Yesterday and today have been so fun. Last night, Amelie and I went to a camping trip/sleepover at Simone's house in Schwabmünchen for Keegan and Tamara's 16th birthday. Everyone was there, but Asad ended up going home at about 12:15 AM because he had something to do early today. We roasted stockbrot (stick bread), stargazed (there were four shooting stars, holy crap!), drank a bit of champagne once midnight hit (Keegan accidently popped it open earlier), listened to a bunch of music, and talked + laughed. It was really fun. We also stood in the front yard and some attempted to ride a unicycle, which is apparently very popular here in Germany. Ami was able to ride it, and Elsa was too (she is in the Chicago Youth Circus as a gym wheeler). Keegan attempted to ride the unicycle, but he failed miserably. Hahah. By the end of the night (which was technically morning -i.e. 3 something AM), I ended up falling asleep near our makeshift campfire - i.e. a candle.
Once we all woke up (which was about 8 in the morning), we got ready and had breakfast. Tamara's mom brought a cake, but I didn't have any because it was so early in the morning. I just had wheat bread with jam. After that, we all laid down once more, talked, and eventually took down the humongous tent that was up. (No lie, the tent was freaking huge!) Well, it was more like Tamara, Simone, and Elsa took the tent down. Whoops.
When it was time for everyone to leave, Ami and I dropped off Alexandra and Elsa. Tamara rode her bike over to Simone's house, so she had to bike home. The ride back to Amberg was only about 25 minutes. When we got home, Ami and I attempted to watch Top Gun, but we both drifted off to sleep. I slept on her couch for about 30 minutes to an hour before I got up and went to my bedroom. I did not wake back up until about 5 PM. I made myself a sandwich with salami (pepperoni), turkey, and cheese. It was really good. After I ate, I talked with my host mom for a while about stereotypes of Germany and the US, which was a pretty good conversation.
The stereotype of Germany is that the people are mean and always upset. That is the opposite of what they are really like. Germans (I do not want to generalize, so I am referring to the ones I have met or talked to, but also ones that I haven't...hmm) are very kind. Strangers will say "Guten Morgen" or "Hallo". Germans have a very wide sense of humor; they are always laughing. It's really hilarious, to be honest. Also, Germans smile a lot. If you look confused, alone, happy, sad, anything at all and you make eye contact, they will smile at you. Also, they are always willing to help you. As someone who knows very little German right now, I can tell you that I have not yet gotten lost in Germany because someone is always willing to direct you.
One my host mom and I were finished talked, I went to take a shower because, one, I camped last night/early this morning, and two, we were going to a BBQ at our neighbor's house at 7 PM. After the shower, I finished my laundry, which was now hung up outside to dry. Not too long after that, we arrived at our neighbor's house, we were ushered to the back and given a glass of red wine. This was the first time I realized that, hey, I'm seriously in Germany. Back home, it is illegal to drink anything under the age of 21. In Germany, you only have to be 16 to drink wine and beer and 18 for hard liquor. We greeted everyone as they came (three other families), raised our glasses, and said,"Prost!" which translates to 'cheers' in English.
We received another wine glass and one water glass for the duration of dinner. We were served white wine, which tastes a bit odd, but I came to enjoy the taste of it. The barbecue as a whole really delicious. I ate a salad with zucchini, mushrooms (I think), tomatoes, and paprika (peppers), roast beef with onions over it and some sauce, a fried blueberry, rice, and beef mit paprika und beef mit curry. My favorite was the beef mit curry.
Once abendessen was finished, we were able to eat dessert, which was yummy! Since being in Germany, my sweet tooth has come back full force. I've eaten many ice-creams and unnecessary treats. We were also asked if we wanted some Sangria, and I had some. It was really delicious. (Cue Blake Shelton's song, Sangria) While we were snacking on dessert and drinking, I practiced my German with the other younger people sitting near me. It was Annalina, Elina, Karina, and Johannes (plus Ami). They all helped teach me not German, but Bavarian, which is a different German dialect. That was pretty entertaining. I learned about how the Oktoberfest technically starts in September now, but once upon a time, it began in Oktober, which is why it's called the Oktoberfest. And, in Bavaria, it is Wies'n.
Once 11:30 came around (about an hour + 30 minutes ago here), Ami and I came back home. And now, I am posting this. And yes, everyone is still next door (I can hear them from my room).
Krishaun Burns is a 17-year-old blogger, who is studying abroad in Germany for the Fall Semester of 2015/2016. She is a wanderluster at heart with a passion for writing, photography, music, and exploring.
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