Today is the penultimate school day. Sara and Vroni had their last day today. We didn't really do much, not much learning as a lot of people aren't in class because there is a concert tonight. We spent a period eating Weißwurst and then discussing how to deal with the incompetency of our English teacher with another English teacher. He is one of the coolest teachers because he just recently graduated from University and he knows whats it like, not like some of the old farts that teach at schools all of the world and say: "Back in my day...", do we honestly care?
After school I went to the Apple Store and after waiting a little bit the guy asked me what was wrong, I told him and after a quick look he gave me a brand new iPhone 3GS!!! Free of charge, no stress. The lady next to me had a bigger problem. When she turned her laptop on, it sounded like a mouse was being electrocuted, it was hilarious!! Tomorrow the first 3 periods we are having our Christmas breakfast, lots of photos will be taken.
Good bye!!
Mittwoch, 22. Dezember 2010
21.12.2010
Hallo!
Came back to school, was really happy to see some familiar German faces. Miss Werner, our English teacher, should seriously be sacked because she can't do her job. A girl in my class gave a speech on Malcolm X. She speaks English very well as she went on exchange to England for a while. For a native English speaker she was speaking at a good pace, maybe a bit too fast for a German. I understood everything and Miss Werner said she didn't understand and her handout was too long, she didn't give any specifications in the first place. So she ended up not getting a mark. This is shit!!
I went to the city afterward and got my host family one of their presents, sadly I can't call it a Christmas present because it won't ready for Christmas, I found that disappointing. Getting a refund for my headphones was so easy, the guy doing it was even offering me lollies. They gave it back to me in cash. Would have been a problem since I paid for it with Tato's card!
Will be going to Apple tomorrow to see what they can do with my phone. I bought a really nice jumper I had been looking at last week and bought some dirt cheap books about Bavaria in a book store.
Right after school we drove in the tractor, Sara (mum) in the back and us 3 in the open air in the front and we drove off to steal our Christmas tree from the Catholic Church. It was gold how we covered our tracks, drove away on a different path, all planned out as an escape. Success!
Came back to school, was really happy to see some familiar German faces. Miss Werner, our English teacher, should seriously be sacked because she can't do her job. A girl in my class gave a speech on Malcolm X. She speaks English very well as she went on exchange to England for a while. For a native English speaker she was speaking at a good pace, maybe a bit too fast for a German. I understood everything and Miss Werner said she didn't understand and her handout was too long, she didn't give any specifications in the first place. So she ended up not getting a mark. This is shit!!
I went to the city afterward and got my host family one of their presents, sadly I can't call it a Christmas present because it won't ready for Christmas, I found that disappointing. Getting a refund for my headphones was so easy, the guy doing it was even offering me lollies. They gave it back to me in cash. Would have been a problem since I paid for it with Tato's card!
Will be going to Apple tomorrow to see what they can do with my phone. I bought a really nice jumper I had been looking at last week and bought some dirt cheap books about Bavaria in a book store.
Right after school we drove in the tractor, Sara (mum) in the back and us 3 in the open air in the front and we drove off to steal our Christmas tree from the Catholic Church. It was gold how we covered our tracks, drove away on a different path, all planned out as an escape. Success!
20.12.2010
Hallo!
Didn't really do much. Train was delayed 2 and half hours and I had no credit on my phone, very mysterious! All the shops at Munich train station couldn't give me phone credit because the system was down. When I finally got to the train station, Sara was pretty worried. Oh well. The rest of the day I didn't really do much. I couldn't go to school because it was already so late when I got home.
Didn't really do much. Train was delayed 2 and half hours and I had no credit on my phone, very mysterious! All the shops at Munich train station couldn't give me phone credit because the system was down. When I finally got to the train station, Sara was pretty worried. Oh well. The rest of the day I didn't really do much. I couldn't go to school because it was already so late when I got home.
19.12.2010
Got woken up at 4 am. Everyone was leaving at 5 am, I was in my pajamas and was feeling pretty tired. Pretty painless goodbye and then I went back to bed. Woke up at 9 am and I went to the train station expecting everything to be closed because it was a Sunday. I was in luck as it was the Sunday before Christmas and that practically everything was open until 8 pm.
It was snowing all morning and it was windy so I went into the Museum of Communication. A really interesting view of Germany's postal service through history and many other things. There was a robot that would greet you if you walked up to him and the other robot would play with a big ball.
