Week 8! - Spring is coming!

Hello again everyone! Here we are at week 8 already! Time is just flying! This week was once again full of fun and excitement! The school week went pretty well. We had an English test on Monday which I was initially excited for until I realized the majority of the test was translating a piece of German text into English. Then I got nervous. But it actually ended up going pretty well. We were allowed to use word books, but we couldn’t use them on everything because it was a timed test and it was a pretty long piece we had to translate. Thankfully the topic it was on is something I’ve done quite a bit of research on while I was at Conserve School, urban farming. Overall it went pretty good, but I’m not sure if he’ll grade my test because one of the ways we got the principal to agree to letting me come is that the teachers don’t have to grade my work if they don’t want to because I don’t want to be any more work to the teachers. Anyways, on Friday we also had a German test, but it was a timed writing test and I’m not really at that level yet, so instead I practiced German. Renate got me a book with 2000 of the most used German words so I’m working on learning all of those to hopefully boost my vocabulary. Now that I’m no longer in intensive language school, the only way I’ve been learning vocabulary is by just picking up words while people talk. I do learn quite a bit this way, but I just wanted to pick up the pace by memorizing some important and common German words. Speaking of language school, I can update you on how that’s been going. We only had language school once this week because not enough people could come on Monday to make it worth it to have the class. And we don’t have language school next week because not enough people could come so I’m done with language school for the month of March! I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to do it again in April. I’m pretty on the fence about it. So I guess you’ll just have to wait and find out what I decide. 

This weekend was also so much fun! It started off right after school on Friday. There’s a girl in our class named Cindy and she invited us over to her house. We took the train to get there and it was about 30 minutes one way. Because we were on a fast train, we really got out of the city where it was a lot more quiet. There were a lot of wine fields, and a lot of farming. But it was nice to really feel like I was getting some fresh air. We got off the train and took a short walk to Cindy’s house. She lives in a very nice house built by her dad. It’s like a log cabin but very modern. As soon as we stepped inside the first thing you see is all of Cindy’s ribbons and awards for carriage racing. I’ll get into more detail about what that is later if you don’t know. Her dad was very nice and prepared us lunch so we ate pasta with tomato sauce and a salad. Then we went up to Cindy’s room and to our disbelief there were even MORE ribbons, trophies, and awards. I’m not joking there must have been hundreds total. We played a board game, but for me it was pretty confusing. It was one of those games where a “radio” gives you clues to help you win the game but I couldn’t really tell what the radio was saying. Then when the game was over we went outside to start with Cindy’s horses. Cindy’s family has 4 horses total. We started off by cleaning the horses by brushing them and Cindy cleaned the bottoms of their feet with a hose and then used a tool to pick off any remaining dirt. That took quite a while, but when we were done with that, it was time to warm them up. They had to do some exercises with Cindy where they trotted around while stepping over some thin logs. It was to help them practice knowing where their feet are while they walk. Rahel and I watched this from the side, but it was very similar to what we did with Tessa a few weeks ago. Eventually when she was done with that it was time for a carriage ride. Cindy and her father got them all hooked up to carriage and then we left. It was so beautiful. We basically walked right up along the border of France and Germany and the weather was perfect. It wasn’t that cold, and with the sun on us it was almost a little bit warm. The sun was setting and there was a light breeze too. While we were out on the carriage with Cindy driving, Cindy’s father told us all about the sport of carriage racing. I learned so much. To be honest, I didn’t even know the sport existed before I went there. He talked a lot about how she’s scored, how to get points, and also how points are deducted. I was sad when the carriage ride came to end. But when we went back inside they showed us videos from a GoPro from the perspective of Cindy while she’s steering. It’s very scary when it’s all happening at full speed. After this we played another game, ate dinner and then it was about time to leave. Rahel and I took the train back, and by the time we got home it was pretty late. But I’m so glad I went and got to learn about this sport. I highly suggest you look up some videos and check it out. 

From the point of view of the driver. On the left Germany and on the right France. 

Then on Saturday, the morning was pretty relaxing. I got to sleep in and relax all morning. Right after we ate lunch, Renate Timo and I left for a “Frühlingfest” (Spring Party). It was basically exactly what it sounds like. A party to celebrate the arrival of Spring. There were storytellers, live music, seed exchanges, lots of food, dancing, crafts, face painting and more. Timo’s friends were there so he had fun playing with them, but Renate and I mostly just listened to the live music. The weather was great and it was really fun being there.

A photo from the Frühlingfest.

This is a video of the live music! 

This is what the dancing was like! It was really fun to watch! I think the people on the left know how to do it best. 

We stayed there for 4 hours and when we came back Rahel’s friend Anna was here. It was recently Anna’s birthday and she got Pirates of the Caribbean 2 for her birthday. We watched that and then we went to bed. It was overall a very fun day. 

The next day, Sunday was also really amazing. We left around 11 and took the tram to a bus to the bus station to another bus, and then eventually we were there. Renate, Rahel and I went on a very long walk. It was beautiful. In total we walked 14 miles. The first half of our walk was to a small cute town. It was a very religious town. There we met up with Renate’s dad and his dog Shara. We were all very hungry so we went to a local cafe and ate lunch. Rahel and I both got this yummy cheese dish, Renate got a lentil salad, and Renate’s dad got a slice of Black Forrest cherry cake. Then, because Renate’s dad drove his car there and he walked, he drove his car to where the end of the walk would end. We took Shara with us though. On our way down we were seeing many exciting signs of spring. Flowers blooming, plants with buds, and snow melting. But then we saw something amazing! Something that was on my Bucket list! We were almost done with our walk, only about one more mile to go when we saw some sheep. They were so cute. And then we realized there was a baby sheep! Like a very young sheep. It had clearly just been born because the baby couldn’t stand yet, it was really struggling to move around. And it was also covered in that stuff babies are covered in when they’re first born. We all thought it was so cute so we watched it for a pretty long time. Then something else came out of the mom. We all thought it was her placenta, but then after a few seconds it also started moving! We had just watched a sheep give birth! There was no one else around but the three of us were so so so excited. It was so cute and the whole thing was really magical. We watched the second sheep take its first steps as it was learning how to walk and we were able to see how a sheep enters our world! I feel so privileged to have seen such a magical moment and if you ever get the chance to see an animal give birth I really recommend it! 

Signs of spring! 

This was my delicious lunch! 

Here is a video of the cute sheep!

So that was my week! Another week of firsts, exciting moments, and learning! As I’m writing this, tomorrow Andy, Rahel and I leave for Berlin for our spring break trip and then I’m going to visit a friend in Hannover! Be sure to check it out in next weeks blog to hear all about it! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you have a great week!