#10 A Typical Day in Leipzig
When my children were little, they wanted us to move to Germany because Mama and Papa never had to work there, and we did fun things all day long. They didn’t quite get at the time that even though we were living at (our German) home, we were on vacation and moving to Germany wouldn’t result in a never-ending vacation.
That’s kind of what our students experienced today. Up until yesterday,
they’ve been on a constant joyride since we arrived in Germany with a barrage
of fun activities. Today was the first normal day for them, a full day at
school, followed by homework and a little video gaming and other “normal”
activities teenagers do when they’re not on vacation or showing their American
partners around. But normal is not the same as boring, especially when you are
in a foreign country that is beginning to feel less and less foreign.
Here’s
what Luana and Maddie have to say about today:
Luana writes:
Today started off pretty great. I had finally woken up full of
energy after being bedridden for 2 or 3 days and had my 1st presentation nice
and early. I was pretty excited and nervous that I almost couldn't fall asleep
the night before. I wanted to make sure it would go smoothly. Me and Suvi woke
up early to catch the bus because it takes around an hour to get to school, but
her dad decided to drive us. We ended up arriving early, VERY early, and Suvi
found out that not only her 1st class but also her 2nd class of the day were canceled,
so we really had nothing to do. We ended up picking up some vanilla creme
filled donuts with a cute sheep design. Fanny das Schaf war sehr lecker!
Then 8:45 came when it was time for me to meet the 2nd graders.
Climbing up the stairs, Frau Haschke explained how this classroom is one of
their bilingual classes. The students learn their normal subjects in both
English and in German. She also explained how the classes are normally labeled
by the grade and letter (for example, Suvi's class is 10b), but this class of
2nd graders was called the Wombats. The other 2nd grade classes are other
animals, but the special thing about their class is that they have an animal
that is not native to Germany. I entered the class only to be greeted with what
seemed like 100 little smiling faces. Of those faces, 5 came running to shake
hands, share names, and ask questions, but their efforts were cut short as Frau
Haschke wanted class to begin. Yet before a little girl went to sit down, she
told me her name was Emma and gave me a tight hug. That was one of the sweetest
moments in my day, other than Fanny das Schaf 🐑, of
course, but he was long gone. Once the kids settled in, Frau Haschke allowed
them to ask me and Suvi some questions, and as many as there were, the most
memorable were "Hast du einen Freund?" (Do you have a boyfriend?🤦♀️), what are
your hobbies, and what do you like to eat? After a while, Suvi shared that her
brother is a 4th grader at the same school, and many of the girls in class knew
him and some even liked him, lol 😂. Talking with the kids a little
calmed me before my presentation. It wasn't much, but it was in German, and I
wanted to do good, and I did. We talked about video games and my house, dogs, and
school. We ended the class with Suvi sharing her experience in America with me,
which got the kids even more interested. I'm excited to go see them again
tomorrow morning, and this time with Mariana!
Maddie writes:
Today I got to present on life as an American teenager to the 7th
grade English class! They had so many interesting questions, especially about
getting your driver’s license at 16, and overall what American teenagers do in
their free time. After school, Clara showed me her and her sister’s favorite
childhood movie “Bibi und Tina.” It was all in German, so it helped me work on
my German more but also enjoy the movies that were a major part of their
childhood.
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