sorry...

I was really keen on this blog, and its not that nothings happened.. its that too much has happened and I have been procastinating.

So... I don't really know what order things happened in but I had a really interesting, and good first week of easter. I went to a jazz gig, few parties, an ice hoceky game, a oberstuffe bbq in the forest (all that with real Germans :D )and a spring fest (with othe other exchange students)..Before I knew it, it was my 2nd month day. I went to France for a week... and then it was back to school. Then I just lived..went to Konstanz for a weekend to stay with a friend... Then I changed families... then I just lived... then I went to Dresden, the next weekend was long and I went to Zurich for a night quite spontaniously... and that weekend was a birthday party of a good friend of mine. Then it was this weekend and I went out of friday night to the town ha ha ha. And this weekend I have been simply hanging with the family, eating, watching movies in German ha. Und... this week we have holidays and I'll probably just live and on friday we got to Austria to stay at this like old farm house and drink goats milk, the week after that I go with my host sister to Paris, then I will just live for two weeks and then Barcelona for a week with the Oberstuffe and then I come back to NZ.

Ok, now for the long version of what I just said... maybe with photo's :D

So yeah, I had a few friends at school, and we went out a few times as I probably have mentioned.. but I also had a neighbor I had walked home a few times with, and had talked on facebook too, his name is Julian. So oneday, we were both home and he started talking to me on Facebook so I just said what are doing! I am coming over! And that was the beginning of a great friendship. That week we did something together almost everyday.. from going for a walk to a little lake, reading vogue, drinking wine and watching youtube with other friends, or going to bbq's. Twas cool.

I went to Spring fest in Stuttgart with some other exchange students... it was very.. festy. With heaps of food stands, a huge beer garden, and heaps of rides! I got to see a bit of Stuttgart and then came home that night.

I really can't be bothered resizing the pictures
.. sorry :P

Annnnd then we went to France, it wasn't that best holiday of my life but it was regaurdless, so lovely. France is beautiful, there is just something about it. I now see why with  the whole obsession with France. And the hot chocolates we lovely. I was in a camping place near a town names Dabo.. its extreamly small so I don't know if you could find it on google maps but yeah.. France is just great. I saw Stassbourg aswell.

Then I probably went to Konstanz the next weekend.. Afterschool started. Then that week I changed families. Strangest thing, it happened so fast! It still feels strange but I do feel at home, and love this place. I feel so much more happy... I live with a Kindergarten Teacher, Cordula. She is Sinja's mum (the uni student that lives in Konstanz I stayed with) and Julian is her brother, he is 13. Everyday I ride my a bike through the forest to school.. I love it. And the family are just wonderful... light, happy, absolutely friendly people :) The mother works all day but we eat breakfast and dinner together.. and when I come from school fast, lunch too. We normally have a hot lunch and a cold dinner- very German. I get to help make dinner. On the weekend we have 'brunch' and bbq. We watch movies together (my host mum and her boyfriend have great taste in movies) and . . . yeah. I love it here!!!!!

My first weekend  in the new family I went out on the friday to st.g town.. or too a bbq first with these other girls from my class, Sarah and Elena... who I now sit by in class.. and then yeah to the town where I danced the whole night and smoked Shisha :) The next day was my host brothers birthday and went to a Kite fest and was nice. Sinja was down.. we booked tickets to Paris.

The next weekend was Elena's birthday party.. it was in this like old car museum/factory thing and that was fun. That weekend Sinja and my other sister, Natasha down. She studies music in Stuttgart. And yeah had a family weekend, went to a comfirmation which in itself was boring but nice to be all together. That followed with a lunch that lasted all day in a gasthaus with all the people that this boy knew (who was getting comfirmated) and I found many 4 and 5 leaf clovers :P

The next weekend was a long weekend I was supposed to be going to Prague but the AFS guy taking us forgot so I decided, spontaniously to go to Dresden on the thursday. And so I found a mitfahrgelegenheit and stayed there with a girl, with the same scholarship from me. Not only was it wonderful to be with a NZer, but Dresden was amazing. The altstadt was just beutiful and the neustadt was so alive! We ended up staying there until 4 or 5 in the morning you meet such nice people when you are foreign and ahh was lovely.

