Lux Reflextions (In between laundry and packing)

I leave for Hamburg tomorrow? It still feels weird saying it. Now is time to make a tribute to my 3 wonderful Luxembourg Families by jotting down my most fond memories-the process has been hard but is has to be done! Lets begin with my first fam, Family Meyer. I learned a lot at this wonderful home! I learned a lot about wine-thanks to Claude, I learned what it was like to be a teenager again-nd let me tell ya I loved it! My all time favorite quote is from Claudine my host mom everytime she saw something she liked she would turn to me and say, "I find it lucky" I think I will be incorporating this phrase in my new daily lingo-maybe I can make it my signature phrase?:P I want to thank this family so much for welcoming me into their home for nearly a month in a half. They never hesitated to make me apoart of the family-once I arrived I was in! I had a very "Lucky" time with them! They are already planning on coming to my wedding(I told them they will have to wait a long, LONG time) and their two daughters are visiting me this summer! I met their entire family and there is not enough to rom to express how much I LOVE this family-the WHOLE family! Thank you so much! My next is Family Albers! Here I found my love for goat cheese-and found out that 6+ people CAN share one shower. Here is where I learned my Luxembourgish. Lets take a brief break to share the luxembourgish language. Moien(Hello), Eddi or Addi(Goodbye), Vee gayt ut(How is it going or What up?), Ein Smear(a piece of bread), Nooshed(Goodnight), Nooshed Essen (Dinner), Mittash Essen (Lunch), Coffee Drinkin(Breakfast), Von Glief(Please), Merci(Thank you), Veel Maks Merci(Thank you very much), Glief(What did you say/Pardon),Gare ge chit(Your Welcome), Dah(No really), sheen(beautiful),kaze(cheese), geese(goat), shoon tag(nice day),swayer(heavy), Theà(Tea), Puley(Chicken)-thats all for now. The great thing about Luxembourgish is that its not a written language so you can write it how u think it should be spelled-so this means I spelled everything corretly;)Getting back to the Albers-I really saw a great family when I stayed here. I was amazed how nice everyone was to me and to each other. They all got along so well and seemed like the "perfect family". Thank u Family Albers for everything and for showing me your awesome farm! My last and current family is Family Santer`s. I have been here two weeks and it feels like they are long lost family members. There was no time to hold back in this family and I felt most like myself here! They have been amazing and again just like the previous families I have really become apart of the family-its been amazing! I feel like Ive know them forever! Its been wonderful swapping recipes with veteran IFYE Annick(she went to California as in IFYE 20 yrs ago) and talking about her IFYE memories! Thank you for making this a very special two weeks-Oh and they took my to Paris-How can you not love someone who takes u there;)

"Have You Been a Good Girl?"

St. Nikolaus Day!!!
An important holiday is coming up for Luxembourgers, "St. Nokolaus Day" on Dec. 6th. Many children put a boot, called Nikolaus-Stiefel, outside the front door on the night of December 5 to December 6. St. Nicholas fills the boot with gifts, and at the same time checks up on the children to see if they were good. If they were not, they will have a tree branch in their boots instead. Sometimes, a disguised Nikolaus also visits the children at school or in their homes and asks them if they "have been good", handing out presents on a per-behaviour basis. This has become more lenient in recent decades. St. Nikolaus day is a much bigger deal in Luxembourg than in Germany. For many children, Nikolaus has elicited fear, as he was often accompanied by what the Luxembourgers call "Kleeschen" who would threaten to beat, or sometimes actually eat the children for misbehaviour. Also in Luxembourg "Kleeschen" is accompanied by the "Houseker" a frightening helper wearing a brown monk's habit. On Saint Nicholas day (Nikolinje) brings gifts to children commending them for their good behaviour over the past year and exhorting them to continue in the same manner in the year to come. Tradition states that is the children fail to be good boys and girls than they will receive a visit from Krampus who traditionally leaves a rod, an instrument their parents will use to discipline them.

6 lessons from 6 families

Wening`s-Cherish and appreciate tradition.
Seeger`s-It`s important to love what you do and not to lose sight of what makes you happy.
Rose-Borsum`s-Be kind and loving to everyone around you.
Meyer`s-Get out there and live your life to the fullest.
Albers`-A strong family is a good family.
Santer`s-The "Joy of Cooking" is a universal language.

`America is my country and Pairs is my hometown` Gertrude Stein

I am now at my last IFYE family-The Santer Family. The host parents are, Gilbert(pronounced Jil-Bear) and Annick. Their children are Jose, 14 and Marie-Jo, 13. They live in Bascharage which is in the southern part of Luxembourg-about 15km from France. Upon my arrivel to their home, which took about 4 hours start to finish because we got lost-a lot:) I knew that they wanted to take me to Paris for the weekend. I was, of course so excited for this adventure but little did I know what they really had in store for me. I remember asking them before leaving for Paris-`Should I bring my passport?` They both kind of chuckled and said `I wouldnt bother if anything goes wrong we`ll go to the Embassy`. I thought ok cool so no passport. When we pulled into beautiful Paris and parked near the Luxembourg Embassy I was wandering what was going on. `Oh my brother lives here-he`s the Ambassador!!!` Their home was enormous and so beautiful! I was amazing! I will remember it always. That evening we had champagne and sat around talked. For dinner we had roasted lamb, french beans and noodles followed by a platter of cheese and then, if we needed anymore- a delicious chocalate soufflè. The best part was that almost any window you could look out and see the Eiffel Tower glowing! I was in heaven! The next morning we took the ubway to the famous The Sacré-Cœur Basilica located in the Monmartre District, the highest point in the city. The weather was unusually perfect so perfect photos were taken! After viewing the church we walked around the district to a wonderful part where there were artists painting and lots of cafes full of Parisians sipping their coffee. The ambience was wonderful! After this we went and had lunch at a wonderful bistro in centre Paris.

