Our visit to the United States

Transkript

1 Bodensee-Gymnasium Lindau Hopkinton High School Contoocook GAPP Exchange Programme 2009/2010 Our visit to the United States from August 30 to September 21, 2009 Michael Biesenberger, Johannes Birk, Frederic Brückner, Tim Gässler, Natalie Halbing, Christina Hans, Franziska Hogenmüller, Sophia Jäckel, Isabelle Karlsson, Ole König, Anna-Lena Ponath, Felix Riewald, Adelaide Sander, Alexander Schmid, Andreas Schneider, Leonie Wahner

2 August 30, 2009 August 31, 2009 Arrival in the USA Finally the time had come, the 30th of August was there at last, the day on which 16 teenagers from the 10th and 11th grade of the Bodensee-Gymnasium had waited for so longingly. We met up at half past ten in the morning at the back entrance of our school feeling nervous but very happy while our parents nearly started crying while saying goodbye. A few hours later we had arrived at Munich airport, by now, feeling even more excited. When we had checked in our luggage and had passed the security checks, we could board the airplane at last and enjoy our eight-hour-flight with a lot of food and entertainment. Nobody could sleep though, we were still far too nervous for that. In Boston, which made us all enthusiastic because it seemed so large and everything sparkled, the German teacher of the American Hopkinton High School picked us up and we went on to Concord, the capital of New Hampshire by bus. At the bus station our exchange partners and families were waiting for us. After we had said hello exuberantly, we went to our American home straight away, where the most of us probably fell into bed at once, because we were so tired from the tiring day and we felt jetlagged. The next day, our first proper day in the USA, we didn t have to go to school but there was a lot of other things to do. We spent the morning with our exchange-partners with whom the most of us got along well immediately. Later in the day we had a welcoming party at an American girl s home, which should have taken place the day before, but was postponed. That s where we met our German friends again and got to know the other American exchange partners. At the beginning some of us still had problems communicating, but as time went by, it got easier and easier. From the party we went on to a baseball game in Manchester, which was exactly like we had imagined it would be. For example you could buy these typical huge hands and eat lots of food. Of course we had loads of fun until we took the bus back to Hopkinton late in the evening. That evening, at least I didn t feel as tired as the night before, so that I could spend a happy evening with my host family, until I went to bed far too late, but looking forward to my first school day. September 1, 2009 September 2, 2009 At Hopkinton High School These two days were our first regular school days at Hopkinton Middle High School and although the first school days for our exchange partners after their summer vacation. On Tuesday morning each of the German students came to school with his exchange partner. We went Mr. Olson s where we got our schedules for the next two days at school. Always two Germans were together in one class and we attended classes like Desktop Publishing or Biology. We noticed that the first lessons in a subject are nearly the same like here at our school in Germany. All teachers have to do a lot of paper stuff with their new pupils, hand books to all of them and so on. Another interesting thing on our first day was that there was a big meeting of all High School students. The principal spoke some words to the audience and explained his aims for the school year to all pupils. Afterwards we went back into class until one o clock. Then there was a big Welcome back party in the gym. All pupils of the Middle and High School came there and they had to do a lot of funny games. Also the teachers had to dance to the song YMCA of the Village People and even the principal joined the dance. After this big party all the Germans students went home with their exchange partners.

