Christmas time!!!

I absolutly LOVE christmas time!
It has been snowing here for the past three days, not hard but light snow constantly and it is so pretty! I love it!
Last week we went on a class trip to Leipzig and went ice curling (turned out I am beyond horrible... haha pretty peinlich !) so we gave up ice curling and most everyone went ice skating which was soo much fun! It reminded me of one time when I was in 1st grade in Florida and my daddy came and picked me up from school (we played hookie !!) and he tricked me and said someone was following us so I had to hide in the car and I had no clue where we were going and turned out he tok me to the Ice Skating Rink! So much fun!
anyway, Ice skating was fabulous and when we were finished Svenja, Maria and I stayed in Leipzig longer so we could go shopping and go to the HUGE Weihnachtsmarkt. Lots of fun and I got the perfect christmas present for my mom! (ps. miss you mom, love you!)
We saw Romeo and Juliet the ballet on Sunday and it was amazing.. I cant really put it into words because Ive never been to a ballet before sunday but I loved it!. Dancing is so pretty!!
This is the last week of school and Im going to miss everyone.. Hopefully I will get a chance to see some of the girls again before I have to head home.
Last night my host mom taught me a German Christmas song haha So cute! Love it!! and we made christmas cookies and I read my first complete german book and understood it. haha it was Winnie The Poohs Christmas haha.. I know, Im a winner!
Today after school Svenja, me, Host mom, and Host Oma are going to Leipzig again to do some christmas shopping and visit the Weihnachtsmarkt again! Im excited!! Lots of fun and reallllly good food!.
I dont think I will be posting any more pictures until I get home becuase I wont be at the Internet cafe anymore and I dont like slowing down my host families computer clogging it up with the hundreds of pictures i have to upload..
Time is going by so fast!. I got to talk to Tom Randolph the other day on skype which was fun!, its weird how we are able to communicate from different continents when the weather is completely opposite.. technology is Crazy! Love it!. Jessica Heeth is doing fabulous in Costa Rica.. im worried Im going to have to go drag her back home to get her to leave!!.. i can relate though.. I feel like I have started a Life over here and Its going to be crazy to have to leave and leave this whole part of me.. I am looking forward to coming back though!.. More motivated than ever to work hard at school so I can have the carreer I want and be able to Travel!!!
Thats all for today.. getting ready to go to Leipzig! yay!
Happy Holidayys
Love and miss everyone!
oh and Happy Birthday to Tiffany Mode and Beatrice Kioschus!! Love you girls!
xoxo Emily
nur 13 Tage =((

fröhlich Weihnachten!

Everything has been going great!
I absolutly LOVE christmas time.. Especially in germany!
Every city sets up a "Weihnachtsmarkt" or christmas market in the center of town that is open on the weekends.. its so cute!
This past weekend I went with my host mom and dad and the neighbors to Altenburgs Weihnachtsmarkt and saw the Wiehnachtsmann (Santa) and watched the parade of children,.. they dress up as angels and come out of the church and then parade to the center where the big Tannenbaum (christmas tree) is. Its adorable!
Then we eat yummy bratwurst and drink hot wine. i think its called Glühwein.. i dont know. everyone drinks it, i guess its like the eggnog of germany haha.. I prefer the childrens version though.. which is just hot fruit punch. and let me tell you.. it is delicious!

Altenburg Weihnachtsmarkt!

December is full of fun for me! I am so excited!
Deceber 6th is Nikolaus tag. (St. Nicholas day).. where you put your boots out and St. Nicholas fills it with treats!!
December 9th! School trip to Leipzig for the Weihnachtsmarkt and ice curling!! .. be jealous.. and no activity busses.. we go mit dem Zug (by train)! woot woot
December 13th. Going to the Theater to see Romeo and Julia (Romeo and Juliet) the ballet
December 18th. Going to the Theater to see Hanzel und Gretyl (Hansel and Gretel) the play
December 19th. Last day of school! Christmas break begins!
December 25th is Christmas of course!
December 26-27th Svenjas Birthday Party
December 27th Svenjas Birthday
December 29th HOME =))

XOXO love and miss everyone. see you in a few weeks.

wenn die Katze aus dem Haus, tanzen die Mäuse!