Basilique du Sacré-Cœur, Paris

The Sacré-Cœur Basilica (French: Basilique du Sacré-Cœur, "Basilica of the Sacred Heart") is a Roman Catholic basilica and popular landmark in Paris, France, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Sacré-Cœur is pronounced [sakʁe kœʁ]. The basilica is located at the summit of the butte Montmartre (Montmartre butte), the highest point in the city.The purpose of making a church dedicated to the Sacred Heart, with its origins in the aftermath of the French Revolution among devout Catholics and legitimist royalists, developed more widely in France after the Franco-Prussian War and the ensuing radical Paris Commune of 1870-71. Though today it is asserted to be dedicated in honor of the 58,000 who lost their lives during the war, the decree of the Assemblée nationale, 24 July 1873, responding to a request by the archbishop of Paris by voting its construction, specifies that it is to "expiate the crimes of the communards". Montmartre had been the site of the Commune's first insurrection, and many hard-core communards were forever entombed in the subterranean galleries of former gypsum mines where they had retreated, by explosives detonated at the entrances by the Army of Versailles. Hostages had been executed on both sides, and the Communards had executed Georges Darboy, Archbishop of Paris, who became a martyr for the resurgent Catholic Church. His successor Guibert, climbing the Butte Montmartre in October 1872, was reported to have had a vision, as clouds dispersed over the panorama: "It is here, it is here where the martyrs are, it is here that the Sacred Heart must reign so that it can beckon all to come". In the moment of inertia following the resignation of the government of Adolphe Thiers, 24 May 1873, François Pie, bishop of Poitiers, expressed the national yearning for spiritual renewal— "the hour of the Church has come"— that would be expressed through the "Government of Moral Order" of the Third Republic, which linked Catholic institutions with secular ones, in "a project of religious and national renewal, the main features of which were the restoration of monarchy and the defense of Rome within a cultural framework of official piety", of which Sacré-Cœur is the chief lasting triumphalist monument.
The decree voting its construction as a "matter of public utility", 24 July,followed close on Thiers' resignation. The project was expressed by the Church as a National Vow (Voeu national) and financial support came from parishes throughout France. The dedicatory inscription records the Basilica as the accomplishment of a vow by Alexandre Legentil and Hubert Rohault de Fleury, ratified by Joseph-Hippolyte Guibert, Archbishop of Paris. The project took many years to complete.

The Countdown Begins (18 days left in Europe)

I cant believe I only have 2 more weeks left in Luxembourg. Today, I move from my second host family, Family Albers, to my new host family- Family Santos. I have seen and done so much since being in Boulaide/Blauschette. My first week I went with my host sister, Carmen, to visit Wendy, her sister, in Wageningen, Netherlands. It was about a 3 hour or so car ride driving through luxembourg, Belugium and then entering the Netherlands and getting quite close to Amsterdam zhich was only about 100 km (roughly 50 miles) away. It seems so strange to have driven in 3 countries in 3 hours!! The next weekend I shared with the entire Albers Family celebrating Allehanjen which was wroten about in a prior blog. My days here I also was fortuante enough to go to Bastonge & Brussels, Belugium, and Bourshied Chateau. I really do love Luxembourg!! The scenery is breathtaking! Interesting differences: Breakfast and dinner are usually always bread or a roll of some sort with an arrangement of spreads-jam, nutella, honey, cheese, salami, etc. These two meals are sometimes eaten on small cutting boards. Lunch is the warm meal and usually includes meat, potatoes and veggies. Interesting and yummy meals that I have had is pumpkin soup with crepes(crepes are filled with sugar inside), quiche lorraine, goat cheees wrapped in bacon served over a bed of mixed greans and applesauce and pasta. Usually after lunch you have coffee and a dessert such as a cookie or a cake. Most to all cars are automatic. Children and teens attend school until the 13th class. There are different routes that can be taken in school. Lycee is the route if you would like to attend a university after college. There is another school that is the more technical route but you can still go to a university if you would like. Then there is a school that ends when you are 16 and then you can get a job. Music is an important art to learn and most learn an instrument and practice on a regular basis. Music does not end when you are out of school and adults can play right alongside their children and others. Juices and milk cole in 1 liter portions-not higher.(Note: 1 liter=about 1 quart). Im sure there are more but thats all for now!! Stay tuned-This weekend I go to romantic Paris!!

Goat Milking=Awesome Arms

So with 1100 goats someone must be milking them all the time...right? Well actually it takes about two hours and it is done twice a day on the Alber Family Farm. The last two night I was lucky enough to have been apart of it and it is pretty cool not to mention a heck of an arm workout!! See below for a visual. Oh and I tried goat cheese and Im thinking of smuggling some back into the US!!! It is SO yummy! I think it will have to be a staple in my diet

Cow Dingleberries

Ok peeps!!! Who can define a cow dingleberry or dingleberries?? Wel let me have the honr of thoroughly explaining how I came into contact with a cow dingleberry. It all happened on a quiet day, in a quiet town when a girl was asked if she wanted to help with the cows. The girl excitedly agreed to help and went and put on some overalls and boots and walked out to the stable. She loooked in the stable to find about 30 dairy cows all lined up-butts out. The girl was given a razor and was told that she must shave the cows tails as part of a "hygenic" process. "But dont cows kick?" the girl asked. "Oh yeah...you gotta be careful of that" they snickered. No, but really guys I went with my host sister, Wendy and she taught me how to shave a cow´s tail because when they pooh the crap gets all over the tail so somebody has to clean it up. I was a little freaked out of the kicking part but you just have to be quick and careful. After that we fed some cows in another stable, the baby calves and the two male goats. When we were feeding the baby calves Wendy told me that one calf, calf #6, had not eaten all day so we were going to have to help show her where she could get milk. Wendy pointed her in the direction of the formula and I got on the other side and let the calf suck on my two fingers until she finally saw the formula to suck on. It was quite an awesole experience to see a calf so hungry and two show it milk! I wont forget it!

