My Day

So today was a pretty good day.
I had two classes in the morning, Math and German, from 8:30-10:00am. Then I didn't have another class until 1:15pm. So I walked home, which takes about 20 minutes. Then I practiced harp for an hour and a half. That's the longest time in one day I've practiced for 4 months! I've had to build up the skin on my fingers, cause I lost it all from not playing for so long!
After practicing, I went grocery shopping with my host mom. Then she drove me back to school for my Religion class at 1:15pm. When I was finished with school at 2pm, instead of waiting for Matthias to be finished at 2:45pm, I walked home. I don't mind walking home at all, most of the walk is down this hill. But when I'm at the top of the hill I have the most amazing view of the city and the Rhine River. It's so beautiful. I still can't believe I'm actually here in Germany. It's too perfect to be true. :D

Suggestions?

Hey everybody!

I hope that you have enjoyed my blog so far. I really am having a fabulous time here in Germany!

I'm writing what I think would be interesting for you to read about, but is there anything specific I should write about or that you want to know about my exchange experience?

Adjusting to life in Germany

"I Have Confidence" from Sound of Music

What will this day be like? I wonder.
What will my future be? I wonder.
It could be so exciting to be out in the world, to be free
My heart should be wildly rejoicing
Oh, what's the matter with me?

I've always longed for adventure
To do the things I've never dared
And here I'm facing adventure
Then why am I so scared

(...)

Oh, I must stop these doubts, all these worries
If I don't I just know I'll turn back
I must dream of the things I am seeking
I am seeking the courage I lack

The courage to serve them with reliance
Face my mistakes without defiance
Show them I'm worthy
And while I show them
I'll show me

So, let them bring on all their problems
I'll do better than my best
I have confidence they'll put me to the test
But I'll make them see I have confidence in me

Somehow I will impress them
(...)
Everything will turn out fine
I have confidence the world can all be mine
They'll have to agree I have confidence in me

I have confidence in sunshine
I have confidence in rain
I have confidence that spring will come again
Besides which you see I have confidence in me

Strength doesn't lie in numbers
Strength doesn't lie in wealth
Strength lies in nights of peaceful slumbers
When you wake up -- Wake Up!

It tells me all I trust I lead my heart to
All I trust becomes my own
I have confidence in confidence alone
(Oh help!)

I have confidence in confidence alone
Besides which you see I have confidence in me!

So yep, some days are harder than others. Some days it's so hard to live in a different culture, to go through school and hardly understand anything, to be surrounded by a foreign language, and so on. I sometimes wish that I could be back in the US, back to normality. Sometimes I wonder why I'm putting myself through this.
Don't worry, I'm definitely not going home early or anything. I do really love it here in Germany! I just have to adjust to this new way of life; it is all part of cultural shock. But hey, I have confidence!

More about School in Germany

So more about my classes at school:

English is my favorite class. My teacher in this class is awesome and hilarious. He studied at University of San Diego, so he speaks very good English. :D

Math is too easy. Right now they are going over parabolas and how to graph them. We had a test a few weeks ago. I got the 2nd highest grade out of the class, even though I wasn't able to complete a third of the test because of my poor German skills (silly word problems...impossible to translate). I really can't believe that most of the kids failed this test. It was over stuff that I learned in 7th grade, and they are in 11th!!! After looking through the book, I think the curriculum in 11th grade Math is supposed to be a mixture of Algebra 2, Statistics, and a tiny bit of Pre-calculus.

Music is also an easy class, especially after having AP Music Theory last year. Right now we are just going over the formation of chords and the Circle of Fifths. I guess the only hard thing is learning all the German terms and notation for Music.

Biology is a little difficult with it all being in German, but I have had Biology before, so I can get the gist of things.

My hardest classes are History and Religion; I hardly know what is going on. The texts that they give us are impossible for me. Even the German students struggle to understand the text.

The Extra Deutsch classes are pretty much just one-on-one tutoring for learning the German language. It's really nice to have time set aside to focus on the grammar rules and stuff like that.

However, overall I have it pretty easy this year. A normal German student would have about 3 or 4 more classes including Geography, French or Spanish, and Chemistry or Physics. (Some kids have all three sciences!!!) But I have an easy schedule since I'm not very good with the German language. Sometimes my classes are very confusing (especially the first 2 months) being in a foreign language and all, but the teachers and students are very nice and willing to help me out.

Although school in Germany is very very different from school in America, I'm really enjoying my time here. It's nice that I don't have the pressure of my grades counting for college or anything like that. This is just a year for me to experience another culture and to have FUN!

School in Germany

Stunden	Zeiten	Montag	Dienstag	Mittwoch	Donnerstag	Frietag
0	7:45-8:30	---	---	---	---	Musik
1	8:30-9:15	Englisch	Deutsch	---	Religion	Sport
2	9:15-10:00	Englisch	Mathe	---	Religion	Sport
Break	10:00-10:30	---	---	---	---	---
3	10:30-11:15	Deutsch	---	Geschichte	Mathe	---
4	11:15-12:00	Deutsch	---	Geschichte	Mathe	---
Essen	12:00-13:15	---	---	---	---	---
6	13:15-14:00	---	Religion	Biologie	Englisch	Geschichte
7	14:00-14:45	Biologie	---	---	Musik	---
8	14:45-15:30	Biologie	Extra Deutsch	Extra Deutsch	Musik	---

Yep so this is my school schedule. Tomorrow I'll post more information specifically about my classes and about my life at a German school.