Day 14

Today started out late in the afternoon due the crazy sleepover the night before! We stayed up late, each falling asleep at various times.....in other words, we were tired!!!! Luisa and I made the trip to Meersburg with a friend of hers. We also met other FOF students. Meersberg is a beautiful, neat town that gathers tons of tourists, such as ourselves, to come view the sight of a medieval castle. The castle was made in 600 A.D. and was created with a wall surrounding the rest of Meersburg in it. We took a tour of the castle, viewing all different varieties of rooms, such as the kitchen, the dungeon, and the royal bedroom. The castle had so much character with all of the different periods of time decorated. Overall, the opportunity to tour a castle with such history was really amazing.

As teenagers, we were getting hungry yet how could we eat from all of the other food we already had. We sat down at an Italian cafe that served coffee and gelato. Emma and I ordered three scopes of gelato and ate all of it!! It was so delicious and different from American ice cream. Sitting right by the lake was so nice and relaxing. Tonight we went to a disco and had a great night. I don't know what tomorrow holds since it's a free day till the farewell party. Can't believe that our time in here Germany is almost up. So many great memories have been made and many more are in store for us!!

Day 12 and 13

I have been so busy that I've haven't been able to blog to my followers at home. When I last left off, the FOF students went to the school muesum on Wednesday. The tour was very infromative on the history of schooling in Germany. The museum talked about how teachers sometime had 100 students in a class and had to teach obedience, reading, writing, and math. Also, the muesum was set up in sections of how the education system developed over time beginning with monks as teachers, corporal punishment being allowed, to the time of the control of Hitler, to what school is today. Overall, the museum was interesting and informative.

It was yet another rainy day so the city rally was cancelled. Instead, the FOF students went to the cathedral in Friedrichshafen. The view inside was absolutely gorgeous with the architecture, paintings, the old wood work, and the sense of calmness. We then walked across town to another church where we had the opportunity to climb the bell tower and view the city. I've recently learned that I'm not the greatest with heights without the moral support of another person. I don't know why I put myself through these kind of things...but oh well, I think it's worth it!!! The climb up was bareable with the stairs stopping every so often. The view at the top of the bell tower was amazing!! The walk down the stairs wasn't but I succeed!! That night, a bunch of FOF students went to a local club in Friedrichshafen to enjoy the night, but were told not to stay out to long due to our trip to Munich tomorrow!!!

The day of traveling to Munich finally arrived! The rain didn't work for our advantage but the trip was still in full swing. Forty, sleepy American and German students participated in the 2 hour bus ride to Munich and was ready to see the beautiful city. When we arrived, we had a tour guide come onto the bus and give us information about the city. The bus stopped at the Nuremberg Castle, which was a beautiful, white castle that gathered many tourists. Later, we were given five hours to enjoy Munich as we pleased. My group ate the Hard Rock Cafe and then went shopping. Our final activity was watching the Glockenspiel clock, which is a clock in the cathedral that rotates dancing figures at the hours of 12, 1, and 5. It was such a neat thing to see.

After we arrived home, a group of girls went over a to a fellow FOF student's house and had a sleepover. The typical sleepover food was provided: chocolate, gummy bears, chips, homemade pizza with corn, and banana juice!!! In the morning, we managed to make german chocolate chip pancakes that were delicious.

The linked worked!!! Ya!! So I'll post it to every blog I make so there's access to it everytime!! Enjoy!!

This is a link to my facbook photo album of Germany.....I don't know if it works... Let's hope!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=182123&id=630872665&l=bfbf0ca208.

Day 11

The weather cooperated today and the FOF students were able to have their plane ride successfully!! The sky was a bit cloudy, but the opportunity of a lifetime to fly over Lake Constance was literally AMAZING!!! All the students were grouped into threes and put into a cute, little, three passanger flight plane with a pilot. Our pilot had such a strong accent that we had to ask if he was German since he sounded like from Liverpool. He was 100% German. Our pilot flew us around the lake, picking out all of the towns and islands. He even let Emma drive the plane, which was a bit scary, but Emma did a fanstatic job!!! I was uber jealous....lol. The plane ride was an experience and I'm so glad that I was able to participate in it.

