Brownie in the USA

Hey Guys,
What´s up ?

I am busy here, like I have never been before. The time flies faster than expected and i´m so not looking forward to come home. Hahaha i´m sorry guys, but it´s so awesome here. I´m doing good in school so i got straight A´s, but it´s still hard to do all those homework, studying, sports, theater and friends at the same time so I am always really looking forward to the weekend to sleep a little bit longer.

The first Quarter went pretty good. As I already told you straight A, with hard work. Besides classes i am in a leadership club which is basically a Conflict Resolution Crew, where we´re playing games and prevent and solve conflicts in a playful way. I´m also joining the International Club, a club for Exchange Students, for fun and food, the indoor soccer team (not in school) and the Swimming team (in school). But right now the biggest and hardest job I have is in the tech crew, backstage of our Musical "Hairspray", where I have to help coordinate all those scene changes, but it is really fun because I just have a beautiful crew that listens and follows perfectly. The only problem I have right now is, that swimming starts on Monday and rehearsals go till next weekend, which basically means i miss the first week of practice which is usually the most important. But, oh well, whatever. ... Hairspray.... * spirit-fingers* boom blackout .. applause. 













Something I really want to tell you are the field-trips we take in CRC (Conflict Resolution Crew) with our incredible teacher. First we had a team building event at a roping parcour. That was really cool and brought us as a class and crew (including Leadership Club) closer together. The next event was at Horlick High School (Which I normally don´t like, cause i´m proud to be an eagle), where we as crew taught our and many other teachers how to relax from a hard week and we tried to break barriers and get them out of their shelters of "teacherness". It was soo fun, and a great experience to hear the feedback afterwards how we affected them. I would really love to try that at my home school. The next event we had was called Mix It Up and is an every year field-trip were our class and other leaders invite students to share our experiences, fun, and energy. We also  acted a little play which was a great start for me to gain confidence in my acting. Then three days ago, we had (in my opinion) the best field-trip ever. We went .... drum rolls .... !! ... to a youth detention center for females, which basically means a girls-prison. We went to jail. Hahaha ... Done. It was so cool and i really felt like an idiot because I imagined it would properly be like in those movies like Lucky Luke .. you know what I mean. But of course it wasn´t like this. It was just basic, white walls, bluish  looked doors. It seemed cold ... maybe because there was no heating ... maybe. It ws cold. The Girls, in average 16 years old, performed a show for us, which was called "Finding Asia". This play was created together with the girls by the "Storycatchers" where each girl wrote its own story, and a moment that really affected them in a negative or positive manner. Then all those stories got put together to the final script. Then some Professionals from a symphony-orchestra created fitting music and done. So at the end the main character had 8 different stories which formed its Character. That´s basically what I did too in CRC (my theater class). But the play was really impressive, because you hear the story and see how the girls act it and you feel how they relate to parts of this character. Afterwards we had lunch with them and the opportunity to ask them, and give comment. The Lunch was kind of scary because some girls haven´t seen a boy for over a year so ... We got targets. But it was still a great experience and i am really looking forward to visiting them again next year to show them our play.

Oh short in between, I want to give a shout out to our great principal, who is disabled in wheelchair and still one of the greatest guys in the world. He supports this school like his own child. He even got a role in the musical, he sang at the choir concert, he came to our "teach teachers event" and of course he watches the sports teams. A really great guy !!

Next point Elections. The elections were extremely exiting. It was so close between the two candidates, but Obama made it a second time. I didn´t really support a party (even if I did I wouldn´t tell it here in "public") but I still followed along and tried to understand. It was difficult and confusing for me because I am not used to 24/7 election commercials. But it was very interesting to see how some react, fight or take the result. The best part for me was the Elections Day itself because i went with the YouthEmpoweredinStruggle-Club (another Club I join) on a tour through a Part of the town that brought the least amount of voters in percent, to get some people out to vote. The event was called "Get out to Vote - Your Vote is your Voice", and provided free Pizza (which was kinda nasty) and a Shirt. An awesome event, which was also broadcasted by many TV & Radio Stations.

