It rained yesterday

Well there isn't that much to write about really...I went to another concert last night though. A real one though. The organ one was in a church with about 20 people and it was free. This one was in Säckingen and what for this band called Fabro and they played ''Flamenco Jazz.'' They were super good too. All three were really talented...one guy on the piano and man did his fingers fly, and also played a type of drum that he sat on. And then his twin brother played the guitar, 4 or 5 types of drums (but not tradtional drums, bongos and other different kinds), the flute, bass saxofone and the tenor sax, and one other weird instument that i can describe. It looks more like a big round ball made of metal or something sitting on a barrel and he rubbed it with his hands to make a sizzling noise. And then the third guy played the guitar and mandolin and he was also really good. I cant explain the music much, but Carola bought the cd so i can put it on my ipod and maybe burn a copy...and I will send it home, because Mom, I think you will like it. Their website is www.fabro.de.

The German class I was going to take isn't going to happen. It was German, being taught in german, to people in their 3 course or something. So I didn't really understand. That's ok though, just means I can sleep more.

I made a pillow case for a pillow that Carola wanted covered and it's really pretty. That's a little exciting, but not really. Now she wants me to make more lol.

I miss having hot spiced tazo chai tea latte's. Especially when it's cold outside and I have a cold. mmmm chai tea i love it so much.

I would post more but I don't really feel like it...maybe tomorrow with a pic of cooking. I am making tacos tomorrow. mmmmm. Oh and I just realized that all my photos, not just the ones from Stuttgart, are gone, except the ones I took on the first day here (at the lake and of the house). Well that really sucks. Oh well. Got a year to replenish my supply.

no pictures from Suttgart

I am majorly dissappointed....all my photos from Stuttgart seemed to have dissappeared of the face of the earth...no where to be found on the computer and I dont know why or where they could have gone. I loaded itunes onto the computer and put some pictures onto my ipod and thought I had all my pictures going onto it....but no Stuttgart ones, nor any Stuttgart ones on the computer, and I deleted them already off my camera. Well hopefully I will go there again before the year is over. Thats all for now...nothing else interesting has happened except my english teacher asked me if i would want to do a presentation to the class about whatever I want...so I figured that could include Redding, my family, my school...etc. If anyone has some interesting pictures it would be much appreciated. I think I have everything off our computers at home though, Mom, so you dont need to send any, unless there are any good new ones.

Crikey I love soccer, I mean fußball

I had soccer practice, or as they say, fußball training (a ß is a German letter equivalent to ''ss''), again last night and after not playing for over 4 months I realize how much I love it. Man that's insane that it's already been 4 1/2 months since soccer ended. I remember the last game I played was the night I went to the Rotary inbounds and outbounds houseboat party on Shasta Lake...wow it's been a long time since that too!!!Time really does fly, it's insane. Day by day things usually go normal, but when you look back everything goes super dooper fast. Anyway I am so happy to be playing and since the first day I have finally begun to get back to my potential. The first practice I didn't do so good. But that's ok...now I'm better. Ah I love it. And my coach is so funny. His name is Josef and he always says ''bye-bye'' to me, except with a funny accent. And we were doing some conditioning, running up a steep hill in pairs, so as to build quad muscles, and when I was going, he was saying ''American Power!!!'' But it sounded like ''ah-meh-ree-kahn pow-wah'' Ah it was funny. So I think that's all for now. Just wanted to say how much I love soccer.

shall I continue...

I guess the only other major thing to say about the carnival deal was the crazy ride that Manfred and I went on. It was sort of a bungy ride...there were these two really tall poles that went about 30 or 40 or 50 yards up (I can't tell distance that well so I'm not sure...) and at the top of each was a really long bungy. Between the poles and attatched to the bungy was a ball made from metal bars with 2 seats in it. We sat in the seats and were thoroughly strapped in, then released after the bungies were tightened. Shot up into the air super duper fast and then down and up and down, and at the same time the ball was flipping in circles fowards and backwards. It was sooo much fun!! There was even a camera so the crowd could see our faces and then also speakers that projected our voices (my screaming, mostly) to the crowd. Stefanie recorded it for me with my camera, but I don't think I can post a video on here. Hmm. Anyway it was a major adrenaline rush and I was all shaky afterwards.

The drive home was very, eh, uncomfortable. Cramped into the bus with a bunch of drunk people. Oh, yeah, forgot to mention that we passed many many singing people. It was funny...they all had a mug of beer in their hands and were hanging onto each other bellowing words in German...attempting to sing a song. Quite funny. Anyway there was this one guy on the bus probably in his late 20s and he tried to get Stefanie to take a drink of his beer and she just laughed and kept saying no. So then he says to me, ''Wie heisse Sie?'' Ans so I said my name, and then he says something like, ''Kari, would you like to try my beer?'' Except in slurred German. I just kinda laughed and looked at him and then Manfred said I only speak English, so he says, 'Kaahh-ree, do you want a drink of my beer??'' And said nein, danke, and then Manfred told him I don't drink alcohol and he says, ''You don't drink alcohol??!! Ahh, but this is special, this is Rothaus, very special.'' Or something like that. It was so funny. I just laughed at him so he continued on his way. Oh, and the bus was equipped with a cooler full of Rothaus beer, and the bus driver was selling it to the people on the bus starting at 9am until 3:30am. And some other random guy patted me on the head for no reason. He just kinda looked in a daze and kept walking. Well I suppose that is all and for some reason the computer isnt posting the photos, so I will try that tomorrow.


Oh, And I made enchiladas and Mexican rice yesterday. I was dissappointed...they were good, but i needed more sauce, so they were little dry. Carola especially loved them, and yes, they like my cooking. I think I want to make pesto fettucine and focassia bread next. mmmm yummy.

lots of people and lots more beer

That's an old government building in Stuttgart.