The rest of the day was very calming. The weather was really cool yet managable and shopping in Friedrichshafen seemed like a great idea. I got some souniver shopping done with the company of some friends. We ate lunch, had ice cream, then more ice cream, and finally I had to go home. Tonight, a going away party was held at a farm in Friedrichshafen for a fellow German friend who was an exchange student from Argentina for a year. We celebrated his last time in German together creating many funny memories.

Tomorrow is going to be so busy along with this whole week that I hope I can keep up with all this blogging......I think I can manage to do it all with ease...lol. The school museum and the city rally are the scheduled events along with banana boating, which is tubing in the lake, and meeting in the city later in the night with fellow FOF students. Thursday is Munich all day and I'm so excited for it!! Shopping and so much sightseeing!! I know you guys at home are aching for us to be home and we will be soon than you know....

I added some of many pictures that I took from the plane. I'm trying to set up a way to my facebook so that you can look at my photos there. I'll let you know!! Enjoy!!

Day 10

Our climbing adventure in Immenstaad was what the FOF students took apart in today. It was so much fun. We went through the safety training, and off we went to tackle 9 courses of various difficulty, 9 only being allowed for 18 year olds. I tackled course 6 at ease till one part of the course that required upper arm strength, which I don't have currently. I had a little freak out moment, but with the help of Mr. Hoadley and a fellow FOF student, I just ziplined my way to the other stand. Next, I tackled course 4 thinking I could use a break.....well it was easier than the others but I think I was too worn out notice....lol. My arms felt like rubber after I went home and the easiest tasks such as brushing my hair were a bit tricky to do.

Since traffic was busy in Friedrichshafen due to the holidays everywhere, Luisa and I stayed home and watched a movie at her friend's house Lena. We watched the movie Austrialia. I thought that I wasn't going to like it but the movie was sooo good!! It's a love story with bits of drama, history, and action. I would recommend it to anyone if you're looking for a good movie to watch. The rain just won't go away here in Germany. I hope tomorrow the FOF students will be able to enjoy the plane ride around Friedrichshafen, so please pray for no rain!!

Days 8 and 9

Today I got home from my weekend in Austria. I wasn't able to take the computer so sorry for not blogging for a couple of days, but I'm back!! The weather up in the Alps was rainy for most of the time til the morning we were leaving. The view back was breathtaking with miles of meadows and wildlife covering the Alps in the sun! The weekend itself was very exhausting yet fun at the same time playing card games, cooking food, and enjoy each other's company.

After we got home, the FOF students went to the Sommerfest cookout. We got there really late because of the drive from Austria to Friedrichshafen, but I was able to enjoy a friendly game of German soccer. I haven't played soccer in a couple of years but it was so nice playing in the cool weather with my fellow Ámerican and German friends. Luisa and I left and went home just in time to watch Oprah!! I love watching it here because it's in English and reminds me of home!

Luisa's friend, Lena, just came home today from being in Thailand for her holidays and us three along with another close friend went out for coffee to celebrate her arrival home. We went to the Cinema Plex, which is a huge entertainment place where the movie theater, bowling, coffee shops, and a pizzeria is located. I ordered a cappuccino with vanilla hoping that I wouldn't be up all night due to the caffine, but all is well right now.....lol. Other FOF students were present at the Cinema Plex playing pool. We hung out for a bit till everyone went home. Tomorrow on the schedule is a climbing rope course in a nearby town. I'm really excited for to zipline across the forest but hoping not to collide into anything knowing my luck lol.

Day 6 and /

Sorry I wasn't able to blog last night. I got home really late and went straight to bed. I usually stay up till one here so you guys at home can read my blog at night, but I was so tired I couldn't do it. There will probably be some days where I'm not able to blog to due computer access but I will try my hardest.