I continued along and was cold again and walked into a medicinal technology museum. The museum wasn't particularly interesting but then I saw a rabbit. I couldn't get up close to it because security didn't let me but he did say there were a few families of them hanging around the construction site. Mind you this is right next to Potsdamer Platz.
I spent a bit of time shopping and it was still snowing so I wanted to find a good museum. I saw an ad for the Germany History Museum's exhibition of the Hitler era. I went there, it was free, toilet (considering you usually need to tip), locker, everything, the wonders of being under 18!
Afterward I caught a bus in the hope of going sightseeing, instead it took me to the outskirts of the city. On the way back we were blocked by police, I got out and then realised what it was. It was the Coca-Cola Christmas Tour, their final run in Berlin. I didn't get anything :(. It made me really happy but then I had to go collect my things and catch my train from the outskirts of Berlin, it was a safe suburb, pretty sure it is even one of the richest suburbs!
It was snowing all morning and it was windy so I went into the Museum of Communication. A really interesting view of Germany's postal service through history and many other things. There was a robot that would greet you if you walked up to him and the other robot would play with a big ball.
I continued along and was cold again and walked into a medicinal technology museum. The museum wasn't particularly interesting but then I saw a rabbit. I couldn't get up close to it because security didn't let me but he did say there were a few families of them hanging around the construction site. Mind you this is right next to Potsdamer Platz.
I spent a bit of time shopping and it was still snowing so I wanted to find a good museum. I saw an ad for the Germany History Museum's exhibition of the Hitler era. I went there, it was free, toilet (considering you usually need to tip), locker, everything, the wonders of being under 18!
Afterward I caught a bus in the hope of going sightseeing, instead it took me to the outskirts of the city. On the way back we were blocked by police, I got out and then realised what it was. It was the Coca-Cola Christmas Tour, their final run in Berlin. I didn't get anything :(. It made me really happy but then I had to go collect my things and catch my train from the outskirts of Berlin, it was a safe suburb, pretty sure it is even one of the richest suburbs!
18.12.2010
In the morning we walked past the Synagogue, it is massive and has a gold dome. If my memory serves me correct it is the only one still standing from before WWII.
We were taken to Hackescher Höfe. It is a landmark group of buildings typical of Berlin. Basically its a maze of buildings all connected together by courtyards. Only the apartments directly on the street get any light and the rest are pretty scummy. Its really an arty place to live as it is really popular, expensive and I found nothing particular about it. All the boys are squeezing in a Döner Kebap wherever they can find one. We went to one of the many Ampelmann stores. This is a store celebrating the stop and the go men at pedestrian crossings. These stores are dotted all over Berlin's tourist districts. Got some badges for my blazer and got some lollies.
Afterward we went to the KaDeWe - Kaufhaus des Westens. This is the biggest shopping centre in Germany and it covers 8 floors, of which most are stocked with expensive brands like Tiffany & Co, D & G, Gucci, Rolex, I think you get the picture. Although I did manage to find 24 seasons 1 & 2 for only 15 € each, a bargain!!
We had free time and I went with Matt shopping for CDs and DVDs. We have most of them at school but...he ended up only having about 7 € left, with no back-up apart from begging others.
We had an early dinner and we then went to this ice cream place, it was so great. The ice cream was a work of art and it wasn't terribly expensive, best of all, it was included in what I had previously paid!! It was a great end to the trip, we thanked Ms Hohlweg and Ms Puffenholz for their time. I think Ms Hohlweg nearly cried when we thanked her for her service to the school, she is going on leave fro 2 years to do volunteer work, she isn't sure if she is coming back.
We were taken to Hackescher Höfe. It is a landmark group of buildings typical of Berlin. Basically its a maze of buildings all connected together by courtyards. Only the apartments directly on the street get any light and the rest are pretty scummy. Its really an arty place to live as it is really popular, expensive and I found nothing particular about it. All the boys are squeezing in a Döner Kebap wherever they can find one. We went to one of the many Ampelmann stores. This is a store celebrating the stop and the go men at pedestrian crossings. These stores are dotted all over Berlin's tourist districts. Got some badges for my blazer and got some lollies.
Afterward we went to the KaDeWe - Kaufhaus des Westens. This is the biggest shopping centre in Germany and it covers 8 floors, of which most are stocked with expensive brands like Tiffany & Co, D & G, Gucci, Rolex, I think you get the picture. Although I did manage to find 24 seasons 1 & 2 for only 15 € each, a bargain!!