Netherlands and Making Cookies for 'Allerhelljen'

Moin Friends and Family! I am now at my second host family, Family Albers, in Boulaide(Bauschelt in Luxembourgish-pronounced Bow-shet), Luxembourg. Bauschelt is a small community in Northern Luxembourg and has a population of 600 inhabitants. Yesterday,I was invited by my host sister, Carmen, to accompany her to visit her younger sister, Wendy, at Wendy's university in Wageningen, Netherlands. The drive was about 350km, so roughly a 2.5-3 hour drive. When we arrived, Wendy gave us a tour of the city center and we stopped at a local cafe and ate lunch. After looking around the town for awhile we walked to her school. It was a really nice building-8 stories and brand new; she is studying Animal Science. The Netherlands is known for being very flat so many people ride bikes everywhere and bicyclists ALWAYS have the right away. After the school tour we all went to a local super market and bought some groceries and cooked dinner at her flat. It was a very nice evening chatting and sharing stories with one another. Carmen and Wendy were also both IFYE's to Estonia in 2006 so it was nice to compare our adventures.

Carmen and I returned to Bauschelt just in time to make a special dessert, Waffelen, for 'Allerhellijen'(All Saints Day) tomorrow, November 1st. Waffelen's are made from a flour, sugar, butter and eggs mixture and then putting a spoonful on a hot waffle griddle. They look similar to ice cream cones but are a Luxembourg and Alber Family specialty; made only on Allerhelljen, Christmas and Easter. Now here is some history on 'Allerhelljen' (All Saints Day): All Saints' Day is a feast celebrated on November 1 in Western Christianity, and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in Eastern Christianity in honour of all the saints, known and unknown. In terms of Roman Catholic theology, the feast commemorates all those who have attained the beatific vision in heaven, while the next day, All Souls' Day, commemorates the departed faithful who have not yet been purified and reached heaven.In the early Church, Christians would celebrate the anniversary of a martyr's death for Christ—known as the saint's "birth day"—by serving an All-Night Vigil, and then celebrating the Eucharist over their tomb or the shrine at their place of martyrdom. In the fourth century, neighbouring dioceses began to transfer relics, and to celebrate the feast days of specific martyrs in common. Frequently, a number of Christians would suffer martyrdom on the same day, which naturally led to a joint commemoration. In the persecution of Diocletian the number of martyrs became so great that a separate day could not be assigned to each. The Church, feeling that every martyr should be venerated, appointed a common day for all. This day and the one before and one after it is spent visiting the graves of deceased relatives, where prayers and flowers are offered, candles are lit and the graves themselves are cleaned, repaired and repainted. Tomorrow we will have a big lunch at my host mom's mother's home withher sisters family. Addi

40 days and 40 nights

Today marks my last 40 days and 40 mights left here in Luxembourg. I cannot believe it! I celebrated this momentous occasion with My Meyers and hosted 'Colorado Night'. I made hamburgers, mashed potatoes and my moms famous Dump Cake (Mom-we really need t change the name of this dessert-its not a very appetizing name). After dinner I presented my Colorado Power Pont Presentation and finished with dessert and Colorado souvenirs. A quick THANK YOU to My Meyers!! You all have been SO terrific and I have deeply enjoyed being apart of the family for these 6 weeks!

Yesterday my host family made me a special dinner, Raclette. OMGosh let me tell you...this is one amazing dinner. Ill spare the details because you ust experience this-not read about it. They invited family over, Denise and Yok(Claudine's Sister and Brother-in law) and their three boys, and we sat around the table and talked and ate yummy cheeses with lots of different toppings; pineapple, mushrooms, peppers, bacon, onions, shrimp, etc. It has become my favorite Luxembourg dinner!

On Tuesday I go to my second host family, The Albers, in Northern Luxembourg (Boulaide). I am exicted to meet my new family and look forward to the new exciting experiences that the future holds.

Addi(Goodbye in Luxembourgish)

Big Controversy!!! Weaving or Knitting? Social, Political or Physical Dilemna?

So as some of you may know I have taken up a thing called knitting. This practice was pretty foreign to me-yes I have heard of people performing this so called hobby but I just assumed it was for some weird cult;) So at the persistant request of my host mom I went to the store, bought some needles, what I thought was 'cool' yarn and headed back to Kehlen to learn the ancient 70's practice(who knows if it originated int he 70's but Im trying to be creative here ok?) of knitting. Before adding this tool to my shep, I had high hopes and had often heard from everyone that 'It is easy!!!' 'You will have no problem with it!' Well that did not turn out to be the case. On the contrary, I think God left out the knitting gene when I was made because I just couldnt get it. I even took to YouTube knitting classes and still couldnt knit a line! I sincerely felt sorry for my host mother because she was trying so hard to show me and I for the life of me just couldnt do seem to figure it out. We both laughed a lot because it was truly hysterical!!

Moving on to a knew art-This week I was asked to learn how to weave. I went with my host mom's friend, Josey, to an old barn about 7km from Kehlen to learn to weave. Now before learning to weave, I have to admit I wasnt quite exactly sure what weaving is or was. My first thought was that it was something really old people do, to keep busy, and I also assumed it had to do with fabric and string and was kinda like sewing. When I walked in-I saw two huge, wooden machines layered with string and I thought to myslef 'How am I ever going to do this?' Hours in, I realized that I actually enjoyed weaving and now prefer it to knitting-pretty much because I think its easier-but I would still like to learn to knit. I currently have homework from Josey to finish my weaving project, I have an At-Home weaver(?), and then next week she will take me to learn how to make felt? Stay tuned:)

Things I Have Learned/Noticed from my Time Here in Luxembourg-
There is NO overtime for sporting games
People here share my love of cheese and respect my fondness of it
Luxembourgers open up Christmas presents on Dec. 6th
Fathers Day in in October
You do not say Cow 'tits' its teets'(please note this in a previous blog I have written)
In high school students have to buy their own books
Sports are seperate from the school
High school ends in the 13th grade
The 4 B's are in: Bangs, Boots, Belts and Bags
Open the door...Close the door
Cheese is cheap here
When you begin work the average worker gets at least 30 days holiday, that's 6 weeks!
The average Luxembourger knows 4 languages: Luxembourgish, French, Deutch and English

Thats all for now-tomorrow I go to Belgium to a town near the North Sea!