Yesterday was the service project for the FOF students. Half of us went to a school for yonger students of ages 8 to 10 to play baseball with Mr. Hoadley since baseball is foreign to them. The rest of us went to a high school with Mrs. Ifft to present a slide show of what Peoria, Illinois is all about in the culture of American teens with there schooling system, college, miltary, and what teens do for activities. I was in the group that presented the slide show to the class. It was neat to talk to German students in class and tell them how we live our lives comparing to theirs. We talked about how we spend our days, crewfews, driving license at the age of 16, and our drinking age. I think the Germans were interested to see what American is really like and see the connect it has to Friedrichshafen to Peoria. The reason of the partnership was because of Caterpiller provideing supplies to the Germans for the zeppelins. Then both cities decided to create a sister city parentership, which is how I'm writing this blog to you from Germany! =)

Today we were suppose to go on a plane ride around the city of Friedrichshafen, but the rain wouldn't go away. The event is rescheduled for Tuesday, pray for nice weather. Instead, FOF students have a free day to do whatever they want such as traveling to a neraby city and going shopping or going to another country across the lake. Lake Constance is a lake the borders four countries: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and a part of France. You can perfectly see each country across the lake on a sunny day. These are borderless countires so acces is easy. I'm going to Austria with other exchange students and their host with their class to a house in he mountians. This event is a normal to many Germans as a time to get to know each other better in their classes. We bring your own food, play games, and enjoy each other's company. I'm curious to see how this all works but I hope it will be fun. I'll see if I can bring a computer with me to keep my blog updated. Let's hope!

Day 6

Meeting the mayor was on the agenda today but the hot weather wasn't. The actual mayor wasn't able to meet us so one of his reps was representing his place. They were excited and glad for our presence here in Friedrichshafen and our time devouted to the exchang program. After the mayor, the FOF students went downtown to the Zeppelin Musesum where we had a guided tour about the hostory of the zeppelin and how Friedrichshafen was involved. It was so neat and interesting to see and live in the place where a famous part of history has been created. The zeppelin era was apart of art and technology combined together, which explained the presence of German art in the building along with the miltary history of using the zeppelins. Tomorrow is the serivce project and the official one week mark of being in Germany since our depertature. Wow, I can't believe how fast everything has gone, yet to our love ones at home, time has been very slow without us. Just let us stay in Germany a little longer and we'll be home soon!! =]

Day 5

School in Germany is very different from school in the States. School is more laidback where many students can go to a variety of schools depending on what they choose to do in their lives. Some students go to a university or college right out of high school or go into a hands on program of the job of their choice. How well you perform in academics can place students in a higher education of schooling such as a tech school.

In many ways, school is different from the States. In Germany, there is no usage of school books in sight of any classroom, the rooms and school itself aren't decorated with posters or props, and no dress code on how long shorts have to be or straps. Since classes are two hours long, students are given 15 minute breaks to go buy food, hang out, play foosball, or make a phone call. Time for school starts at 7:40 AM to 1:00 PM.

After school, a groups of girls and I went shopping in a nearby town named Ravensburg. It had some great stores to shop such NewYorker. We were all tired from getting up so early for school and going to bed late from Seehasenfest that we had ice cream in Friedrichshafen to cheer us up. Later, a cookout was at the lake for a German friend who would be gone for five weeks. We swam in the lake at night and cooked out over a fire. It was a very entertaining night due to the German boys not knowing how to play football. A ball was thrown around and the game 500 was played. It was funny yet exciting to see that the Americans were showing the Germans how to play football as a whole. Tomorrow the FOF students will meet the mayor of Friedrichshafen and go see the Zeppelin musesum!!

Day 4

These last three days have been so busy and I know that you guys are dying to see some pictues! I promise that I will get some up here in a few days and you can see just what all of the FOF students are experiencing!!!

I went to the beach today and it was so amazing yet peaceful! The place is covered in grass with groups of people laying out in the sun, playing cards, or chatting away. Beach volleyball, table tennis, and even a life size chess board is available at the beach. A huge dock branches out into the water where you can swim to different docks in the lake. The view of the horizon alone is breathtaking with the Swiss Mountians in the background beaming in the sun along with sailboats and swimmers everywhere.

Tonight was the last night of the Seehasenfest festival and it was a bitter sweet moment. It was really crowded yet we were able to hang out and enjoy the fun. I'm ready to see what Friedrichshafen is really all about when the Seehasenfest is just one part of the town's culture. I will miss all of the excitement of the food, rides, and people. Many great memories have been made and many more are to be created. Tomorrow, I will be going to school in Germany at 7:40 in the morning.......ugh! But I can't wait to see how school is different from the States.

