What is this Disney Land?

On Saturday we took a school trip to Schloss Neuschwanstein, which is the castle that the Disney castle was inspired by. It is settled right in the mountains and we got to hike up to and then around the area. We spent the morning hiking and hanging out in the little tourist-trap-of-a-town that lies in the valley below. After the castle we took a ten minute bus ride to the summer rodelbahn, a.k.a. a summer bobsled. It was so sweet. You sit on this little sled type thing and then get on a conveyor belt that pulls you to the top of the curvy course and then you fly down. It is build like a bobsled track in that the sides are built up so you build momentum on the turns. It was such a fun and crazy experience. (I didn't get any good photos that really show what the course was like but here is one in which I tried)

After I rode the rodelbahn I was just sitting in this big field at the base of the mountains with the castle in the distance and para-gliders jumping off the mountain behind me....it was pretty surreal. But then again, I feel like that most days that I am here!

What is to come?

One week from today our week long outreach trips begin. In the beginning of the semester we signed up on interest sheets and according to those we were placed into various ourtreach groups. Students that are musically or dramatically inclined joined sing and drama teams and those teams were divided up into the different groups also. There is one group going to Serbia to work with gypsies, one group staying here to host a large group of young children for a week, a few groups going to high schools in Germany, and a group going to a town near Stuggart to help facilitate an English camp. I was assigned the last group, the English camp.

Not all the groups, including mine, are going to straight up evangelize but we are going into settings that will allow, God willing, for us to share the Truth with kids. For example, the English camp I will be going to is not connected to the church, other than the fact that it is being held at a Christian conference center. The kids, who will be between 12-18, do not think that they are going to a Bible or religious camp, they are just going to learn and practice English.

At the English camp we will be helping out in the class rooms, facilitating workshops of sorts, and providing music and entertainment for the kids. When our group first met our leader asked if any one had teaching experience and because I 'taught' at the YMCA and I worked with international students at Madison, I raised my hand, not thinking that it would really effect me...well, at our last meeting I, along with the other girl who has experience, was informed that 2 of the 4 English teachers have to leave half way through the week so Christine and myself will have to take their places and fill in as the actual teachers....YIKES! I was not expecting that, and I was a little freaked out, but apparently they will have lesson plans ready for us so we just need to go in and execute them. I will be teaching a class of about 25 German kids of various ages...I am terrified...but when I think about it I am probably just as qualified for the position as the teacher whose place I am taking. So, I guess we'll see! I also may have the opportunity to prepare and deliver a message to the whole group of 125, but that is not for sure yet.

I guess a prayer request from me would be that all of our outreaches go well and that God, through us, really impacts some of the kids we will be encountering.

Another pretty exciting thing in the near future is our travel weekend. Each semester we are given a long weekend to travel. At first I thought about planning my own trip somewhere in Europe but then we were told that the school would be taking a small group of students to a hut or lodge in Austria. I decided to do this because it will be easier and cheaper and I have never been to Austria. So in two weeks I, along with about 30 other students and staff, will be headed to Austria for four days to hike and just hang out.

Koinonia

The students of Bodenseehof have been split up into eight small groups called K-groups. K stands for Koinonia which mean 'Christian fellowship or communion with God or with fellow Christians' (thefreedictionary.com). This is done so that we can create tight bonds within the comfort of a smaller group because sometimes feeling safe and secure with sharing in a large group is difficult. So, we were each put into a group of between 10 and 15 students, including 2-3 staff members. We meet each Monday morning, in place of our first lecture, and sing a few songs, pray, share testimonies, and basically create a safe haven for people to share and get support.

Last week we voted for K-group leaders. Everyone voted for one guy and one girl. I was nominated as the female leader. My partner is a gent named Phil from Tuscon, AZ. The leaders are responsible for running the Monday morning meetings as well as planning some fun bonding activities for the group to do. The leaders of the K-groups are also responsible for planning and executing a number of larger, city-wide events that we sponsor.

