Hallo! Last week was the first snowfall of the year here in Grevenbroich, and it was SO pretty!! I was actually late for school that day because I got so caught up taking pictures! Although we don’t have as much snow here as you all are used to in Cooperstown, we did receive more than what is normal for the area. Because I am living in the Energy Capital of Germany, we have less snow than the rest of the country. However, we do have A LOT of strong winds! I’d like to share with you a passage from my journal! “I came home from school today around 5:00 cold, tired, and hungry. My host dad met me at the door and ushered me to the table full of warm roast beef, carrots, and potatoes! YUM! Now I am sitting by the fire with a blanket and a book, drinking some delicious hot cider. Across from the fire, is a big window, looking out at the beautiful first snowfall in our cozy little town. I have this wonderful warm sensation inside of me- and it’s not from the cider either! In this moment, I have come to realize that this is how it feels to be truly, blissfully happy.”
I love my life so much! I’m so grateful for the opportunity to live and become a part of this beautiful country. I can’t even imagine being anywhere else at this point in my life. Haha I just have to include that downstairs, my host dad is playing old music that goes perfectly with the cheesiness of what I’m writing. It’s moments like this that make my life here even more awesome. Speaking of being grateful- I should probably mention my attempt at Thanksgiving! For those of you who know me, I’m not the best cook on my own. I’ve always had help from my mom, sister, or friends. Some of you may remember the time Molly Pearlman and I went door to door around town giving out delicious Blueberry Muffins, (all while speaking with British accents, of course) but that is no example of my cooking skills. For Thanksgiving, I decided to make a Pumpkin Pie for my host family from scratch. Rather than using an American recipe that called for cups and tablespoons in English, I decided I would try to translate a German recipe. I would like to advise all future exchange students that this is not a good idea. I’m pretty sure I messed up the measurements…a lot. The brown sugar here isn’t sticky like it is in the USA, so I decided I would mix it with maple syrup. Also, I would like to make it clear to anyone who doesn’t already know, that baking soda is not the same as baking powder. There is a huge difference. Anyway, the Pumpkin Pie (or Kürbis Kuchen as we say here in Germany) was so horrible that it ended up in the Compost Bin. Bright Side: the cookies I made with the left over pumpkin turned out alright! I also made brownies (from a box) and banana bread (which I burned) that were both edible! :D At least this fiasco makes a good story to tell!
I’ve spent the past two weekends up in Münster. First, I went with my Host Family and stayed with my Host Cousins. We went shopping, sight seeing, and played with their adorable Burnese Mountain Dog puppy! The following weekend was the Rotex Weinnachts- Wochenende! A weekend where all of the Rotex (past District 1870 exchange students) and the current exchange students all got together to celebrate Christmas and St. Nikolaus day. On the first night, we went to the Christmas Market, and then returned to the Gymnasium where we set up our sleeping bags and turned on some music! The following morning, we went to a zoo! As many people know, I want to work in a zoo or wildlife rehabilitation center someday- so this was a lot of fun for me. My friends and I took loads of pictures with the animals and around the zoo. My favorite part was the Penguin Exhibit. It is mating season for the Penguins, so we saw most of them in couples. However, there was this one lone penguin that was calling out, looking for a mate. It was so sad to watch him all alone- we were talking to him and saying how we would be his friends. A little while later, another penguin came over to him and they started nuzzling each other. Then when they were walking away, it looked as if they were holding hands! It was SO adorable!! We ended our Zoo experience with waffles and some hot kinder punch and then took a bus to an ice skating rink! I only fell a couple of times, but my friend from Thailand must have fallen at least 20 times!! Despite the cold and bruises, we had a lot of fun. That night we had a St. Nikolaus party, and the Rotex told stories about the Exchange Students and whether or not we have been good this year- somehow, the Rotex seem to find out everything!
Today is St. Nikolaus Day in Germany, and I went downstairs to find apples, oranges, a present, and a big white chocolate St. Nickolaus in my shoes! The best part is- my Host Mom was sure to buy a kind of white chocolate that doesn’t have any cocoa in it since I am allergic! Also, they bought me a book in English! :)
To wrap up this article, I’d like to say that I loving Germany more and more every day, and to wish everyone Happy Holidays! Tschüs!
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