Monday, June 4 - Izzy

Today was our first day of school.  Michi had her Latin exam so her friends took me to school with Jill and Clarah. I spent first class with them, and then all of us Americans met so we could get a tour of the school.  Before the tour we met with the Principal, he was very funny.  Then Frau Schafer gave us a tour of the school.  The school has a beach volleyball court, which we clearly need at Bettendorf.  They also have an outdoor classroom, which is awesome!

After finishing the tour we looked for Jill but we couldn't find her.  Sebastian, which is Peter's partner, took us to his sport class (PE).  We watched them play hockey, Clarah played and dominated the game!  After hockey they played dodge ball and asked if we wanted to play.  I was in a dress but I played anyway.  Gareth, Zoe, Peter, Clarah and I all jumped in the game.  They only play with 2 balls!  After throwing the ball the guys in the class kept handing me the dodge balls because I could get people out.  After sport, we found Jill and finished out the day with her.  We went to English class where we got to relax our brains, and then French class.  The teacher for French also taught English, so she gave us an English crossword puzzled.  We sucked at it - we only knew half of the answers.

After school we all met down at the "world famous" ice cream shop.  It was so good! We then met the mayor of Blieskastel and she was really cool.  Its definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity here and we all love being here so much.

The photo below is of Spaghetti Eis - its ice cream that is passed through a press to make it look like noodles and then it goes on whipped cream, then covered in strawberry sauce and shaved white chocolate so it looks like a plate of spaghetti!

Sunday, June 3 - Gabe

Today was the first full day in Germany.  I woke up and had a nice German breakfast full of bread, coffee, cheese, and other spreads.  After breakfast Florian gave me a tour of Blieskastel.  I recorded a lot of beautiful scenery with my Go-Pro and got familiar with the town.. After the walk I got my first vegetarian Doener from the local Doener shop and it was really yummy and filled with cabbage. After that we had a barbecue with all of the GAPPies at a lake.  We got to meet all of the Germans and their families.  I vlogged the whole party and will hopefully edit the video for everyone.  Then I got dared to eat watermelon rinds, and we all bonded over my stupidity.  We then sat by the lake and talked for a while and Sebastian and Florian swam across.  It was a good way to start off the homestay.

Sunday, June 3 - Zoe

Hello!  Its Zoe!  I am staying with Paulina Zuendorf right outside of Blieskastel.  My host family is very nice and accommodating. This morning we went to a local bakery to buy bread and croissants for breakfast.  We bought SO MUCH BREAD!!  I enjoyed it all.  The view from my family's patio is amazing and you can see the whole village.  After breakfast my Paulina, Mia, and I rode bikes on a trail through the village.  We saw an eagle, "the lake" and ate the best ice cream ever.  It was soooooo good!  Everyone we passed on the trail was very social.  Germany is so beautiful!  I spent the rest of the afternoon admiring the view while playing Monopoly with my host family.  It was very fun and actually easier than American Monopoly.  Later that day the GAPP Exchange hosted a BBQ.  Everyone met for the first time while enjoying delicious food.  All of the Germans are very kind and funny.  So far this trip is the time of my life, I think everyone else feels the same.

Saturday/Sunday : Frau S & Melissa

Greetings from Sunny Germany!  Today, we are blogging from our deck and enjoying the view of nature. 

We arrived safely on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 PM local time, tired but excited.  After a few anxious moments waiting for border and passport control (Frau, do I need my yellow folder?  What should I say to them?), the Bundespolizei wished me a good trip with 14 teens, after I told him "yes, all of the kids in line behind me are with me".  We tested our debit cards to make sure they worked and then found the train station in the airport. 

After that, I (Frau S) played "suitcase patrol" while everyone else went to get snacks and drinks for the train ride. 

Our "Gepaeck"

 

1st Broetchen of the trip!

Cranky Frau made a brief appearance after a group of kids didn't get back to the train platform at the announced time but luckily the train had a 5 minute delay.  Many of us stood for several stations until there were enough seats to sit down (the regional express doesn't allow for seat reservations, but that won't happen on the way to Salzburg and Muenchen, as we already have our seats reserved).  Everyone was very excited to see their host families waiting for them on the platform, so much so that other people on the train thought it was funny they were so excited. We were in the first train carriage and went right past them, so our German hosts scurried down the platform to meet us. 

We sent the kids off with their families for the evening and will see them again shortly at the Welcome Barbecue where we will hear all about their first night on their homestay.  Stay tuned for more posts from the kiddos!

Bis bald!

Arrival Day - Emma

Today we woke up on the flight.  Our plane arrived in Frankfort at 13:50 and when we got off the flight we went through customs and baggage check and then found a place to sit down near the train station.  We all went and checked our debit cards to make sure we could withdraw money.  Then we took our bags to the train station and went to find food before the train arrived.  Kira and I went to a bakery and bought chocolate brotchen and pretzels.

Our train ride took us a few hours and I enjoyed looking through the window at seeing the German countryside and small towns.  The most exciting part was meeting our German partners at the train station when we stopped.  My partner Nalie and her dad picked me up and took me to their home in Blieskastel where I met her mother and her brother.  They gave me a house tour and spaghetti for dinner.  Their house is really cool inside and out and I learned that the town is too when Nalie took me on a tour around the town after dinner.   Exhausted, I went to bed at 9:30 to be ready for exciting days ahead.

Arrival Day: Kira

On Saturday, we all got off the plane around 2pm in Frankfurt which was like 7am for us.  All of us were very tired, but very excited to be in Germany!  Emma and I had bread from a bakery in the airport and then we had to catch our train.

It was stressful to get on the train but it was fun once we got on. I talked with Gareth, Melissa and Izzy about our host families and our trip. It took around 2 hours to get to Neunkirchen and our host families were waiting for us at the train station. 

I met my exchange partner, Marita and her mom on Saturday. We went to a restaurant called World Food Trip together for dinner and then we went home and talked for a while. I met her father and her sister, Carmen, on Sunday morning. My family is very nice and I am having a lot of fun! I am looking forward to the rest of the trip! 

Auf nach Deutschland!- Frau Steiner

Annnnddddd, we're off!  Today's the day!  Loading the bus at 1:15 and a "quick" air conditioned coach ride to Chicago O'Hare.  Here's hoping for no traffic, a quick check in and the world's shortest TSA lines.  I am excited to be travelling for the 6th time with students to Germany.  This year marks the 39th year of friendship between Bettendorf High School and August von der Leyen Gymnasium.  I am happy to carry on this important tradition.

We will be meeting our host families at approximately 1:00 PM tomorrow Bettendorf time.  Look for our first photos on Sunday!  Students will be blogging each day, but the first post from students will probably be posted late Monday evening or Tuesday.  Blog posts are due to Frau during homeroom each day.  Weekend posts will be doubled up on Mondays.