3 Wednesday was our second day at school. We went to different classes than the day before. Some of the classes were American Studies Literature, American Studies History, Physical Education and even German. In these classes was also a lot of paper stuff to do like in all the others but this was our first normal school day without any parties. All Germans noticed that there s a different system in America with all the lessons and lunch time but after this day everyone had figured out how it worked. September 3, 2009 Our Day in Boston On September 3, had to get up very early, so that we could go to Boston on the school bus. When we arrived there we first went on a so-called Duck Tour. The ride was great, but the guide talked very fast so it was hard for us to understand. He let some of us drive the car (in the water not in the city). That was a lot of fun. Later we went to the Prudential Tower and looked down on Boston. After that we had two hours of free time in a mall for eating lunch and shopping. Then we took the Subway to the Tomb. That s an interactive adventure, where we had to go through an old Egyptian tomb. It was very interesting. Then we rode the Subway to Faneuil Hall and to Harvard and Harvard Square, where we hat a little bit of free time to go shopping one more time and have dinner. After a long day (everybody was really tired) we took the subway to the bus station and went home to Hopkinton High School. The day was really great! View from the Prudential Tower View from the Boat (Duck Tours) (Adelaide Sander, Ole König)

4 September 4, 2009 September 5, 2009 September 6, 2009 In Contoocook That Friday was the start of a long weekend, so there was no school and I could sleep in that morning. Then I had breakfast with my host family and they made eggs from their own chickens in their garden, which is huge. Afterwards Matthias and me went out to the river with the canoe and paddled up the Contoocook River about one kilometre until we reached a rock in the river. We sat on the rock and talked. Afterwards we returned home. Then we changed our clothes and in the evening Matthias and me went to the fair. At the entrance we had to pay to get in and later we had to pay again to get on the rides. We soon met some other Germans and their exchange partners and a few other people we knew. There were many rides, some for small kids but also some for other people and Matthias didn t want to ride them because he gets sick. So he waited in front of them or we met again after some time. Most of the rides were great fun. Later we also watched the chickens and pigs and later we went to eat something but it was hard to decide where because there were so many eating places on the fair. In the end I ate a fried dough, a typical American food, which is very unhealthy. We said good bye to the others and went home again. (Johannes Birk, Tim Gäßler) September 7, 2009 Our Trip to New York Unser Ausflug nach New York startete am Montagmorgen um 6.45Uhr an der Busstation in Concord. Von dort aus fuhren wir mit dem Bus nach Boston, wo wir dann in den nächsten Bus nach New York City stiegen. Wir vertrieben uns die lange Fahrtzeit mit Schlafen, Musikhören und Reden. Die Fahrt dauerte fast 6 Stunden, doch dann waren wir endlich da! Nachdem wir ungefähr 15 anstrengende Minuten zu unserem Hotel gelaufen sind und schon erste Eindrücke von der Stadt gesammelt haben, konnten wir endlich in unsere Zimmer und uns ein bisschen von der langen Reise erholen. Unser Hotel war sehr schön und groß und lag fast direkt am Times Square, außerdem hatten wir eine tolle Sicht. Nachdem wir uns frisch gemacht haben ging es los! Als erstes haben wir das Rockefeller Center und den Trump Tower angeschaut, die beide sehr interessant waren. Anschließend waren wir im Central Park, indem wir uns eine dreiviertel Stunde umschauen durften und den schönen Park genießen konnten. Wir mussten den Weg zum Columbus Circle finden, wo wir uns mit den Lehrern wieder trafen. Weiter ging es dann den Broadway entlang Richtung Times Square, wo wir zwei Stunden für uns allein hatten. In dieser Zeit haben wir so wie meistens im McDonalds zu Abend gegessen, da es gut schmeckt, sehr schnell ging und wir sofort zum Shoppen konnten. Die Straßen waren besonders schön als es dunkel wurde und alles leuchtete und blinkte. Außerdem war es erstaunlich, dass die Straßen von morgens bis abends mit Menschen überfüllt waren. Wegen einem kleinen Zwischenfall sind wir nicht wie geplant auf das Empire State Building gegangen, sondern sind zurück ins Hotel und haben dort den restlichen Abend zusammen verbracht. (Franziska Hogenmüller)