Everything has been wonderful like usual!
Last weekend was a lot of fun becuase i got to hang out with some friends from school!
Svenja is gone for the weekend to a youth leadership conference type thing. im not one hundred percet sure what it is but it sounded cool. anywho.. tonight i am going into Altenburg with my host mom and we are going to listen to a christmas choir i think. im not exactly sure but i guess i will find out! it sounds cool!
Mr. Körner came to Altenburg last week which was fun to see him and his wife! They were wonderful and even brought us some halloween candy which was greatly appreciated!!! and tastes wonderful! haha We ate lunch at the Pizza Noodle Haus whch I love! I absolutly love their pizza, its the same place daddy and i ate when he came here!
Christmas markets are beginning to set up all over Germany. and I love them!
Christmas markets are so cute! i cant explain so i will make sure and take pictures and post them!!
On December 9th our Class is going on a trip to Leipig to visit the Christmas markets and play ice curling! haha HOW COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Im so excited for ice curling.!! crazy cool!
anyways. running out of time at the internet cafe. gotta catch the bus home!
love and miss everyone.
I only have about 30 more days left in Germany. time is flying by! oh no!
Hope everyone had a great thanksgiving!!
xoxoEmily

Sooo much to write!

Oh.. well lets see.. where do i start.
i havn't written in like a billion trillion years now hahah !..
lets start with school!.
I am no longer in classes with Svenja.. i got my own Stundenplan.
here are my new classes. .
Monday:
1. 7a. German
2. 7a. German
3. 7c. German
Break
4. 5a. German
5. Free Period
6. Free Period

Tuesday:
1. 7c. German
2. Free Period
3. 12. German
Break
4. 12. German
5. 7a. German
6. 7a. German

Wednesday:
1. 5a. German
2. 5a. German
3. 7b. English
Break
4. 6b. English
5. Free Period
6. Free Period

Thursday:
1. Free Period
2. 5a. German
3. 12. German
Break
4. 12. German
5. 7c. German
6. 8b. Debate

Friday:
1. 12. German
2. 12. German
3. 5a. German
Break
4. 8a. German
5. Free Period
6. Free Period


So. yeah im in classes with mostly the 5th grade 7th grade and 12th grade.. notice almost every class is a german class.. in an attempt to help me learn german faster i suppose but i miss math classes!. and on fridays during my free periods i usually go to art class and then after art we go to Vollyball/Basketball... the classes go on simultaneously and are right beside each other so i can choose whichever one iwant to play that day.. haha

Things have been going well.. its getting chilly outside !! Last weekend Svenja and I and her Parents went to the Chemnitz Center which is germany's version of a mall .. and it was really fun! we went shopping and ate ice cream and it was a really good day!. then last saturday night I went with Svenja, her boyfriend, Laura, and her bofriend (OH YEAH.. rocking the 5th wheel.. whats new! haha ) anyways we went and ate dinner and some india place and it was soo cool! we sat on the floor with pillows and the atmosphere was so awesome! and the food was of course AMAZING! It was altogether a good weekend.
On Sunday we had a big lunch with both Gunter's parents and Jana's parents (both sets of grandparents) it was so yummy and lots of fun!
After lunch Svenja had to leave becuase she is going to some sort of camp with the youth Theater group for 3 days so i wont see her until Tuesday. I didnt really want to just sit at home so i rode the bike into Altenburg.. found some shortcuts and go there in just a little over an hour! . went to the internet cafe and skyped with my wonderful family! it was good! then i had to start biking home at 4 because it startes getting dark at like 5 !! haha so i made my way home and had a yummy dinner with host parents and host brother (Conni) and his friend Pfeffi! It was a good weekend and school today was good. during two of my classes there was a play going on in the lunch room that we got to go watch.. i had SO much trouble following what was going on but it was entertaining! haha

My butt is so sore from riding the really cute but oldschool bike haha !

