Greetings from Germany! Gutentag!
Posted by Alan Giles
on Oct 08, 2012
Everything has been moving fast, and the fact that it is a month since I arrived in Deutschland is hard to believe. It is hard to put into words what I have already experienced and seen, but hopefully a little of the adventure that I have already had, and the adventure I will be having, will be captured in my messages, so that all who read them can share in the adventure. It is thanks to many different people; with their dreams and their help, that I am living my dream by spending a year as an exchange student - spending a year in Germany.
A little update.
My exchange in Germany has been amazing. My host family is very kind, my school has already taught me many things, and my German has been improving faster than I would have ever thought possible. Many of the experiences that I have had are thanks to my many friends in Germany. In school, I am in a grade ten class, not a grade 12 class that I would be in Canada, and I have the same 'core' class for the day, except for English history and French, where the classes separate based on their course selection. My class is great, they are all very kind and they are incredibly helpful. My German has been getting better and better every day thanks to my class: they teach me new phrases and sayings so that I can keep adding to my vocabulary every time I say hello. It is a third family for me (the second being my host family) and I am looking forward to spending the year with them.I have also taken part in many different sports; I have joined a volleyball group that plays for fun after school once a week, a shooting range that is 500m from my house, and on Friday nights my host-father brings me to his badminton league (which plays for fun as well). I have not had much experience in Canada with these sports, and so I am constantly improving in my abilities and strengths while having a great time. On a positive note, I can only get better!
I am a Scout in Canada, and so when I discovered I was headed to Germany, I looked for local scouting groups, and lucky I found a local Scouts group in the town I live in. I joined the Achim group and it has been an amazing experience for me already. They are an incredible group and I am blessed to know them. They have taught me common German games, songs (of all genres) and have brought me to local events I would have never known about otherwise. They are a great group and they really embody the international friendliness that is Scouting.
German public transportation is fantastic and well organised. If you need to go anywhere, you can take a train, take your bike, or simply walk. The need for a car is greatly diminished, and I have been traveling all throughout my district thanks monthly passes for the trains. In Germany, I have learned that Bikes are your best friend. You can go anywhere with them! You can take them on the trains and buses, or go through bike trails in between cities; bikes are incredibly use full! I use my bike everyday to travel to school, (10 minute bike ride, even longer walk) and then to travel with friends to different events and places. Without my bike, I would have a very hard time traveling without taking a train.
Of course, I could not send a report from another country with talking about the food!
I have found that the German food that I have had has been similar to the Canadian diet, or a portion of Canada's diet: because we have many different cultures and therefore many different types of food. The majority of food I have had in Germany has involved bread, and meat. There is a staggering amount of different types of bread, and my favourite is a kind baked in a wheel of six fist sized loaves which can then be pulled apart easily. I also have had very fresh fruits and vegetables in my meals, and plenty of sweets! My observations and experiences are that German food tastes exceptionally good. Guten appetit!
How is Everything? The simplest and yet most complex explanation I can give is :Incredible
I hope a little of my adventure has been shared with you; It is hard to put into words what I have experienced, but hopefully the tone has been shown. I am having the time of my life.