Last week we had the K-group Olympics. There were eight stations set up around the school, things ranging from obstacle courses to mind games, basic team building activities. It was not required, but my team decided to dress up for the event. Our team name was The Neon Lights. After going through all of the exercises we all gathered and had to present our group in a creative way. My group, inspired by our clothes, did like an 80's workout video in which we all introduced ourselves with our given 80's thug names. I, because I am older than all but one of my group members and because I fro-ed my hair, was donned Mama Fro Dunham.... Here are some team photos, including the pyramid that we ended with.

Just another day in the neighborhood

They told us when we got here that the first week would be the longest week of our lives and the following would fly by...they were not kidding! But I am thankful that the time is going by quickly because although I like Germany, a lot, I will definitely be ready to come home when my six months is up.

Anyway, these are some more pictures from my neighborhood in Fishbach. I just took a walk with my camera the other day and this is what I saw.

So, what does a regular day look like here at Bodenseehof?? Well, here it is:

During the week we wake up at 7 am with breakfast at 7.30am. B-fast is over at 8, at which time we do our duties. For the past three weeks I have been vacuuming the dining room. It doesn't sound so bad, and I guess it wasn't, but unlike most duties I had to do it 3 times a day. But now I am gladly cleaning bathrooms. It is only once a day and only four days a week.
Then, around 9am we have our first lecture. There is a coffee break around 10am and another lecture that begins shortly thereafter. Another break and lecture takes place around 11am. Lectures finish at 12pm, and then there are announcements, and then a break until lunch at 12.30. We have the time from after lunch until dinner, at 5.45pm, to do whatever we please. As I mentioned earlier, we have a lot of reading to do so a lot of people are busy doing that. I tend to go for walks\runs, or take naps, or read, or write. Usually my biggest quest for the afternoons is to find a place to be alone. There are 104 students here, which is a larger than normal class, and the building in which we function is not that big so...it is a challenge. They try to keep the lecture hall quiet from 2-4, however, the majority of the students here are obsessed with music and so it is rarely silent.
At 5.45pm we line up for dinner and then usually get finished around 6.30-ish. Our evening lectures begin at 7.15pm. Because everyone here is so musically inclined some of the students lead worship for about 20 minutes each evening before our speaker takes the floor. Then we have 2 lectures with a short break in the middle. Lectures end around 9pm and we then have free time until lock-up, which during the week is 10.30pm. Lights out are at 11pm. And that is that.
Saturdays are free for us. The school tries to plan cool trips, like the Swiss Alp hike, for us so we get to see some of our beautiful country. We also get a really nice brunch on Saturdays. Breakfast each morning is a buffet which usually consists of cereal, yogurt, bread with an off brand of Nutella (which I think is better than the real thing), cheese, and meat, and of course coffee and tea. (when I left home I was down to like one cup of coffee and since being here that has gone back up to, uh, 3 or 4). So the brunch is a treat after eating the same thing all week.
Sundays are a little different. They make a few schedule adjustments to try and keep the week exciting. So, we have breakfast at 8.30am, with church at 10. Then the afternoon is free and in the evening we have a sharing or prayer service.

It is a little odd going from the total freedom of college to being reprimanded for not having the room lights off at 11pm. It has also been difficult adjusting to sharing a room, that is less than half the size of my dorm room in Liz Waters, with four girls. At Christmas break we switch rooms and there is one room of 10 girls, I am praying that I do not get put in there.

Each day, I am finding, is a challenge. I am co-habitating with 103 kids that have pretty naive views of the world and lack the consideration, respect, and common courtesy that most humans possess. There are, of course, some quality people here, and even the young ones have positives to bring to the table, but it is hard sometimes to be surrounded by hyper, attention lacking pre-adults who seem to be here for the social aspect more than anything else. But I just have to remind myself that I am in Germany and I am here to learn about Jesus and not to mesh with all of the people here.

Life is good and God is gracious.

Randomness

Here are just a few more photos. The first is just a group of my fellow classmates. On Friday night we all gathered and had International night where students from the different countries, of which I believe we have 7 here, performed or shared something about their home nation. The next photo was just taken on the bus on the way to the mountains. Then is a picture of me and my roommate Caroline from Norway. The last is my backyard. We don't have direct access to the lake but it takes about 2 minutes to walk there and when you arrive...this is what you see. It is insane. I can wake up go out on my balcony and look at the Alps.