Next week i am going to start my CPR course, which is nothing else than "Erste Hilfe". I also got offered that I may get the opportunity to shadow some surgeons at a local hospital. This is my first hour and one (fortunatly only one) Day i came to late (like 5min). School doors were already closed. I was so lucky that a girl saw me and let me into the school and obviously my Med-Term teachers likes me so she let me in without a truancy. YES !! I love this class.

My engine class, sucks ! Boring as freak ! The whole class is behaving like a big poop bag. I´m still not done with taking it apart because the teacher lets our lab time depending on how we behave. I am bored every hour. We watch videos, take notes, get hour-long speeches about how to behave ... but most of the time to the wrong people because he already sent the bad ones out so that at the end of every hour only half of the class is in the room.

My stay here is soo awesome i never want to leave ! But unfortunately I have some time but till then I can wait !

Finally i could bring myself to write this post. I should really apologize but i was just to busy with school, sports, friends and stuff. Also because last WE Freddy came to visit me and you know it is just difficult for me to find time where i have nothing to do and i´m not too tired. But here i am .. yeah it´s kinda late but i just can´t let you wait anymore.

I´m now since 44 days in my new home and i did  pretty well adapt. At the beginning it was kinda hard to make new friends because in the american School-system you don´t have like a class instead you can choose your own courses which means you are pretty much doing everything on your own. But you have everyday the same schedule so that makes it maybe a bit easier to get connected to others. Anyhow, after this 4 and a half weeks of school i got pretty used to how it works. My schedule is kinda though but it´s alright. I´m trying to understand as much as possible. Normally i´m understanding everything but for example in my math course the teacher is talking just that fast that i´m understanding what she says but then i have to note and understand it and that´s kinda hard. Also very negatively surprising were the amounts of homework i get everyday. But therefore no details ( it is not too exiting). Maybe i just list my everyday schedule that you can kinda imagine:

1. Medical Terminology (just learning of some medical terms)
1. Homeroom (Morning announcements, chilln and grilln)
2. Chemistry (don´t know .. we just did some random stuff)
3. Biology (right now DNA/RNA ...)
4. LUNCH (normally lunch but i´m joining a theater class which is really fun. Every member writes his own story .. we act it out and getting help from professionals ... also improv and fun games while we are eating our lunches )
5. History ( America in the late 1800´s early 1900´s .. kinda fun because if you do your homework or read the book pages the teachers assigns you, you know almost everything. So i do and got an A !!! I´m sooo happy .. my first good History grade (Mrs Haack, that does not mean that the teacher here is better, noway, its just an easy course i chose.) But i mean our history does anyhow differ too much from the american so doesn´t matter.)
6. Math - Pre Calculus ( What we do ... we are powering everyday a new sub chapter the assignment two days later and every week a test on each big chapter )
1. This the way where i always have to run and also got my first tardy.
7. Power Systems ( Right now my easiest class because we are taking an engine apart and try to put it back together, but we are not yet finished with the info's so...)
8. Sophmore - English ( We just finished our first novel " The great Gatsby " which was kinda hard with all the assignments and vocab and stuff but the story is very interesting - bit too much love but whatever)
9. Soccer Training ( Since Monday )

A bit too late but better than never.
So the last weekend before school started, i went on a spontaneously trip to Minnesota together with my brother and his host mum. Because of the "labor day" on Monday we had one more day which was really nice because so we had lots of time to do lots of very funny things.
Our trip started on Friday with packing our stuff and making sandwiches to be ready to leave at 5 am the next morning. So i slept at Freddy's to get to go earlier. But unfortunately as we already sat in the car i recognized that i forgot my camera at my home that's why i have to apologize for the few pictures i could only take. Sorry, i know i´m stupid !

