Family Blog

Yesterday was here in Germany "Tag der deutschen Einheit", a holiday where the Germans celebrate the reunion of West-Germany with East-Germany.

Yesterday, at Manuel's school in Whitefish Bay, there was "Retro Day" and Manuel was dressed as a hippie - not a big difference to that time when I went to school ;-)

At the moment I'm really busy!...The whole week there was something to do and the homework has also be done!

On Sunday there was window painting for homecoming...

On Friday there's a football game against shorewood and so we painted cheerings on the windows....the afs-club made: "afs ships you home..." =) The whole city was painted with cheerings for the football-team =) It was really funny and everyone painted at the others... So at the end all the clothes were painted too! Too bad that I have no pictures but I will try to get some from the others!

This week it's the homecoming-week. Today it's pyjama day and I'm in jogging-pants, "badelatschen", and a wide sweatshirt =) I feel a little bit funny but many wear pyjamas, so it's funny...

The whole week there will be special days and games of football, soccer, but we have no powderpuff...too bad! =)

I feel really good here and slowly I learn more and more knowing... In the study hall I'm still known, because I always ask, when I don't understand math =)

I think, I got really used to the new time-rythm here. The getting up is still really hard and I'm always tired, but I'm happy here! On sunday I watched parts of the women-final in soccer before I went to church. We won! =)

Ok, it was only a race at Stanford but there were thousands of people to find out the best runner of California. Read more at Philip's blog or see the results... (ob)

As you can read in Philip's blog about the AFS meeting it can snow in California. It seems that he had an eventful week with

• powder puff,
• homecoming and
• AFS meeting

(ob)

Philip was on the powderpuff game! And it rained. Read his blog.
Here in Germany we will have Indian summer at the weekend ;-)

I am really busy here!...You would wonder how many things you have to do here! First, there's the school. This week is my third week of school and it's really tiring! On a normal day I wake up at 6:30 AM, eat quickly and then go to school with my host-brother. I have school from 7:45 AM up to 3:05 PM. It's always the same time table and so there's not really something special on a schoolday. =) But I like it. You get used to it, after some days.

The teachers here are really different to the German ones'. They expect a lot of work from you and in some cases are really stricter than in Germany. But in some cases they are not so strict, not that you think, it's a really a strict school! ...and I don't have to wear a uniform! But what I have to get used to is the mountain of homeworks!!...The teachers really give very much homework - and that each day! That means, when I'm back from Cross Country Running at about 6 or 7 o'clock, I can do my homeworks!...Normally I finish them at 8 or 9 o'clock. Often I'm so tired, that I go straight to bed after that. For example, on Sunday I went to bed at 9 o'clock!

But I have also fun! =) The people, that I meet at Cross Country Running, are very nice. All people here are very nice! The people here are very open to each other and talk a lot to each other!...My dad talks sometimes to people, that even he doesn't know.=) I still know some people here. But because of the nice behaviors I sometimes don't know if the other one is polite or is interessted in "becoming a friend of me". =)

On Saturday there was a meeting of the exchange students in greater Milwaukee for preparation. It was really cool, because I have meet so many people from other countries! I liked it. You learn a lot about the world. And because I'm doing Cross Country Running here, I learned to respect the work of professional athletes!!! I run here every day about one hour and now I know, what for a hard work it is, to be a professional athlete. Sometimes my whole body hurts and it's really hard to do sport every day. I think, I'm arrived here very well.

I like my host-family. They are really nice to me and always look for me. Mom always cooks, and that pretty good. She has still tried to cook a german recepie!... I often play soccer on the computer with my brother or dad. The dog here is also very nice and I often play with him. The weather here is more or less good. Last week it was very cold but this week it should get warmer.

The first barricades of the language are also climbed. I think in the "short" time, that I'm here, I have learned a lot to speak fluently in english. But in school,there still are some problems. Often, I don't understand the specific words in math or I don't know, what to do in Advanced Composition. =)

Manuel has a lot to do during the week and nearly no time to write an email. This weekend ,there was a camp from the AFS organization where he had
the chance to see the other exchange pupils.



On Sunday Manual was sailing on the Lake Michigan with his dad, one guy from the cross country club and his tutor from AFS (see picture). The waves were higher than he was used to,but he survived;-).

Philip wrote in his blog (see here) next week is "homecoming" at his school. And the day before yesterday he had his first practice for "powerpuff". I don't know what excactly it is but I found this video on YouTube.

You can read more about Philips other activities at his blog.

I have free-time!!...ähm, not really. I still have to do much homework, despite I'm doing them nearly the whole afternoon. The school takes the time of all (!) the day...when school finishes, I have 2-3 hours cross country practice then I'm home at 6 o'clock or later and then I do my homeworks. Usually 2-4 hours a day!! That's a lot. The teachers are expecting many things from you! I have got many sheets to read, or a few sheets, with the rules of the teacher for the lessons, that I and my parents have to sign (with date of course!) and the homework!

And for changing the rooms for the next lessons I have exactly 4 minutes! If I'm too late, I will notice it in my mark or I have to stay after school for extra lessons, when I'm three times to late! The same with homeworks. But there are not really problems with finding my rooms. But at the first 2 days I was too late in Math and the Math teacher is very strict!! She looked so... =) angry?

The school "celebrates" its 75th year. (...) It was too bad, that the exchange students haven't been presented at the assembly! So, nearly no-one knows, that here are exchange students and doesn't really care about us. But, slowly, the pupils know it by talking each other... Here are 2 other German exchange students (one is from YFU, and I don't know him! I want to meet him!), one from Spain, and one from Brazil. In addition to that, here will be a girl from Brazil for half a year and three girls from a city near to Cologne for 3 month - this school has a partnership with their school and they are doing an exchange...

Yesterday there was a race from cross country (I wasn't really good =) but we had a lot of fun, and I could learn the other know a little bit more!) and after it I did my homework until 11:30 o'clock!!

One month ago Manuel and Philip left Germany. For us as parents this seems to be a long time ago. They both have a new familiy with new siblings who help them with their problems.

School has started for both and the school system is very different from Germany. School is usually from 8:00 AM till afternoon (3:00 PM) and a school hour goes over 70 minutes. Students must enter the classroom on time and they get much more homework as here in Germany.

The normal life differs also from here: all is bigger: the cars, the TVs and the distances. You go more often to a restaurant or snack bar than here.



One word to the organization for the students exchange: we had choosen AFS. The support of AFS looks very professional and we had a good feeling when our children left Germany.