5 Rockefeller Center We love New York September 8, 2009 A Day in New York On the second day, we all got up bright and early, so that we could make the most of our last hours in New York City! After having some breakfast in a little restaurant next to our hotel, we all got on the subway to the United Nations Plaza, where we then waited to be let into the UNO building. At half past ten, after we had gone through various security checks, we enjoyed an interesting guided tour during which we learned a lot about the United Nations. Apart from that we had time to admire lots of precious objects, which the individual countries had given each other as a present, on their entry into the UNO. Afterwards we all drove back on the subway to have some lunch, and paused in Grand Central in order to look at the huge railway building! At about 3pm we took the subway No.6 towards Brooklyn Bridge. When we arrived there, those who were still fit enough, were allowed to walk onto the Bridge, from where you had a beautiful but slightly cloudy view of the skyscrapers and bridges of Manhattan. At about half past 4 in the afternoon we went on, with the Gotham Walking Tour, on which a nice lady guided (Lina Viviano) us through Chinatown and Little Italy. In Chinatown we passed a market, which shocked us all a little, since there were live frogs stacked upon each other for sale or fish which were still fidgeting around on the stall. Because our feet were killing us afterwards, we crossed with the Staten Island Ferry from Manhattan to Queens, which was, to our surprise, free of charge. During the trip we passed pretty close to the Statue of Liberty so that we could take some great pictures of the famous sight! We had all waited

6 for that! After we had crossed back over to Manhattan, we were allowed to spend half an hour in the department store Macy s, which is the biggest store in the whole world! After we'd had a short rest in our hotel, and eaten some dinner, we went up onto the Empire State Building, which was a real highlight! From there, we had a breathtaking view of the lights of Manhattan! I think we'll never forget that moment! Most of us had never been able to enjoy such a great view before! In the evening we all more or less fell into bed with exhaustion, and went to sleep quickly, so that we could enjoy our final hours in New York the next day, before driving back to Hopkinton. (Leonie Wahner) September 9, 2009 Leaving New York Nach dem Frühstück hatten wir noch etwas Zeit in vierer Gruppen letzte Besorgungen zu erledigen, wie zum Beispiel Postkarten abzuschicken und die letzten I love NY T-Shirts zu kaufen, was sich aber als nicht sehr leicht erwies, da wir uns in einem Viertel mit teuren, edlen Läden befanden, wie zum Beispiel Gucci, Prada oder Armani. Durch Zufall kamen wir auch an der Ecke Fifth Avenue / Central Park an einem Filmdrehort vorbei, und es war spannend bei den Dreharbeiten zuzusehen. Der Abschied von New York fiel uns allen schwer, es ist eine sehr tolle und interessante Stadt und wir haben hier unvergessliche Tage verbracht. Trotzdem freuten wir uns schon wieder auf Hopkinton, unsere Austauschpartner und die Schule. Mittags sind wir dann wieder mit dem Bus über Boston nach Concord gefahren, wo wir am späten Nachmittag angekommen sind und schon von unseren Gastfamilien erwartet wurden. Manhattan (Natalie Halbing)

7 September 10, 2009 A Day at School It was Thursday 10 th of September, when I got up at roughly 6 o clock in the morning. As always, it was pretty cold air and so it wasn t a pleasure to do all the morning stuff. My Exchange partner drove me to school, and as soon as I entered the entrance I was warm again. It was my usual day two, Western Civilisation first, then Ceramics and at last German class. After school we, means me and my exchange partner, met with some friends and had a little volleyball tournament. In the evening we visited a cinema in Concord to watch District 9. It was very fun with all the popcorn we ate and the litres of coke we drank. Afterwards I got to bed very quickly, on the next day I had to be wide awake our plan was to visit concord state house. (Frederic Brückner) September 11, 2009 A Trip to the New Hampshire State House on Nine Eleven The next day, on Friday 11 th, it was almost the same procedure. Day one, starting with Integrated Maths, then Economics. It ended after Block 3, French, because of our trip to the New Hampshire State House. After we got there with a little yellow school bus, we entered and had a walk through it, guided by a lady who worked there. It was very interesting to learn about the system of voting and all the differences between our German government and the Americans. We also were allowed to take a seat on the chairs in the great court hall and to listen to a couple of funny stories what already was seen in there. Afterwards it was like (interesting) history-lesson of America Very impressive how they lived and all the wars and fights against whites and native Americans. After that we went back to school, of course it already had ended, and so my host family came and took me home. In the afternoon and evening it rained, so some friends visited us and we watched Indiana Jones - Raiders of the Lost Ark, again a lot of fun and additionally interesting to hear the original voices of the actors in comparison with the German synchronisation so much better integrated into the ambient noises. Different to Germany, I wasn t happy to be at the end of the week again only one more week to stay. (Frederic Brückner)