So our first stop on the way to Minnesota was the devils lake (do not ask me why it is called like this ) where we took a 3 miles hike on its east-side.

(Again i have to apoligize for the pictures )

It was a beauty we´ll never forget !

Enyoing the moment !!

"Devils Door" (Don´t ask me about the name !?)

Was just fun !

Pancakes ;) mhh

The "impressive" 5 feet Dog Jump

So, now it should be the time to write my next post about the last 10 days.
Sorry for writing that late, but i simply didn´t know what to tell you !

But before i start i´ll thank someone, thousand times !!! Because without Christian Schlipf (mieses It-Genie ) and Federküken my Blog would look like ... Well Selfmade by Brownie ... : / ! So thanks a lot for this awesome design, the incredible new toolbar on the left and especially for your great service on every of my Questions !! Soo guys, please check out this really fresh Blog ! THANKS !

My last 14 days starting at 4 because the 4 first days i told and showed you already. ( I´ll try to make it short, because i recognized i´m writing too much at once) :

Day 4 - Good night and Good bye !

At about 4 pm we arrived at home from our big trip to the Niagara Falls. It was a really hard trip so we all were about to go right to bed, but we had to wait for my brothers Host-mum to get him for the next 10 months. I remember i slept really good this night ;)

Day 5 - Day 10 - Help to adapt !

I enjoyed this days with another student from Spain. I was an big advantage for me because i never lived alone so i could slowly adapt.

Day 8 - Choosing my classes !

At Thursday i went to school for the first time. It is soo huge ! They have about 2000 students and for not loosing the overview they splitted the secretariat into 3 offices each with 2 secretaries and one chancellor. I was really exited but i was sleepy too so i didn´t got so much of the school.
But i´ve chosen my schedule ! I had to pick the main classes ( us-history, math, English, science (at least one) -> Biology, Chemistry)  and a few others. Mainly i chose advanced classes to not get completely lost when I come back to Germany. Further i had the opportunity to chose 3 interesting classes out of (felt) 500 different. I took PE (Sports), medical  terminology (some medical stuff) and power systems (unsrew an engine). Another really cool thing, i´m a senior so i´ll properly be the youngest in my class but un exchange i´m allowed to do as if i´m about to graduate what means participation in prom ... maybe i´ll get the diploma but don´t even know. And the lunch between 11 & 12 am after that class again till 2 pm. Then Sports, but i didn´t signed in yet !
But i´m really looking forward not only to meet new people, but also for the classes and sports i´ll participate in.

Day 10 - First day alone at home !

Nonetheless it was hard to face as he was gone. I had to play football on my own (and believe me its not that funny if you have to play receiver and thrower). So i bought a basketball and running shoes to entertain me trough the vacations. Sounds hard but is sometimes really funny ;)

Day 10 - 14

Now i have a real holiday feeling. Maybe you know this, when you´re lazy, hanging on the couch in front of the TV looking weird stuff  ( or football ;)... sports in general are more watched than in Germany ... later more !!!)and too lazy to do anything. But if you have the advantage to live with a family where both work or worked as cook you can also eat against Boredom, but then you feel like fat cow and  you´ll automatically start to do some work out. Try it !! ;) BUT i have to say the food i get served is really really tasty. I´m about to eat all the time.

That´s what i maily did the last few day ... i can tell you a lot more "interesting" things but then it will get tooo long so, I hope you enjoyed reading

See you soon
Brownie ;)

Two days ago in the earliest morning in 4 am we left for going to Niagara Falls. I tried not to sleep and to see as much as i can but the landscape of Illiois, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania and New York is mostly the same like pretty much green but not much trees. So it looked really nice but everytime almost the same so i sometimes went for a little sleep. On our whole trip of just 2 days we only stoped about 6 times. So after 12 hours driving and one hour resting we arrived at Niagara City Falls.