We had free time and I went with Matt shopping for CDs and DVDs. We have most of them at school but...he ended up only having about 7 € left, with no back-up apart from begging others.
We had an early dinner and we then went to this ice cream place, it was so great. The ice cream was a work of art and it wasn't terribly expensive, best of all, it was included in what I had previously paid!! It was a great end to the trip, we thanked Ms Hohlweg and Ms Puffenholz for their time. I think Ms Hohlweg nearly cried when we thanked her for her service to the school, she is going on leave fro 2 years to do volunteer work, she isn't sure if she is coming back.
17.12.2010
We spent the morning in the Stasi museum. God, never knew people would go to such lengths to catch criminals of the State. They had cameras everywhere, in empty barrels, clothing, petrol cans and even logs. The museum is being renovated so the displays weren't as great as usual.
We had lunch at Lafayette which is in the very rich area, a bit like Collins Street but much more expensive and exclusive. Snuck in a Glühwein, Matt hadn't had one yet and he needed to try one! He was really nervous about teachers seeing us. I got asked for ID, after which the women thought I had just turned 16 (she read my ID very well!!), which was weird because usually a 14 year old can buy a Glühwein without a problem. I later found out that we got in the most exclusive Weihnachtsmarkt without paying the entry fee of 1 €!!
We went to Checkpoint Charlie, one of the most famous crossing points of the Berlin Wall. Heaps of tourists there and heaps of Russians selling Soviet memorabilia. The Wall Museum is about one of the only museums you need to pay as a student to get into it. Pieces of the wall are sold absolutely everywhere, its a shame you can't find anything remaining after only 20 years.
We had lunch at Lafayette which is in the very rich area, a bit like Collins Street but much more expensive and exclusive. Snuck in a Glühwein, Matt hadn't had one yet and he needed to try one! He was really nervous about teachers seeing us. I got asked for ID, after which the women thought I had just turned 16 (she read my ID very well!!), which was weird because usually a 14 year old can buy a Glühwein without a problem. I later found out that we got in the most exclusive Weihnachtsmarkt without paying the entry fee of 1 €!!
We went to Checkpoint Charlie, one of the most famous crossing points of the Berlin Wall. Heaps of tourists there and heaps of Russians selling Soviet memorabilia. The Wall Museum is about one of the only museums you need to pay as a student to get into it. Pieces of the wall are sold absolutely everywhere, its a shame you can't find anything remaining after only 20 years.
16.12.2010
Early wake up, but still relatively late to what time I wake up in München. The breakfast cannot be stuffed up in a European country, bread rolls, good yoghurt and good spreads.
We begin every day with a meeting to say where we are going.
We went to the Bundestag again and we wanted to ascend to the dome. Due to terrorist threats you need to book well in advance, it really sucks.
We then went to Museuminsel, which is the Museum Island with about three different Museums. It was full of Ancient Greek artifacts and then another museum had a clay model of Nephatiti's head, the most popular exhibit, but nothing compared to the Mona Lisa.
We were all quite tired afterwards, so we played pool in the Hostel. It was nice to catch up with friends.
We begin every day with a meeting to say where we are going.
We went to the Bundestag again and we wanted to ascend to the dome. Due to terrorist threats you need to book well in advance, it really sucks.
We then went to Museuminsel, which is the Museum Island with about three different Museums. It was full of Ancient Greek artifacts and then another museum had a clay model of Nephatiti's head, the most popular exhibit, but nothing compared to the Mona Lisa.
We were all quite tired afterwards, so we played pool in the Hostel. It was nice to catch up with friends.
Donnerstag, 16. Dezember 2010
15.12.2010
Arrived in Berlin at 9 am, chucked my stuff into a locker at the Berlin east train station and went off to the city. I haven't had a chance to write a diary the last few days, so this is a recount from Sunday, in the exact same Starbucks in which I went to on the first day.
It snowed heavily enough all day. I went to the pillars erected for the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, it's a really chilling feeling, especially when you stand in the middle of it where there is undulating terrain in every direction.
I went to the Bundestag, their parliament and walked through about 200 meters of snow to get a really good shot because I had my fixed zoom length lens on. I then continued on through the city and found a Christmas market for lunch. The lockers are very convenient because it means you just carry want you want and leave everything else.
I walked along a river for a while and passed through the university student quarter, it's like Melbourne university just much bigger and more extravagant. The train service run everywhere you need them to go, you just need to learn where they go!!