The next weekend was a long one. I had nothing to do on the friday and I had found a cheap mitfahrgelegenheit and the couch person replied quick so I was there! ..alone! It was so nice, I meet these amercian girls and we talked until the early hours of the morning about culture! It was so interesting! And then the next day I wondered around Zurich.. eating chocolate :) I meet alot of people just sitting in this cafe for a few hours.. I was surpised I could understand them but they were probably speaking hoch deutsch when they noticed my deutsch wasn't amazing

Mmmm, the night I came back I made pizza and Julian was at mine and we chilled, he took my bike home at like 3 in the morning because he had to get up and organized his 18th that day!!! I went there and it was fun . . . sleeped the whole next day...

Then that brings us to this week! It was a short week.. on thursday we had abistreith. Which is a day, when the abi people. Its like the people finishing college, have actually finshed, and they have a day where they can pull all these pranks = a soaking wet jessie at 8am :p but was fun!

This weekend I went out on friday night... and chilled with the fam. We watched about 3movies in two days, had yummy food! Made jam and rubab cake.. just had the grandparents over :)

Uuh its kind of weird summing it up like this....

In the week I usually go to school, ride my bike home, eat, and then meet up with friends or go to Konstanz or something.......................

Life is good.. I am really happy! I have worked really hard for this life so its cool.. its great.. and I am hungry

Love, love.. Love!

Hello Hello everybody.

I am here to report on my fantastic day yesterday. I went to Konstanz to meet my friend, Mariana, form Argintina:

Mariana

..because it is her birthday soon and I just had to see her before then :p

I got to Konstanz at twelve, after a hour and a half train ride. And meet up with her and two other exchange students and we got a doner. Doners are German kebabs but there in this soft bread shaped like pita bread, instead of a wrap. 

The second thing we did, was something I have been waiting to do my whole life; go to Zara. And all I can say is seventh heaven.. it did not disapoint like all the other european shopping outlets (H&M etc) Two levels of beautiful fabrics and classic un-tashy cuts that reasonably priced.. Well, I've finally found a place where I belong. With much restraint- I only brought a bright orange skirt, a dress and when I was at the conter I found my glasses, god and zara designed just for me.. I wont upload a picture since you'll be seeing alot of them in this blog entry.

We walked around this huge shopping centre for a while (well huge for Germany) and then we went to the town and walked around a bit, then got an ice cream. I got Hazelnutt of course (new favourite) and tried in english, bluebery ice cream. We then went to the lake and meet up with the boys again.

Ahhh I love konstanz and Bordensee. I alway feel happy when I'm there. Yesterday, with meeting 'zara' I felt unnaturally happy. It's just such a beautiful place. All the people are beautiful and dress amazingly. The boys are cute.. the weather is so nice (apprtntly. not in the winter but that means cheap rent!) and I feel happy there. Konstanz is for me. I think the University of Konstanz is looking good...

We laxed out by the lake for some time before Mariana and I left to take the ship accoss the lake to Meersberg. Could see the swiss alps. Much fun:

And meet this girl when stressing abut the bus who told us we should swim the accross the lake every sunday in July.. OK! I am swimming the bordensee, cool! We somehow made it to Uberlinging (....) which is a beautiful town on the bordensee where Mariana lives. Mariana shouted me to a drink on this lake side cafe, then walked down the along the lake and talked and watched the sunset.

Twas a lovely day, I love zara, the bordensee and my friend so all was Beautiful.

Look on Facebook for all the photo's.

I then caught two trains home and after walking home the time was perhaps eleven. I live on the other side of town and it was dark.. But its weird, in Germany- I dont think bad things happen as much as in NZ. For example I can leave my bag at school anywhere with anything in it and can trust its safe because everyone else does that too. People sometimes leave there bikes not locked up on the street. And its OK to go walking at the night, alone. Well I assume because my family said nothing and nothing bad happened apart a toot or two... Hahaha.

New thought: talking german, is sometimes like flying. Sometimes like crashing. Lets just say, I love the take off.