Ok, I am not going to be able to post everything about going to Stuttgart, but this is a beginning. There is a lot i want to write, but I will have to finish it tomorrow. Yesterday morning I made breakfast, fried eggs, toast, and bacon. The bacon here is super thin and has less fat on it, from the Schwarzwald (Black Forest). Anyway a fried egg tasted so good it was unbelievable. Then Stefanie and Manfred and I got on a bus in Rickenbach that was taking us to Stuttgart. Manfred knew the guy that was heading the trip or something, so Stefanie and I got to come, even though we were going into the city, not doing what everyone else was doing, which was going to a big beer festival in a city right next to Stuttgart called Cannstatt. It's called Volksfest, I believe. In addition to the beer aspect, there is a huge carnival with about 5 times as many rides, vendors, and food as the Shasta District Fair. And it goes for 3 weekends in a row. And i think they expect something like 5-10 million people to come...from all over the world. Sorta like Oktoberfest I assume, but smaller. There was about 10 different huge tents and or wooden buildings, each designated to a certain type of German ale. Thea were absolutely packed to the brink with people, most of which drunk, dancing, and smoking. The security guard let me walk into one of them to take pictures (even though I am legal age anyway so it wouldnt have mattered) and i think the temperature rose aboout 15 or 20 degrees, no joke. It was like a cigarette beer sauna.

Well we went into the city first. And there were soooooo many people there. And so many clothing stores it was rediculus. (i think that's spelled wrong...) Manfred said that there was a German soccer game that night, and along with Volksfest account for mucho people. I got 2 scarves and a jacket, another to wear underneith my black pea coat. This one has a huge eskimo hood!!! It was kinda warm in the city, well compared to here. About 78. But it was nice, nevertheless. We got there around 1pm and went back to the Volksfest at 4 or 5. By that time there were many more people and more beer. As the night went on, more came, and so did the ambulances and police vans, zooming through the crowds with the siren blaring (their sirens sounds weird to me). hmmm i think I gotta go...sorry this is abrupt, will write tomorrow.

so I am now a genuine horseback rider

Awesome pics, eh??? I'm proud of the sun on...i just wish more rays were peeping through... and it was more centered. Oh well. I rode a horse today!! And it was fun!!! I have only ridden maybe 3 to 5 horses in my life. The last time was in Finland. Anyway today Stefanie and I took the horses out so they wont get fat...that is what Carola was afraid of. I didnt really know what to do, so first Stef just showed me the ways of doing things and whatnot and then we took them out of the pen and up the street and into the forest and came out in a field overlooking Herrishried at the top of the ski lift. Really nice weather too...about 70 outside and clear. Ah perfekt. Was a wee bit chilly in the trees though as there is pretty much no light that comes through. We were out for about an hour and a half, and are going again Sunday, but I want to do more trotting with them rather than walking most of the time.

Carola and Stefanie and I also went to Carola's parents' house today and had lunch. They were very nice, but didn't speak anything but German so I was thinkin hard when being spoke to. The food was good (big raviolis and this tomatoe sauce she made that was really really good). Oh and then we took a detour to Switzerland to go to the grocery store. Hah that sounds funny. They apparently have better coffee there and the schokolade (chocolate) is really good. Carola said the Swiss talk thicker, i guess than Germans...like they throw more ''schtchsch'' into everything.

Tomorrow morning I am making an American breakfast!!! Fried eggs and bacon and toast. And I lucked out, Mom, the sour dough bread you sent me is all for me! They don't like it!!!! I haven't had an egg for 3 weeks. And for anyone that knows...i love eggs...from my head down to my toes. ANd seriously eat them for breakfast whenever I have time...or dont have time. And then Sunday for lunch I am makin enchiladas!!! YUm. Oh and I made a chocolate layer cake today for Carola for this thing she is having...some sort of party for her choir kids...she teachers choir to little kids and piano and then plays the organ in several churches. Musical lady!

Tomorrow off to Stuttgart so I better go to bed. Gotta have breakfast ready at 8am. But then I can sleep on the train. mmm sleep i love sleep. Oh and I am probably going to be taking a German language course...just means I am booked monday night through thursday. Oh well...cant be harder than soccer fives days after school along with school, working on weekends, a German college class 2 nights a week and my cougar challenge. I'll be fine. Well better go!

short again

Another short post. I have been reading about Hurrican Rita since I don't have MSNBC or CNN here to watch and German news doesnt make much sense- I am looking out for my aunt and cousins...for those of you that dont't know they moved 2 months ago to Seabrook, Texas, by Houston and a mile from the bay. Yeah so its a little scary. Hope you guys are okay...for the next time you see this!!!

SO anyway...a few things I've been meaning to mention. They don't turn in homework here, which is good and bad becuase that means the grade is solely determined by tests and participation, most likely. And I want to do as good as I can, even if these credits dont even transfer or count. And even if they did count, I would still take all the same classes I intended on in college.

And for those of you that know of the incident where I fell off the wave runner with Aaron...pass it on to him that my nose is still dented...possibly permanent damage. There is a little scare from the cut and the cartalidge (spelling?) or bone or whatever the bridge of my nose is made of has a gap and a bump where the wave runner hit me. Hah...Blaino and mom, make sure he reads this!!! Make him feel bad!! Hhah just kidding. But Blaine, if you have his email, send it to me, please.