I spent about an hour catching wrong trains and then getting off and walking very far. I got off at Kurfüstendammplatz. It is where all the shops are, but I missed KaDeWe, the biggest department store in Germany, but we will go there later.
Their train was delayed by about 20 minutes, not that bad. They had been traveling for 7:30 because it takes so long. It was dark when they arrived and it only got darker. They had to drag their luggage for 30 minutes through the snow, it was as good as a snow plough!!
We had dinner, it was better than the last Youst Hostel I was in, they said it is one of the best ones, since it is in a big city. Afterwards we went to Alexanderplatz, the meeting place in East Berlin. Some people are absolutely addicted to Döner Kebabs, anywhere we stop and we see one, they buy it!
It snowed heavily enough all day. I went to the pillars erected for the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, it's a really chilling feeling, especially when you stand in the middle of it where there is undulating terrain in every direction.
I went to the Bundestag, their parliament and walked through about 200 meters of snow to get a really good shot because I had my fixed zoom length lens on. I then continued on through the city and found a Christmas market for lunch. The lockers are very convenient because it means you just carry want you want and leave everything else.
I walked along a river for a while and passed through the university student quarter, it's like Melbourne university just much bigger and more extravagant. The train service run everywhere you need them to go, you just need to learn where they go!!
I spent about an hour catching wrong trains and then getting off and walking very far. I got off at Kurfüstendammplatz. It is where all the shops are, but I missed KaDeWe, the biggest department store in Germany, but we will go there later.
Their train was delayed by about 20 minutes, not that bad. They had been traveling for 7:30 because it takes so long. It was dark when they arrived and it only got darker. They had to drag their luggage for 30 minutes through the snow, it was as good as a snow plough!!
We had dinner, it was better than the last Youst Hostel I was in, they said it is one of the best ones, since it is in a big city. Afterwards we went to Alexanderplatz, the meeting place in East Berlin. Some people are absolutely addicted to Döner Kebabs, anywhere we stop and we see one, they buy it!
14.12.2010
Leaving today for Berlin. Wrote a physics test about a week ago and we got it back today, I got above average, without even studying but apparently I'm really messy, oh well.
After school we ate Bayrisch food- hackebrat (I think), basically tastes like a frikadelle in a baking tin. Tastes really good. Sara went to help Viktor today to slaughter all the ducks, so Tato, I guess I won't be feeding the ducks!!
Straight afterwards I took the train into the city, deposited my bag into a bag locker and then went sightseeing, shopping, eating. I bought myself a christmas present, which I will be returning promptly when I get back to München, will explain why shortly. So many shops that you can literally shop till you drop. The food is great.
Waiting at the train station with my Christmas present - a new pair of headphones, it was all fine until I sat down in Starbucks and then I here a crack and my iPhone stops playing musics. The headphone jack was broken and al the buttons at the top didn't work and they still don't after many attempts. Going to go see if the Apple Store can help me!!
The woman in the train with me thought that Australia was a Former Soviet State!! Had to hold in the laughter. Writing from Berlin at the Brandenburger Tor, recharging my iPone as it was dead. It still functions as a phone but as an iPod, no way!!
After school we ate Bayrisch food- hackebrat (I think), basically tastes like a frikadelle in a baking tin. Tastes really good. Sara went to help Viktor today to slaughter all the ducks, so Tato, I guess I won't be feeding the ducks!!
Straight afterwards I took the train into the city, deposited my bag into a bag locker and then went sightseeing, shopping, eating. I bought myself a christmas present, which I will be returning promptly when I get back to München, will explain why shortly. So many shops that you can literally shop till you drop. The food is great.
Waiting at the train station with my Christmas present - a new pair of headphones, it was all fine until I sat down in Starbucks and then I here a crack and my iPhone stops playing musics. The headphone jack was broken and al the buttons at the top didn't work and they still don't after many attempts. Going to go see if the Apple Store can help me!!
The woman in the train with me thought that Australia was a Former Soviet State!! Had to hold in the laughter. Writing from Berlin at the Brandenburger Tor, recharging my iPone as it was dead. It still functions as a phone but as an iPod, no way!!
13.12.2010
Woke up feeling pretty damn good about my German score. It wasn't all that bad. Chemistry was really fun. The teacher casually asked if anyone had a cigarette, a lot of people smoke the teachers know it, but they turn a blind eye. So one of my friends pulled out a cigarette and have it to her, the teacher lit the cigarette and went on to do a magic trick, showing the reaction of acids and bases to create smoke. She then admitted that smoking the cigarette was a diversion. Something like this would never happen in Australia, asking a student for a cigarette and then lighting up in the name of science!!!!