Only 4 more weeks of school left and then we have christmas break!

Over break I am already working on plans to go to Aachern again and visit everyone for a couple of days! which im really looking forward to!

Also, sometime in December Svenja and I are going to get our hair done!.. ill probably just get a trim becuase Im nervous about letting anyone other than Aunt Monica do my hair.. ive never had anyone else do my hair and i dont think i want to try something too crazy while im in Germany haha .. probably just a trim if i can figure out how to say that in german.. anyways im excited!

I think my host mom is getting us tickets to two more plays at the Theater in town dduring december.. Romeo and Juliet and then Hansel and Grettle! .. i cant spell that but anyways im soooo looking forward to it!

Ill be home in 6 weeks! that is crazy! time has flown! I miss everyone a ton!

Jessica is having a GREAT time in Costa Rica. I miss her like crazy though!

Hopefully I will remember to keep my blog up more often haha I always forget !!

love and miss everyone! xoxooxox Emily

43 Days until Im back in Morganton!

Theater!!!!!!!!!!!

Today was.. in one word. FABULOUSSSSSSSSS (ghetto white girl accent and all!).. seriously so cool!.. we went to school like any other day, but after the first two classes Svenja told me we were going to the Theater.. I though she just ment like theater practice, but she ment like to an actual play at the Theater in town!. I was so excited!.. i wish i could type the name of the play but i had enough trouble trying to pronounce it! hah!! .. anyways.. i somehow managed to get the lucky and had a front row seat.. not only front row but in the very center! how cool!!.. I was having trouble following exactly what was going on in the play but it was really entertaining! I loved it!.. i want to be an actress!!!! So there were two really cute young actors... i know i know, do i ever not think about cute guys.... haha uhmm well... anyways! they were really cute! and in one scene one of the cute guys was love struck and running around kissing the floor and blowing kisses to the sky and then all of a sudden he lays on his stomach at the very front and center of the stage (approx. 2 feet awaay from my face) looks me in the eyes and blows me a kiss.. i was like WOOT WOOT go meee!!! hahah .. just kidding but Sofia Bea and Svenja all sitting around me got a kick out of it! as the play continued it got more and more entertaining! im not sure if it was supposed to be funny or if i was just laughing for no reason (i make up what i think they are saying in my head.. its usually funnier than trying to pick out phrases and such hah) well the next thing i know the other cute actor comes up and sits on the edge of the stage, this time only about 1 foot away from me, i could have poked him had i the urge! .. haha anyways.. very funny and oh yeah i almost forgot! one of the actors was walking backwards and fell off the stage (purposfully of course) hah but landed right between svenja and me bracing himself on our seats.. haha it was really cool! Well thats all for now.. college applications are getting stressful becuase it keeps saying things i have submitted havnt been received and i cant get ahold of one of my recommenders.. anyways.. it will all work out i hope!.. today was so much fun!..
MISS EVERYONE!.. see you in 2 months!! hdl Emily

Hamburg!