8 September 12, 2009 September 13, 2009 A weekend with my family At the 2 nd weekend I drove with my family to an island in the Atlantic, called Martha s Vineyard. We took a ferry to the island staying at Nate s grandparents house we got lots of food to eat. Nate s friend Frankie came with us, too. On the next day we went for a walk at the beach and through a little city. The Obamas spent their holidays there, too. In the evening we had dinner in a little fish restaurant. Nate s grandfather asked me a lot of questions about Germany. Swimming in the Atlantic on the next day was a lot of fun because the waves were huge. We came back to Nate s house at 8PM. (Alexander Schmid) A day with my host family On Sunday, while my exchange family was in church until about 11:30am I decided to sleep until 11:00am. So when I woke up I made myself some ham sandwiches (My family told me to simply serve myself when im hungry). After I took a shower and brushed my teeth the whole family came back at 11:40 and me and my exchange partner decided to play some video games. During playing video games we made plans for the rest of the day and came to the conclusion that it would be the best to stay home and have a relaxed day because we both were kind of tired from the day before. As usual, lunch (at around 1:00pm) was not together at the table but everybody had to prepare his own food (only snacks like Bagels). After we ate, my exchange partner called his friend Jay and his exchange student Michael to come over at like 2:30pm. We spent a couple of hours at the pool and later (at about 5:00pm) Taylor and Ole joined us too. After another hour we all left the pool (Taylor and Ole left) and my exchange student, Jay, Michael and me played video games until like 7 pm. After that Jay and Michael left and we had dinner (Meatloaf). After that we all sat together and read out of the Book of the Mormons and my exchange partner, Jake (his brother) and me watched a movie. At 10:20 pm we got ready for bed and slept. I was really tired, but it was a great experience. (Alexander Schmid) A Grand Day Out On Sunday, September 13, we left Contoocook at 9:45 am, my host mother, my exchange partner Paige, her other German exchange student Felix and myself. We drove to Concord where we had a quick breakfast at Dunkin Donuts. After one and a half hours of driving we finally arrived in Kennebunkport, Maine. First we hat a look at my host family s house they have there, and then we drove on to see the beach. At midday we got to the ocean at Cape Porpoise where we took lots of pictures of the lighthouse and the boats. After that we drove to Walker s Point and to see the house former President Bush s family lives sometimes and to watch the ocean. So after that we wanted to do some shopping in Kennebunkport. We did that until 2:30 pm when we decided to eat lunch. We all had sea food like fried shrimps and fish burgers. After lunch we went on to Gooch s Beach, where we had lots of fun swimming in the Atlantic Ocean. We left the beach at 3:30 to get some ice cream. After the ice cream we bought lobsters for dinner and then we drove back to New Hampshire. So in the evening we had a lobster dinner with the whole family, which was delicious.