Straight after school we went sledding in Leutstetten, the little township next to ours. The view are amazing as the sun goes down and there aren't a million people in line to go sledding. Later I did the last packing for Berlin, really excited!!!
Straight after school we went sledding in Leutstetten, the little township next to ours. The view are amazing as the sun goes down and there aren't a million people in line to go sledding. Later I did the last packing for Berlin, really excited!!!
Sonntag, 12. Dezember 2010
9-12.12.2010
Hey!
Not much happened the last few days so I will summarise. Ms. Hohlweg go back to me, finally!! The guys in Germany from Melbourne High are having a great time. On Thursday in sport we did handstands for 2 periods, building up from nothing. I hated it and so did most of the class, but I had a go. I can't properly handstand, and it scares me anyway to do it. Some guys were forced by peer pressure to give it a go, we also had to do one off a platform 1 metre above the ground on to a mat, it was scary! It has begun to snow again and it will be snowing every day until at least Tuesday.
On Friday we were released after period 5 and early. That meant I could catch the early train, but no one could pick me up so I was at the train station waiting for the bus for 1.5 hours. I have discovered the best tasting bread roll: "Kartoffel Zweckerl". I assume its a sourdough roll with its sourdough mix based on the starch from potatoes, seen it in a few recipe books. Sara and I were invited to a sleepover. Tato if you want to google it, we were in Wilzhofen. The bus to get there took half an hour after a 15 minute train ride and at least a 45 minute wait.
The next day we got dropped off at the train station and then we took the train to our station. We thought that either Sara or Max could pick us up, but they weren't at home. There were no taxis, the hot-line was unattended and the buses came in 2 hours and it would only take us half-way, that meant 45 minutes of walking in snow, whilst snowing. So luckily we caught a train back to Starnberger See, just in the nick of time, we caught it just as it arrived and from there we caught a taxi home. Relatively cheap I think 15€.
The snow has been really slushy and the temperature has been a bit above 1ºC, which means the snow melts. I spent the weekend inside, taking photos of the cats, reading John Grisham, who is the best author for his genre in my opinion and nervously awaiting my VCE German results, which in theory should arrive in 4 hours and 20 minutes. Nervousness, its snowing and getting dark, already 4:40 pm, so I think I will just try and finish reading John Grisham and then await my results.
Wish me luck!!
Anton
Not much happened the last few days so I will summarise. Ms. Hohlweg go back to me, finally!! The guys in Germany from Melbourne High are having a great time. On Thursday in sport we did handstands for 2 periods, building up from nothing. I hated it and so did most of the class, but I had a go. I can't properly handstand, and it scares me anyway to do it. Some guys were forced by peer pressure to give it a go, we also had to do one off a platform 1 metre above the ground on to a mat, it was scary! It has begun to snow again and it will be snowing every day until at least Tuesday.
On Friday we were released after period 5 and early. That meant I could catch the early train, but no one could pick me up so I was at the train station waiting for the bus for 1.5 hours. I have discovered the best tasting bread roll: "Kartoffel Zweckerl". I assume its a sourdough roll with its sourdough mix based on the starch from potatoes, seen it in a few recipe books. Sara and I were invited to a sleepover. Tato if you want to google it, we were in Wilzhofen. The bus to get there took half an hour after a 15 minute train ride and at least a 45 minute wait.
The next day we got dropped off at the train station and then we took the train to our station. We thought that either Sara or Max could pick us up, but they weren't at home. There were no taxis, the hot-line was unattended and the buses came in 2 hours and it would only take us half-way, that meant 45 minutes of walking in snow, whilst snowing. So luckily we caught a train back to Starnberger See, just in the nick of time, we caught it just as it arrived and from there we caught a taxi home. Relatively cheap I think 15€.
The snow has been really slushy and the temperature has been a bit above 1ºC, which means the snow melts. I spent the weekend inside, taking photos of the cats, reading John Grisham, who is the best author for his genre in my opinion and nervously awaiting my VCE German results, which in theory should arrive in 4 hours and 20 minutes. Nervousness, its snowing and getting dark, already 4:40 pm, so I think I will just try and finish reading John Grisham and then await my results.
Wish me luck!!
Anton
8.12.2010
Hey!
