Get Ready for a Long Post...

Hello all!

All is good here. Live is going on, as normal. I have some more observations for you, however! :D

1) DRIVERS. Drivers here are crazy. Nothing like Minnesota. They drive on either side of the road and as fast as they please. Most cars (as I have observed) are stick shifts. But, that being said, I haven't seen any car crashes or wreck cars. So, good for the Germans.

2) Classes here. The physical classes are quite comparable to classes in the states. The odd thing is, is that teachers here move classrooms as well as the teachers (In eleventh grade that is. I think it is different in 10th grade and under). It is odd. So they have to haul all of their stuff around too. And they don't use computers nearly as often as in the States.

3) Scarves. Scarves everywhere. Okay, maybe not nearly as many as I'd estimated. But a lot more. And boys too. That is not as uncommon as in the US. Definitely liking the scarf look, though. :)

4) School books. The other day in my Deutsch class the teacher told us of a book we had to buy. I was shocked. In my school in the US all of those books are provided. I am very grateful for that now. It must get expensive to always buy those books!

5) German students here need to get some Camelbacks. :) I am so surprised! Most people here do not have reusable water bottles! But most do have water bottles. There is an interesting 'system' for water bottles here. You buy a large case of them at a set price, and then, if you bring all the empty bottles back, you get money back! You can do that in the United States but unfortunately most of the time the bottles are not brought back. Here, they definitely are. But, they still need some CamelBacks. :)

6) American flags. Weirdly enough, this is a weird fashion statement. American flag print shorts, shirts, and scarves. I am not sure why anyone not from America, or in America really, would want an American flag print anything, but whatever, I suppose. I bought myself an American flag print scarf for the Rotary Exchange Orientation. :)

7) Boys here actually have decent hair. And care about what it looks like. Just thought I would point that out to any American boys reading this... :)

Well, I have more, but I'll save those for later.

On another note, I went to the German Walmart yesterday! It is called Globus, and it had three floors! I was quite reminiscent of good old Wally World. And it was oddly comforting.

Well, that is all for now.

Tschüss!
Beth