Had soccer, i mean fußball practice last night again. by the way...a ß is the equivalent to ''s.'' It was fun...i really like the girls and I played much better last night. Turns out I can play in games at the age of 16 so I can play now. Next game is Saturday but Im going to be in Stuttgart (yeah, a big German city!!). And they play at least through the winter which is pretty cool. Until December we practice outside and then move indoors or swim for exercise. Im excited! Too bad most or I am pretty sure all the girls are older than me. I get a ride with two girls from Niedergebisbach who are sisters--Melanie and Betina. They are 23 and 20, but look much younger. Very nice to me though and talk to me quite a bit. SO I am having fun with soccer.

And last...we get a lot of time off from school!!! I decided I will tell you all the dates...to rub it in the faces of my friends in school that dont get that much time off!! Neaner neener neener! Oh and reference for mom...in case you were possibly going to visit this spring....

Oct. 29-Nov. 6
Dec 22-Jan 8
Feb 24- Mar 5
Apr 13-Apr 23
May 27- June 11

And I dont know about the rest of the year...hopefully by that time I will be off on the Euro tour seeing all of magical Europe with my fellow exchangees from all over the world! Oh, and I am gone from school in the 2nd week of October for the Rotary Inbounds trip to the Black Forest. Oh, and we are staying in a youth hostel!!! Mitch and Cody, that should catch your attention!!! Well thats all for now. Sorry no pictures....maybe tomorrow. but who knows.....i may not post until Sunday, but that will be all about Stuttgart!!! Well guess the post wasnt the short after all. BYE!!

dropping a short line

Not going to post a lot today. There's not much to write and I have some things to do. Anyway...today was another school day, and art was actually interesting today. The teacher included me in her lesson, sorta. We al had to draw the projector machine thing and then she asked me to put them in order. I didnt know what she meant though, so I said ''gut oder schlect?'' Meaning good or bad. SLightly amusing, so then I proceeded t organize them by the angle they were drawn from. Nothing really exciting, but still, exciting for me. Oh and on the bus home i saw a cow giving birth. That was interesting....not something you see every day. Well, I assume it was...it appeared to be and there was no baby cow yet, but I had an inclination that is was. No further details though.... Oh and yesterday on the way to the bus stop with Carola and then on the way home on the bus after school we had to stop for a cow crossing. That was pretty funny. So random for me, but so normal for here. Oh, gotta stop, the cows are crossing the road, being hearded by the farmer. Made me laugh. SO I guess that's all.

PS---Mel and Aunt Kathy and Korinn. Hope Rita doesn't eat your brand new Houston house. Really and hoping for the best and so sorry Mel that you have to Motel 6 which I know you hate so much. I love your emails, they make me laugh!!!

wow this really is a family reunion on the internet

Cute little cow, eh?

First off...Just want to let all of you know that left a comment on the last post...I about died reading them all. All the stories of pot smoking drunk professors on college trips to the lava beds and the coast etc. were enough to make me thouroughly laugh...more than i have in a long while. Sheesh, especially Blaino and Pop...really, thanks so much. I love to laugh. Oh, and Kyle, it was really nice to hear from you and I loved the randomness of your email...no paragraphs just this and that right after another. Wow I am still trying to recover from laughing (and i was trying to be quiet so i didn't make a scene, but it was a little difficult. The result: tears).

Ok, and the next chance I get I am taking a picture of our neighbor. I don't know his name or anything but everytime I see him I laugh, almost as much as right now. He's this old man farmer...kinda short, and has a very round stomach. He's got a bushy white beard and always has a hat on...the hat sorta reminds me of one a train conductor from back in the day would wear. And then he's always got a filthy white tshirt on, and the same blue overalls on, everyday. They are kinda a jean material, but appear that they could be thin. They are simple with hardly any pockets and thin straps, and look a wee bit small and or short. And he's always got the grumpy old farmer look on his face. Today riding the bus home I saw him up on the hill bailing hay or something of the like, and he just watched the bus as it went by as to think ''OH, damned be technology!!!'' Ironically, he has solar panels coating the south side of his roof. I have noticed quite a few people have solar power, probably 20 to 25%, which seems like a lot to me. Anyway, about the farmer...soon as I can I am snappin a picture of him and posting it on here. Y'all will really get a good laugh.

Well today i had a little situation with the bus. Make a long story short : well actually the story isn't long, I just like the phrase...anyway...the gyms for PE are close to the school, but the fields are 2 km, over a mile, north of the school. SO i go to the gym and ask the other teacher and he tells me where my class is and some kid from the class gave me a ride up there. Then I tell my teacher that i need to be back at the bus stop by school by 3:45. And he told me i could get on the bus at the stop only 200 meters from the fields and it would take me to Säckingen, and then ''up the mountain'' to Rickenbach, where Carola was going to pick me up. Well, the bus I got on arrived in SÄckingen, and then the driver says ''fertig,'' meaning finished. So the next bus didnt come for 45 minutes. So I go to a pay phone to call home, but there is no phone book and I keep forgetting to write down the phone number of the house. So i waited and get on the bus and ask some people for help. Because at Rickenbach usually 3 of the buses meet up and then you change if you need to be on another. But they don't have a list of the places each one goes to, and they all have the same number: 7328. So i have no idea how anyone knows what bus to be on, but whatever, i got home. When Manfred saw me walkin up the street, it was like, Ah she's alive!!! I felt bad, but my PE teacher told me the wrong thing. Well I guess that story was a little long.

