Things Are Different: A Re-Cap of My Arrival Week

Saturday 6th

I arrived in Leipzig at 9 pm and took a train to Wurzen, where I was picked up by my host mother and her daughter. I was nervous in the car on the way to their home in Grimma. They live in a neighborhood with a population of 19 people. The home in which I'm living is 3km away from the next town. The family consists of two parents, both are general practitioners, and three children; the eldest boy, who is 18, the middle child, a girl who is 15, and the youngest girl, who is 12 - a very nice family. They have a large ''German Style Country Home'' complete with two large barns, cats, pigeons, rabbits, goats, and chickens. They have a large garden, lots of yard space, several fruit trees and bushes. I love my room; it's my own. There's a nice desk, big windows, a bookshelf, a small bed, and a cute rocking chair; I absolutely love it!

MY OWN ROOM!

Sunday 7th

I woke around 10 am, still very tired. I got settled into my room, dressed, and joined my host family downstairs outside to meet some guests. On Sunday, I met two family friends, my host grandparents, my host aunt, and her three kids, and the neighbors next door. I enjoyed a nice bike ride with Judith to go see the three horses her grandfather (opa) owns. We talked together for an hour, enjoying fresh apples and feeding the horses bread. That evening I ate a typical German dinner, cold cuts, spread, bread, fruits and veggies, and beverage. I slept with a lamp light on, and my stuffed elephant teddy closed for the second night in a row because I wasn’t used to sleeping alone, and I didn’t realize it would be so dark. I know……I’m a big baby. I was excited that night because I had decided in the morning to go to school (I should have rested).

Monday 8th

School was insane, so insane I fell asleep. I was exhausted, very lost, understood nothing, and very angry. Even though I am currently in my junior year here in Germany, I was placed in 10th grade with my host sister. That's not the issue. I'm upset because even when I learn the language, I will still be behind. The level on which they are learning is not only more advanced and very different, but the way they learn is different. I don't need to know German to see that clearly.

I take 14 different classes a week—seven 45min class periods with 8min breaks in between and two 25min breaks in a school day. I take Gym, Choir, Art, Theatre, Computer, and German Politics once a week. Astronomy, Math, Geography, German Literature, History, Chemistry, Spanish, and Religion are the other classes I take throughout the week.

After school, I attended a birthday party where I had coffee and homemade cake. I had to ride a bike to the party from Engelsdorf train station (I don't own a bike and therefore haven't ridden one in years; Very difficult because I had to re-familiarize myself with a bike upon my arrival here in Germany). Johann (his birthday and party) found it extremely funny; I was extremely embarrassed, having almost run into a busy street and not knowing how to properly break. 

Tuesday 9th

School was slightly better, still tired, if not more. I found out that Sport and Art are my favorite subjects. It is a shocker for me because I'm doing pretty well in both, which I haven't done so in years. My host family hosted two Japanese girls from Tuesday until Sunday. It was really neat. They couldn't speak German at all, and they barely spoke English. It was pretty interesting. They stayed in a room, in my room, if you could get that… and shared my bathroom. That night I slept in the dark, but my elephant was still close.

Wednesday 10th

I wake up on a regular school day at 6:20 am; school starts at 8 am in Wurzen, 14km away. By Wednesday, I was a walking shell, too tired to function. School was a blur. We had to walk from the station to school, which is a pretty hefty walk in the cold morning air. After school, when I reached home, I took a nap. The next day I played hooky.

Thursday 11th

And by hooky, I mean run errands; Myiah Smith playing hooky, can you imagine!? I did a few things Thursday, one of which was sleeping in. I also went to get my residents to permit but was told I needed to go into the big city to properly receive it. A task I must and still have to attend to. I also opened a bank account to avoid those costly international exchange fees. I went to a German market which is like a mini store filled with German thingies. Then I rode my bike (I have my own bike!) around with Sabine.