9 We had an invitation for a movie night at Lauren s place. Lauren is a girl who also takes part in the exchange. So we arrived there by 7:00 pm. The movie we watched was Slumdog Millionaire and of course we had lots of fun. This was a great day! (Isabelle Karlsson) September 14, 2009 September 15, 2009 Back to School Again The first two days of our last week were regular schooldays. During these two days all exchange students had to give the Americans impressions of typical German topics in the form of a presentation about the German school system, Bavaria, our hometown Lindau, German bands... Afterwards, we had ordinary classes according to our individual schedules. We had a class of American Studies Literature, in which we analysed the poem Mirror. Furthermore, we joined a class of Wood Tech. We created a pencil holder made of wood. The last class of this day we spent in the library. After school we went home and spent the evening with our host families. The second day started almost equally. We had normal school classes from 8.00am to 2.50pm. In the first class we had Maths. Then we had Desktop Publishing (DTP), in which we learnt something about different computer typefaces. The third class was again a class of presentations, but this time we held them in German in front of an audience of American students advanced in German. Then we enjoyed a class of drawing. In the afternoon some of us watched a soccer match of the girls soccer team. In the evening we enjoyed being together with our host families, having dinner and watching television. (Michael Biesenberger) September 16, 2009 Another Schoolday Mittwoch, den Um 7.30h mussten wir das Haus verlassen um in die Schule zu fahren. Die Hopkinton Middle High School ist ungefähr 20 Minuten und 1000 Bäume von meiner Gastfamilie entfernt. Ich wusste bis zum letzen Tag nicht, nach welchem Baum wir zur Schule abgebogen sind. Um 8.00h fing der Unterricht (First Block) an. Ich hatte Chemieunterricht, in dem wir einen Versuch durchgeführt haben. Es war sehr interessant, da wir einen Versuch gemacht haben, bei dem wir verschiedene Chemikalien verbrannt haben. Wir mussten Schutzkleidung tragen, da bei einem Verbrennungsvorgang eine grünliche Flamme entstand. Anschließend sollten wir unsere Beobachtungen und die daraus entstehenden Erklärungen notieren. Um 9.30h war der 1. Block zu Ende und wir hatten glücklicherweise 15 Minuten Pause bis der 2. Block anfing. Im 2. Block hatten wir das Unterrichtsfach Intro Engineering, das sich allgemein mit neuen Entwicklungen und der Verbesserung von Erfindungen beschäftigt. In der heutigen Stunde verbrachten wir 90 Minuten mit dem Bearbeiten von Powerpoint Präsentationen. Danach folgten 5 Minuten Pause und der 3. Block mit Gym. Wir lernten mit Pfeil und Bogen zu schießen wie Robin Hood, wobei wir uns vorher mit einem Spiel und anschließendem Joggen aufgewärmt hatten. Nach Gym hatten wir Mittagspause und Französischunterricht.