Today was relatively uneventfull but last night I went and checked out two soccer teams. The first was ok, but I liked the second much better. The girls were more friendly and open and more talented. They are all older then me, but some I assume are close to my age. I practiced with them and coach was nice and looks like a real soccer player. He's even got the goofy frog legged thing going on...so his knees cant even touch each other. The fields here are smaller. I didnt have my cleats last night though so it was a little slippery. And i have played better, but it helps to know how the other players play, and their positions. Oh, and i have long spandex on and it they kept falling down so that made for some difficulty. It's nice thought because the field has lights! Although i like playing in the day time better, its still neato that there are lights. I can't play in games until I am 18 though...for some liability reason. That gives me 2 months. Oh well, I probably would't play that much anyway. ALthough I think I usually play a little better in the games, so that is actually not so much of a good thing. We shall see. Hmm . Practices are 7 to 8:30 Monday's and Wednesdays. Perfect...I get home earlier those days. Well I suppose that is all...BYE

lots of food and grün

Sorry the pics are sideways...i fogot to change them. There is me at the table before my cooked delicacies, and a path in the forest that i often run through if its not too dark.

Yesterday Stefanie, Carola, and I went to this thing that I thought was a concert for some accoustic guitar band, but turned out to be some sort of quasi-concert/hippie-fest. Nothing against hippies, of course, but it was rather funny. i think the band we went to see canceled or something because of the weather, although the only detrimental aspect to playing music could have been the wind. No rain, just windy and freezing. Anywho, it was at someones home, but was outside and in their barns. There was people selling old stuff, kinda like a yardsale, but then there was posters and broshures and all kind of stuff all over the place that said ''Grün'' on them which could only lead me to believe they were sponsering the Green Peace Party. My assumption for the vast amount of advertising at this ''get-together'' was because it was election day in Germany. It all fit together: green peace stuff everywhere, homemade food being sold, hippies in ravaged old clothing with dreadlocks and frizzy hair, animals running freely, and strange music. Oh, and it was election day. The music was played by a man and a women, and at first it started out kinda good, but got rather weird. It was neato because the man had an assortment of those long wooden tube things that they play in Australia that sound like a loud jaw harp (thank you Joe, now I can actually say I know what a jaw harp sounds like). The woman was on guitar but her singing was a little strange. Just making loud hmmmmm ummmmm gnaawwww noises. Then he started sorta screeching into the tube things which distinctly sounded like what could have been a dying cat. It was a little shocking, because you hear the guitar and the low pitched tube noises, and a slight rattling from this other instrument he had and then ''EEEEEEEAAAAAOOOOWWWWWWW'' Soon thereafter we left. plus is was freezing outside. Something like 40 with wind the wind chill, and I'd say gusts up to 35 or 40mph. cooolllddddd.

Later on we went to what we thought was going to be a womens soccer game, but was the ending of a mens game. It was funny because at the end all the people rooting for the team that won were going crazy. I mean it wasn't like they are pro or anything...could have been because they all had a beer in their hands, but they were very happy that this team had won. So this evening we are going to a game, i think, or a practice, for a team I may possibly play on. SLightly intimidating, because they dont have teams for girls my age...you have to play in an adult league. ahhhhh!

Then Carola and I went to another concert, this time is was a pipe organ/flute/classical guitar concert, playing Vivaldi, Bach, and two other composers' music from the 16 and 1700's. After we ended up going out to dinner with the organist, guittarist, flutist, and some other people. I was the only non-adult, but they talked to me a lot and asked me a lot of questions. The flutest was really good...she had been trained by James Gallaway, and apparently hee flute cost 30,000 euro. Yeah....thirty thousand euros!!!! Thats like buying a brand new car totally decked out plus more. sheesh.

Oh, and they seriously think i am being starved or something. Always, ''ESSEN! ESSEN!'' Manfred told me eat like a bird. HAH Yesterday i ate sooo much couldnt believe myself. My appetite has come back, mostly. Same thing happened last year when i went to finland i remember, but there they have a huge lunch and a huge dinner. here just a big lunch and lots of pudding, ive noticed. So at dinner i kept it small and just had some soup, Gulasch suppe...or spelled somthing like that. And then they insisted i have ice cream too. Okay, fine, it'll be chocolate then. (duhh).

And thank goodness I no longer have spanish or physics, that really lifted a weight of my back. And today when Stefanie and I went to talk to my couselor and he told me I was no longer in those classes, he said that my German was already better!!! YEAH THAT MADE ME SO HAPPY. Because i still feel lost, but i guess unconciously i am learning!!! So now Tuesday's i dont start school until 10:35, which means i can probably take a later bus and get up later!!!! YEAH!! Only 5:30 3 days a week, since i think stefanie may drive every wednesday because she has to take her guitar to school. Hmm well i have written quite a bit. so i suppose i will go. Tschüss! (means bye...or see ya, informally...i think that's how its spelled...)

freeeezing

Well I'm at school right now and my Deutsch teacher isnt here for some reason so there is no class. But I'm not going to write a lot right now I just wanted to say that it's COLD outside. And I'm wearing my pretty pea coat!!!!And windy too so the wind chill makes it feel really cold. Oh, and there is no dress code so we can wear hats, which I am doing right now. My pink flapper hat (Jess and Shannon and my mom would know...)

minor miscommunication

Oh, and everyone that read the last post wrong....I am not getting piano lessons, Carola was giving them to a little boy. hah, me, musical? I tried with my guitar but no luck....

mmmmm I heart chicken....

Yep, that's right....chicken, and I made it!!! And the other pic was just for kicks...hehe.