I have been in Hamburg since Sunday visiting Austin and having so much fun!
Hamburg is soo Big and there are tons of things to do! .. we took a ferry around the Harbour and got some really great pictures.. then we went in the HighFlyer which is a Hot Air balloon that goes 150m up and you can see everything! it was amazing! Every day we ride our bike or walk to the subway or train station and from there you can go anywhere, i usually but a day pass everyday for 5 euro and it allows me to go on the ferry, subway, train, and bus all included! the transportation system is amazing!!!! very very cool, so we walk everywhere and went shopping in the billions of shops here which is fun! We were in H&M when we saw a bar on wheels so we ran outside to take a pictures, and pretty much it was a table where about 8 people sit and drink beer but while they are sitting they are peddling haha so its pretty much the coolest bike thing ever but very hard to explain.. i will get a picture up on facebook fairly soon. Austin and i went to Hamburg Dungeon which was probably the coolest thing ever!!!!! Its a haunted house but its wayy cool, like they went all out, its not a normal haunted house where people just jump out to scare you, everyone is like a professional actor and they let groups go in at like 20 people at a time and its very interactive.. so one part the guy chose me and austin to be his "examples" and i had to sit in a cage while he tortured austin and he got out tools to poke his eyes out and twist his tounge and all kinds of stuff it was so funny, and he would say that if i told him a secret he would stop torturing austin,, but it was too funny to watch so i kept quiet hahah.. anyways its hard to explain everything but it was cool and there was one part where we were walking and it was completely pitch black , i couldnt see 2 feet in front of me, and i was soo scared! haha tehn near the end you get on a boat and you go on like a water raft ride but its soo dark and i was so scared something was going to pop out of the dark haha and then all of a sudden the ride stops and you go down a hill baskwards haha.. it was soo crayz! and then you get out and walk into this room thats pitch black and you sit in a ride like drop zone and it takes you to the top and all of a sudden lights flash on and you see bodies hanging all around you, it was sooo crazy adn the next thing you know it drops you and just like at carowinds it takes a picture and needless to say my face was hilarious hahah austins was too.. really very very funny.. so those are just a few of the adventures and im pretty sure i have walked like a trillion miles haha but i really like Hamburg its great! Austins host family is really nice too and they are letting me stay at their house and ride their bike and stuff which is really nice of them! I am ready to go back to Altenburg though and see svenja and all of my friends! wish me luck on the train ride back becuase i have to switch trains at 2 places.. ohhh man . hahah i hope i figure it out!
love and miss everyone! xoxo emily

Trip with my wonderful Daddy!!

My dad and I have been traveling Germany!! We covered the whole bottom half leaving Altenburg to go to Coburg where we visited the coolest Fortress I have ever seen! Then we went to Bamberg (a very very very cute city) and looked at shopes, churches, and the beautiful rose garden, pictures on facebook! check mine and my dads.. We left Bamburg and headed to Nuremberg for the night and saw the castle. From Nuremberg we headed to Munich and saw the palace/castle which was beautiful and had the biggest garden/park i have ever seen, it was amazing!!! We left Munich for Garmisch which was like Boone on steroids.. there was snow on the huge mountains that surrounded us and we walked around and window shopped and stayed the night in a very cute hotel.. From Garmisch we went to Achern to visit my wonderful friends! I got to see Pia, Gül, Uwe, Laura, Lisa, Patricia, Caroline, and everyone else! I loved seeing them and I look forward to going back for a weekend sometime soon! We left Achern and drove across germany to Heidelburg for the night!.. We went shopping and bought me a warm winter coat since its snowy season right about now! haha !! We stayed in the coolest hotel i have ever seen which had a beautiful view of the castle on the hill, the river, and the church across the street right in the old city section! It was so wonderful, once again pictures are on facebook... We left Heidelburg for Dresden and expolored (my third time and still found awesome new things to see.. Dresden is a must see for anyone coming to germany!) We stayed the night and saw the underground fortress/castle and a student art museum (I dont understand art.. ahha) did i mention that it was SNOWING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Then we drove to Chemnitz and went bowling (im a beast) haha and then we went back to Altenburg and had dinner at the Pizza Noodle house which was yummy and cheap! Crashed back at home where Svenja and her family were nice enough to let daddy sleep in an extra bedroom! Today we expolored Altenburg and now we are at an internet cafe waisting time before dinner and a movie to celebrate daddys birthday!!!! (hes 41... and he thinks hes old.. haha, but based on some of his "jumping pictures" i think he is still a lot younger. mentally at least!) Tomorrow we are driving to Berlin for the night and Sunday morning he will leave for Leipzig to catch is plane home =(( and I will take a train to Hamburg to see Austin for a few days!! =)) I am excited but sad that daddy is leaving! I wish the rest of my family was here too, i miss them! and everyone at home!! I will try to keep the blog updated but you know how my spazzy brain works.. haha ---------hdl Emily

