Washington Dc
The first day was fantastic because I got to bond with a new group of people. I didn’t quite realize how large, crazy, and diverse our country is until I met 74 other people from all over the USA.
The second day made a quite large impression on me, particularly because I got to observe a lot of the political battles I have heard about in the news, specifically the battle for the unaccompanied children from Central America. It was inspiring to be that close to so many of the issues our country faces and connect some of the personal stories from these children to a larger immigration issue.
Meeting with Congressman Jim McDermott was a blast, and we spent a good chunk of our time talking about German and US soccer. It’s too bad the Sounders lost the day before (saaad). He gave me some initial contacts I can make in Germany near Köln, both to make friends and start searching for my internship. I know it is his job, but I always appreciate how kind and supportive congressional members are, especially regarding this program.
My last night in Washington was spent getting dinner and swing dancing with a cutie pie named Sean Dunn, and it was the perfect ending for my time in the US.
Germany
I do not even know where to begin with my time in Germany. Perhaps I will start with the airplane ride over. We rode with Lufthansa and were given the opportunity to watch movies and drink essentially as much wine as we wanted (I love Europe). So naturally I spent the night drinking wine with some new friends and watching Bend it Like Beckham in German. This was most definitely the best flight I have ever experienced. We got into Frankfurt airport at 8 a.m. and spent the rest of the day avoiding jet lag. I don’t really remember being very tired at first, probably due to the fact that I was so stoked to play soccer. It had been a week- I was getting antsy. The hospitality in Germany was excellent, and I remember the first thing that shocked me was the cute white coffee mugs atop plates and doilies. Everything was so white and clean. The food was excellent, and we spent our first night staying at Schloss Waldthausen in Budenheim, Rheinland-Palatinate. I relished having my own room and some privacy for the first time in days. I spent the day playing soccer and listening to classical music with my friends outside of the small castle. I got to speak some very rusty German, but altogether it did not yet feel like we were in Germany because we still had our small little American niche. On Friday we all departed for our respective language schools in Saarbrücken, Radolfzell and Köln, and that night I got to meet my host family! I live with an older couple in a suburb of Köln called Vogelsang, like “bird song.” I totally get why they call it Vogelsang, because I wake up every morning listening to a choir of birds and it is beautiful. I speak German with my host family, although they speak good English as well. It is frustrating to me that I do not know every word or expression, and it is my vocabulary that holds me back the most. However, I have already learned a million and one words and have a nice big book of Idioms that I am syked to read. Language school begins tomorrow and I am so beyond excited to improve my German. I feel like a child again, giddy for her first day of school. Eek! |