So...I'm pretty much famous

To the right, is a picture of my host family, The Meyer's, and I after being interviewed by the Luxembourg newspaper. The Luxembourg IFYE association wanted an article to encourage people to sign up to be host families for incoming IFYE's or to be apart of IFYE and travel to a foreign country.

I met the Prince!!!

Well as you alreay know, per the title, I have met the Prince of Luxembourg-well one of them. See picture above for proof!! Now here is how our fairytale began. A long, long time ago in a far away land their was a fair maiden, some may call her a 'commoner' who ran away from her small village. The young maiden yearned for a change and so she came into a small village by the name of Vianden. Vianden is a magical village. This fair maiden arrived the weekend of 'Nuss Markt'(aka Nut Festival). She was helplessly wandering the cobblestone streets of Vianden when she twisted her ankle. The Prince saw the fair maiden in distress and immedialey rished over to her to offer his assistance. Their eyes locked on one another and they instantly fell in loe and lived happily ever after. THE END

How do you Get Chocolate Milk?

I have just returned from visiting my first dairy farm. I have officially milked 68 cows-well now lets clarify I did not milk any cows per say. Ok here is what I did-After a short tour of the farm and the barns I drove a New Holand Tractor(PS Im getting really good at driving tractors) through town(Keispelt)-got yelled at by a bus driver(in Luxembourgish) for not pulling over and letting him have the right away and that was just a couple hours in. Then me and some other hired hanns(is that how you spell it?) moved about 50 or so beef cows from one field outside of town into the barn. Later at around 7pm I helped Andrique with the dairy cows. Each cow has a collar that has a sensor on it. This sensor detects which cow is being milked, how many litres it is producing and what its average production is. On each side their are four cows. You must first begin by wiping each tit with a paper towel, then draining the pre-milk(I don't know the proper terminology)then place the sucking tubes on each tit. Sometimes there are only two or three tits that produce milk and sometimes there are more than five tits but only 4 will produce milk-that is the max-at least that I know of. The sucking tubes stop pumping milk automatically. After the machine has stopped you disinfect each tit. Then when all 8 cows are finished you move a ne eight in and begin again. Of course during this whole process you must be careful not to get sprayed by pee or poop. I got wacked inthe eye by a tail drenched in poop and got sprayed by pee-but all in a days work right?:) Oh and to finish the night, Frankie(Farm owner) gave me some fresh milk to take home. My host dad, Claude and I each took or first drink of cows milk together and you know what? It was really good-way better than I expected.

"Mir wölle bleiwen wat mir sin" or "We want to remain what we are."

Considering the long history of this little country and the intensely independent character of its natives, one can see that it fits very well.

Today marks the day of my last two months in Europe, more specifically Luxembourg. To catch everyone up, I am currently in a small village named Kehlen (pronounced Kay-len). Kehlen is about 15km (roughly 7 miles) outside of Luxembourg (the country capital). I arrived in Luxembourg on the 22nd of September to find that my luggage did not arrive with me. Pol Castiglia, IFYE coordinator from Luxembourg, was at the airport to greet me and to take me to my first host family, The Meyer’s. The Meyer family consists of Claude and Claudine, Liz, age 18, Cathy, age 16 and Felix, age 13. Both parents work outside the home and the kids go to school from 8 until 2 Monday through Friday. During the day, I have several options: I can go into town by bus, go to a museum, go shopping, cook or bake something, watch TV, read a book (a have my own library card nowJ), go for a walk, etc. I have countless opportunities and I have really enjoyed planning my schedule out everyday. I have also taken up knitting so I am currently learning how to make a scarf. This Thursday, I will meet the other two IFYE’s, Jacob Smith from Montana and Alissa Bumstead from Connecticut in Luxembourg City to show the sights and to catch up on each other’s experiences.

Last night I had to opportunity to meet Connie Smith, responsible for placing IFYE’s in host families), the secretary from IFYE, and a news reporter from the Luxembourg Press to interview me and my host family about our experiences. I thought is was good that the newspaper showed interest in the program so hopefully the word about IFYE and the organization will be better known for future host families and also delegates wishing to travel abroad and study different cultures.

I have been lucky enough to have my own personal tour guide, Mark, my host mom’s brother, show me around the city. Since I have acquired a certain wealth of Luxembourg knowledge I feel compelled to share it with my readers:

The written history of Luxembourg starts in the year 963, when Siegfried, Count of the Ardennes, and founder of the Luxembourg Dynasty, had a castle built on the territory of the present-day capital of Luxembourg. This castle was the origin of the establishment of a town, which later was to develop into a formidable fortress. At its height, the fortress was girdled by three ring-walls studded with 24 forts, and linked underground by a 23 km network of Casemates.
After a long period of foreign sovereignty, the Congress of Vienna settled the destiny of the country, by raising it to the rank of Grand Duchy, and by giving it as personal property to the King of the Netherlands William I of Orange-Nassau. The personal union between Luxembourg and the Netherlands lasted until 1890. During this period the political independence and autonomy were strengthened, and the democratic institutions were developed.
The 11th of May 1867 is one of the most important dates in national history. The Treaty of London reaffirmed Luxembourg's territorial integrity, and the political autonomy, which had already been granted by the Treaty of Vienna of 1839. Furthermore, Luxembourg was declared perpetually neutral, and the great powers agreed to guarantee and to protect the neutrality of the Grand Duchy.
Since 1890, when the Crown of the Grand Duchy passed to the elder branch of the House of Nassau, Luxembourg has had its own Dynasty. The present ruler, H.R.H. Grand Duke Henri, succeeded his father, Grand Duke Jean to the throne in October 2000, after having been appointed as "Lieutenant-Représentant" -the Grand Duke's official deputy- on March 3, 1998.
Grand Duke Jean's mother, Grand Duchess Charlotte, Duchess of Nassau, Princess of Bourbon Parma, died in 1985. Grand Duke Jean and his wife Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte, the sister to Albert, King of the Belgians, have five children Henri, Jean, Guillaume, Marie-Astrid, and Margaretha.
Despite its neutrality, Luxembourg was occupied twice by German troops during the two World Wars. The Battle of the Bulge was to a great extent fought on Luxembourg territory. In 1948, the country gave up its neutrality, to join the various economic, political, and military organisations of Europe. Already forming a close economic union with Belgium since 1921, the Grand Duchy is a founder member of the EU, and was host to the first European institutions in 1953.

