Hannah Reports From Germany
I arrived in Bremen, Deutschland on Thursday! I was greeted by my host mother (Annegret), one of three of my host brothers (Vinzenz), my family’s ex-exchange student (Marty), two other exchange students (Michael & Guada), and other rotary members! They were very excited and so welcoming of me! Then someone said, “Wilkommen in Deutschland! Wie ist deine Deutsch?” “How is your german?” and even after three years of german courses, I could think of nothing J When we arrived at home, Marty took me on a tour of the house, and then the flourishing backyard garden. Later, I went with Vinzenz, Cord (my oldest host brother), and Marty, to the nearby sport fields, and we played beach volleyball with some of their friends. That evening Annegret barbequed a variety of meats for us, and made a wunderbar vegetable salad – you know how I love my veggies! After dinner I went to the bathroom, and the jet lag hit me. I had been awake for almost 36 hours! So, with sleep much needed, I recharged my (mentally and physically) exhausted body.
The next day I went into the city with Marty and Carmen (Michael’s girlfriend – my middle host brother who I have not met yet) and we went shopping, natürlich! I think I will soon have too many clothes…
I finally met my host father, Klaus, that evening. He was on a business trip when I arrived. Klaus is actually my local Rotary club president and he is known as “the funniest man alive” – and I am starting to understand that!
On Saturday, I had my first jog in Gessel, my little village. I ran through the cornfields and among the Windkraftwerker (wind turbines). Later on, Klaus took Marty, Vinzenz and me into the city to present all the rich culture of Bremen. The city is the oldest Republic in Europe, says Klaus. Bremen is known for the Bremerstadtmusikanten, which is a group of four animal musicians. The Weser river runs through the city, and there are restaurant ships and biergartens and much party-making on the river walk. Oh, and I had my first currywurst - “the best is in Bremen” says my host family. After being in the city, we drove to the airport and greeted the new Austauschschüler, Ricardo, from Mexico. In the evening, Marty, Carmen and I went to Alex’s house, where we ate “tacos” (German nachos), played piano, and watched poor German reality TV.
On Sunday, my family took me on a strange Abenteuer to the Nordsee. When we arrived, it was pouring and cold. Even though we had unbelievably beautiful weather for my first 3 days, I guess my Texas sun luck had finally worn off. I wasn’t really sure what I was in for, but whatever it was, we couldn’t do it in the rain. So, we sat in a café and drank hot chocolate (Schokolade) and played with German cards. I didn’t understand any of the instructions, but before long, I could play with ease. After the storm passed, I looked out to the sea and realized what everyone was talking about. Out on the sea was the Wattenmeer. With the tides caused by the moon, the water recedes 11 kilometers (about 7 miles) twice a day for a few hours. When it has receded, there is a path called the Wattwanderung, that takes you to Neuwerk, an island. It was the most unique experience! I was walking barefoot, on what felt like no-man’s land. We were below sea level, where the water would soon be 3 to 4 meters high. The island was wunderbar after the storm passed, and once we reached the island, we ate and then had to catch a ferry back to land – the water was back!
I was tired, my legs ached, and my face was sunburned, but when Marty and Vinzenz asked if I wanted to go to the “Brokser Heiratsmarkt” at 10 p.m. that evening, I couldn’t help but take them up on another mysterious offer. We arrived in the city at a rodeo-like festival. But instead of deep-fried oreos, cotton candy, and barbeque, there were cakes, chocolate-dipped fruit, bratwurst, döner kebab, sautéed mushrooms, and deep-fried cauliflower with hollandaise sauce. Here I met a ton of Vinzenz’s friends who I will be going to Gymnasium Syke with next Monday. Everyone was too excited to meet the new girl from Texas, and most spoke good English! We danced to awesome (mostly American) music. And finally, we took a taxi back home around 3 a.m. – sorry, no curfew Mom and Dad!
Monday Annegret and I went grocery shopping, and I think that will be my favorite mother-daughter bonding time while I am here. Also, in Germany there is SO MUCH CHEESE. There is a thing called Fleischer salat (like pasta salad, but with meat), and Mett, which is a raw ground meat spread with onions and seasoning mixed - now that’s how I like it rare! Breakfast so far has been bread, meats, cheeses, jam, nutella. In the evening we attended the weekly Rotary meeting, and all of us new inbounds gave a small presentation in German. I think I will really look forward to each of these meetings because I met so many friendly people whom I want to know more! It already feels like I am going to some sort of reunion, where everyone is so excited to see you and wants to catch up like old friends.
On Tuesday, I woke up early (like 10 a.m.) and went on a jog with Alex and Marc, good friends of Michael. The showed me a new path through the forest, where I ran through Brennessel, which translates to stinging nettle… that was a fun experience.
On Wednesday I experienced my first train ride in Germany. The trains are very punctual. If the scheduled time is 9:33, then by golly that train will leave at 9:33 or else people will be very upset. We went into Hamburg, the second largest city in Germany. There we climb 452 stairs up the tower of the famous baroque cathedral St. Michelis. At the top we could see the entire city surrounding us. By the end of the day, we were all extremely tired and my feet felt like they were about to fall off! When we came back in the evening we went to a delicious Greek restaurant, and I was finally able to tell my family some crazy American jokes. I was very glad they were able to understand, because all week they have been popping jokes in German… and while they all laugh hysterically I can’t help but understand nothing!
On Thursday I made the first dish for my family. At home, my mom and I discovered Grilled Panzanella Salad, and it has been a family favorite for about a year. It is very labor intensive if you prepare it alone, and I was determined to have no help. After slaving for about an hour and a half, I have produced a wonderful dish. The food was gone fast, and when Vinzenz finished he said, “Das war eine leckere Vorspeise” – that was a tasty appetizer! I had not prepared for that! But Klaus saved the day by grilling some spare Bratwursts, and all were satisfied.
Today, I got stuck in the rain. With nothing on but long shorts and a small cardigan, I had to ride my bike about 20 minutes through the cold miserable rain. When I arrived home, my host mother said “Wilkommen in Deutschland.”
Throughout my first week, my new family and acquaintances have been astounded with the words that I know, and I thank my German teacher for teaching me things like stuhl gang, mir ist heiß/ich bin heiß, Papagei, Mücke, Eichhörnchen, halte klappe, schwühl/schwuhl, Knut… and the list goes on! I am constantly asking what things mean, how to say something, or to translate entire conversations - possibly to the point of exasperation. But I am so curious! Everyone still seems patient with me, so I will continue to inquire. It feels so amazing when every question expands my knowledge just a little bit. And after only a week, these little scraps of knowledge have accumulated to something tangible. I can’t wait to see how I feel in one month, much less a year.
Address:
Hannah Aegerter c/o Göken Family
Sternstr. 16
Syke-Gessel, Germany 28857
Home Number: +49 4242/80172
(€0.03/minute for international calls)