#12 It's a ZOO here!

 

It’s hard to believe we have only a few days left here in Leipzig. Today was already the last day of class! After school we visited the Zoo Leipzig, one of the oldest zoos in the world, founded in 1877. Today was also the first day of Leipzig’s Ostermarkt, the Easter version of the more common Christmas markets. In the evening, Branden’s host family surprised him with tickets to the German Cup quarterfinal between RB Leipzig and Branden’s favorite team, Borussia Dortmund (Leipzig won 2-0. Sorry, Branden.) 

All in all, it was a very full day, so our blog entries are a little longer than usual with lots of pictures. Enjoy!

Luana writes:

Yesterday Mariana and I went to the 2nd grade class; it was my second time going. Walking in, I was greeted with 20 smiling faces repeating my name running up to me. Mariana and I each did our presentations and the children loved asking questions and learning more about our lives in the US. When it was time to go, the children ran up to me on the playground and wouldn't let me leave and wanted me to stay or let them come to the US with me 😂.

After school, Mariana, Branden, and I decided to walk around the city center and do some shopping.We ended up having a lot of fun and buying some clothes.

Today began bright and early again, this time because Suvi had to turn in her Facharbeit (a research paper that is a very important assignment for the tenth grade). We had chemistry first today, and all I understood was fructose, glucose, and lactose before deciding it wasn't disrespectful to take a nap😴. After that was German class, where a student did a presentation on John Green, which really caught my attention since I have read and been wanting to read some John Green books📚. The student talked about John Green when and where he was born, the types of books he writes, and some other things. I thought it was interesting that they are doing presentations on different authors from any time and any place. After lunch we had a meeting to talk about the things we have done or would've wanted to do differently and were given some free time before heading to the zoo. We (Mariana, Sophia, Ashley, Sanjay, Martin, Joey, Jaseen, Branden, and I) headed to the city center during the free time to check out the Easter market but ended up not having enough time to see much.

Finally, it was zoo time and we were all very excited as everyone had been hyping up the zoo since before we left the US, so expectations were high. Many animals weren't in their cages, probably because of the season and they didn't have certain animals because they don't have room for such animals and they worry about giving the animals room and the conditions they need. Other than that, every expectation was met. The fish were so cute and the stingrays were so fun to watch. My favorites, though, have to be the adorable sloth bear🐻, the koala🐨, and the red panda🐼. They were very cute, and I would go back to watch the sloth bear for sure. We had 4 hours and still weren't able to complete the whole journey around the park and ended up rushing to make it to the souvenir shop to buy some things before the zoo closed. During my time at the zoo, I had 3 ice creams (great weather today), the most interesting was the Calippo Cola. I had assumed it would be a cola slushie, but no, it was very hard and I had to melt it with my hands. Today I had a lot of fun and got to see the Easter market, walk around a little in the city, and go to the zoo. It was for sure a busy day.

Mariana writes:

A majority of people in America have dark hair, but yesterday, while I was presenting to a kindergarten class, a girl asked me if my hair color was natural or dyed. It was an interesting question because I don’t think I’ve ever been asked that, haha. Needless to say, the kindergarten class was fantastic with participation, questions, and listening 😁! Even with their short attention spans, they quieted down when asked to and were engaged with what Luana and I had to say during our presentation. The kids in the class are simultaneously taught English along with their other subjects, which was super cool to see. The students weren’t nervous to at least attempt to ask questions in English, which I appreciated so much. By the end of our class time, I was surprised to learn that starting from 1st grade, they take overnight school trips, sometimes more, without parent chaperones. Have you ever heard of that in America?😅 Luana and I got lots of hugs and hand waves on the way out from the elementary building, which was just super adorable.

After finishing up the presentation with Luana, I went to my classes with Lena (my partner) as usual. Notably, the ethics/religion class was the easiest class for me to understand so far. The teacher asked each of the students their opinion on certain topics and even shared his own thoughts on it. Although I could only pick up very few words, it was still interesting to me.

After school yesterday, Lena told me she had her own personal gym time, but that I didn’t have to workout with her. Not only was I craving bakery items, but I wanted to both shop and explore more of the city “independently”. So instead, I opted to hang out in the Augustusplatz with Branden and Luana. Although Branden was stuck holding our bags, he also agreed it was a blast. We had some hiccups while shopping, like figuring out clearance items, finding die Anprobe (fitting room), and communicating with employees who didn’t necessarily understand us. In the end, we got our steps in and ended up buying some cool pieces. The styles in German stores are vastly different from those in America. I would say German clothing is more elegant, more chic with a better variety in fabrics/textures/style; however, more expensive. The tax being already added definitely affects prices, but I’ve come to appreciate it in the end.

Since Lena was elsewhere getting in her exercise, I had to take the public transportation alone for the first time. Lena was super worried about it and gave me directions, so I reassured her “I had it in the bag.” Admittedly, nerve racking was the best way to describe it. I had to be sure I was watching the screens for the correct S-Bahn and be sure I had the right stops as well. It was definitely an experience. Foreign country, zero internet, barely having a sense of direction in the new city. In the end, I got off my Bahn too early. I didn’t recognize my surroundings in the slightest, but before I started panicking, I took a deep breath. I went to the nearest public building I could find and connected to some internet. I let Lena know that I was going to be late and started my GPS home. It was beginning to get darker and colder, home was 25 minutes away. Nonetheless, I started making my way there. I ended up running half the distance because I was getting nervous. Lena reassured me it was safe to be alone, but I was not used to it at all. Eventually, I made it home safe and sound to a warm home cooked meal that Lena’s mom made.

Today I started my day off with a presentation again, but this time to a 7th grade class with Joey. Safe to say, they were just as well-behaved and excellent with questions as the kindergarten class. I think I left a good impression since they laughed at my jokes (or pretending to at least) and waved at me later in the hallways 😊. It was interesting to hear how their school system paralleled that of South Forsyth’s, but nonetheless, they were surprised to hear how much phone freedom we have. Overall, I loved presenting wayyy more than I thought I would, and it’d definitely consider the younger kids a highlight of my trip to Germany!

After school we went to Zoo Leipzig with our German partners, and WOW! That’s how I’d describe the entire experience. It was super, super cool to see the huge enclosures that were actually accurate to their natural habitats. The Gondwanaland was especially neat because pheww – it. was. humid. I was genuinely sweating, but it was totally worth it. I also really appreciated the Südamerika area because it felt so cozy. Overall, Leipzig did an amazing job with the Zoo and I’d definitely go again in the future.

Lastly, I went to the Kino (theatre) with Lena after the zoo! Although it was completely in German, I could actually understand mostly what the characters were saying..? It was just a proud moment to feel like my efforts in class were completely worth it. Ahh! 10/10 day.

Thank you for reading! Tomorrow will be just as busy but a little more solemn as we visit the concentration camp in Buchenwald before we venture into Weimar, the city of Germany's Dichter und Denker, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich Schiller.

Bis morgen!