, a short biography, and your performance in school. You then send this resume of sorts to places where you'd like to intern. I ended up receiving a place at a veterinarians office here in my town. It was SO interesting! Every morning the vet would do operations such as castrations and small dental surgeries, and every afternoon/evening were the consultation hours when patients who needed post-OPs done, a funny looking abscess drained, or just a plain yearly check up completed. I was surprised and pleased at how much I was able to participate and I took a lot of good information away from my week at the practice. 

Last week was busy as well. My Gymnasium here celebrated it's 50th year in operation, and the entire school took part in a musical/theatrical assembly highlighting the school's history. Afterwords my class made a poster together that would be placed in a time capsule and buried, to be dug up on the 100th anniversary.

Yesterday my AFS committee held an "intercultural evening". Every student cooked a dish typical for their country, and we ended up with a huge buffet of delicious global food. My favorite was Mole from Mexico, which is a spicy chili-chocolate-chicken sauce that you eat with tortillas. I probably had three servings of it! 

Three more weeks of school until Pfingst vacation, where my host parents and younger host brother will be traveling to Sardinia.. can't wait!

[hannahgoestogermany]

[hannahgoestogermany]

hello :) Where in Germany are you located? Did you go through AFS? When did you find out about your location and host family? WHAT ON EARTH DID YOU PACK FOR THE YEAR. Is Germany more expansive than America? How much money did you bring with you? And aside from that, how much money did/do you spend a month while abroad? I am going to Germany next year and I am so nervous and excited and happy, and blah. I could go on and on but im sure that you get questions like this all of the time. Thanks :)

Ahh I bet you are SO excited right now :)

I am staying in the southwest in Weil am Rhein, it is right next to Basel, Switzerland. I found out that I had a host family around the middle of July, but I didn't receive word that I would be first staying with a "welcome family" until a few weeks before departure. Now to answer your questions..

-I will write a blog post on "What to Pack" shortly. You don't need as much as you think!

-Expansive? No Germany is quite small.. Expensive, yes very. Food surprisingly is not too bad, and train/plane tickets and hotel rooms I find to be reasonably priced. However clothes, drinks, and sports clubs are quite pricy, as well as activities such as movies or amusement parks.. for example, my last trip to the Kino ran me about 20 Euro. In terms of money that I brought with me, I only had a few US dollars remaining from DC and a monetary gift in Euros that I received before I left. I do however make monthly withdrawals of  "spending money" and I go through about 200 Euros a month.. sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. It fluctuates. 

Please let me know if you have any other q's! I promise that you will absolutely love it here. Have a good one :)

-Hannah

[hannahgoestogermany]

Yesterday..

was one of those kinds of days where time plays tricks on you. It was my seven-month anniversary of my arrival in Germany, and also the day that I received my scheduling/flight information for my trip home.  I honestly can't even remember how it felt to be on the other side of life, back home in the middle of summer receiving our departure information for our trip to Germany. It makes me feel a little queasy knowing that I only have a little over 12 weeks left here! I feel like I will be leaving once I feel really accustomed to life/friends/the language. Oh well, I'll definitely be back! As for now, I am going to focus on spending time with the people who help to make my exchange what it is, reading a good book, giving BOGY my best shot (blog post to come) and focusing on enjoying what I have in the moment and not stressing about things that aren't even relevant right now.