GAPP 07 Journal Assignment Set 2

GAPP 07 Journal Assignment Set 2
July 8 Michael Baszto
July 9 Jordan Nohle
July 13 Kellie O’Keefe
July 14 Bailey Allen
July 15 Nick Terry
July 16 Heather Shultz
July 17 Sara Cushing
July 18 Jada Ormsby
July 19 Josh Kohl
July 22 Ned Schelleng
July 23 Krista Juczak
July 24 Meaghan O’Rourke

July 8 Michael Baszto
On Saturday we made a visit to Köln, or Cologne. Timo, Greg, Christoph, and I (Baszto) went along with Angelika and Kurt Schoppmeier. We rented a Citören C4 and drove for 3 hours to visit the big city. We saw so many things there such as the Kölner Dom (a HUGE Gothic cathedral) and die Altstadt. We climbed all 509 stairs in the Kölner Dom, half an hour both ways, to the top which was a spectacular sight. You could see the entire city from the top of the church. After the church we saw some of the old architecture from the city and it was just marvelous what was built so long ago without all of the technology from today. Cologne’s history goes back to Roman times. Along with many old things we saw many new and exciting things. We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe in Cologne and experienced the very interesting waiters and waitresses there. Along with many different kinds of sights to see, we also had a ton of fun wondering the city and saw many funny things. For example, there was a man who stood outside of the Kölner Dom, dressed in a grey gargoyle suit, who would entertain people for money. Unlike many other street perfromers who seem very friendly, he was very scary to many of the children and acted quite strangely. We also, on accident, stumbled into the celebration for Christoffer Streets Day, it’s like a holiday for homosexuals. We wandered through the big celebration and met some very nice people. All and all, the day was very exciting not only in Köln but later on that evening we went to Abi-Fete 07, but that’s a story for another day...Viel Spaß! Sincerely, Heinz

July 9 Jordan Nohle
On the 9th, there wasn’t a planned activity, and as such, I took the day to relax , and more fully adjust to the still new surroundings. For a while I sat in the room they had graciously provided for me, and I looked over the movies that were there. A surprisingly high amount were simply famous movies from the states, Harry Potter, and Lord of the Rings among them, translated into German. It was one of the first times I noted that the world seemed to be taking an American culture. Oh: and I later just sat online, listening to the same bands as I do at home. Still for all the similarities, there are definite differences between our cultures. Getting used to having sandwiches for breakfast was a bit difficult, and the fact that they had six different breads and 8 spreads at the table, yet didn’t have simple salt and pepper shakers were nearly always absent. French Fries and Curry Sausage with a side order of cucumbers was also odd. Though larger differences were that it seemed that the adults had more faith in the children and teenagers. Being able to just go out, or leave school if classes are done that day. Another difference was the view on alcohol. It wasn’t there as a tool to loose your mind and party, even with the young adults. It was simply a tasty beverage that helped you to relax after the days toils were over. Though, every now and then you will see a drunk German, or a group, but it is far less common.

July 13 Kellie O’Keefe still pending

July 14 Bailey Allen
Family Weekend: On Saturday the 14th, my host Thea didn’t do much until the afternoon. Once 3:00 came around, we rode our bikes into the city to meet some of her friends. Her friends were playing a game that involved alcohol. The idea of this game was to walk either 2 or 4 Km with a big case of beer and a partner to help you. While walking you had to drink and whoever drank the most at the end won. The game was nothing I was interested in so Thea and I rode our bikes ahead of them. Later, around 6:00 Thea’s dad took us to a barbeque at a friend’s house. We stayed there for about two and a half hours. After the barbeque was finished we left with one of Thea’s friends and went to the Delftfest, or city festival. We met quite a few of the Gappers. We ate crepes and Spaghettieis, rode on the Xenox (a ride at the festival) and just walked around and had a good time. We ended up leaving the Delftfest aroiund 1:15 a.m. with Thea’s friends who took us home. After the day was over, I was very exhausted from the great time I had.

July 16 Heather Shultz still pending

July 17 Sara Cushing
Trip to Bremen. The day did not begin at our usual meeting place, the Nordseehalle, but at the Emden train station. We rode by train to Bremen which was an interesting experience because the train was a double decker, so the view of the German landscape was beautiful. Oh, it was also interesting to almost lose two members of the group! Luckily, they were on the train all along with us, just in a different car, and every thing turned out to be fine. In Bremen we visited Beck’s Brewery. We were given a very insightful look on the world of beer brewing. Oh and the best part was after the tour was when they gave us free beer to sample and soft pretzels to eat! We had to distinguish between several types of brews according to the guide’s descriptions.
We also were given a tour of Werder Bremen Bundesliga soccer Stadium. And we were VIPs for the day and the were allowed into all the expensive box seats and lounges. The day was followed up by a few hours of shopping in downtown historic Bremen. I can’t think of any better way!