Friday 12th

I was lost in class once again; I know the topics of each class, but I'm just not learning anything. It's not that I don't want to. I just don't understand. Friday night was very fun. I went to the Japanese girls' brass band performance. Bands from 10 different countries came to perform. Of the four bands I heard that night The Japanese band was the best! I loved dancing with them, Ludwig and I enjoyed the music. As for Sabine, she didn't have as much fun as we did!

Saturday 13th

On Saturday I made everyone, except Judith :( an "All American Style Breakfast," which was really fun to do. I made pancakes, "American style bacon," and loaded scrambled eggs. It was really good, and everyone really enjoyed it. That afternoon Judith took me shopping because I had brought all the wrong attire here to Germany, plus I did NEED a few things. It was a lot of fun, and the first time I really shopped for myself; I also spent a solid 250€. Even though parting with the cash was difficult, it was well worth it. German malls are very nice, but you gotta pay for the restroom! My favorite thing I got was blue leather loafers which Judith picked out for me. She pretty much picked all the items I got (so much for shopping all on my own).

Sunday 14th

Sunday started off well but ended sorta sour. I went to the first orientation held by AFS. There I meet five other students abroad here in my area on the AFS program, but not on the CBYX scholarship. I also take German language courses with these five students. I met my Betreuer (a mentor figure), who is an American from Alaska! She's really nice, and she also runs the Leipzig chapter. I lost the silly track phone my host family lent me and went to bed worried about the phone, school, and language courses on Monday evening. 

First Impression's and Other Things

Everything I thought I knew about Germany isn't true! Who told me there's always cold weather? Who said Germans were "cold" people; yeah, they're not warm and fuzzy, but who is? Why did that book discourage opening windows in Germany? I CAN SHOWER DAILY, and here I was preparing for the worst. Apparently, not all Germans drink; I've yet to see a single beer. Germans aren't mean, or at least I haven't run into someone mean. Everyone's very accepting of me. All I get is stares; hey, let 'em get a good look!

Being here is great, and yes, I've had my run-ins. School scares me, I never knew I'd see a day where I couldn't follow a lesson, but sure enough, I'm lost! So far, I've embarrassed myself twice, mistakenly calling a girl "poo" in German (Kacke is poo, her name was Katia "Cat-te-uh" but I said Kackie) and saying "butt" to my teacher. I sure get a lot of laughs, and trust me, I'm not trying to be a comedic act! There is so much that is new and different, and for you to understand it all, I guess I have to start from the beginning-

Crash Landing (more crashing less land)

And by a crash, I mean "to fall asleep," and by land, I mean "right on my face," I was exhausted! We arrived in Frankfurt, Germany (western part of Germany at the main international airport) around 8 am. I didn't get on a train to Grimma (where I'm living, the eastern part) until 5 pm; I didn't arrive 'till 9 pm. So along with the wait, which is always worse, came the wonderful opportunity to meet the students here abroad in Germany through the AFS program. 84 US students, including myself, are here in Germany through AFS. There are another 100+ students from around the world here. I'm talking about China, Russia, Australia, Venezuela, Sweden, The US, kids from all walks of life who are all amazing. What I found to be a shock; even though we were in Germany, even though there were all these kids from around the world, everyone used English to communicate amongst one another. A blessing, a curse.

In the Car ( into the head of Myiah Smith)

"Man, I wonder how long it'll take 'till I miss my family, it sure is dark here."

"So Myiah, how was your flight" Sabine (host mother, the name is like "Sabrina" but pronounced "Sa-bean-uh") (my host family speaks English)

"Long, it was fine...."

Come on Myiah, one line answers, this is really awkward. Maybe if I stay silent they'll think I've fallen asleep *5min Silence* Hhmm, maybe its embarrassing and awkward for them too!? Did I even start off right, should I have said Hallo instead of Hello!? How long 'till we're at the house, Will they even like me!? Oh my god, I'm so nervous, I think I gotta burp; NO, it's worse than a burp! Keep it in Myiah, keep it together! * Another long silence*

"Okay, we're here, we'll go inside okay." Sabina

"OK" OMG, yes, freedom, that was so nerve-racking.

