The Best of Break

Two weeks free from school, so what was it I had done? I worked hard, tears did fall, beads of sweat did run, and blood was boiling. I'm talking cross country and regular skiing. Cold, up in the mountains, sun burning, legs moving, body screaming, hella fun skiing. Need I say more, well of course.....

A week in the Alps, February 9-13, and a day trip to Germany's highest point, Zugspitze.

I accompanied the trip with Grimma's church youth group, my host mother Sabine, and my host sister Judith. 22 people ski and snowboard almost every year. I was given a quick course and sent on my way to pitifully fall all over the place. I was offered and given help countless times. How could I say no? The group I was with was incredibly friendly and helpful. We also spend a day snowshoeing in the mountains. I met great people, saw some amazing views, had some embarrassing moments; I tried, survived, and accomplished!

A funny moment only you can know: The lift was what took so much of my energy away. Getting on and staying on this lift WAS the hardest part for me. At one point, I slipped out of the pulley system and was sent skiing a short distance backward. A poor young girl was getting on the lift as I skied my hind parts directly into her face sending her falling into a woman waiting behind her. Whoops.... *excruciating awkward laugh* 

A shortstop home on Friday 13 where I was hit with a wave of fatigue. The type of exhaustion that leaves me unable to open doors, grasp objects, and other functions critical in typical living. In other words, all I could do was lay and lie. Oh, so still I did. By Saturday 12pm, I was back in the car heading to the Czech Republic.

GOT TO HAVE THE RIGHT GEAR!

I spent an unforgettable week with my host family in the Riesengeburger mountains in the Czech Republic. We were in a cute Czech home next to a river. From the 14-20th, we cross country skied, sledded, swam, and hiked. I had a wonderful time! A short description of my time:

Sunday, I was taught by my host dad the correct form for "Langlauf," or cross country skiing.

Monday, I took a break along with both my host sisters and their cousin. We accompanied my host father on a 14k hike that day. I also drank from my first Quelle using a dirty cup that was placed next to it and cleaning the cup in the stream. It was the coldest, most refreshing drink ever! 

A COLD WINTERS DAY

Tuesday I spent a lot of my time walking. If I wasn't walking, then I was falling from the cross country ski, but none the less I always got up and kept going! 

Wednesday, we took a lift to a peak and rode a 6k sledding track back down to the base of the mountain. I rode with my host mom, unintentionally picking the fastest sled, and my host mom doesn't actually "love" sledding. We were zooming pretty much out of control. Falling about 5 times in our total 6k ride. Oh, so painfully embarrassing because, in the end, my host mom couldn't take anymore, and she asked me to ride with Frank, a host uncle. Who, in my opinion, was the best with control; he even literally skied behind me the last two days. None the less it was an extremely thrilling, adrenaline rush, fun day. 'Cause after sledding we went to the pool. Making this day argumentatively my favorite! 

Thursday was a better ski day for me. I had slightly improved. As mentioned above, Frank had ridden behind me. Hard to explain: much like how a young child would learn to ski, but with an older teenager instead. He put his ski's on each side of mine, and with ski sticks held out in front of us, we skied down hills together, up a hill, I could do....with a few slips here and there. I felt just like a little child. Frank, Stephen, and Sabine helped me so much through the week. 

Friday was probably, no, definitely was my best day. I walked the least amount and actually made it down some hills by myself without assistance. The only one of few times I did walk was the last kilometer because I fell with Frank one too many times going down. I felt too bad continuing with letting him help me. I didn't want to be a burden and especially tire him out or injure him. But I enjoyed this ski day the best. The trail we were on was the nicest, and the weather was perfect the whole week, but this day had a sort of radiance. That night we also went tubing on a track which was a lot of good fun. 