And all the different names for the same thing

Oh the joys of a small town.

It was a really nice day today, as it had been for the past three days or so. I had a Maribophone lesson but we it came to go inside I just couldn't make myself leave the sun, so my like ''teacher'' (this boy in the year above or something) and I had a fail lesson in the sun by the town square that lasted about 20minutes and then spent a few hours talking. He walked me to my friends house where we were having a bbq. And four people in the house had seen me. Her dad told her I he saw me on a date (??????!) This all within a few hours! Oh my.... This is different.

Had a fun week, chillaxing with friends in the sun and school I had my first spanish lesson. I went out for a drink with a betrauer. But starting to feel home sick.. It's weird, btu kind of refreshing as it means I'm actually here. I can feel it. This is offically home. But sometimes I do feel like I'm going through the motions of a life and not actually... serving a purpose. I mean sure a purpose for myself but .. mmm. ''Egal'' I miss myself alot too. It's really hard for me not being witty clever spontanious Jessie.  I just don't have the words and I do feel I must immer speak Deutsch.

But it has been a really nice week.

I really can't remember was it's like to listen to something and be really sure you really understand them . . It's not a new feeling. I can only describe it as maybe.. No I can't really describe. Maybe like when talking to someone you like, and you analys everthing they say.. Even though you might understand the words, you have to 'translate the meaning'

Even though I still end up having a few english conversations a week on the phone to LILY HI or family or my englisch teacher... Sometimes when I'm thinking I wonder how I communicated with people beofre and then I remember where I am.. honest.. It's s strange. 

Talking in English is boring... but great. In english I can go into depths and I'm so eager too, but who with.. I don't really have anyone within a 100km distance. But German, german is exciting.. I have no idea what I'm going to come out with.. Let alone weather it will be witty, or povoke an interesting responce, or weather it'll lead to complicated vocabulary. It like 'head first in the shallow end'. When I talk I pray, pray for words. Or fishing for words is interesting... for example today I couldn't remember the word for remember in this context so I said 'nothing for me to forget' and that was like a lot wittier then the first alternative. But as you can see my english isn't exactly de creme de la creme at the moment.


This past week is a bit of a blur. I had a (das) Maribophone lesson, the boy teaching me is great- I can't think of a time here I have spoken to someone in German for so long (ok a lie.. maybe my Betrauer but still a dramatic streach of the truth to convey how it was nice never hurt)  But then toward the end we somehow ended up speaking in English -.-


On saturday I gallovanted round town on my lonesome and ended up going to the oldest house in St.G, which is a museum thats open like 4 days a year... so I thought I would go in! And oh my I had this lovely old man and he took me on a tour through the whole house explaining everything to me! Insisted on speaking english and oooh he was so süss! Yeah when we were.. departing.. he went to shake my hand and I kiss his cheek. I love the awks :D

Went to a App-pris-see party in Schonach on saturday night, bad music.. but was quite fun.

On sunday I went to bordensee.. the like most beautiful place in the world... I think I'll get married there kind of beautiful... I took lots of picture.. but some are from the net cuz you weren't alloud to take photo's inside.. Butz this church was so detailed I was just blown away.. I didn't know where to look. Twas beaut'.

:O)

'Cause all you see is where else you could be when you're at home
Out on the street are so many possibilities to not be alone

And the dirtyist of all dirty words, promising.

Do I have a treat for you, my Late Orientation Camp report. Tales of Jessie learning how to Salsa/Merengue, put on a condom and also learning how may name is dirty and offence. But first, like many of my posts, I will kick start this spiel with my week (!!! not)

This week, I posted two (I want to say loafs, like bread, but I really mean like..groups- sorry can't think of the word) 'groups' of postcards. Why two you ask? Well turns out I am an extreamly lucky girl, and not just becuase I know so many lovely people to send post cards too.

So I went down to the post office, alein, and asked the man for stamps and we got talking. It's pretty odivious I am an Ausländer as my pronouceration is, well, average. Yeah so we walked about me and it was good and nice and then we are fertig with the postcards and conversation, he says stay there for a minute. So I do.. Wondering where he is going as he disappears into the back. And he comes back with maybe 7 relly nice Schwarzwald postcards, and gives them to me for free! It was so sweet. They were really nice, like big ones and stuff. Schön!