Sorry, haven't really written much the past few days, don't really know why. Basically today I went to München (I finally worked out how to do ¨ on my computer, so cool!). I visited the Christmas Markets and brought some Christmas presents for family, hope you guys get the cards by Uki Christmas. Today Bayern München is playing against Basel in football. Police are just stationed everywhere. There are hundreds of officers patrolling and lots of vans full of officers as well. Sara said the last time Bayern had a home game, there was fighting, and especially because there is a Christmas Market, there is Glühwein so they were all singing and chanting.
To buy presents I had 2 options, 1) find a supermarket near school and then lug the gifts, hopefully not missing the train (it comes every 45 minutes at that time), or 2) take the train to München and then find the post office and a supermarket. I walked around for a good hour and couldn't find anything, also got lost, but then a woman at a stall told me about an underground supermarket. In the city you would expect it to be more expensive, but it wasn't, same prices as at our supermarket.
The post office lady didn't really like speaking English and when she saw that I was sending my parcel to Australia, reluctantly began to speak English. I persisted with speaking German and you could just see how her enthusiasm changed.
Its getting back to colder temperatures, like it should be, not 12 degrees like yesterday and today wearing a jacket was a bit too warm.
Sorry, haven't really written much the past few days, don't really know why. Basically today I went to München (I finally worked out how to do ¨ on my computer, so cool!). I visited the Christmas Markets and brought some Christmas presents for family, hope you guys get the cards by Uki Christmas. Today Bayern München is playing against Basel in football. Police are just stationed everywhere. There are hundreds of officers patrolling and lots of vans full of officers as well. Sara said the last time Bayern had a home game, there was fighting, and especially because there is a Christmas Market, there is Glühwein so they were all singing and chanting.
To buy presents I had 2 options, 1) find a supermarket near school and then lug the gifts, hopefully not missing the train (it comes every 45 minutes at that time), or 2) take the train to München and then find the post office and a supermarket. I walked around for a good hour and couldn't find anything, also got lost, but then a woman at a stall told me about an underground supermarket. In the city you would expect it to be more expensive, but it wasn't, same prices as at our supermarket.
The post office lady didn't really like speaking English and when she saw that I was sending my parcel to Australia, reluctantly began to speak English. I persisted with speaking German and you could just see how her enthusiasm changed.
Its getting back to colder temperatures, like it should be, not 12 degrees like yesterday and today wearing a jacket was a bit too warm.
Dienstag, 7. Dezember 2010
6-7.12.2010
The school week started again. Nothing in particular happened at school, everything is going well. It was relatively warm on Monday (3 degrees) and it rained all day. I had 7 periods so normally Sara would pick me up, I called a few times, no one picked up and I waited and eventually walked 45 minutes, about halfway home until they called back. I did buy Feldsalat, which I will hopefully send very soon.
Tuesday was really warm, 10-12 degrees, warmer than when I arrived, don't have to wear a jacket. Hopefully will go to Munich tomorrow, to make the week more exciting. Only 1 week left to Berlin trip and I still haven't heard from Ms Hohlweg, fingers crossed!!
Tuesday was really warm, 10-12 degrees, warmer than when I arrived, don't have to wear a jacket. Hopefully will go to Munich tomorrow, to make the week more exciting. Only 1 week left to Berlin trip and I still haven't heard from Ms Hohlweg, fingers crossed!!
5.12.2010
Again the day started off really slowly...
We went to the Munich International School Winterfest (Fete) a.k.a. the biggest collective of Americans, outside of an Army base. Upon arrival we were greeted in English, everyone spoke English, it is a community of purely English-speaking people. We walked up to a few girls who were selling certificates for the less fortunate in Africa, if we didn't want to buy one then, we could buy online. The girl told us: "The brochure is in German...." with a great hesitance. This shows how out of touch with Germany these people are, that some don't even know a single word of German. Sara knows a few people who lived in German for 5 years, without learning to speak a word of German.
Afterwords we went to Max's sister's parents-in-law. There we were greeted by St. Nicholas again and all the children were told what they had done well this year and what they had done poorly, even Sara and Vroni walked up to him. When he "left to go visit other houses", we all sat down and had a wonderful dinner, topped off with a desert of Kashtany (Maroni or Kashtanien).
We went to the Munich International School Winterfest (Fete) a.k.a. the biggest collective of Americans, outside of an Army base. Upon arrival we were greeted in English, everyone spoke English, it is a community of purely English-speaking people. We walked up to a few girls who were selling certificates for the less fortunate in Africa, if we didn't want to buy one then, we could buy online. The girl told us: "The brochure is in German...." with a great hesitance. This shows how out of touch with Germany these people are, that some don't even know a single word of German. Sara knows a few people who lived in German for 5 years, without learning to speak a word of German.