Feliz Navidad???

Kinda a strange title huh? Well I feel compelled to write about my wonderful 2 week break that I was fortuante to have with my entire family. My dad, mom and sister met me in Frankfurt on Sept. 4 and later that evening we flew to roma where we stayed for 3 days, then to tok a train to Firenza(Florence) for another 3 days then ended our time with a 9 hour train ride to Paris where we stayed for 4 nights. Currently I am in Otzberg Nieder-Klingen staying with my second host family, The Seeger's! It was so great to see them again! Ich Liebe the Seeger's(I love the Seeger's)

I have seen so much art and learned so much about the history or Europe. Also in every country that i visited I tried my hardest to learn the language so now Im just plain confused)!! In Ital i spoke Deutch, in Paris I spoke Italien and now that Im back in Deutchland I speak French!! HeeHee!! These 2 weeks of vacation has flown by and I cant believe I will be beginning my last stretch in Luxembourg in a few days.

So tomorrow I fly to Barcelona to meet up with a friend from college! Im so excited to see my freind and to be in Barcelona! I will be there 4 nights and then will fly into Luxembourg on the 22nd of September.

For whomever that reads this blog I would strongly encourage everyone to travel because I feel that I have learned so much about how others live and how to interact with a variety of people. I will deeply cherish this time I have spent in Deustchland and sincerely thank all the people who have made this trip possible! A quick shout out to the Colorado IFYE association, Courtney, San Miguel 4-H Council, Edith, Bettina, Pol, Familie Wening, Familie Seeger and Familie Rose-Borsum! Thank you all!!!

"Ich bin Berliner"

Tchau! Tchüss!

WOW!! I can't believe that my time here in Deutchland is coming to an end. I feel like I've learned so much and met so many wonderful people. I am very sad that Iäll be leaving but also looking forward to see my mom, dad and sister!! Special things I have will always rememeber:
Helping Wolfgang put on the crayon labels. Laughing with Emily about just about everything. Shützenfest. Making scrambled eggs at 4 in the morning for the people in Büren. Making pie with Maria. Playing cards with Monika. Delivering eggs with Hubert to the Bioladen. Fetching eggs. Herding pigs with Stephan and Peter. Working with Sabina in the Sal Barn. Sightseeing with Kathrin. Jumping on the trampoline with Leo and Julia. Going to the Schloss with Nancy. Visiting Aunt Dorla and Uncle Christophe in Manheim with Laura. Going to Brussels, Luxembourg and Nancy. Driving a Russian tractor. Breaking the tractor. Laughing with Cord and Annetta("I can only use the words I know", "Shut up the doors"). Walking Gesa to school. Watching Jussi take care of her rabbits.
I know there are so many memories that I have with each family but these are the ones that I can think of in this moment. I cannot express how wonderful each of the famililes have been and will always look back on this adventure and think fondly of them all. Ich lieben Deutchland und meine Gaste Families!!

I Found 'The Roses' in Plötzkau

I officially have one week left here with the Rose-Borsum Familie. Time here has flown by so quickly and I find myself not wanting to leave! The Family consists of my host mama and papa, Annette and Cord and their 3 daughters: Laura, age 14, Justina(Jussi), age 11, and Gesa, age 6. THey live in a small rural town in East German names, Plötkau. Plötzkau is a small village comprised of a church, a schloss(castle), a small market and some other small shops that fit the need of the 1400 inhabitants. Cord is a farmer and has several thousand hectares of field and grows wheat, sugar beets, raps and strawberries. Annette works in Halle at a school equivalent to an american junior college. She teaches home economics. Laura is a sweet, teenage girl who has just entered into the 9th grade and goes to school in Bernburg with Jussi, athletic and also very sweet, who has just entered into the 5th class. The youngest daughter, Gesa, who is a wonder to watch because she is always getting into something, has just began her first year in school and goes to school inPlötzkau about two blocks from their home. A funny thing note: Yesterday Annette, Gesa and I went to the market to pick pp some essential(milk, bread, etc.) and Gesa wanted to get a bag of popcorn. When we came home Gesa opened the and the popcorn spill all over the kitchen floor. Gesa was sad that all her popcorn was wasted but decded to gather all the popcorn, put it into a bowl, wash the popcorn in the sink, then proceed to blow dry the popcorn. Silly GESA!!!

Snapshots of Plötzkau

Diversity & Uniqueness...That's Frankfurt

The history of the city of Frankfurt am Main is the story of a hill at a ford in the Main that developed into a European banking metropolis, becoming the smallest metropolis in the world.

In 1933 the Jewish mayor (Oberbürgermeister) Ludwig Landmann was replaced by NSDAP member Friedrich Krebs. This led to the firing of all Jewish officials in the city administration and from city organizations. A meeting of Frankfurt traders, who wanted to discuss the boycott of Jewish businesses, was broken up and the participants arrested and intimidated. On September 23 work started on the first German highway, the Reichsautobahn, between Frankfurt-Niederrad and Darmstadt. Although the Nazis had originally mocked the city as the Jerusalem am Main because of its high Jewish population, the city adopted a propagandistic nickname, the Stadt des deutschen Handwerks or the city of German craft. Large parts of the city center were destroyed by numerous air raids.