I didn't post yesterday so here I am. Oh, and I wanted to remember to say this, as I have been meaning to for a while. Most of the men here wear their wedding ring on their right hand, and also some of the women. Weird, eh? Ok that was what I wanted to say. Hmm on Friday I made chocolate chip cookies and they turned out absolutely perrrfffeeect and they tasted soooo good. The family also liked them very much and they were gone by yesterday afternoon. I think next I will make my snickerdoodles. :) Or no, my apple pie. maybe I will just make both. Anyway, it also rained a lot Friday evening and afternoon and got quite cold. And the weather changes so quickly here---right now its windy, and it has been since Friday. Clouds are constantly blowing through and sometimes they bring rain, sometimes it's sunny, but it is rather cold. But I havent worn my cashmere coat yet, although I am thinking tomorrow sounds like a nice day for it. :) Then again its always a little warmer down in Bad Säckingen....ah I dont know....I did go running in the rain friday though, and it totally brought back memories of FHS soccer in the winter time. Oh good memories!!! Yesterday I went running and it was just really cold outside so I got to wear my long spandex pants, mmm I love those things.

I also made lunch yesterday, as lunch is the big meal, as I have said a gazillion times. Stefanie and I went to the grocery store in Rickenbach (5 min away) and got what I needed. I made lemony baked herb chicken, salad with a dressing I made (which just isnt the same without cilantro, but they didnt have it at the store), and olive oil sauteed zuchini. mmmmm It tasted so good and there was leftovers so that's going to be lunch today I imagine. I can't wait, but that wont be for 2 hours probably. Ahh I love chicken so much. Ah I want to cook some more and I want to sew, but i have no fabric!!!! Huh, well I think that is it....so i guess I will go.

There is meine Familie. They wanted to make sure that I mentioned that the picture is bad, but it was the only time I could get a pic of them together. Carola just came and looked and was saying something on the lines of a bad picture and not to send it, but in German. hehehe.

Anywho...ah thank goodness it's Friday and I got out at 1 today. soooo nice. Yeah and so chemistry is going to be hard. its a second or third year course. I dont have a choice in the level of classes i take, the ones i can take are only classes for 12th grades. so if someone decided not to take spanish, for example, when it was offered as a first year class in the 9th grade, then they would not ever be able to take it. and if you stop, then you cant pick up again a year later. So i can only take the classes for my grade, and since it is the 2nd highest grade, then all the classes are higher level. And in Europe they start languages and sciences younger, and continue with them each year. I wasnt able to talk to the councelor today but i left a note with the secretary. hope it will work. German and math were boring....just sat there. but the next class, history, was more eventful. I am pretty sure that the teacher was saying that we were going to be doing a big project, because the other kids were moaning and the teacher said ''poster oder powerpoint oder...'' and i got that much. the boy sitting next to me, Rene helped explain things to me about what the teacher was lecturing about (pre-french revolution). And he said he already knew my name because the kids talked about me in the other classes. hahah. well at least they know who i am! Oh, and it was quite funny, the teacher drew a picture of a guillitine on the board and a head (just a circle) falling into a bucket. Well so i guess that's all for now....better go. love kari

nice math teacher

That's my room. Sorry it's sideways. Ok school was another task today. I had decided that I won't be able to stay in physics or Spanish. I knew that I couldn't do Spanish, but physics was completely over my head today. I recognized a few symbols but the teacher talks really fast and expects me to know what he is saying. And then i found out we had homework but i didnt know so i didnt have it done. AHhhh going to talk to the councelor tomorrow morning.

But i really like my math/PE teacher (well my second PE teacher), Frau Merz. She is young and understands that I am German-less. She said she knew math must be really hard for me and that it was ok if I wasn't understanding, but that she was just happy that I was there. phew. And I had German today, but the teacher just read from some book and that was it. And English. That's always a relief of a class. There is a boy in a few of my classes that is really nice (and ironically looks like a lanky-er Bryson Jones, for those of you that know him...), and he has the coolest name...Florian. How awesome pawesome is that?? It reminds me of this weird book i read about 5 years ago...called Clockwork. There was a little boy in it named Prince Florian and he died but was put back together with clock pieces and ran off of that. strange book. Anywho Florian is really nice and so are most of the other girls in my class but I dont really remember many of their names.

Oh, and the older kids are aloud to smoke at school. grosse. I think about 40% of the older kids smoke....go outside and they are all smoking. Interesting though that it's aloud here. The kids pretty much dress the same. A lot of the girls actually look like Americans but behind in the trends. And mom, yes I am ''suitably fashioned.'' I suppose I like my style compared to some of the other girls'. heheh. Oh, and about missing food. YES!!! I miss variety. At home there is pretty much bread and apples. And yesterday there were grapes and bananas. I had my first banana in a week. I miss granola bars and cereal and regular wheat bread and real sandwhiches with soft regular wheat bread and lettuce and ''deli cuts sliced turkey.'' And my smoothies. Oh, and tortilla chips and mexican food. So i want to make enchiladas this weekend. Stefanie and I eat the big meal of the day when we get home from school. Remember lunch is most important. And then i dont really eat much after that. except maybe a small piece of the hersheys dark chocolate i have with me. muhuhahah.

Oh and I am going to Stuttgart next saturday. :) Yeah I get to go somewhere. One of Manfred's friends invited us to go, so Manfred, Stefanie and I are going. There is some beer festival like Octoberfest but smaller and in Stuttgart. So i can go into the city and go shopping! Yeah! Hmm well have to go. Love Kari.

confused out of my mind

There you go, now you know that I am really in Germany (with the red hair that everyday I dislike more and more and more). Family pics coming soon....Well yesterday I had to go, so I will pick up where i left off. I would have been in the PE class (actually they call it ''sport'') that was focussed on soccer and basketball, but it was ALL guys. I think I would have felt a little awkward being the only girl, and not speaking German so I sacrificed my favorite sport for some company. The other class is basketball, volleyball, and wimpy sports (ping pong). But there are girls in it. And many uncordinated people. Its fun though, because it's kinda funny. We played basketball yesterady and were split into 4 teams. I'm not even that good at basketball but I scored the only basket in out game, woohoo. All the other kids clapped and it was quite embarrassing actually. It's like ''hurray, the foreign girl can play basketball!!!'' Oh and you have to bring your own PE clothes. Most people only have one double period of PE a week, but I opted for 2 so that I won't be any more stressed. I forgot my shoes yesterday so i was just in my socks. Soccer socks, because it was cold, and those of you that know me know that I often wear soccer socks up to my knees when it is cold. So I had my athletic pants tucked into them. I looked like a golfer. hehe.