Everything is going well. We are all very busy with school. One of the assignments for the first semester is to read the entire Old Testament so when we have free time that is what we do. We also just had to read a book called The Attributes of God, it was pretty intense and now we have to write a paper on it. Also, every week we are required to memorize two Bible verses, one is chosen for us and the other is our choice. This week the verse is: 1 Corn. 10:13: But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it. (new life Bible). And I chose Romans 5:3: We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials for we know that they are good for us-the help us learn to endure.

Today some of the students are running a 10k race. I decided not to run and I am glad that I did, I wanted to be able to enjoy the quiet and get some work done...a.k.a. update my blog.

I love and miss you all!

View from the top

Last weekend the students took a hiking trip to the Swiss Alps. It was a rough climb but once I got to the peak all of the burning from the build-up of lactic acid in my legs went away and I truly enjoyed my view from the top.

The first picture is from the bus on the drive to the base of the mountain where we would start our ascent. When we started hiking it was cloudy and a little rainy but as we got higher it turned to snow. At this point in the hike I was alone and just chillin' in the winter wonderland. The fourth picture is the view from the very top. The hike was done in two sections, each ended at a hut where you could purchase hot chocolate and snacks, after reaching the first hut I wasn't really feeling like continuing but I did, and I was so happy because when I finally got there I saw what you see in the fourth photo. When we made it to the peak the clouds went away and we had a perfect view of the town below. The last photo is my RA, Kristi and me. When I start feeling old and out of place I have her: she is 24 and from the states and we play Scrabble almost daily.

My home

Here are a couple of photos of my new hood. The first picture is the front entrance into the school. The other two are of the neighborhood that is just across the street. It is awesome, you are on a busy road and then turn off, go a block, and you find yourself surrounded by miles of apple orchards. All of the houses in our area have big gardens as their yards.

I haven't taken a lot of photos of the school but I will add more as they come.

My Journey

So more about that crazy trip of mine...I had what you could call a pleasantly unfortunate or maybe an unpleasant but fortunate trip. Many things went wrong but just when I started to get worried God sent me an English-speaking someone to get me through.

You know when you pray and you sometimes ask God to surround you with His angels....

Troubles began when we boarded our plane in Chicago and were almost immediately informed that Philidelphia was backed up and therefore we had to sit for an hour before even taking off. Big deal? Not ordinarily, but I had just under an hour layover in Philly so this meant trouble. Anyway, I got to Phil., ran to my gate because I was told that that flight was delayed also, but when I got there my plane was gone. Things continued to go unexpectedly, because my flight was rerouted, and my bags were misplaced. I got to Munich much later than anticipated so I got on my train to Freids much later, which caused concern that I would not make it to the hotel in time for check in. Here is brief list of all the amazing encounters I had:

*When I got on my first flight and was missing my family I was seated next to a friendly older couple that was very nice and tried to comfort me when I realized that I would most likely miss my connection.
*In Phil., sweaty and concerned, I ran into two American guys who were heading to Munich for Oktoberfest. We chatted until we boarded our flight to London and it calmed me down a bit.
*Also in Phil., I noticed a German couple who was apparently trying to get home to Munich and I ended up hanging out with them in London and then in the Munich airport while trying to locate our luggage.
*In London, while sitting in a waiting area to find out which gate I would be leaving from, I met a really nice guy from Texas who was also making his way to Munich for Oktoberfest. (Thank God for Oktoberfest because it brought an unusally large number of Americans to Germany on the same day as me!)
*My flight to London was really nice. I met a girl named Robyn who was my age and was from South Africa but had been in the States for like six months doing a nannying program. She was awesome and we have been keeping in touch.
*When I finally got to Munich and was trying to find my bags there was a very kind woman at the counter who helped me, and she spoke English. When I left Munich's airport to get on a train I only had one of my two bags which ended up being a blessing because it would have been very difficult and annoying to other people on the train had I had both bags.
*In Munich I had to take a train from the airport to the main station where I would then get on another train to get to Frieds. There were only machines to buy tickets from and I could not figure out how to get it to function in English and I started to get really frustrated. But then, I heard some guys speaking English and they saw me trying to listen. They asked where I was going and I told them the main station, well it just turned out that they were headed there AND they had a ticket that was valid for five adults and I made the fifth so they asked me if I wanted to go with them. I happily agreed. It was about a 40 minute ride, because we took the wrong train, but it still got us there. Two of the guys were from Jersey, one was from Australia, and one from England. Guess what they were in Germany for??? Oktoberfest!
*So I made it to Munich's main station and I bought my ticket to Freids, from a human being this time, who luckily spoke English. Unfortunately, I had to switch trains after about two hours and I only had nine minutes to do this...
*I got on the train and had to figure out the seating arrangements which turned out to be this: I got in the train at one end and needed to be at the opposite end, and I couldn't get out because we were already moving. So I pulled my bag through the aisle for the length of the train, hitting everyone along the way. Yeah, and it turned out that there were no open seats, so I just stood in one of the open areas by the WC. It sucked but it was much cooler there than in the cabins and as you could guess, I was sweating like crazy.
*A younger guy got on the train and he stood in the open area by me for a while. When some people got off the train, freeing up some seats, we went into the cabin to sit. He helped me get my bag up on a shelf and then sat next to me. Turns out... he spoke English and we ended up talking the whole time. He was half Brazilian half German, had lived in Saudi Arabia for the last two years and was heading to Mexico soon for an internship. He comforted me and told me what to do if I did miss my train that I had to get onto in nine minutes. So in Ulm, we parted ways. I grabbed my bag and booked it over to platform 6 and made it onto my train.
*On this train I met a girl who was also really nice. It started because I asked to make sure I was on the right train and then we just started asking each other questions. She had just finished taking an exam for med. school and was heading home after a long day. I also had her suggest a few things to see or do while in Germany. (I also had to stand on this train because there were no seats, but it worked out.) She got off the train a few stops before me but there was someone else waiting to talk to me...
*Some seats opened up so I sat down. I was nodding off but trying to fight it because I knew I would have to get off soon and it was dark by this point, so I would have to go by hearing what the conductor was saying. Across the aisle I noticed an older man, probably nearly 80. I figured because he was older the chances of him speaking English were slim. I was just staring out the window and I heard, "Excuse me." I turned and it was the older gentleman. He asked if I was a student at the university and I answered no and the next thing he said was, "Oh, Bodenseehof?" He knew of it and we got talking. It turns out he was familiar with the school, lives in Fishbach, and even had a daughter who lived in Wisconsin for a time. By the time we got to Freids. it was dark and I was getting a little worried about walking to my hotel, so I asked him if he knew of Hotel Goldener Hirsch. He didn't but he asked some other passengers, in German, where it was and then told me. We got to our stop and I helped him carry his bags down the stairs and he gave me exact directions to the hotel and I asked to make sure it was safe to walk here at night by myself (which he said it was), he also gave me his business card and it turns out he is a pastor. So, we parted ways, my hotel ended up being at the top of the stairs, literally a minute from the station. I had finally made it to my final destination: my goal for the whole journey that day was that hotel and the hot shower and bed that awaited me there. (Today, 01.10.08, I was walking back from Kaufland and guess who was walking just a block away from school? That precious old man that 'rescued' me that night!)

Once I made it to the hotel things went well. I took a shower and had the best night's sleep I've had in a long time. In the morning I had a nice big breakfast and then took a cab through my beautiful town to school.

Just Another Day in the Neighborhood
Classes are under way here at Bodenseehof and it is great. We have two lectures in the morning after breakfast and then have the afternoons free. After dinner we have another two lectures which end at nine and then we have more free time until lock up at 10.30.

During our free time we are able to go biking around town, go into Freidrichshafen which is about a 20 minute bus ride, or just explore in our little town of Fishbach. The lake is basically in our backyard here and on clear days you can see the mountains on the other side of the lake. Kaufland, which is a huge store, technically a grocery store but you can get everything from a pair of knickers to fresh produce there, is only a 20 minute walk from school. The school has bikes, kayaks, canoes, and a volleyball court for us to use and on the weekends they usually offer some kind of activity. For instance this weekend we are all going hiking in the Swiss Alps... haha, how weird is that? There is also a sauna that we are allowed to use: pretty sweet.

I feel a little brain dead after writing all of that so I am going to go get some fresh air now.