On March 22, 1944, a British attack destroyed the entire Old City, killing 1001 people. The East Port - an important shipping center for bulk goods, with its own rail connection - was also largely destroyed. The heavily destroyed city decided in the spirit of the time to plan a major reconstruction of the historical city center, retaining the old road system. The formerly independent city republic joined the state of Hesse in 1946. As the state capital was already at the smaller city of Wiesbaden and the American armed forces had used Frankfurt as their European headquarters, the city seemed most promising candidate for the West German federal capital. The American forces even agreed to withdraw from Frankfurt to make it suitable, as the British forces already had withdrawn from Bonn. Much to the disappointment of many in Frankfurt, however, the vote narrowly favored Bonn twice. Despite this, the mayor looked towards the future, seeing that with the division of Germany and relative isolation of Berlin, Frankfurt could take over positions in trade and commerce previously filled by Berlin and Leipzig. Since Bonn never played an important role despite its status as capital, Frankfurt, Hamburg, and Munich realigned themselves, passing from regional centers to international metropolises and effectively forming three West German cultural and financial capitals.

Since the turn of the 2th century century, the Frankfurt fair has been held every fall and had become the most important fair site in Europe. Frankfurt's countless publishing houses as well as its fur industry profited from the elimination of Leipzig by the division of Germany into East and West. After the war, the West German book fair was held in Frankfurt. Since German reunification, the Frankfurt Book Fair is held in the fall, and Leipzig's in the spring. The bi-annual Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung is a worldwide car fair that is also held in Frankfurt. The Deutsche Bundesbank made Frankfurt its seat, and most major banks followed suit. This and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange have made the city the second most important commercial center in Europe, after London.

Why are we waiting so long?

So it has taken me awhile to reflect on all the differences. Now that it has had time to fully sink in - I can now blog about them. Note that I actually think all the differences are SO very interesting not bad just interesting...That was my disclaimer:)

Restaurants:

So usually there is only one menu and everyone takes a look and decides what they want. This can be a problem if you don't know what you want to eat. Let me give you an example: Say that you are from America and don't REALLY speak German but the menu is in german and people are waiting to look at the menu. This could create a problem so I-I mean the person in the example, has figured out to look at the menu last:)

So about 10-15 minutes in(Im not exaggerating) the waiter or waitress makes their way over to take your drink order. Most people order either beer or a flavored drink-rarely soda pop. My shocking moments was to find that water ranges in price from 1,30 euro to 2,90 euro!! Yikes!

About 7-10 minutes after that you get your drinks and hopefully get to order.

About 40 minutes later you get your food or at least someone gets their food. The waiter or waitress brings out one or two plates at a time and it can be that the last person at the table to get their food gets theirs when the first person who got theirs is already finished with their meal. You don't wait for everyone to have their meal to begin-you just go for it...Survival of the Fittest:)

Now when it comes time to pay your bill you must ask the waiter or watress for them to come over-usually they don't ask you you must tell them when you are ready to leave. Each person will tell the waiter or waitress what they ordered and the waitress will calulate their potion and that person willpay and so on and so on. If its a family then you may get a receipt but most of the time its friends going out so eachindividual pays fot themself. I really like this part becasue then you don't have to decided who pays what-you just pay for yourself. The waiter/waitresses are paid well so tipping 10% is above average usually if the bill is 9,35 euro than you give 10 euro.

Above is a picture of me eating the Strammer Max(Bread, ham, cheese, two eggs) and drinking a wonderful Fruitty Drink. I was invited to eat with the LandFraus who get together once a month either to go out to eat, exercise, quilt, etc.

Olympia Park in Munich

Built for the 1972 Olympic Games, the Olympic complex is now used for a variety of leisure activities ranging from sports events to concerts. The 287m high Olympic Tower boasts a stunning view of the city and is open 9am-midnight, with the last ascent at 11:30pm. On a good day visitors can see as far as the Alps. There is also a rotating restaurant at the top. The famous canopy roof which spans the Olympic Stadium, the Olympic Swimming Pool and the Olympiahalle was very controversial in its day. It is, however, timelessly beautiful and has become an integral part of the modern cityscape. The Olympiaberg (Olympic Hill) is a grassy mound made from Second World War rubble and also provides great views. The ice rink and swimming pool are also popular with sports fans, as too is the Olympic Stadium, home to FC Bayern Munich , one of Europe's top football clubs.

Marienplatz in Munich

Marienplatz has been at the thick of things ever since the city was founded by Henry the Lion in 1158. It was once a salt and grain market, but is now a magnet for tourists who flock here to marvel at the Gothic facade of the town hall . The bells in the town hall tower peal at 11am (as well as noon and 5pm in the Summer) accompanied by a glockenspiel depicting a medieval dance and the wedding of Duke William V and Renata von Lothringen. The Mariensäule stands in the middle of the square.

Neus Rathaus in Munich

One of Munich's best-known landmarks, the neo-gothic Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall) was built during the period of architectural revival in Germany from 1867-1909. Although it is now an unmistakable part of the cityscape, its architectural style causes controversy even today. The carillon is built into the tower and performs at 11am and 5pm every day, with 32 figures portraying a knightly joust and dance. There are additional performances between May and October. The viewing point on the ninth floor can be reached by lift.

Hessen Country

I have offically been with my 2nd host family, The Seeger's, for 2 weeks! I really love it here. Their home is officially called Otzberg, Nieder-Klingen and is the state, Hessen. The landscape here is quite different from my last family's. Here, there are many hills and it is more humid here as well. Most of the days have been very warm and I am enjoying the sunshine since it had rained almost everday in Gescher.

The Seeger Family are IFYE Veterans. They have had at least 3 other IFYE's, that I know about, not including me. And all the IFYE's they've had have been from Colorado! They think that there are only IFYE's from Colorado..LOL! The family consists of Peter & Kathrin(Host Parents), Sebastion, age 7, Julia, turning 5 on Aug.9, and Leo, age 3. The kids have been helping me with my Deutsch...well I wouldn't say helping me but they prefer I speak Deutsch so we can have more fun playing together. So lets say...They encourage me?:) The parents of Peter live right next door, Irene and Wolfgang.

