First Day in Germany

Getting off the plane in Munich we all quickly realized the air was quite a bit cooler than the hot humid climate we had left behind us in the United States. Walking down the tunnel to the German airport with carry-ons in hand we got ready to pass through Customs and into Germany. We had 2 hours in Munich until our connecting flight to Leipzig; just enough time to grab lunch and pass through the historic Brüderkirche (Brother Church). In Munich we always eat in the traditional German restaurant called Augustiner. There you can order anything from Maultaschen to Schnitzel to Weißwurst. The waiters always look like stereotypical Germans and although I have a feeling they can probably speak English they normally try to coax as much German out of the American students as they can. The food was delicious! The perfect place to get a taste of traditional German cuisine.

With only a little time left to explore the famous city we set out to see the Glockenspiel at the giant courthouse built in the gothic style. I've attached a photo of it to this blog. Just before 12 noon almost all the tourists in the city gather in Marienplatz, the huge courthouse square to hear the bells toll and see the glockenspiel in the tower. We were right on time but only had a few minutes to spare before catching a subway train back to the airport. There we continued on in a little Lufthansa jet headed for Leipzig. Not many of us remember this flight because we were already too tired to stay awake. But the day wasn't over. There was still a lot to see and do before arriving at our hosts houses and finally being able to go to bed.

The welcome in Altenburg was quite the reception. We arrived at the brewery very much underdressed as there was already a celebration underway hosted by one of the high schools of the area. They were celebrating their Abitur (graduation) in a way which in Germany is pretty much their equivalent to our prom. All the Germans were dressed in semi-formal and we walked in in our sweatshirts and jeans. It was still an enjoyable event. Most of us were too tired to care about what we looked like but the food was good and we recieived a warm welcome from our hosts after dinner.

As far as I've heard most everyone has been happy with their host families. This year our students are being hosted by students of the Realschule in Schmölln which lies just outside of Altenburg. Both cities are included in the state of Thüringen which covers roughly 6,000 square miles in the center of Germany. The other blog was right about us being in Thüringen but it describes the larger state not just a particular city. GAPP has never visited Schmölln before and the city hasn't ever hosted a group of American students but they really demonstrated a huge effort to make us feel welcome here. We've been treated to traditional meals of the area, taken on a tour of the city, been recieved by the mayor and other diginitaries of the region, as well as gone to the pool, mini-golfing and gone bowling with the German students. On Monday we also did a day-trip to Dresden which is relatively close to Altenburg. Dresden is known for its porcelain and for the Frauenkirche which has recently been restored after its destruction during WWII.

First, the Frauenkirche with a statue of Martin Luther.
Below it, a traditional German meal of Klöse, Rotkraut and Sauerbraten.

We've had a full schedule but I think our stay in Altenburg and Schmölln was very enjoyable.
Tomorrow we leave for Berlin!! It is one of the cultural capitals of the world as well as a historically rich city. Berlin has so many things to offer and always ends up being unforgettable! I can't wait. :)
Tschüss
Erika

I'm going to make this short since it's 00:14 here :D. We flew into Munchen on Thursday and had lunch at a nice restaurant with a very frustrated waiter. Then we got on another plane for about an hour and flew to Leipzig, making our total amount of time on a plane 9.5 hours. Ugh. When we got to Leipzig, we took a train to the main train station there, which is basically a mall, and shopped around a little while waiting for our train to Altenburg. We rode on the 2nd floor of the double decker train for about an hour to Altenburg. Once we got there, we went to a brewery where they were having some sort of graduation party. We had a buffet dinner and they had a whole pig to serve. Literally. You could look into its eyes. Then after dinner we met our host families and went home. Personally, my host family is amazing. My older sister speaks perfect English because she stayed in New York for a year. My host parents, not so much. I was stuck at home alone with them this morning and we managed to stumble through a few random conversations in German. The exchange of "danke" and "bitte" is starting to get a little old to everyone. Selina's host family lives across the street from me and her family is also really nice. Selina and I both have younger sisters who are at firefighter camp. No, that's not a mistranslation. They're coming home tomorrow. Today we toured the Realschule (comprehensive school) and visited a museum. Altenburg's speciality is playing cards. Oh and we don't all live in Altenburg. Some of us live in Schmölln and some of us, Selina and I included, live in Thüringer. I have a computer in my room, so I may be the one posting most of the updates until we leave Altenburg.
Auf wiedersehen!
Catherine

Packing for Germany!

Marshmallows, Reeses, Apple Butter, Brownies, who's going to carry it all?? In the Koerner household, the past few days have been very busy in preparation for our departure tomorrow. We not only have to worry about what clothes and belongings to pack, but we also have to find American gifts for each of our host families and for the teachers and principals at the schools we visit. This year I was in charge of making 15 flags with the "German American Partnership Program" logo on it to be arranged with both a German and an American flag. Each one of these will serve as a special gift to the officials in the places we visit. One will go to the mayor of Achern, one to the principal of the Gymnasium, etc. And one for my dad of course! It is the 20th anniversary of GAPP at Freedom High School and those who helped accommodate our groups each year deserve much appreciation.

While I'm packing my suitcase I'll be sure to pack plenty of gifts for my host families and friends in Germany. All the more space for things to bring back when we have to leave!

Happy Packing!

Erika