Each day was extremely exhausting. Every day I tried hard and continued. Another moment only you can know: Barbra, a host aunt, in an effort to get me to ski without leaning forward, wanted me to ski a slightly downhill track to my host uncle Frank. All my family turned to watch in anticipation as I skied perfectly, standing straight down the hill until I was met with the breaking part. I panicked, screaming, "Ich kann nicht, Ich kann nicht!" and pitifully tumbled over onto my tummy. I burst into genuine laughter as my host family joined in. The laughter died down, and all turned away. I sat up and turned my back to them, still silently laughing until the giggles turned to genuine silent tears. Judith gave me tissue after coming to help me from the ground. I was both happy to have made it down and sad to have fallen. I was actually unaware of how I should have felt at that moment. Proud with the accomplishment or embarrassed by the failure?

From that heavy moment, it was a truly amazing week. I had fun, played games, ate great food, had good laughs, and tried something so new! If I had a choice, would I do it again? Hell yeah! I'd be a thousand times better too; 'cause a thousand times better is all I'm going to expect and except! Who wants to see who's coming with me? 

HIGHEST POINT IN GERMAN ALPS: ZUGSPITZE

ME, TRYING SOOOO HARD

CZECHISCH KLOßE OH SO GOOD

VIEWS FOR DAYS

A WINTER LAKE

AFS Mid-Stay Camp

One of the cooler things I look forward to is definitely AFS arranged activities and camps. The past weekend I spent in Dresden, Saxony, with a handful of amazing international teens. A few cool Russians, the warm Spanish speakers, the interesting Asian crew, the Scandinavian girls, an energetic Australian, us American folk, and of course, our amazing German leaders. We stayed in a Hostel, which was only a ten-minute walk from Dresden Hbf. It was a very nice Hostel!

THE INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS OF AFS

The camp is such a critical interaction point for exchange students. It allows an opportunity to talk with someone who is experiencing exactly what you are also experiencing. Being able to hear someone else's downfalls and successes gives you this explosion of hope to go out and do better. It's also an opportunity to gauge how well you do, a silly way to see how you stack up amongst the current exchange kids in your area. Doesn't come as to shock that we all feel the same. The same hopes, fears, and the same up and down moments. Some of us are partiers, some of us studious, some found the one thing that keeps them grounded, some of us still trying to find it. Either way, we all are living. Every day holds a new struggle, a new success, another opportunity to do better. We all understand this commonality. We all are finding our way, while trying to have the best experience we can, whatever that may be, for ourselves. 

THE GREATEST PEOPLE

Cool things we did:

Have this activity; one raw egg and one red apple, cook the egg, and exchange the apple. In partnered groups, we exchange students went out into Dresden's central city area to complete the task. I was with my good friend Andrea from Mexico. We walk straight to Dresden Hbf where we enter an Asian restaurant, speaking in our broken and bad German, and ask if we could get our egg boiled. After boiling our egg we exchange our apple with a florist and convenience her to give us unwanted or bad flowers. She gives us two fresh-cut Daisies and a dying but beautiful potted plant. We go to a chocolatier and ask to exchange our fresh cut flowers for old or unwanted chocolate, the smile on her face was priceless and she proceeds to give us a small box of chocolates. We leave the Hbf trying to find more people to exchange more things. We find ourselves lost but make it back to the hostel in time. Absolutely amazing if you can imagine.....

WHAT BROKEN GERMAN GETS YA

THANK YOU KIND PERSON!

             

A mini party was held in the basement of the Hostel after a night tour of Dresden, we got to the Hostel around 12. We first sang a cappella to the top of our lungs to random pop songs that popped into our minds. We sing off-key and loudly while smiling and laughing, absorbing the joy. We then blasted Latin music while the Spanish speakers dominate the dance floor. They taught us other foreigners simple moves while the better dancers can catch the steps and dance with partners. We switch it over to pop music and dance around wildly. Before we knew it, it's 4am. We head upstairs where we sit in the dining room and snack on German chips and cookies. Drinking coal and sparkling water laughing, discussing our experience, arguing how banana should be pronounced, I sit back. This is where I am, I am here, in the now, and I love it. Went to bed at 5:30, woke at 7. Pure amazement, to all students- please go abroad!

WILD NIGHTS

HELLO FROM THE AFS MID-STAY CAMP