A Good Evening

Once inside, I meet Miriam (aka Mimi), the youngest daughter. I had already met Judith (pronounced U-dit) at the station with Sabine, who rode me to the house. Judith is the eldest daughter. Ludwig (pronounced LUD-vig), the eldest son, and Stephen (pronounced Stef-Vann) weren't here upon my arrival. All four of us ate a typical evening meal; bread, spread, veggies, "cold cuts," sparkling, and/or water and juice. We talked for a little. Then I was shown my room, my very own room! I laid in bed that night with a heavy heart, both with sadness and great joy. I was excited to finally start my adventure. Sad to leave behind a place that was very familiar yet ready to start anew.

I have been here since Saturday. I've done so much thus far. I look forward to everything that is going to come my way. I look forward to my next post around Saturday- Things Are Different, to get an update on the past week. Read me then!

Any questions wanna know more, comment below.

A Strange Two Weeks

Practicum. A time when German students take a 2-week study in a workforce of their choice. Depending on what state the school is in determines which grade does Practicum and when. As for other exchange students and me, it means we don't do Practicum; and it means I won't do much in school.

Since grade 10 (the grade I'm in) of my school is on Practicum, it means I have no class. Instead, I will accompany English Language teachers to their classes throughout the week. Of course, like any school, it's a spotty school schedule. For me, it means hours of sitting by myself waiting for specific periods to begin while everyone else enjoys the class.

In my spare time (aside from pointless pacing the halls when no one is looking and staring off into space for gaps of time), I shall practice my language skills and experience in more cultural learning. Observe Germans in their German habitat, the wild halls of the school jungle. Where grades and tests are means of survival of the fittest, I am definitely at the end of this food chain. Will these two weeks provide me the training I need to keep up, or shall I fall and crumble like a wounded gazelle?! Time shall tell, which I have plenty of...

Not my best work; a seld portrait 

Coffee in the Cafe for 2.50E 

Dürum, a Turkish-German Burrito, and trust me, this stuff is the bomb!

It's long days, and they are variable. The students here take school very seriously. It's refreshing to see students who genuinely care about their grades and want a good education. I also loved that they were all able to understand me; yeah, with a fast-talking, inner-city American accent. It's nice; it's like the school finally got to find out who I am. I've spoken with a class from every grade year, and they all took an interest in what I had to say. Even the teachers are incredibly nice; they too can see more to me, a better understanding of who they're hosting in the school. With this experience in the past week and a half, I hope both I and the other staff and students become better affiliated with one another! 

The Wait is Always Worse

With hours to go until my parents drop me off at orientation, I'm literally a blank slate. I was always the one to enter a new place without expectations. I must admit I'm beyond nervous and excited. At the start of summer, departure seemed so far away; it appeared to take forever to come. Now that the moment of truth is here, I wonder, confused as to where the time had gone? For me, the wait is always the worse. Don't get me wrong; I am extremely patient; it's the bottled-up me that can barely take the "keeping composed" stance, even though I do it well. I'm trying to keep composed, like holding back horror screams while riding up a horrifying roller coaster; play it cool. But like the thrill of the roller coaster, I love the excitement, the racing heart, stomach drop feeling. It's the feel of what living is supposed to be like; I'm alive and can feel the life coursing through my veins. 

This is what the love of exploration does. The simple love to do and try. To be daring, to get out of the comfort zone, to escape from present reality, to make something your own. This is what I plan to go through my travels in Germany. To rewrite me; become a better me than me presently. Simply because I want the best me I can possibly be, the ability to always outdo myself. The competition goes beyond competing; it has the courage to challenge and beat your own set records and to escape the very person holding you back, yourself. That is true freedom. To be free of all limitations, including race, sex, social status, what society defines as correct. To strive to be free from the very things that oppress you as an individual. That journey does take time and even more patients. Like all things, it is possible. Still, for me, the wait is always the worse!