Afterwords we went to Max's sister's parents-in-law. There we were greeted by St. Nicholas again and all the children were told what they had done well this year and what they had done poorly, even Sara and Vroni walked up to him. When he "left to go visit other houses", we all sat down and had a wonderful dinner, topped off with a desert of Kashtany (Maroni or Kashtanien).
4.12.2010
Hello!
Today was a slow start yet again on the weekend. I managed to take quite a few photos of the cats and I came up with a Christmas present idea. The next 2 days are all about St. Nicholas. Yes, like in Ukrainian School, but much better, also with a raffle, but much better!
It was held in the local theatre, which doubles as a restaurant on weekends. The food was excellent and I forgot to mention that this was a yearly fund raising event for the local volunteer fire service. They showcase all the accidents they attend, Gut Schwaige was in the slide show 2 years, the dryer burnt the bottom of the house.
In the raffle I won a 1 litre bottle of the best Balsamic Vinegar, a Swiss army knife, a make-up bag and a kids road safety game. All of that for 15 euro, not bad! We came home very late.
Today was a slow start yet again on the weekend. I managed to take quite a few photos of the cats and I came up with a Christmas present idea. The next 2 days are all about St. Nicholas. Yes, like in Ukrainian School, but much better, also with a raffle, but much better!
It was held in the local theatre, which doubles as a restaurant on weekends. The food was excellent and I forgot to mention that this was a yearly fund raising event for the local volunteer fire service. They showcase all the accidents they attend, Gut Schwaige was in the slide show 2 years, the dryer burnt the bottom of the house.
In the raffle I won a 1 litre bottle of the best Balsamic Vinegar, a Swiss army knife, a make-up bag and a kids road safety game. All of that for 15 euro, not bad! We came home very late.
Samstag, 4. Dezember 2010
3.12.2010
I was the only one that went to school today in our family. The girls had parent-teacher interviews all day, wish we got a day off!! I had to wait at the train station 30 minutes, freaking trains!! Always delayed!!
I came to school late and then left early, the last 2 periods were Latin and English, The English teacher hates me, and anyone that can speak English better than she can (anyone who has been on exchange for at least 3 months). Her example of good English: "This is about Sub-urban children" (quite literally a 1 second gap between sub and urban). Apparently she is not the worst English teacher!!
I took the train into Munich. The German train service is very clean, pretty efficient and it goes almost everywhere, but for that you as a customer have to pay lots of $$$.
The main train station has a lot of dodgy looking people and for about half an hour I felt like I absolutely didn't want to be there. Heading towards Marienplatz on foot I saw many different nationalities, more than what you usually see in Starnberg - German, German, German, German, Turk, German, German, German, you get the picture.
At Marienplatz you really feel like Christmas is alive!! The Christmas Market is about a kilometre long and in some places 10 stalls wide, its amazing and that is not the only Christmas Market in Munich, there are heaps more!
The food is excellent, I found the best poppyseed cake and it wasn't even that expensive, it is basically what Babusia Lena makes, just less dough and heaps more poppyseed, I know which stall I'll be visiting again. I took lots of photos, I will try to upload some to Facebook by Sunday night, get a selection of the approximately 1000 photos I have taken so far!!!
The Apple Store is cooler than the one in Australia, it is bigger and central, two storeys. They have everything you need in any type of shop. Galleria Kaufhof is like David Jones. It has a food hall underneath with international food, top-quality bread and of course, long christmas shopping queues. There are lots of Collins St type shops scattered around the place - eg Tiffany & Co. I visited the "Residenz". Not sure what it is, need to check in my tourist attraction book. They had a small Christmas village there and a man out front playing Christmas tunes, even a proper camera crew came to tape him.
I was really cool and I can't wait to go visit it again, at the latest Tuesday week!
Love Anton
I came to school late and then left early, the last 2 periods were Latin and English, The English teacher hates me, and anyone that can speak English better than she can (anyone who has been on exchange for at least 3 months). Her example of good English: "This is about Sub-urban children" (quite literally a 1 second gap between sub and urban). Apparently she is not the worst English teacher!!
I took the train into Munich. The German train service is very clean, pretty efficient and it goes almost everywhere, but for that you as a customer have to pay lots of $$$.