10 Wir lernten in den ersten 45 Minuten Sätze wie Quel est ton nom? und Quel est ton prénom? In den folgenden 45 Minuten lernten wir Äußerungen wie J habite à Lindau, en Allemagne. Sie nahmen ziemlich grundlegenden und einfachen Stoff durch, weil manche Schüler in diesem Kurs 2 Jahre Französischunterricht hatten und andere aber erst 1 Jahr Französisch gelernt hatten. Um 14.50h endete der Schultag und wir spielten noch mit ein paar Freunden in der Turnhalle Basketball. Danach gingen wir noch bei Beecher s Farm Hill zum Eisessen, waren Einkaufen und sahen uns am Abend noch zusammen eine DVD an. (Christina Hans) September 17, 2009 One More School Day and a Trip to College Um 7.30h verließen meine amerikanische Partnerin und ich das Haus um in die Schule zu fahren. Im 1. Block hatten wir World Culture. Wir sahen uns einen Film über Indien an zu dem wir Fragen beantworten mussten. Danach im 2. Block hatten wir Sociology, in dem wir einen Test schrieben. Die deutschen Schüler durften jedoch netterweise während des Testes in die Bibliothek gehen. Anschließend hatten wir Lunch und eine Stunde Study Hall (Freistunde). Um 13.30h war dann für alle deutschen Schüler Treffpunkt für eine College-Besichtigung. Wir wurden mit einem Bus abgeholt, mit dem wir dann nach New London zum Colby-Sawyer College fuhren. Dort erwartete uns eine einstündige Führung durch das College, in der wir die Wohnzimmer, die Bibliothek, die Sporthalle, das Schwimmbad und noch vieles mehr besichtigten. Danach hatten wir die Gelegenheit, uns mit der einzigen deutschen Collegebewohnerin zu unterhalten und ihre einige Fragen zu stellen. Anschließend wurden wir wieder zurück nach Contoocook gefahren. Den Rest des Tages/Abends verbrachten wir mit einem gemeinsamen Spagettikochen, was sehr lustig war, da die Amerikaner noch nie Spagetti mit selbstgemachter Tomatensoße gegessen hatten. Als wir alle satt waren, fuhren wir noch zum Open House (Elternabend) der Schule. Dort haben Eltern und Schüler die Möglichkeit, mit den Lehrkräften zu sprechen und die Schule zu besichtigen. Auch für uns deutsche Schüler eine super Gelegenheit einmal in alle Klassenzimmer zu schauen und die Atmosphäre der Schule von einer anderen Seite zu erleben. (Christina Hans) September 18, 2009 Native Americans and Buffalo The last school day started like a regular day. Everybody from the exchange program went to school and had the lessons of his schedule until 11 am. Then we met Mr. Sauter and Mr. Olson in front of the German classroom and all Germans went to the Warner Indian Museum with them. There we first saw a short movie about the foundation and history of the museum, and afterwards we had a guided tour through the building. There we learned a lot about the Indian tribes, their traditions and their way of life. The guide also showed us the differences between the different tribes and some facts about the time before the Europeans arrived. There were many interesting things which are nearly unknown in Europe like the fact that many Indians haven t lived in tents and used to play a game called lacrosse. When our tour ended we got some time to look at the gift shop. After that we visited a buffalo farm, one of the owners told us about the background of the buffalo while we were allowed to feed them and could try some home-made buffalo sausages.

11 Our trip ended at 2:45 pm and we went back to school were we had to say goodbye to many of our new friends we made at school. After that everybody returned to his host family. In the evening, at 5 pm there was a little farewell party with a barbecue and some games at one of the host families, and everybody of the exchange programme was invited so we all had a nice ending of the day and all of us could thank the host families for the great three weeks we had in the USA. (Felix Riewald) September 20, 2009 September 21, 2009 Leaving New England When I woke up this morning I was very tired. The day before we (the German group) had a Going-Away Party together with our American exchange students. Beside the exchange participants, there were some other kids from Hopkinton High with whom we have made friends during our stay at the school. It was kind of difficult to realize that it already was the last evening the days had passed by so quickly! Some of us didn t even want to go back home. After three weeks, Hopkinton and its inhabitants seemed like a second home for us. On the last day, everyone was very busy packing and taking pictures with their host family. After having lunch, part of the groups decided to spend the last few hours before departure together and therefore, we met at the local Corn Maize in the early afternoon. At 2 pm, it was time to drive to Concord to get on the bus. At the bust station, we had time to say goodbye to our host families and our Americans friends. It was very emotional for everyone who took part in the exchange. I am very thankful that I ve been able to make this unforgettable experience and I think all the others are, too. What lasts are the photos, our memories and the anticipation to welcome our friends in Lindau next year! (Anna-Lena Ponath) A last word So that was, more or less, a fair account of our visit to one of the most attractive places within the United States. We met a lot wonderful people, made new friends and enjoyed our stay in New Hampshire, the most liveable state of the union. Thanks to Frau Gall s indefatigable preparatory work, Carl Olson s excellent organisation, the friendliness of the principal and staff at Hopkinton High, the warmth and hospitality of the host families and the cooperative attitude of all participants (including the chaperones) our stay was a big success, and the words of farewell spoken at the going away party came straight from our hearts. (Peter Sauter)