I know, I know I haven't updated in ages, but before you start freaking out on me I have a damn good reason, and quite a few things to cover in this post, and possibly more.
First Day Of Schule #1
Written Aug. 28
First day of school was interesting. Of course I was scared beyond belief, so
nervous I was shaking for a good portion of the morning, almost threw
up as I got in the car. My host mom took me to class and stayed
with me outside the door until the teacher showed up.
I walked into class and was instantly the shiny new toy.
We all sat in a
circle and had MMK which is basically a big meeting to plan the week
and stuff, I guess, I'm not really sure, a few people came in late.
They figured out pretty quickly that I don't speak German, which was a
bit of a shock to some of them. They struggled through going around the
circle and saying their names and hobbies for me. I caught 2 names out
of 21. Then they had a big discussion about Mallorca vs. London for a
class trip. After that we
had double
biology. They have 45 minute classes here, and a double lesson is when they
have two of the same in a row, so it's a 90 minute lesson. After the first 90
mins is a 15 minute pause, and then after another two is a twenty to twenty-five minute pause.
Turns out staring is different here, I found quickly that German's stare
at you and they don't hide it, have no shame in doing so, and no matter
how long you stare back aren't prompted to look away, where I am anyway. That was a fun
discovery.
Half my class was too freaked out to talk to me, a third was so
enamored with me that they are either always staring at me, calling my
name (everyone pronounces it differently, and most people can't even say
it at all), or giving me the third degree. It's quite entertaining to
say the least. Finally the last third who are a group of girls that I
follow around and who are very nice. They were the first to help me
around, and they translate sometimes if they can. Turns out that for the
guys my name is a song. At least twice during/between classes I hear
"oh heather" being sung to me from a few seats over, or from across the
hall, it's really strange cause they literally sing it, it's quite funny
though. It's Peer's (a guy in my class) way of hiding that he
can't say my name right, others have picked up on it and use it as well. I don't mind.
My school is the only one on the island, a little over 1,000 kids go there, Every
single one of them knew who I was when I walked into the building,
it was really freaky. Like EVERY kid grade 5 + knows me. So
weird.... Everyone in town knows I'm the exchange student too, they all
watch me while I'm walking down the street with that look, I don't like it.
Anyway back to school! In Englisch I've become the teacher's 'assistant'
which I really don't like having the title of, but I'll put up with it.
My chemistry teacher doesn't speak Englisch, neither does my math
teacher, or my physik teacher. My other teachers have a few sentences
but that's about it. Mostly they have just introduced themselves said
hi, then basically ignored me. That leaves the 'guys' as I call them, to
explain it to me, which only words a third of the time. My klasse is great though, very fun, very funny, and
highly entertaining. Turns out I'm older than all of them, the opposite
of what I'd originally thought. They're all very outgoing.
I get out of school at 1 in the afternoon can you believe that! I have
to get up at 6:05 every morning though which is kind of a bummer, but
I'll survive. On Tuesdays I stay till 3 because I have sport, a class
I'm quickly learning to despise. I never did like gym. I have to take the bus home everyday, about twenty minute ride where I'm not guaranteed a seat. Nobody has asked me to hang out yet, but tomorrow I'm gonna put a
thing on facebook, everyone in my klasse has friended me now,
maybe someone will wanna hang out. I dunno.
I found out today that in
November the ONLY movie theater on the island closes for 4 months for
winter, and most of the stores close as well. That was a little hard to
hear. I'm really wanting to make friends and hang out. I dunno...
I might join an art workshop this painter in town gives. That
should be fun. I'm looking for clubs to join but there aren't many. It's
a little lonely having an entire afternoon with nothing to do. All the
homework so far has been huge chunks of text with words my little
dictionary doesn't have in it and google translate doesn't know. Plus
the teachers just kind of ignore me in a lot of cases so it doesn't matter if I actually do it or not since they don't check it. So far I've just been copying
everything they write on the board and translating it as best I can at
home. I did the English homework though!
Very proud of that. Turns out they don't even get much homework
at this school, it's really weird. I'm ok with it though.
I NEED PEANUT BUTTER!!! and more schocolade...
At the Inselschule Fehmarn the classes I was taking were:
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
History
Wipo - Politik
Deutsch
Englisch
Movie class - can't remember the word
Sport - 2 different classes (normal, and step aerobics - it's required)
Music
Math
Geography
Schule was great for the two weeks I was there. I had friends, people talked to me, I even hung out in Burg with a few people some days after schule. I went to bellydance every friday night at 8. It was great, my host family was wonderful, I got along with them really well.
Then on September 2 my whole world came crashing down around me in one simple sentence. You have to move, the family doesn't think it's working out. When my area representative first said it I couldn't comprehend her words. Couldn't add them up right in my head to make any sort of sense. When it finally sunk in all I could do was cry.
Will be continued in another post, it's very late at night and I'm exhausted.
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Sorry I'm so late.