The main train station has a lot of dodgy looking people and for about half an hour I felt like I absolutely didn't want to be there. Heading towards Marienplatz on foot I saw many different nationalities, more than what you usually see in Starnberg - German, German, German, German, Turk, German, German, German, you get the picture.
At Marienplatz you really feel like Christmas is alive!! The Christmas Market is about a kilometre long and in some places 10 stalls wide, its amazing and that is not the only Christmas Market in Munich, there are heaps more!
The food is excellent, I found the best poppyseed cake and it wasn't even that expensive, it is basically what Babusia Lena makes, just less dough and heaps more poppyseed, I know which stall I'll be visiting again. I took lots of photos, I will try to upload some to Facebook by Sunday night, get a selection of the approximately 1000 photos I have taken so far!!!
The Apple Store is cooler than the one in Australia, it is bigger and central, two storeys. They have everything you need in any type of shop. Galleria Kaufhof is like David Jones. It has a food hall underneath with international food, top-quality bread and of course, long christmas shopping queues. There are lots of Collins St type shops scattered around the place - eg Tiffany & Co. I visited the "Residenz". Not sure what it is, need to check in my tourist attraction book. They had a small Christmas village there and a man out front playing Christmas tunes, even a proper camera crew came to tape him.
I was really cool and I can't wait to go visit it again, at the latest Tuesday week!
Love Anton
2.12.2010
Today is usually the easiest day, because we only have 6 periods, 2 of which are sport. The first period was cancelled because our Maths teacher is sick and the second period they wrote a Latin test.
I stayed in Starnberg and did some more exploring, the expensive shops are further up the hill. I saw some scarves that were really damn expensive!! In Starnberg there are about 4-5 parfumeries, all of them are very exclusive and again, expensive!
I went to the Tourist Office and I asked them about possible locations of where Didus could have been. They believe its called Max Hof and it is 45 minutes walk South-West of Starnberg Railway Station and it is in the middle of the forest., I want to go there sometime soon. One of the girls in some of my classes lives there, maybe she can show me around.
I bought enough reading material to last me a while and I bought more in German than in English, I must stock up this time!!
I stayed in Starnberg and did some more exploring, the expensive shops are further up the hill. I saw some scarves that were really damn expensive!! In Starnberg there are about 4-5 parfumeries, all of them are very exclusive and again, expensive!
I went to the Tourist Office and I asked them about possible locations of where Didus could have been. They believe its called Max Hof and it is 45 minutes walk South-West of Starnberg Railway Station and it is in the middle of the forest., I want to go there sometime soon. One of the girls in some of my classes lives there, maybe she can show me around.
I bought enough reading material to last me a while and I bought more in German than in English, I must stock up this time!!
1.12.2010
It is now typical that we have train delays of up to 15 minutes, or cancellations, but that means we have to wait up to 30 minutes in the morning because our school bus comes right after the serve at 7:05 and the trains run at peak every 20 minutes.
The first two periods were cancelled due to a non-compulsory Christmas Service. I went and bought myself a Kinder chocolate Advents Calendar. Sara bought me a different one at the end of the day!
The first two periods I spent in the school magazine room. You have to pay for their magazine, but they also display local advertisements in there. They release it generally twice a year and it is run mostly by the older classes. They have heaps of computers and best of all, Facebook, Youtube and all those good things aren't blocked, it is like that in the whole school!
So far, the best poppyseed cake is at the local train station! I am still on the hunt for something better, there has to be!
I bought my ticket to Deidesheim and it wasn't as expensive as I thought it would be. The route is pretty straight-forward, with no unnecessary train changes, I am really excited to go back and visit them!
Really tired after school, not jet lag, just tired.
Thinking of you Babusia Lena, Get Well
Anton
The first two periods were cancelled due to a non-compulsory Christmas Service. I went and bought myself a Kinder chocolate Advents Calendar. Sara bought me a different one at the end of the day!
The first two periods I spent in the school magazine room. You have to pay for their magazine, but they also display local advertisements in there. They release it generally twice a year and it is run mostly by the older classes. They have heaps of computers and best of all, Facebook, Youtube and all those good things aren't blocked, it is like that in the whole school!
So far, the best poppyseed cake is at the local train station! I am still on the hunt for something better, there has to be!
I bought my ticket to Deidesheim and it wasn't as expensive as I thought it would be. The route is pretty straight-forward, with no unnecessary train changes, I am really excited to go back and visit them!
Really tired after school, not jet lag, just tired.
Thinking of you Babusia Lena, Get Well
Anton
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