Let me begin by saying that I have hit the jackpot when it comes to host parents!  The members of my host family are funny, youthful, and extremely active.  Since my arrival on August 20^th, I have experienced everything that I hoped I would as an exchange student.  The reason why I wanted to spend a year in Germany was so that I could immerse myself in the language, art, and history of a European country.  On only my second day in Germany , my host father enthusiastically says “John, today we will go to Eisenach to see die Wartburg.  There they are having a festival in honour of Marin Luther!”  I had read about the Wartburg months before I came to Germany , and I thought it would take me a long time to get there.  I imagined having to ask my family or plead with rotary to let me go on the train by myself.  I couldn’t believe that without even asking, I was suddenly there on only my second day! 

            The Wartburg is one of Germany ’s greatest castles.  It is one of those sights that has so many layers of history that it is almost overwhelming.  It was in this castle that Martin Luther translated the Bible form Latin to German.  It was also the home Heilige Elizabeth, a Catholic Saint who is revered for turning bread into roses (it’s a long story.)  Attached to the castle is a gallery of some of the most incredible medieval art that I have ever seen.  The gallery included a room full of “Luther memorabilia,” with portraits painted of him by the famous artist Lucas Cranach the Elder and even his wedding ring.  The castle was heavily restored during the Romantic movement of the 1800s.  Many of the rooms are decorated with frescoes and mosaics from this time, so the entire castle is a showcase of Romanticist art.  After touring the castle we went into the town of Eisenach for the Lutherfest.  This was basically the same thing as our Renaissaince fairs, but since it took place in the center of a medieval town, it was more that the typical American excuse for a Dungeons and Dragons tournament with costumes.  As we drove back to my home village of Oberndorf , I couldn’t believe that I had seen so much on only my second day.

            Later in my first week, my host father says, “John, tonight we will go to a bike race!  It is the last race of Hanz Heppe and also you will see Jan Ullrich, German cycling zuperstar!  I hope it will not be boring for you.”  The race was only 15 minutes away in the beautiful modern city of Jena .  In the center of Jena I followed my host father through large crowds of people…..until a bouncer nodded us through a gate into a v.i.p. area, compliments of my host father’s brewery.  Free food and drinks abounded, and at one point I found myself standing right next to German cycling “zuperstars” in the middle of a media frenzy, with crowds of people rushing to get autographs.  To tell you the truth, I felt kind of guilty, because the day before I hadn’t even known who these people were, and then all of a sudden there I was in front of a huge crowd of excited cycling fans, all of whom were clamouring to get as close as my host father and I were.

            The v.i.p. experiences didn’t stop with the bike race.  A few days later, my host father says “ John….this weekend we will go to rock concert……and I imagine you can figure out how that quote ended.  The fact that I had never really heard of any of the European bands somehow made it more fun watching jealous looks appear on the faces of my classmates when I told them about my weekend!  The v.i.p. saga has an exciting end (or beginning).  Last weekend I found myself at a beer tasting festival with my host parents.  Almost every brewery in Germany had a booth at this event.  It was here that I realized what an important job my host father has at his brewery.  All of a sudden I find myself in yet another v.i.p. area and my host father is shaking hands with all these important people from other breweries…….and I am able to understand just enough German to hear my host father make “special arrangements” for our trip to Oktoberfest this weekend!

            Now that I have described my new jet-setting v.i.p. lifestyle to all of you, let me say a little bit about school.  Bergschule Apolda is really taking care of us three exchange students!  The principal (Frau Orthaus) is also the president of the Rotary Club and was the Youth Exchange Officer for many years as well.  So basically, we have three Rotary contacts in one person!  She knows exactly what to do with exchange students in her school.  Every day I have a different schedule, and I have classes with fifth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh graders.  I sit in on English classes with the fifth and eleventh graders, I have even been told that I am an an assistant teacher, because of my status as a native speaker.  Both of these classes are very interesting and entertaining, even with the fifth graders.  It’s a strange feeling hearing little kids cautiously utter familiar English phrases for the first time.  Besides the English classes, I have German, Geography, History, and even Russian with all of the other levels.  Don’t ask me why I am taking Russian, I don’t even know myself.  Well to tell the truth, the real reason is because I can’t keep my mouth shut.  The teacher who arranged my schedule asked what languages I had learned in America .  I answered Spanish.  He said “I’m sorry, we don’t have any Spanish, but we do have Russian!”  Being the militantly optimistic exchange student that I am, I let out a big ol’ American “Sure, why not!”…..so…here I am taking Russian before I have even learned German, but thankfully, I only have this class for one hour each week.  There is so much more that I would like to include in this report…..but my host family and I are leaving for Oktoberfest in about thirty minutes…..so overall, everything is great!