Last night Manfred and I went to the Waldschut-Säckingen Rotary meeting. They are the club sponsering me. It is the club of 2 cities, with a total population of about 50,000 people. It has just over 20 members, and only men. Quite small compared to my sponser club, and there are 5 clubs in Redding. Last night it was a dinner meeting at a restaurant and the men brought their wives. They were all very nice people, like every Rotarian I have met. Two women already want to do something with me, one said ''we will take a trip!!!'' Both had children that went to the US for exchange. The one who wants to take me ''on a trip'' had a son that went 4 years ago and met a girl, who soon became his girlfriend, and then moved to Amsterdam where they have been going to school together. They are going to be in town at the end of October so she wants to have me over then. And the other woman was also very kind and told me if I ever needed someone to talk to or get a ride home or something, if I miss the bus, then I can call her because she lives right by my school. A man sitting next to me talked to me the entire night, so he could practice his English. He is a dentist/orthodontist and has traveled all over South American, Europe, and South Africa. It was long, and much more formal that Rotary in Redding. Most of the members were older, and most were in suits. I wore my blazer. :) Got compliments on the decoration on the back (i puffy painted ''Kari California, USA'').

Oh yeah, forgot to mention that I ride the bus to school. But they dont have a school bus system here. Its the public transportation, but mostly students in the morning. Have to be at the bus stop at 6:25 in the morning. And then ride it for an hour, and get motion sickness. We switch busses at one point, and then end up having to stand because there are no seats. And it's stuffy and hot and lots of loud little kids and I really felt like I was on the brink of vommitting up my entire stomach just before it stopped yesteday. And then it wipes out my appetite for a few hours. I hate getting sick.

Today I had double English, math, double art, and double Spanish. Pretty sure I can't keep spanish. It's a fourth year class. I took two years of spanish in 9th and 10th grade. That was a long time ago and I did recogniye words, but didn't know what the teacher was saying, just like German. But how am I suppose to understand Spanish taught in German? Math was confusing too. And it's not specifically Algebra or geometry, its grade 12 math. In german. I tried doing the homework but my dictionary doesnt have math lingo in it. Art was strange. Dividing up Renaissance drawings with lines to make a square in the middle. Not sure why. Probably would know if I knew what the teacher said.

Talked to more people today. They heard CA and thought 'The OC!'' Oh, of course, orange county, LA. Nope good ole redding. hmm well i gotta go, been on a while. Love you all.

ich verstehe nichts.

Ok, I have no idea how I am going to get passing grade the first part of this school year. Honestly, I don't understand anything the teachers are saying. And we pretty much just sit there and the teachers lecture. Both teachers and students change classrooms, so all the rooms are bare with nothing on the walls. They have chalk boards and windows, that it. And EVERYONE has a pensil case. I just throw my pens and pencils in my backpack. A little easier, just less organized. Teachers wear whatever they want, they dont't really dress up. Each class is 45 minutes long, so a double period is an hour and a half. Lunch is the same time long. The first class starts at 7:50 and the last gets out at 5. Thank goodness my latest class goes only to 3:30. Today i didnt have anything the first two periods, then I had physik. I dont know if i am going to keep that class. I wasnt that good at it last year, but in a foreign language?? And we are starting with electricity...something we only spent 2 weeks on last year. And then i had English. Sehr gut stunde. The teacher spoke in English. We talked about hurricane katrina, and then watched a clip from CNN, I was hoping it would be in English. :) Then we had to do a little paper on it. The teacher asked for a volunteer to go write on the board so i thought, hey why not. She still didn't know I was an exchange student. But I think she must have had some hint since my accent was ''so good.'' hahah. So then I told her, but in German. hehe. She talked to me a bit after class, and wants to read my writing. After that there was a 15 minute break, and then double ethik. (eithics). The only thing i recognized was freiheit, which means freedom, determination (spelled the same in German), and Voltaire. Other than that I was lost. But there are a few girls in that class interested in talking to me. And then I had PE. BUt crikey, I cant write any longer, Manfred and I are going to a Rotary meeting. tomorrow.....

school...sorta

Hey there...ok, I know that everyone wants me to send pictures of my family but I havent had a chance to take pictures of them when i actually remember. Soon I will though. Oh, and one more thing i forgot to mention about cars: everyone drives VW´s, audi´s, BMW´s, and Mercedes´. The Krüger´s have a VW passat and a VW polo, both the wagon style.

