There and Back Again

Saturday, September 26, 2009

The Harzburg

Later in the day after we went to the border we went to the mountains, specifically to the on with the Harzburg (kinda a castle) and we rode the Burgbahn up and walked down... it was a long walk! And we took a wrong turn... oops! I got some amazing pictures and a great story to tell...

Sooo when I was back in the US I would day dream about Germany. Not expectations really, just wishing and wondering what life would be like. And my mind always drifted back to this one little specific dream. I would be standing on a mountain overlooking villages and seeing just rolling hills and other mountains and behind me would be an old castle and it would just be so Germany and perfect. Cute dream huh? IT HAPPENED.

Perfection. Wilkommen zu Deutschland.

Me living the dream.

The wall of the burg... crazy huge!

Again... with everyone!

Some monument to some guy... not really sure who. :)

On the way up... it was high!

Oh and Katherine if your reading this be jealous! No I didn't get to do it but I want too!

ps. I love my life.
love,
Lise

die Grenze

Last weekend my host family and I went to the border (I live about five minutes away) and to a special museum talking about East Germany and the restrictions stuff. For example, you couldn't come with a 500 m radius without a blue stamp and a 5km radius without a red stamp or something like that. There were mines leading up to the border but the guards turned them off when it rained. Really interesting stuff. But I think pictures are worth more so here you go!

Entry to dugout beneath a former watch tower

Inside

Part of the border wall

It was all very interesting and kinda scary in a way. This isn't 100 years ago or something, up until very recently a country was divided within itself. It's very sobering and I'm glad I got to go see it.
ps. I also got a cool post card I'll take a picture of it before I send it and post it
love,
Lise

Altstadtfest

So two? weeks ago I went to the Altstadtfest in Goslar. It was a lot of fun and we heard some really good bands and I ate Chinese food and ice cream. Yum yum. I also got told I look very German. WoHoo! Now I just need to sound it... On a side note the singer of this really good band was incredibly cute... oh my German boys... :D Okay picture time!

Yum. Eis! Lecker!

Well Rachel got cut out...

Marita and I!

It was really awesome because Goslar is such an old looking town. Very German-y. I had a lot of fun in particular dancing to... COTTEN EYED JOE! With Marita! haha great night. One of those perfect whyicameonexchange moments. Gotta love 'em.

ps-I think I like American Chinese food better than German Chinese food. :P
love,
Lise

Stuff I do with my host family

So just for random things I've done with my host family... as a family have included going to soccer games and going to their Oma and Opa's house. I write those two thing in particular cause we seem to do both those a lot. Fine by me I have fun and get great pictures and videos! And Jonas is a pretty dang good soccer player!

This past weekend in particular we went to their Oma's birthday party, that was a lot of fun and let me tell you this family is crazy! Need proof?

Jens, Jonas, and Julius

Oh Lotte... that can't taste good (would you look at that face!)

Julius at a soccer game

Yeah mom this tastes awesome!

Silke with all the kids and Jens is just sitting there... haha

Julius and I!

Future goalie?

Hmmm you look a bit young for that!

And about two weeks ago I went shoe shopping with Marita. Seven euro shoes and a five euro wallet. I LOVE GERMANY!

My awesome new shoes. :)

ps-maybe germany is turning me more girly? :)
love,
Lise

Swin Golfing

Is it golf? No.
Is it putt putt? No.
It's Swin Golfing! the best of both worlds!

So a couple of weeks ago my host dad took me swin golfing with Dave (American from Oregon) and another football player. It was a lot of fun but the highlight was when my host dad wacked the ball really good and everyone though it went so far that they couldn't see it... until I bursted their bubble by falling on the ground laughing because I had seen it go straight to the side into the river bank. yeah we couldn't find that ball. Then he hit another and couldn't find it. Guess who found it? ME! haha, I'm so awesome. It was just really funny.

Dave swin golfing...yep that's my purse he has on.

Ps. the club is super weird.
love,
Lise

American Football

Nope I'm not talking about NCSU or the Packers. I'm talking about the Wernigerode Mountain Tigers.

For all the information you can go here: www.mountaintigers.de (auf deutsch natürlich)

My host dad is one of the coaches and likes American football a lot. My host brother plays flag football (ages seven to FOURTEEN!) and is kinda small compared to the others.

It was really funny! Jonas is number 86 and his finger is in his mouth (immer!)

It was an all day event starting with the flag football game and then leading to the Men's game. I was beat by the end of the day and I didn't even play! So here are some pictures from that day. :)

Jens being all coachey with a two players, the one with the black "hat" on is an American from California.

He get's a lil' bit into it...

They almost dumped the water on him... but didn't. Click on the picture for a close up!

Ps. they won! :)
love,
Lise

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Why hello there!

I'm the stranger invading your house for the next half year. And you are?

Let's just start off by putting out in the the open that I have the best host family ever. Hands down don't try to compete with me don't try to tell me different. Best. Ever. End of story.

Okay now that's out of the way here are some things we've done:

First day here I went to the Salz und Lichtfest (Salt and light festival) suprisingly enough... there were some pretty lights! And some pretty cute kids too!

Trippy