This is a family farm that has grown quickly over the past years growing from one pig barn to four. One pig barn is located here at the house and the other three are close to the house, only a few km away. I have mainly been working at the barn near the house. This barn consists of the Sals(pregnant pigs) that go from being artifically inseminated to fairing (I maybe spelling this wrong) FYI-giving birth. So lets see- i have been involved in the insemination process, cleaning up pig poo, in the birthing process and with the baby piglets.

Now, please allow me to walk you through my main job: So when the Sals have their babies, roughly 12 piglets, I have the IMPORTANT job of giving them an antibiotic shot, then I clip their tails, then lastly I inject a multivitamim like supplement into thier mouths. im definetley not the favorite person of these piglets when I am finished. I've probably done this to about 750+ piglets...Im pretty much a pro:) Oh and another important job i do is that I also help Stephan or Peter move the finished pigs into the truck to be sent to the butcher.

History of Köln(Cologne), Germany

Cologne is the oldest of the major German cities. Its name goes back to the Romans, who gave their city the name of “Colonia” in 50 A.D.. Rome's imperial governor resided here and the city quickly developed into one of the empire's most important trade and manufacturing centres north of the Alps. The Romans also brought Christianity to Cologne and it quickly became a diocesan town. Following the confusion of the transitional period in which the city came under the rule of the Franks, Charlemagne founded the archbishopric of Cologne in 785. The Archbishop of Cologne, one of the most important feudal lords in the Holy Roman Empire, became Chancellor for Italy (11th C.) and Elector (14th C.).

In the Middle Ages the city experienced a new heyday; from around the 12th to the 15th Century it was the most populous and one of the richest cities in the German-speaking world. Since 1288 and their military victory over the archbishop and ruler of the city, the citizens of Cologne took political and economic power into their own hands, even though Cologne's status as a free imperial city was only confirmed de jure in 1475.

Prinzipalmarkt in Münster

Since the Middle Ages, the Prinzipalmarkt has been Münster's main shopping street. The tall, narrow houses with their steep gables and arched arcades on massive columns were originally built by wealthy investors. Generations of merchants have established their businesses along this remarkable street since the late 12th century. The Prinzipalmarkt is the oldest shopping street in Münster and is the center of the Old City. Even during the Middle Ages, the arcades made shopping possible in any weather condition.

Destroyed in a bombing raid in 1943, the houses along the Prinzipalmarkt were rebuilt in the old style reflecting the street's quaint, old architecture and historic atmosphere. The Gothic gables of the City Hall and the Renaissance façade of the Stadtweinhaus (City Wine House) are almost exactly as they were during medieval times.

Münster Cathedral

The cathedral is an architectural masterpiece dating back to the 13th century. Spanning the threshold of the Romanesque and Gothic periods, it took some 80 years to complete the colossal building. In fact very few cathedrals in Germany are as richly adorned as this one. A marvel of the late medieval times, the astronomical clock features a calendar extending to the year 2071, with glockenspiel workdays at noon and Sundays and holidays at 12:30 p.m.

Liebfrauenkirche (St. Mary's Church), Münster, Germany

First completed in 1340, the high, light hall church has the mightiest Gothic church tower in Westphalia, although the helm roof has been missing since a hurricane in 1704. The beautiful sculptures of the Figurenportal (figure door), destroyed by the Baptists, were discovered under the transept and can today be seen in the Landesmuseum (City Museum). The church is also known as the Überwasserkirche (Overseas Church), since it was on the far side of the Aa River from the town.

The Erbdrostenhof

Münster's most beautiful noble residence, the Erbdrostenhof, was built from 1753 till 1757 and forms a part of the "baroque island" with the Church of St. Clemens and Dominican Church. The architect was the famous Westfalian baroque master Johann Conrad Schlaun. Most of Münster's magnificent buildings were designed by him. Today it serves as the headquarters for the state curator.

Rathaus (City Hall), Münster, Germany

The City Hall, located off the Prinzipalmarkt, is one of the most important achievements of Gothic profane architecture and reconstructed in full historic detail. The building from the middle of the 14th century was reconstructed in the 1950s, true to the original.

Today it is the site of council meetings, festivities and concerts, and a reception area where the mayor greets visitors to the city. The Treaty of Westphalia was signed in the council chambers, known as the Friedensaal (Hall of Peace).

Friedenssaal (Hall of Peace) in Münster, Germany

The Treaty of Westphalia, putting an end to the Thirty Years War, was signed in the council chambers, known as the Hall of Peace. After four years of debate and negotiation, representatives of the European powers negotiated to put an end to the fighting of the Thirty Years War. The Treaty of Westphalia was signed in the council chambers, known as the Hall of Peace. The Hall of Peace was completely restored at the beginning of 2003.

Büren Schützenfest

Picture to the right is my host dad and bro.

To begin my blog let me quote Wiki by explaining a little bit about the famous Shützenfest:
"A Schützenfest (German "marksmen's festival") is an annual traditional festival celebrated in the Northwest regions of Germany as well as in Bavaria. It is a kind of local fair featuring a shooting match among members of the local marksmen's association and usually takes place in summer.
At a Schützenfest, contestants compete their shooting abilities, for example by shooting at a wooden representation of an eagle. The winner of the competition becomes the 'Schützenkönig' ("king of marksmen") until the next year's competition.
The commercially organized Schützenfest of Hanover, Germany, is the largest marksmen's Fun Fair in the world with more than 5,000 marksmen, 260 rides and inns, 5 large beer-tends and the "Marksmen's Parade". The parade with more than 12,000 participants from Germany and all over the world and more than 100 bands is 12 kilometres long. It is the longest parade in the world. The landmark of the funfair is the highest transportable Ferris wheel in the world. It is 60 metres high and can transport 420 people in 42 cabins.

"The Chicken Whisperer"

Ok Ok, so I know I've been slacking a little bit about writing a blog so this one may be a tad long but I'll break it up for you. Quick Side Note: I used this extra time not writing to get used to the keyboard...it's a little different so if I do make a grammatical error please forgive.