It was very crowded so we can´t see the falls from the car, but as we went over there it was so nice to see. So what we did first was to enter the boat which is driving right into the falls and i tell you, it is an incredible felling when there is so many water around you.
No you can´t ... why not ??? It was a feeling i will never forget in my live and i really advise you to go for having a look on these. It just wonderful. I have another picture ...

I loved it a lot and i think i´m not gonna forget this trip anytime in my life !



So after 2 hours walking around and watching we decided to drive back to Pennsylvania for getting a cheaper place for staying the night. So we drove back the highway and took an exit to stay in a motel. But unfortunately the motel was full. So we went on the other side of the highway, to another Motel but from the company, but it was filled too and we werre like ... are you kidding me thats an Highway-Motel ... they are supposed to have rooms. So we got back on the highway and went to the next ... ( it was about 20 miles away ) Motel but also this was full so ... "WhaT ???" Then about 9 pm we finally found a Motel were we stayed the night.


The next day started at 6 am with a nice american breakfast and ended with a 9 hours drive back home :D

BUT the trip was very amazing and i really appreciate it because my host father did it for the 5th time and this time was the second time in a month. But he says he likes driving so it was really fun.

Brownie ;)

So first Post from the United States.
I´m in America since Yesterday morning still together with my brother. We are living with my host family and together with another student from Spain. We´re really having a great time till now, so i´m really looking forward to living here for this year.
Today we visited my new school. It´s thousand times bigger in reality than on google or even our school in Germany.
I ate the first time in my life pancakes with peanutbutter and they were sooo good. Also the food in my family is soo good and HEALTHY.I didn´t thougt it could be so in america, but .... "yes it can".

Tomorrow we´re going on a 12 h ride to the niagara falls so we are leaving at 3 am ... that will get funny :/ and i´m really looking forward to seeing them and the 5 states we are crossing.

Oh yeah i nearly forget to tell you how the flight went. During the flight i watched about 4 movies and as we arrived we had to keep aweak for another 9 houres untill 8 pm .

So that were our first two days in America ... Tomorrow I´ll make some pictures at the niagara falls and i´m writing about next week.

So have fun and enjoy your holidays !

Brownie ;)

Noch einmal schlafen, dann sitz ich schon im Flieger nach Amerika und füll Formulare aus in denen ich bestätige kein Terrorist zu sein.

Nur knappe 2 Wochen vor dem geplantem Abflug kam endlich die ersehnte Welle der Erleichterung die schlagartig von dem gleichen Unsicherheitsgefühl der letzten paar Wochen verfolgt wurde:

Na ja noch bin ich ja nicht weg ... also kann ich auch noch auf deutsch schreiben ;)

Also um mich und den Sinn meines Blogs vorzustellen muss ich eig. nur erwähnen, dass ich seit ca. einem halben Jahr plane ein 11 monatiges Schüleraustauschprogramm in den USA zu machen und dafür seit ziemlich genau 4 Tagen mehr Geduld brauche als jemals zuvor in meinem Leben ... :/ Na ja um dies zu erklären müsst ihr wissen, dass mein gleichaltriger Bruder dasselbige, nur getrennt von mir, vor hat, und er seit Dienstag seinen Sandort bzw. seine Familie weiß, was mich um so mehr zittern lässt weil er auf jeden Fall fliegt und ich womöglich hier bleiben müsste, was ich theoretisch gesehen auch nicht schlecht fände aber es praktisch finanziell und mental einfach jetzt nicht mehr möglich ist. Und nun kann ich noch max. 4 Wochen warten denn dann fängt dort die Schule wieder an und ich muss vorher schon dort sein, sonst lässt mich die Schule womöglich nicht mehr rein. :(


Na ja ... achso ja Danke dass ihr euch wenigstens ein bisschen für mich interssiert und meinen Blog lest
ich werde mich bemühen auch regelmäßig zu schreiben ... wenn ich´s hinkriege auch mit Bildern :))

Also drückt mir die Daumen, dass es hoffentlich noch klappt ;)

Brownie ;)