Day 3

In the agenda for today was the Seehasenfest parade. But before that, I celebrated my host family's son, Lukas, 16 birthday. We ate bread, opened presents, and ate a delicious cherry cake made by his mother. The parade was a sight to see because of all of the different costumes. So many children were present in the parade walking and were dressed in various attires of clothing that represented the history of Friedrichshafen. It was neat to see that history of Friedrichshafen can be explained right in front of you.

Afterwards, I went uptown to the festival with a few friends and looked for sounivers. While there, I had the opportunity to experience German ice cream. Ice cream there is called ice and is much richer than it is in the States....and also very good!!! =] So many flavors to choose from that it made it impossible for someone to choose but since I love chocolate, my decision was already made. We took the ice cream and climbed our way up the sight seeing tower in Friedrichshafen and enjoyed the view on the beautiful, sunny day.

Our transportation home for Luisa and I was riding the bus. It is very convient and I was able to see the country side of the city. We went out to eat in Langenargen at a resturant where Luisa works to celebrate her brother's birthday. Now, ordering food was a different story but what I ordered was sooo delicious. It was beef in a from of a steak that had grilled onions hinted with red wine and topped off with noodles that Germay is famous for. I was so full that I couldn't finish it. Later that night, Luisa and I met up with some other Germans and their students to watch the fireworks that were delayed from the rain lastnight and hung out at the festival.

Day 2

Today, we had the opportunity to ride on one of the huge German boats on Lake Constance. We sat and enjoyed listening to the band that played on one of the three boats. Each boat had one band that played music over and over. They would both cruise to the middle of the lake and meet in the center with the band of musicians facing each other. As they played, the Seehasenfest rabbit appeared on our boat. The rabbit is the mascot of the festival and is looked upon as good luck if you touch his tail. The Seehasenfest rabbit made his appearance well known and was saying hello to people.

On our way to Friedrichshafen, I rode on a Vespa!!! It was so cool but I thought I was going to fall off. At first, I thought that we were going to be riding on the busy roads, but Germany is filled with bike trails filled with people biking everywhere. During the day, the weather turned to the worst and it rained for a couple of hours. Finally, it stopped and Luisa and I were able to go back to the festival and enjoy the fun.

July 16 - First Day In Germany!!

What a long day it has been? I traveled from the Chicago O'Hare Airport on a seven hour flight to Frankfurt Airport in Frankfurt, Germany along with 19 other FOF students. Before the seven hour flight, we said our goodbyes to our family and friends in the East Peoria Walmart and headed on our way to Chicago. Out of the seven hours of traveling, I only got two hours of sleep but that wasn't keeping me from not expriencing Germany. Next, we traveled through the hectic Frankfurt Airport to fly on a 45 minute jet plane to Friedrichshafen. The plane ride was so relaxing watching the view of the land and knowing that our German experience that we all have been anticipating was finally coming to a reality.

When we arrived at the Friedrichshafen Airport, we saw all of our host family and friends from the airport roof waving premade signs and cheering for our arrival. I was welcomed by my host family with open arms and much excitement to show me Germany. I was so thrilled to see all of my friends that I haven't seen since a year ago. The sight of Germany was overwhelming with an atomsphere of a laidback lifestyle. The cobblestone houses with red roofs were scattered around with cafes, bakeries, and shops that made the atomsphere so different from the States. I was treated to breakfeast with yummy bread from a local bakery with honey, jam, butter, and chocolate.

Since I didn't get much sleep on the plane, I rested for two hours till the time came to go to the Welcome Party provided by FOF. A delicious dinner was prepared for us as well as a the opportunity to swim in the beautiful Lake Constance and the free gifts to treat us at the Seehasenfest festival downtown. Seehasenfest festival is a festival just like the Pumpkin Festival in Morton only it runs across the park by Lake Constance and beer is served publicly to people over 16 years. The festival was so different yet and similar in many ways such as the rides, the food, and the atomsphere. Though our fun was cut short due a sudden thunderstorm, which led me to take cover under a truck till the rain died down....lol =] I can't wait to see what Germany has in store for me tomorrow.....but first, sleep is needed!!!

Test run!!