Yup, I tried Yoga. It wasn't anything how I thought. We pretty much layed there most of the time which was suprisingly nice. I say suprisingly because I was in the mood for some endorphans and to stop thinking for a bit. But turns out Yoga is very.. nice. Hmmm a must serch for a better word... I can only think 'good' at the moment as I am so tired (you'll find out why soon)

But chuur, my week was quite boring.. until thrusday! I meet up with my betreuer, Janina, in Villingen. It was quite funny actually. I was early and couldn't find the post box thing and I asked some girl where it was and and she told me and then when I walked off she shouted out: should I come with? I turned around suprised and it was Janina all along.. she had he hairt tied back and wow I felt like a dick.

We went out with Vanya aus Bolivien, who is going home soon and staying bei Janina's. We went out to an eis cafe to catch up, but then I ended up sleeping over. We had a girls nights playing drinking games, sharing secrets and smoking shisha. This was my first time smoking this, its really common over here and everywhere else in the world so it seems. But I have never heard of it? Do we have this in NZ? Can you buy nice flavours? Do you know what it is? I would love to know, if someone would tell me..?

Yeah it was a great night, I wont go into anymore details. It did kind of suck to wake up at 6 after so little sleep, walk to the station, catch the train and walk for like have an hour home as I misjudged the distanced.

LOC time!

On the way up to Freudestadt Vanya Bryan and I had to stop in Hausach for an hour to change trains. I made friends with the like track controller, or something guy and he showed me how to work the big board thing (it looks like a sound board) before we took lots of pictures and advanced to LOC. I love how nice people are. Just taking me in and showing me.. schön!

We arrived, we muck arround as everyone arrives. There were about 25 of us perhaps from all over Baden-Würtemberg. There was an austalian, maybe five thai, five japanese, one malay, many many latin americans and us two Kiwi's.

They did the camp thing, and I caught up with my friends, we went for a little walk and they talked rules.. We did a workshop, and like all the workshops we did, we were normally split into three groups: those who want to speak spanish, english or german. I always went into the german one but becuase of everyone limited language we didn't really have interesting conversation. But after all that we palyed a interesting.. game.

So, one must make someone laugh/smile- whilst doing this you must say 'Darling I love you, wont you smile for me' and then they must reply, staright faced, 'I love you darling but I can not smile today' for it to be over and the lover to move on to whoever else and try make them laugh. The volenteer who started the game, conveniantly he started by with me, it was really funny but I convenetly didn't laugh.. making me a bit of a 'to be persued' person. But I did crack! Vanya used an inside joke and how could I resisted? And then be staddled and lapped dance on by this other guy, well again. And then once bryan just looked at me and lifted his eyebrows in this way and I was gone. So when I got out, I wasn't really good at making people laugh, I was OK but it took me a few times. However one time, I was looking around the circle for someone to persue and then I just looked at Bryan and said 'it's payback bitch' and he was a suckerrrr. Twas fun

The next morning we did a few more worshops on raletively boring things. During meals I would be ripping out my hair in fustration as I normally sat by someone from south amera and they would be talking all together in spanish because for most their english is average or non existant...

But in the afternoon we had a Stadtrally! Thats where you go around the town in teams and have to proform tasks. Twas so much fun! Managed to get a raw egg boiled, swoop an apple for Lindt chocolate, get photo's with many many people. But my group didn't win because of a translation problem. All the tasks were given in the three languages. And we interperated the english as makes lots of photos with lots of different people but really it meant take one photo with a lots of people. But I DO HAVE COOL PHOTOS!!!

I can’t really be bothered uploading anymore, but I’m sure your see them all on facebook soon.. maybe..

AND AFTER THAT we had an other workshop, a speical workshop.. where they seperated us into boy and girls.. (if you know what I’m talking about) It was pretty standard until they brought out the carrots and condoms!!! I felt like a movie. But maybe it was good because I had no idea how to put on a condom and I don’t think I was the only one hahahha.