Anyway...I went to school today. It was cold outside and foggy again and i accidentally slept in. I set my alarm for 5:40 but forgot that it didnt have snooze like mine at home so when i turned it off it never went off again. typical me....And breakfast was to be at 6:30 (things are more formal here in the eating aspect...everyone eats together). So Stefanie came in at 6:30 and I was still sleeping. oops. So i got up and went and ate and then got ready quick because we were leaving at 7:10. Scheffel Gymnasium doesnt have a huge campus like Foothill, it goes up and down. There is one level about half underground and then (Ah the sun just came out!!)there are 3 others. So 4 altogether. And its 12 classrooms long i believe and 2 wide, plus a hall. And then there is another building that is a little different and i think has probably about 2/3 the classrooms as the big one. There are 1100-1200 students, grades 5-13. And those little kids are obsessed with running up the stairs. Every time they have to go up or down the stairs or down the halls, they run. I am surprised i didnt see any fall and take others down with them. Manfred and I had to wait to see the school director, so that took about 30 minutes. Then we had to fill something out and wait another 30 minutes to be told that it would be an hour until we could make my schedule because we had to wait for one of the 12th grade teachers to be out of class. Then it was another 10 minutes after that and then 15 in his office deciding my classes. And then i made it for the last minute of Deutschstunde (German class). I was introduced and the other students whispered and whatnot. I have never been a new kid before, it was weird...especially when i have no idea what everyone is saying. Right when the bell rang a girl jumped up to me (i had recognized her from earlier walking by and thought she was dressed cute) and started talking to me and seemed really interested with me. Kinda like how I was back in the USA whenever I met exchange students. haha. Her name is Katie (i havent a clue if that´s spelled right), but pronounced caw-tea. She walked with me to my next class and showed me where it was.

The next was a 2 period class of ''Politik.'' (Oh, and for everyone that reads Harry Potter...i dont think of it as 2 periods of politics, more like ''double politics!!!'' Muhuhahah. And i have double Deutsch (hah that sounds cool) and double spanish, and double sport.....i could go on and on...). And so I pretty much didnt understand anything that the teacher said, and i dont remember his name either. Actually I dont think I ever even knew it to begin with. I took notes off what he wrote on the board but i think that half the stuff i wrote is most like spelled wrong. I could hardly read his handwriting and the fact that is was in german made it more difficult....I did here him say ''George w. Bush'' and ''Richard Nixon'' and ''Bill Clinton'' and ''winner takes all.'' Guess thats political lingo world wide.

After that we came home. I guess the first day is always short. I get my schedule tomorrow so i will name my classes tomorrow or something. Hmm so that's it I suppose....

scary driving and lots of cars

Top picture is of the Krüger's house. I am sittig in the room that is covered in the vine plant. Middle picture is taken from the forest. Bottom picture is of Herrischried, taken from the top of Niedergebisbach.

Hallo my friends. Lets see...I didn't post yesterday, but that's okee. I dont want to be a computer-aholic. Here are some things I have noticed about Germany: 90% of the vehicles are cars. 70% of those are wagon-like cars, or mini-mini-van like cars. 5%are SUV's, 4% are tractors, and 1% are trucks. Or something of the like...thats about what I have decided. I have seen TWO trucks since I have been here---that doesnt count semis. And the roads are super narrow. So you're pretty much in quite the pickle if you get a flat or the car breaks down, because there is no where to pull over. there is the white limit line and then dirt. and the roads are super curvy, so chances are someone will come around the corner at 50 mph and hit you. i really dont see how they do it. oh, and you can also pass someone pretty much wherever or whenever you want. the average american driver would most likely get passed 5-10 times on the 15 minute drive from Bad Säckingen to Niedergesbisbach. I got quite sick yesterday when we went doen to Bad Säckingen. Usually it goes away when I get out of the car, but it took 45 minutes to go away. Probably because all I had eaten was some bread. hmm. Oh yeah, and I bought some boots. Not snow boots, but hiking boots, i suppose. Manfred and Carola said i would need them, especially for when i go to the Black Forest with the Rotarian. I tried translating the info sheet about the event, but i didnt get far. All I really picked up was that it is for the inbounds and that we will be staying in a youth hostel and something about swimming. dictionaries arent the best for translating conjgated verbs and strange words.

Yesterday and today it has been on and off overcast weather. It sprinkled a wee bit, I liked that. And the night before last Stefanie, Manfred and I rode the bikes down into the main part of Herrischried, about a mile, to see if I could join the girls' soccer team. Unfortunately the age level is 12-15, so Manfred is going to check the next town over. Ahh school starts on Monday---quite nervous about that. Stefanie showed me the classes I can take so I wrote down the ones that I am going to try and get, but there are no guarentees. For my 5 main subjects (4 hours a week), i have: German, English (muhuhahahah!!!!), Math, Sport (PE), and Spanish. For the others, which I have 2 hours a week, I have: art, history, geography, politics, either ethics or catholicism (spelling?), chemistry, and physics. I think I am in the 12th grade, eqivalent to our senior year (nerrr), so it kind of works since I am born late anyway, I fit right into that grade. They also have a 13th because they have an extra year of secondary school.

I have also noticed that pretty much all homes and home-style buildings (restauants, cafes, little shops, etc.) have geraniums in their windows, in the garden, EVERYWHERE. Simone, you were right. Switzerland is the same. Oh, and dinner here is very insignificant. Lunch is the big meal. Dinner is just whatever, like our lunch i guess. maybe a piece of bread or leftovers (although there arent really much of that), or even a pastry. and we eat a lot of tomatoes. Most of the veggies Carola grows in the garden (tomatoes, red and yellow, onions, carrots, lettuce, spinach, and other stuff i havent seen yet). Last night i made a chocolate cake with this chocolate mousse frosting filling stuff...had to add extra pudding mix to the mousse so it would thicken up. It was interesting going to the store trying to find the ingredients and attempt translating sweetened condensed milk and baking soda and other things. they didnt even know what baking soda was, the store clerk had to show them. i remember the same incident in finland...hahah. anyway, there is a bunch of people coming over tonite, so thats what the cake is for...Carola said she had never seen a cake of that ''form.'' aka double layer 9'' cake. Hmmm and today after cooking more in the morning, i went running and then got my camera and walked around Niedergebisbach and took pictures.

Oh and i forgot to mention that when i was in the Zürich airport just before customs, a man called my name...because he saw it on my Rotary blazer. Turns out he is the youth exchange district chairman of a district in Ohio. Ironic, eh?

