It's been a while

Hey guys so my everyone is in the U.S. is begging for an update so I finally decided to sit down and do a blog. This past winter in Germany has been great!

 I have been singing a lot in another schools choir and recently got the chance to sing withe a very well known composer under his conduction. It was one of the most amazing experiences, Eric Whitacre was extremely talented and just to give you a taste of what it was like here is a video I found on Youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ockmouvews


This one is better.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=pCrhKYHxqfs

Along with that I am lucky enough to have an extremely talented pianist as a host brother. We received the chance to preform in a benefits concert put on by Rotary.

Another exceptional thing that happened while I was here was that it was COLD.... So cold that  many lakes and rivers froze over so that you could walk and ice-skate on them. For example the picture to the left is a bunch of my friends ice-skating in my town on a little lake and the picture below of a friend and me in Hamburg on the Elbe River. This hasn't happened for the last 15 years and I was lucky enough to be there when it happened.

As for future plans the next two weeks are spring break for us but my family isn't planning on taking a big trip but rather little trips around northern Germany. I am going on the Euro tour from April 24th until May 8th. That will take me too all the cities pointed out on the map. I am extremely excited :)

I am in my second family and I love them to death. Here is a picture we actually took today for my older host brother birthday. The weather is a lot better than is has been and its really nice to be outside without a heavy jacket on.

As some of you know I will (unfortunately) be coming home on August 1st.
See you all then. <3

Hey there!

So I know it's been a while and it's really because I have been so busy! I really only have time of because of my little cold that I have. Well I have just really been trying to enjoy myself here and its been going well, I think of myself as beeing pretty well intrigrated with my friends and I really feel at home with my new family.

As for Christmas, well that is something I will never forget. Now the traditions aren't that different but the atmosphere is stronger. Most families don't set up their Christmas tree untill a few days before Christmas and dont put the gifts under until Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve is the big day of celebrtion in Germany and the gifts are usually opened before dinner.

A common meal I have seen around Christmas and New Years in Germany is called Raquelt and lookes something like....

Its just like a make it yourself dinner.

New Years is also a way bigger deal in Germany. Almost everyone celebrates. I really can't believe almost half of my year is over.

Thank you all so much

Love Shannon

Thanksgiving in Germany

Last week was thanksgiving in the United Stated and I decided to celebrate here in Germany with a few of my German friends. After finally finding somewhere that sold turkeys (45min away, yes its not that easy) we got two, beautiful nine pound turkeys.

We did it on a Saturday because unfortunately Germans don't have the school day off. A few friends came over to help me cook everything before dinner. These were my great helpers :) but in the end we had 10 Germans, 1 Americans, my host parents and my host brother.


I told my host father about the tradition of carving the turkey and he gladly obliged. It was defiantly a great evening.

Last week I spent some time with another school's choir on a retreat (because my school doesn't really have a choir). That means I am now in three choirs and my December is going to be full of concerts but I cant wait.

New post!

A lot has been going on recently but I'm going to stick to the theme of putting up a picture and telling you about it because that seems like the bast way to share what is going on with my life :)

I had the privilege of going to visit someone I met in California. Her name is Greta and she came to my Sweet Sixteen last year. we met up in Bremen and just had a really good time.

The Kooks! Well that was pretty much the coolest thing I have been too. A few other exchange students and I went to a Kooks concert. We seemed to push our way up to the front for one of the best views possible. :) Ohh yeah and I did take the picture myself.








Deustchland Reise!

Ahh man. What a great week that was. A bunch of kids from all over the world running around Germany for a week. We got to see some pretty amazing things too. Buchenwald, Wiemar, and lots of Berlin.

I took the picture on the left while we were in Buchenwald, a Concentration camp. If you can't see there are silver poles scattered in between the trees representing more than one person that died there. This forest looked like it went on forever and ever too me and I kept seeing more and more poles. I was with one other exchange student that took it just as seriously as I did so the mood wasn't the happies. We must have stayed here looking at the trees and poles for what seemed like hours untill we really couldnt take it any more.  

Well this is me out infront of the Germany Parlement. We got a tour and got a quick history lesson about the building. There was suprizingly a lot of security, to get in you had to have your passport and go through a screening like at the airport. It was interesting and I would recoment others to go there too.

Die Auto Statt

http://www.autostadt.de/en/start/?tx_linewscalendar_pi1%5Bselectedday%5D=1295385296%3D

Thats pretty much all I can say with out exploding. It is a really cool place to go and see cool old and new cars but you need atleast a half of a day adn we only had a few hours.

Well after atempting for 2 days to get into The Hard Rock Cafe Berlin we finally did it! Guess what I ate? Yes a California Burger, and yes it was exactly like it should be! It was just the 4 American girls having a great time off on their own adventure. The atmospher was great and so were our moods.

So I think thats all for now :)

To everyone in California, have a wonderfull Thanksgiving, and again thank you and I love you :)

Germany...is beautiful. The last week we have had great weather! In the 80-90s one or two days but now its getting cold again and I am told it is going to stay like this for a while. Every morning I ride my bike to school and this mornings ride required gloves and ear muffs. But hey if they can do it so can I.

To the left is a picture of me and two of my friends right before a dance. This dance happens once a year and is similar to homecoming because you get dressed up and take pictures but is far different because when you get there you dance formally. You must come with a partner and dance with them. There is also a promenade and my partner gave me flowers.

Here is a picture of my host dad preparing a barbecue for the family. This day the weather was great so we thought we should all sit outside and enjoy the weather, and we did.

The north sea! Now that is something you have to see if you are in the north of Germany. Yeah yeah its a beautiful ocean? No there actually is something special about it. Every day the tide goes so far out that you can walk to an island. Now my family and I didn't walk that far but we did walk a little bit and it was really cool. We also took my friend Lara and it was a great day!

Then, Luneburg with Melissa (another exchange student from Mexico). This is just one of the fantastic places my host family has taken me. It had to be one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.

I have also been in quite a few churches and I can tell you for sure that we don't have anything like them in the United States.

:)

Ich liebe Deustchland

Ohh gosh well this last week has been crazy good! I just spent the week in Italy! Both of my host parents are teachers so they took their class on a trip through Italy for a week just for fun. The whole week we stayed in Peschiera in a little camping place of the Garda Lake.
Day 1: Verona!
Day 2: Sirmione
Day 3: Padua
Day 4: Venedig (Venice)
Day 5: A long walk to the next town over and some time at the beach.
Day 6: Free day where we went to the breach and walked around town.
I'm not sure if that is all right because we did so much in that week but you get the idea.



This had to have been one of the best trips I have ever been on and it is all thanks to my wonderful host parents! we all go home on Fridays and then on Saturday I had to go straight to Rotary orientation and sleepover.
Then! Monday (today) I just had my first German class. So like I said a great and crazy week.

School

Today I have now officially been here for 20 days and it has been great. The last two weeks I have had school and my host sister left for Argentina.

Today I am supposed to make a poster about myself to hang up in school. It will be interesting to see the other kids reactions after it goes up.
On Friday I am going to Italy for a week with my host parents. The are both teachers so I am going on their class trip with their students. The weather here is a little crazy 80 one day and 40 the next but if it rains it usually doesn't rain all day. I ride my bike to and from school and around town and my legs aren't really used it it yet.
The biggest difference I think I see so far in my family is their eating patterns. Mornings are the same but lunch and dinner are different. Lunch is usually around 2 in the afternoon and is as big or bigger than dinner in the U.S. Dinner is small, some bread and cheese and a little meat later in the afternoon. I love it this way.