That night we had a talent quest. The Japanese did ahh paper folding of english…oragami! It was very cool. And most other people did cultural dancing, including me! I did and taught the Haka and a little did of that stick thing, taiaha. It was nice hanging out with a Kiwi though. We didn’t really talk on the way over, but this camp we talked a lot. A lot about NZ since we had to do the Haka and the food we missed! Ahhh yeah..!

Yes the Australian has vegemite on her face

 

After that I think everyone was just ona major buzz and the latin americans decided to teach us how to salsa/merangay! I think only three of us really did it but ahhh love! It was hard at first to let go and just let someone lead but it was so lovely! And even though we dance so close it doesn’t feel bad or dirty. We ended up dancing until four am! I have no idea how I am going to dance with boys back in NZ when I have tasted this! It just made me happy!

I also taught people something, like how to shuffle and jerk even though some things I taught I cant do myself! Yup major buzz, I could have danced all night.

Throughout the camp, and the next morning escpeically when I would go to take a picture. Like ask someone if they can take a piture of me and someone else. Almost everybody in the room would jump into the picture and there camera’s thrown at the person taking the picture so we would have to pose for two minutes straight while the taking got throught the twenty camera’s! Demo..

 

Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE thought I was a living Meryl Streep, and as everyone always says: a young pretty Meryl Streep of course! Tis so strange, how many absolutely different people think that- I don’t see it? But I was quite flattered. Someone said it wasn’t my looks alone but my being, or vibe, or the way I present myself. I think someone mentioned the word powerful so yeah I’m happy!

It was really nice being with so many different people. Like when you’re here in Germany, you are alone. In your family you are alone, and to be together with people for a weekend who are in the same shoes as you is lovely. Its an automatic bond. Some people there couldn’t speak a word of english or very little German yet we became friends anyway.. somehow. Although no words were involved.. kind of magic yes?

Of course we all swooped emails and what not, and for those who don’t know my emails jessie.marika. And I do love my middle name- I was planning to name one of my children Marika. But now, I am deffinately not. Turns out ‘Marica’ in Spanisch is a terrible insult.. an insult to someone gay. I just google translated it now and the words that come up are sissy queen pansy magpie milksop mollycoddle quean. Now I don’t even know most of those words, not that my english is very good at the moment but apparently it’s the worst type of gay. So yes all laughed for hours, great. 'no don't take this email to latin amera ok'? OK. Just to think how close that became to being my name, no one would take me seriously! THANKS MUM. Just jokes:) Twas funny though..!

Alot of other stuff happened but it was more of a be sort of camp, I can't convey it. Sorry my writting isn't it's normal quality.

Over all, that camp was exactly what I needed. On the way back I just felt inspired and really happy. It's clear to me now what I want out of all this, and it's so nice to have some more people to relate to. I must learn Salsa! Things are on the up. How promising.....

Uh-oh cheerio

It's almost 2 o'clok here and so far it has been a resally good day. But being bored in whatever subject I was in first period (well first period for me) I did something stupid. Guess.. In my diary/ pretty book -I carry around to wirte feelings and details and what on my mind when bored- book, I did it. I wrote a list of things I miss. I wouldn't recommend doing it, in fact I avoid thinknig to much about NZ at all. So for you, in no particualr order:


° Chippy sams with marg and shitty white bread
°  My mama
°  Steak
°  Lydia
°  My pillow
°  Hockey
°  BOY BOYS BOYS
° The liabrary movie collection
° Sara

°  Hugs. I've haven't had a real hug that wasn't out of politeness or a goodbye yet. I'm not a huge hugger anyway to anyone but my family but still.. Maybe I miss my mama hugs...
° Pinapple lumps, just jokes
° The simplisty of acting like a bitch and just owning it. Or acting like a like a dick with my friends. Surveying, limbo, spies, indian tag. I miss Anna and courtney.
° Lunchtime!!!

Yeah so then I got thinking about easter camp and all the good times and even though I'll be in France for Ostern, I don't know where I'd rather be.

And then I wrote out 'Bonkers' in big capital purple letters and had feelings... hahahahah

So please, have a chippy sam for me :o)