Melanie: I have your black sock (HAHAHA) and Joe has your sunglasses. They were in his car.
Blaine: You about made me die laughing with your last email, thought you should know.

die bild (the photo)

Left: I took this from the front of my new home...another big house.

Right:That's a hotel right on the lake that we went canoing in. That is what most houses look like; that reddish steep rooftop with lots of windows. They are all at least 2 stories high, that is why i think they rent to other people.

The weather has been gorgeous but i really want it to be cold!!! So I can wear my pretty cashmere pea coat that I sacrificed 1/3 a paychack on (not that my paychecks were that much). Oh yeah, I met Stefanie's mom, Carola, the night I came in. She is also very nice; they are so kind to me and help me with everything- but they also only speak German to me, unless I don't understand. I am thankful for that, I can already tell I am learning faster. Manfred speaks very good English, and also French. Sometimes he accidentally says things in French. When I think about things back home, or conversations I had back home, I am already thinking to myself, ''How did I say that in German?'' Then i remember I was in Redding.

Today we went to Bad Säckingen (which is pronounced say-king-gen), which is such a cute little city. It dates back to the 1200's I think (Niedergebisach goes back to 1301; I saw a sign that said that when I was running yesterday). I got a battery charger, planner/calendar (little did I know it is in German, English, and French), and a backpack for school. Manfred wouldn't let me pay for them, though I tried. I did buy a pair of euro-jeans, which I adore. My fashionista friends would appreciate that. (dark denim muhuhahahah).

Last night jet lag set in. I randomly woke at 2:30am and didnt get back to sleep until around 4:30---probably because of the IB profen PM I brought with me. My stomach has shrunk, seriously...I am eating about half I ate back home. Ah that will probably change though.

I am meeting my host rotary club next Tuesday and in October and going with a Rotarian for a week for some adventure with the other inbounds in the Black Forest.

Also, not all women here shave their legs or armpits. ewweeeeee. I will not comform!!!!! The young girls do, though.

Kyle, thank you soooo much for finding my German book, that is really going to come in handy. fewwwww. And Mom and Pop, is Grandpa Ken serious about his video camera???!!! That would be soooo awesome!!! Hmm well i guess that's all for now. Tschüss!

german lakes

today they let me sleep in until 11am, crikey, i felt like a bum. but i suppose it was ok because of jet lag and a lack of sleep. and thank you all that replied!!! for breakfast they have a little table outside the house near the garden and that's where we eat. just like finland: bread and whole milk. the milk was a little thick and strong so i might go for water more often. the bread was delish of course. we went to a near lake (well about 30 minutes away) where we canoued (spelling?) and ate lunch, sorta. bread and grapes and an apple. the funny thing is though it seems like i have lost my appetite. im not even hungry, and i have hardly eaten anything today. i saw a lot o toppless women and the funniest old man: he was old and thin and wrinkly, half bald, but the hair he had was white, and had a beard down to his chest and was wearing a blue and white striped tiny speedo. ahhh it cracked me up.

i have discovered that niedergebisbach is a small villages, which is part of herrischried. there are 7 small villages in herrischried. the center of herrischried is only about 3/4 a mile away though. i went over the ''first night questions'' that rotary gave me and i discovered that my host club paid for my insurance and probably my emergency fund also!!! how sweet is that?! good thing because the exchange rate sucks so i am losting about 30% of my mula. also, manfred (host dad) told me i was probably going to be staying with them the entire year. so i have a bunch of extra gifts. i guess there are going to be some lucky rotarians getting olive oil, honey, and tshirts.

i think the house is 3 strories but they rent part of it. i think that is what most of the familes do around here. ok i really wanted to put pics on here but next time because i cant find the program where they went into...its all in german on the computer. i guess thats it....kari

ich bin in deutschland!!

hey guess what everyone? im in germany! this keyboard is slightly different, so dont mind my mistakes. i dont know how to capitalize and z and y are switched. my flights were good, but it was a long time. it doesnt feel like it was actually 24 hours. in st. paul i saw another guy with a blazer on, so i talked to him. he was from la but used to live in hayfork. then in detroit they just started pouring in. i think there were about 12 of us, all going to southern germany. on the 8 hour flight to amsterdam we all sat together in the back because there was a bunch of open space. the mid west kids all had accents it was hilarious. really, they dont just sax awesome, they say aaaassome. i felt a little sick on the flight to zurich, but after i landed it was ok. i havent met my host mom yet, but my host dad and sister are both very nice. although i think they are just now realizing how little german i know. i know how it feels, everything they say i am lost. and then they have to translate. but the house is really nice, i think its 4 stories, but the top 2 they rent to people. i have a room to myself, and its nice, windows with lots of light. the houses are gorgeous too, picture perfect. niedergebisbach is about 20 out of bad säckingen, all uphill on a narrow curvy road and they drive about 50 on it. scary!! everything is green and lovely and the weather is moderate. about 75 to 80. i still feel like i am flying, going to turbulance. well i dont want to be on too long, but lucky for me they have high speed internet and my host dad said i could use it whenever i want. neener neener to mom and pop---i have fast intenet!!! i love you all! bis bald...until later. ps--comments are nice. :)

TOMORROW

The day has come, well nearly. Just about 12 hours exactly, until I take off. I love you all and will see you next year!!!!

Closing in on departure...

Three days time, nearly to the hour. And then 24+ hours of travelling. But for future reference: my email is karmesan@gmail.com . AHH I am SO excited and looking foward sooo much to the weather...nice cool weather. And then the entire year and everything else that goes along with it....AHHHH!!!!