I haven’t written for a while, but there’s a very good explanation for that: basically, I haven’t had anytime. I know it’s a lame excuse, but here’s a summary of what I’ve done the past two months: (and this is only the big stuff) I went to Leipzig with my host sister, saw my first ballet, went to Neumunster to celebrate Marina’s mother’s 50^{th Birthday, went to Switzerland, saw Phantom of the Opera in Essen, went to a Rotex weekend, and did a two week tour around Germany with 50 other exchange students.}

It’s almost hard to remember so far back, with so much happenings sandwiched in between. The rest of February and early March I used to celebrate winter. This year has been Germany’s coldest, longest winter ever, and I just so happened to choose to come here this year. Anyways, I had tons of snow adventures, some good, some bad. I’ve discovered that I have a curse. Whenever and wherever I traveled, the snow followed. For example, Leipzig had almost no snow this year, and before I came, it was about 175degrees Celsius (About 60 to 70, comfortable anyways). I get there on a Friday night, the weather was nice; it was warm enough. And of course, the next day we wake up and the weather slowly turns bad. By mid-afternoon, it was snowing buckets; you couldn’t see five feet in front of you. This lasted until Sunday evening (I had left Sunday morning). The snow followed me everywhere. In fact, I woke up this morning, and there were inches of snow. The last day in April! Snow! Absolutely insane.

But other than the snow, Leipzig was amazing. It is one of the prettiest cities in Germany, and home to the most culture. They are the theatre center for all of Germany, and I think all of Europe too, but I’m not sure. I went there with my host sister to visit her dad. He is one of the managers of the Musical Department in the Theatre in Leipzig. We spent an entire day just walking around the city. It is absolutely gorgeous. A lot of state money goes into rebuilding the old DDR and you can really see the effort and money people have put into this city. Leipzig has the oldest indoor shopping mall, which we walked through, and was home to Bach. We went into the church where he had worked and almost had the chance to hear the famous choir of boys that practice and perform there. We tried to get into the synagogue there, but that was my first taste of the anti-semitic problems they have in the East. We weren’t allowed in without an appointment and an accompanying police guard. There were no signs that said what it was, and there were bars all over the windows. I was extremely disappointed. Later that night, I had the opportunity to go to my first Ballet, which happened to be a premier called "Drei Mal Genial" (3 Times Awesome). There were three different mini pieces and they were absolutely wonderful. I never ever thought I was a ballet person, but I would definitely go again, given the chance.

I’m not writing with much detail because I realize in this report I still have to go over my Deutschland Reise which will take a lot, so what you are reading, is a much shortened version of my travels. From just these two months, I could write a full novel and still have left things out.

The next weekend found me in Neumunster for a huge 50th birthday celebration. On this subject, I’ll keep it short. Germans know how to throw a good party. With good food, good company, and good music, this party (of mostly old folks) lasted long into the morning. A week later, I was on my way to Switzerland. Cousins of my grandfather live there, and I was stoked to get to know them. The whole weekend, they took me around they’re small country, showing me everything from ruins to the only International Bank in the World in Basel. It was so much fun. I got a chance to get to know my family (who are amazing people) and see a gorgeous country.

The Friday after that started my Rotary experience. We started with a Rotex weekend. Those are always fun; all of the exchange students getting together to check something out in the area. This time it was some caves about 20 minutes from my house. We met all the newcomers from below the equator (South Africa, Zimbabwe, Australia) and met new friends that we would keep for the whole trip. Any second thoughts about the tour vanished that weekend. The tour started Thursday morning in Cologne. From here, I’m just going to copy and paste our itinerary.

07.15 Uhr Zusammentreffen der Gruppe am Bus (z.B. Kˆln, Komˆdienstr. Hst.Reisebusse)

08.00 Uhr Abfahrt zum Tagebau Garzweiler (Bedburg-Kaster)

09.00 Uhr F¸hrung durch den Tagebau mit eigenem Bus (Dauer ca. 2,5 Std.)

11.30 Uhr Weiterfahrt nach Aachen

13.15 Uhr Altstadtf¸hrung* Aachen in zwei Gruppen (zu Fu_, Dauer ca. 1,5 Std.)

15.00 Uhr Domf¸hrung** Aachen mit Schatzkammer in zwei Gruppen (Dauer ca. 1,5 Std.)

17.45 Uhr R¸ckfahrt nach Bonn

18.00 Uhr Ankunft Jugendherberge, Bezug der Zimmer, Abendessen

Nach dem Fr¸hst¸ck:

08.30 Uhr Fahrt zum Haus der Geschichte

09.00 Uhr Begleiteter Rundgang durch die Dauerausstellung im „Haus der Geschichte"

in zwei Gruppen (Dauer ca. 1,5 Std.). Direkt im Anschluss:

10.45 Uhr 2st¸ndige Stadtrundfahrt*/Gang* durch Bonn (F¸hrung in einer Gruppe)

13.30 Uhr Weiterfahrt nach Kˆln

14.45 Uhr Altstadtf¸hrung* in zwei Gruppen (zu Fu_, Dauer ca. 1 Std.)

16.15 Uhr Domf¸hrung** mit Chorgang und Dreikˆnigschrein in zwei Gruppen

(Dauer ca. 1 Std.)

