So, I haven’t really updated in like a long time times two. But I have a slightly good excuse! I took the SAT Test, and so I didn’t feel like writing my blog... but, lots of things have happened since I last updated! For example, I am now pregnant. (Not really, but I wonder how my mom reacted to reading that)
Anyways, my host father and I went to the East Side Gallery to look at the paintings. It’s essentially a really long piece of the original Berlin Wall, but with paintings on it. Beautiful, inspirational paintings.
Then, last weekend, my host family and I went to Nürnberg for a weekend and stayed with my host father’s cousin. His cousin and her husband were both really nice, and they showed us a lot of places in the city. The Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market) was really cool, and I even translated for some Americans that were trying to buy something ^^. I also bought a bunch of books on Napoleon Bonapart, because they were all together 6 Euros :D. I also bought some presents for my host family, since you know... it’s like Christmas or something soon ^^. Speaking of which, my host family strung up a bunch of gifts on the staircase as our advents calenday... so far I got a little thingy of lotion ^^. Also, the SAT Test was a lot easier than I expected it to be. I hope I get a good score on it, and I think I will. I totally have just about nothing to say about the last few weeks.
Well, my community representative gave me this book called „Der Vorleser“. I’m really surprised by how easily I can understand it, especially because I expected it to be harder, since my CR said it would be. I was reading it on the train to and from Nürnberg, since it was like five hours both freaking ways. For English class I’m supposed to present about how intercultural communication affects one’s concept of a country... my CR told my host family I’ve learned German rather quickly, and that I must have a gift for languages (THIS MADE ME SO HAPPY!!!!). She also said that I should probablly do something with languages as a job. And to be honest, I had been thinking about that for a while. But anyways...
I ALMOST FORGOT! So, in Nürnberg Hitler built a collesuem to be used during the thousand years of peace or whatever that he planned to bring about. I went there, and it was really farmilliar looking. But here is where Hitler once stood to deliver speeches.
There were no seats in the collesuem. According to I forget who, Hitler believed that the German people should be strong; too strong to require sitting while enjoying a game.
I also went shopping with the Swiss exchange student. I had a hard time finding shoes, because ya know.... my feet are like their own planets :D. But, I finally found some nice ones with my wonderful, amazing host mom ^^. She was so excited, she even dreamed of shoe shopping the entire night before we finally went shopping (she didn’t actually enjoy the dream :D). I got these 60 or so Euro shoes for only 20 Euros, if I remember right...
08.12.09
The world hates me. Every subatomic particle in this world decided to join the „I hate Caitlin“ club. (Insert more hyperboles here). Anyways! I had to buy a new cell phone, because my American one decided it wanted to pretend that my highly expensive America SIM card, and my not so expensive German one, doesn’t work. Yay. At least a very nice German person decided to go to the store with the American. And he will probablly read this. And he will know who he is (hello German :D). My Mathe PK teacher wasn’t there Monday, so I decided to hang out in an English PK course. It was absolutely thrilling! Well, not really. It was actually the complete opposite. But, a lot of people had been asking me why I didn’t take an English PK course, so at least now I can say I tried it and didn’t like it...
The second part of the world against me happened today. Please note that I decided to be retarded and leave my American credit card in my wallet while I went to school. For no reason. Just to have it, apparently. Then I left it on the bus. Because I am so smart. Seriously though, a part of me is happy this happened, because now that I know what it’s like to lose a wallet, I’ll try SO much harder to make sure it never happens again. But, the person who found my wallet was really nice, and didn’t steal anything. She didn’t even accept a „gift present thing“ as a sign of appreciation. But, I think I met her before. When I had my funny hat... maybe not, but she was as nice and young as the other lady, and they both had a boy and a girl of the same ages with them... but, I am in a sort of badish mood right now, because I’m really tired. And I’m really tired because I decided to walk all the way from Heerstraße/Wilhelmstraße to Flatow Allee. I really don’t know how far that is, but it’s 12 minutes by bus, in Berlin, where there’s traffic and the maximum speed on that stretch of road is like 50km/h (30 or so miles per hour).
12.12.09
I just have one more Klausur (German word for the type of test I am taking) left, and then it’s Christmas vacation ^^. Last night I went with a friend to the Christmas carnival/fair/market thing. Basically it’s a bunch of shops that only show up around Christmas time. In Nürnberg there weren’t any rides, but at the one in Spandau there was. My friend made me go on the ferris wheel. I am scared to death of heights. I was freaking out at first. Then it wasn’t so bad.
Ya. I think I look retarded. But then we went onto THIS.
It was really fun. It basically tried to make you go around so fast you couldn’t breathe. Then we watched very pretty fireworks. After that we basically just walked around. We went through a park, and then we walked along a stinky river to go look at a thing (I think it’s called a water ladder?). Then, I went home. Originally we were going to go go-karting, but the track was totally booked until 10 o’clock, which was my curfew. Anyways. The other day, I was up really early when it was still dark, and I saw something in my host mom’s shoe. I thought it was a tree branch. I ignored this. Later, I went down with my host family to eat breakfast. There was a tree branch in all of our shoes o.O It turns out that instead of having stockings as part of our gift assembly at Christmas, in Germany they stick stuff in your shoes on „Nikolaus“ Day. Mainly candy. And pieces of pine trees :D. My school also had an event for the day, where the students could send each other „Nikolauskarten“, which were basically cards saying „merry Christmas“, with a huge candy Santa. I got one card, but two candy Santas ^^. Today I cut off my candy Santa’s head, and stuck it into some muffins I made with my host sister.
I forgot to mention earlier that I had gone to my hostsister’s Christmas concert at her school. It was really good, actually. I had really liked it ^^.
My tests are... well... a little bad. The SAT Test was ok, and I will know my scores on December 22nd, but my German tests are like. No. Awful. I think. My exchange program sent me and my school papers for my teacher, and they will grade me based on wether or not I take part in class, wether or not I made advances in speaking German, and wether or not I sort of get what’s going on. I already got an A in English class. Who would’ve guessed? I mean, it’s not like I speak English or something... right? o.O
One last thing. My mommy sent me Christmas presents for me and my host family :D.