July 18 Nick Terry
I got up this morning like any other morning. I woke up at six thirty, showered, ate my toast, and drank my coffee. My host brother Daniel said that we only had to go to school for three lessons – I was excited. Since it was the last day the students and the faculty had a soccer game. It was not like an American students vs. the teachers game where the students would embarrass the teachers. It was the opposite. The teachers were very good and won 4 to 2. After the game, the students received their report cards or “Zeugnis” auf Deutsch. The grades are 1 to 6 with 1 being the best. Most students received 2’s and 3’s while only a few received 1’s or 4’s. After school, we went to the harbor to celebrate the beginning of vacation and the end of school. We drank Fanta and ate Wurst and cookies. We then proceeded home on our bikes, for we needed rest for the next day. Since school is over, only more fun can come.

July 19 Josh Kohl
Yesterday was our last day of school so now we have more free time with our families. Some of the GAPP students are going to Berlin for a couple of days. Other families are going to the Netherlands or to places in Germany. So far we have been to Hamburg, the VW factory, Papenburg-Meyer shipyard, the mud flats, and Bremen. All of our trips have been a lot of fun. While in Hamburg we enjoyed Minature Wonderland, a boat tour thoughtout the harbor, and in the evening we attended “Dirty Dancing”. Our next adventure was to the VW plant. It was interesting to see all of the machines assemble the cars and the various processes that it took to build the cars. Later that week we went to Papenburg-Meyer shipyard, it was neat to see the huge ships in the building process. Even though there were technical difficulties it was a good time. After we went to Baltrum, an island in the North Sea, where we walked around the (car free) island for the day, then we walked back to the mainland . On our last trip we went to Bremen where we took a tour of Beck’s brewery. Then we rode the city bus to the soccer stadium, homeof the Werder Bremen Bundesliga profi soccer team. After that we enjoyed some free time to look around downtown Bremen.

July 22 Ned Schelleng still pending

July 23 Krista Juczak, group coordinator
As our stay here draws to a close, I too want to reflect on the group and our stay in Germany in general. This group is smaller than our previous ones, and I think this is a good thing. When everyone is together we fit on a bus or in one gathering room. The Americans as a whole are very friendly and outgoing. The Germans were very interactive with me as well their guests of course. On the days we were in school our kids did MANY presentations. Mostly we had computers with projectors available, but sometimes not. No matter, they willingly improvised. Especially enthusiastic were the German 5th and 6th graders, the beginners in English. They had great questions like asking to see our American money, or arranging small groups with snacks and drinks. They are our future GAPPers and ready for the task.
As a group the South Jeff and Belleville-Henderson kids have been polite, enthusiastic, understanding and flexible. The typical attitude of ‘I’m not doing that’ or ‘You’ve got to be kidding me’ seem not to exist. Our German hosts have been SUPER too, much thanks to them. Our trips were interesting and educational, not always an easy combination. The school days were chocked full as well. The few days of vacation time we had were well spent travelling to visit extended family in small groups, and for my little family to visit my German relatives as well. I really appreciate that my students could hang in there ‘on their own’ while we tripped across Germany for four days. Coordinating this trip is a lot of work, but these kids have really made it a 100% worthwhile effort. :)

July 24 Meaghan O’Rourke
Every moment of Germany was amazing- I honestly cannot think of one negative from it- well maybe only being away from home and family for so long! Our trip back felt shorter than our trip there; almost like time has gone by faster. Perhaps this is because we knew what awaited us: loving families who had missed us for three and a half weeks and we them. Going to Germany, we had no idea what awaited us and what our families were actually going to be like, but I don't think any of us were disappointed or felt unwelcomed when we arrived or throughout our stay. It's hard for me to decide which has been my favorite part of this trip to Germany: my incredibly generous and kind host family; living the German (Ostfriesland, to be exact) life style; our numerous and exciting field trips to places like the soccer stadium and Becks factory in Bremen, Dirty Dancing at the theater and ferry trip in Hamburg, the ship mill in Papenburg, and the many other places we went to. All I can say is everyday we had something to do and everyday I learned something, whether it be new German words and/or something cultural and at times ways our American history would correlate to the Germany history. I did not realize it during our time there, but my German has improved immensley; less often do I open my German/English Oxford Dictionary to look stuff up for meaning, but spelling. We all have our own personal anecdotes to share, new formed friendships to carry with us, and for some new impressions of the world and society, from this trip. All of these will hopefully last a lifetime. I want to again thank everyone who has made this trip possible: Frau and Mr. Juczak, Vati Bingle, all of our parents and family, and Frau Prekel and Herrn Bochers and all of our host families back in Germany! This was the experience of a lifetime, my one and only to live as a European (well Ostfrisian) teenager, and every moment of it was enjoyed to its fullest!