17.15 Uhr R¸ckfahrt nach Bonn, Ankunft gegen 18.00 Uhr – Abendessen

Nach dem Fr¸hst¸ck: Check-Out

08.00 Uhr Gep‰ckverladung

08.15 Uhr Abfahrt nach Braubach

10.30 Uhr F¸hrung auf der Marksburg in zwei Gruppen (Dauer ca. 50 Min.)

11.45 Uhr Weiterfahrt entlang des „romantischen Rhein" nach Kaub a. Rhein

13.30 Uhr Weiterfahrt ¸ber R¸desheim- Rheinf‰hre - Bingen nach Speyer

16.00 Uhr Domf¸hrung** Speyer in zwei Gruppen (Dauer ca. 45 Min.)

17.15 Uhr Weiterfahrt nach Heidelberg, Ankunft gegen 18.00 Uhr, Bezug der Zimmer

(Jugendherberge) und Abendessen

Nach dem Fr¸hst¸ck: Check-Out

08.30 Uhr Gep‰ckverladung

08.45 Uhr Fahrt zur Altstadt Heidelberg

09.00 Uhr Altstadt*- und Schlossaussenf¸hrung in zwei Fu_gruppen (Dauer ca. 2,5 Std.)

12.15 Uhr Weiterfahrt nach M¸nchen direkter Weg Autobahn ohne Zusatzstop.

18.15 Uhr Ankunft am Hostel in M¸nchen, Bezug der Zimmer und Abendessen

Nach dem Fr¸hst¸ck:

08.30 Uhr Fahrt zum Treffpunkt mit dem Stadtf¸hrer

09.00 Uhr Stadtrundfahrt* mit Besichtigung Schloss Nymphenburg (Dauer ca. 3 Stunden)

13.00 Uhr Fahrt zum Deutschen Museum in M¸nchen (Museumsinsel)

13.30 Uhr ‹bersichtsf¸hrung dt. Museum in zwei Gruppen (Dauer ca. 2 Std.)

16.00 Uhr R¸ckfahrt zum Hostel oder Aufenthaltsverl‰ngerung im dt. Museum

Alternativ: Fahrt ins Zentrum mit freiem Aufenthalt

Nach dem Fr¸hst¸ck:

08.00 Uhr Abfahrt nach Hohenschwangau

10.45 Uhr Ankunft am Parkplatz unterhalb des Schloss Neuschwanstein/Hohenschwangau

10.45-17.15 Uhr Aufenthalt. Fu_weg zum Schloss bzw. „Teufelsbr¸cke"

17.15 Uhr R¸ckfahrt nach M¸nchen. Ankunft gegen 19.00 Uhr – Abendessen

Nach dem Fr¸hst¸ck: Check-Out

08.00 Uhr Gep‰ckverladung

08.15 Uhr Fahrt zur KZ Gedenkst‰tte Dachau

09.00 Uhr Gef¸hrter Rundgang in zwei Gruppen (Dauer ca. 2,5 Std.)

12.00 Uhr Weiterfahrt nach Weimar (Mittagspause unterwegs BAB Rastst‰tte)

18.00 Uhr Ankunft Hotel/Weimar, Bezug der Zimmer – Abendessen

Nach dem Fr¸hst¸ck: Check-Out

09.00 Uhr Gep‰ckverladung

09.15 Uhr Fahrt zum Treffpunkt mit den Stadtf¸hrern

09.30 Uhr Gef¸hrter Stadtrundgang* in zwei Gruppen (Dauer ca. 2 Std.)

14.30 Uhr Weiterfahrt nach Dresden, Ankunft Jugendhotel ca. 18.00 Uhr, Bezug der

Zimmer - Abendessen

Nach dem Fr¸hst¸ck:

08.30 Uhr Gef¸hrte Stadtrundfahrt*-/Gang* in 1-2 Gruppen (Dauer ca. 4 Std.)

13.15 Uhr Fahrt zur Porzellanmanufaktur Meissen

14.15 Uhr F¸hrung durch Schauhalle, Sonderausstellung und Schauwerkstatt in zwei

Gruppen (Dauer ca. 1,5 Std.)

16.00 Uhr R¸ckfahrt nach Dresden, Ankunft Jugendg‰stehaus gegen 17.00 Uhr

Abendessen

Nach dem Fr¸hst¸ck: Check-Out

08.00 Uhr ab Dresden 10.00-11.00 Uhr Aufenthalt am Vˆlkerschlachtdenkmal inkl.

0,5 Std. F¸hrung (Audioguide). Mehrkosten ca. EUR 2,00 p.P..