1st and foremost: IFYE Orientation in Detroit, Michigan (June 20-22)
Absolutely loved all the incoming and outgoing IFYE's!! I don't think I have ever laughed so hard when meeting new people for the first time. The orientation left something to be desired but I am thankful that I had a GREAT orientation in Fort Collins a few months before. All together there were about 21 IFYEs from all over the world which includes: USA, Germany, Taiwan, Norway, Switzerland, Austria, Greece & England.

We all came to realiye the UNO was an international language so a large group of us stayed up each night and played.

Leaving for Germany (June 22)
IFYEs from Colorado, Kansas, Montana and Michigan left Michigan Airport on Sunday, June 22. The plane was great because you could watch any movie you wanted to and so instead of sleeping, which I should have done, I watched two in a half movies!! I do not recommend this!! When we arrived in Amsterdam for a quick layover I was draggin'!! Luckily the plane ride to Hamburg, was a quick jump about 1.5 hours. By the way, I slept the entire time on this flight and then begrudgingly got off.

Arriving in Hamburg, Germany....Orientation Begins (June 23rd)
Wonderful Edith Schröder, one of our IFYE coordinators, was at the airport to pick up the 4 incoming IFYEs (W.Virginia, Colorado, Kansas and Michigan). She drove us to her home in Delmson, Germany about 90 minutes from the airport where we arrived at a large, red brick house. After finding our rooms we ate dinner with the Schroder family getting our first taste of German cuisine. Dinner is usually a smaller meal, for most Germans Lunch is the biggest meal of the day, where we had bröchen(rolls), käse(cheese), fleisch(meat) and of course butter! We all went to bed quite early becasue we were ALL exhausted and jet-lagged.

The 4 of us stayed at Edith's one more night before driving to Bettina's Haus(House) further North to stay with her for the remaining of our orientation. Bettina is the other IFYE coordinator and was also a previous IFYE to Kansas and Michigan. Bettina is so wonderful to let us stay with her and the people she works with. On one evening she even took us on a train ride to Kiel, germany a city up north to a huge musik festival. A lot of American musik was played and we even got to mix with some of the locals.

My First Host Family
When I finally arrived at my 1st host family I was so lucky just to be there!! I accidentally missed my train so I arrived about an hour and half later than scheduled. After quick introductions and a quick splash of water on my face I was suffled into the family car and brought to a large pub for my first "public viewing". The Germs call watching a Fußbol in a bar a public viewing...I thought I was going to a funeral or something;). It was incredible to watch Germany Vs. Spain on a huge big screen with 200+ people shouting chants and prosting(cheers!) eaching other for good plays. Germany ended up losing by one goal but I had a great time.

Gescher's Very Own Chicken Whisperer
So as I have gotton to know my wonderful family, I find if fully necessary to learn the family business. The business is selling organic eggs. So I think to myself..."how wonderful!! I like organic things and they are organic farmers so we will have scrambled eggs and I will see the store where their eggs are sold". Of course I didn't think that I would be the oil that kept the machine moving;). So one day I went inside the chicken coop to get eggs....Easy squeezy, right? Well those of you who know me know that I freak out when I see, let alone have a bug or any type of foreign specie, on my body. Well those chickens... they are vicious!! Maybe not to the normal person but to me its like therapy going to ge the eggs everyday because its just so yuuucky. I go into the stable and collect all the eggs and shoo the chickens if they get in my may and breath through my mouth so I dont smell the stank of the chicken poopie. I know what a baby!! But I have been getting better and now I only scream twice instead of a dozen...Progress. And now the chickens and I have come to terms that i MUST get the eggs and they MUST get outta my way. I think we are becoming quite good friends. Oh also I've been thinking about never eating an egg again...EVER!!

One Month Left

So its here. One month left of school!! I'm so excited!! I had a great weekend bonding with my sister and feel much better about taking this new step and moving back to my home town. I'm just going to have a positive attitude and make the best!! I think I'm fretting over nothing!

I'm pretty exited for Thanksgiving! I love the holidays, they make me feel so warm and fuzzy inside!

Happy Holidays!

Mornings and Coffee

Lately I've been so eager to wake up. Even last night when I went out super late with my gals, I still proceed to get up early. I love my coffee, a possible hike or workout and starting the day early. For some reason it just makes me happy. I have tried many times to sleep in, and sometimes I do...well 'till like 10...that's the absolute latest!

Many of my friends have hated me for this characteristic. When I stay at anyone's house they are super upset when I get up early. "Why are you up? Go back to sleep?" One person who never says this phrase is my awesome sister. I even think she needs to sleep in once in awhile because that girl gets up way earlier than me-but I love when we get up together because we love getting coffee and walking around and looking at houses or taking a hike in a new place. She's awesome! I think we get the"sickness" from my dad because I remember him always be up earlier and waking us up with his scruffy whiskers. I blame it all on him;)

Later!

My First

Well I bet you are all excited that I am beginning my first blog. If you don't know me than you know that that was pure sarcasm. Anywho so lets see. I've been hopelessly busy completely my last semester of school. I'm seriously counting down the days 'till this craziness is OVER.

So yeah, what am i going to do after that? That seems to be everyones fav question but I actually have an answer. I'll be moving back to my hometown for 6 months before traveling overseas. I know this sounds great...right? Well I guess but I'm a little hesitant to be moving back in with the ol' parentals. I mean I've been living on my own since I was 18. It's def gonna be an adjustment.

I'm really bummed that I have to leave my pad too. Its so cute and I LOVE living on my own. The freedom is awesome and what can I say I like hangin with myself..I'm kinda cool. Ok see right there that was funny...Hopefully you're laughing because I crack myself up and am a a slight dork.

What exactly is a dork? Hmmm... let we Wiki it. Alright Wiki says that a dork is "Dork is a term of abuse favored by American youngsters, designating the target as quirky, awkward, eccentric, socially inept or simply of lower status". I kinda think that Wiki needs to update that answer. i consider a dork someone who isn't afraid to be fun, funny/good sense of humor, goofy and lighthearted. What do you guys think?

Also if you are graduating and feeling a little weird about it let me know! I don't WANNA be alone:)

Have a great day!