11.00 Uhr Fahrt zur Lutherstadt Wittenberg

13:45 Uhr Gef¸hrter Stadtrundgang** in zwei Gruppen (Dauer ca. 3 Stunden)

16.45 Uhr Abfahrt. ca. 19.00 Uhr an Berlin.

Nach dem Fr¸hst¸ck:

08.30 Uhr Stadtrundfahrt* mit dem eigenen Bus (Dauer: ca. 3+Std.)

12.45 Uhr Fahrt zum Reichstag und Besuch von Reichstag und Kuppel = in Eigenregie!

14.45-15.15 Uhr Fu_weg ¸ber Brandenburger Tor zum Holocaust-Mahnmahl/Stelenfeld

(Entfernung = 500m – auf Wunsch auch mit dem Bus)

15.45 Uhr F¸hrung durch das Stelenfeld in drei Gruppen (Dauer ca. 1,5 Std.)

im „Ort der Information" = keine F¸hrung/individuell (Audioguides verf¸gbar)

17.45 Uhr R¸ckfahrt zur Unterkunft - Abendessen

Nach dem Fr¸hst¸ck:

09.00 Uhr Fahrt nach Potsdam und F¸hrung im eigenen Bus. Anschlie_end Schloss- und

Park Sanssouci Au_enf¸hrung (Dauer total ca. 3+ Std.)

13.00 Uhr R¸ckfahrt nach Berlin-Zentrum. Rest des Tages zur freien Verf¸gung.

19.00 Uhr Abendessen in der gebuchten Unterkunft

Nach dem Fr¸hst¸ck: Check-Out

08.15 Uhr Gep‰ckverladung

08.30 Uhr Abfahrt nach Hamburg

14.00 Uhr Gef¸hrte Stadtrundfahrt im eigenen Bus (Dauer ca. 2 Std.)

16.30 Uhr Hafenrundfahrt (Dauer ca. 1 Std.)

17.45 Uhr Fahrt zur gebuchten Unterkunft. Bezug der Zimmer - Abendessen

Nach dem Fr¸hst¸ck:

08.00 Uhr Abfahrt nach HH-Finkenwerder

09.15 Uhr Werksf¸hrung Airbus-Montagewerk in zwei Gruppen (Dauer ca. 2,5 Std.)

Achtung Mindestalter der Teilnehmer: 14 Jahre!!! Ausweispflicht !!!

12.15 Uhr R¸ckfahrt HH-Zentrum. (Mittags-) Pause bis 13.30 Uhr

13.30 Uhr Abfahrt nach Brunsb¸ttel (Nord-Ostsee-Kanal)

15.30 Uhr F¸hrung durch das Schleusenwerk in zwei/drei Gruppen (Dauer ca. 1 Std.)

16.45 Uhr R¸ckfahrt zur gebuchten Unterkunft in HH. Ankunft gegen ca. 18.30 Uhr.

Abendessen.

Nach dem Fr¸hst¸ck: Check-Out

08.00 Uhr Gep‰ckverladung

08.15 Uhr Abfahrt nach M¸nster

13.00 Uhr Weiterfahrt nach Bochum zum Bergbaumuseum

14.30 -17.00 Uhr Besuch des Bergbaumuseums einschl. ca. 45 min. regul‰re F¸hrung

17.15 Uhr Weiterfahrt nach Bonn. Ankunft gegen ca. 18.45/19.00 Uhr

Considering the length of it, I’m not going to translate, I’ll just give you a list of the cities, and those of you who have an interest can figure more out.

That trip, I can honestly say, was the best two weeks of my life. Stuck on a bus for hours with 50 other exchange students from all over the world may not be Disney world, but I would trade in 50 free passes for another day on that tour anytime. The people were amazing. We learned about each other’s cultures, languages, and sometimes had those conflicts where some things weren’t accepted in other cultures. We made lifelong friends that I feel closer to than some people that I have known my whole life. We saw cities, castles, churches, people, and had the most amazing experiences all together. Even when it wasn’t a good day or we got ripped off by paying 20 Euros for a 9 euro all you can eat sushi bar, we took it in stride, laughed and checked out the next monument. Nights were our own, and they’re weren’t a few where we got lost trying to find our way back to our hostel. Over the course of the trip, I took over 1000 pics. Which is insane, but I am so glad, because I have pics to remember every little thing that made us laugh, or gasp, or smile. I have pics of every friend, from every country, sleeping on the bus. Enough gushy stuff. I’m almost done, I promise.

As soon as I got home, I had to switch families. My last family had the most wonderful going away party for me. I really felt great in that house and was sorry to leave. But it’s nice to know that I’ll always have a place there. So I moved last Saturday, my new family is also really nice. It’s a bit too early to tell a whole lot, but I really, really like them so far. I have two sisters 16 and 18, Siri and Helen. My parents are both English teachers (I could have used that at the beginning of the year) and extremely nice. And now I take leave of you all. As I finish this, it is the first of May, a Holiday called the Day of Work, where no one actually works. We are going into town to celebrate a little. I wish you all a wonderful 1st of May and Spring (hopefully yours is warmer than mine J).

With much love,

Suzie