Over the river and through the woods...

ohk, so no river.. but we did go into the forest!.. sadly there was no wolf, or little red.. but there was an amazing castle! It was beautiful!!! Part of it was turned into a restruant and hotel, so we had ice cream and then explored.. holy cow!!!.. ohk so you know that feeling when you have a crush on somebody and you feel so complete and excited and you have butterflys and you are all warm inside all at once, well.. i think im IN LOVE with Germany.. seriously, standing at the top of the castle looking out was so beautiful.. if one country can be so gorgeous i cant imagine what the rest of the world looks like.. and you bet i plan on finding out.. This whole experience has been able to teach me a lot, but one thing for sure is that I am not going to be completely satisfyed living my life in one place forever.. i plan on moving to different countries or at least visiting as many as possible.. It is the most amazing feeling in the world to look out on the land after it just rained and the grass in glistening and for miles it looks like patchwork becuase of the fields and the sun is poking out through the clouds and you can see the rays of sunlight.. oh my gosh, kshdglahldgnladknk (excitment spazz) AMAZING! MY DAD IS COMING IN 4 DAYS!!!!!!!!!! I cant wait becuase i seriously am so fascinated by the history there is in germany.. i want to be a knight in the 1700's in a castle in germany.. HOW COOOL!!!!!!!! I cant belive my trip is almost half way over, the thought of it makes me want to cry!!.. I want to get married in germany.. ahah these are the random thoughts and day dreams i have when i look outside because its sooo wonderfully beautiful!!! I am working on planning a trip to visit austin over the break that is coming up so i can see Hamburg and get another taste of the city life.. side thought ** why dont women wear bonnets and dresses anymore?.. i want to wear bonnetts and dresses and aprons and cook in simple kitchens and dust with goose feathers and... haha ohk this castle has my mind going into super imagination mode.. haha sorry.. back to whatever i was saying.. uhmmm oh yeah well im working on that trip to visit austin, which will be cool!!.. this is exerpeince is amazing but having someone to share it with is even cooler.. someone to get excited over weird little things so im not the only one fascinated by the toilette.. haha sounds random i know but i saw the cooooolest toilet the other day!!! oops i just realised i spelt toilet the german way a few sentences ago.. haha oh well.. my languages are all confused.. haha back to the toilet!.. i finished aand pressed the flush buuttonn and then all of a sudding this rectangular thing shoots out and grabs the seat rim and then the rim rotates around while it gets sanitized and cleans.. HOW CRAZY ahha.. i was scared at first but seriously, coolest toilet in the world. haha My brain is so spaztic i apologize.. haha not sure what i have said and what i ment to say but today was fun.. a fairly uneventful weekend until today.. seems like sundays and thursdays are my favorite days of the week!. One of the counselors from CBC (carolina bible camp) has been sending me a bible verse every day for me to wake up to in the mornings.. and its so refreshing.. a great way to start everyday and something to reflect on and think about! thankss! .. well i suppose that is all for today.. no wait.. i lied its not.. i remember what i ment to write about! haha we are having an american bakesale at school friday!! im excited!!.. turns out, surprisingly enough, that in germany cookies, brownies, muffins, donuts, and cakes are not commmon desserts because they are considered "american desserts" haha.. so i gave all the kids from school receipts for fudge, and peanutbutter cookies, and cheesecake, and apple pie.. and all sorts of yummy desserts and we are going to sell them on friday at school to raise money for their graduation party thing.. haha im not exactly sure but im excited about the food! yay! well thats all for real this time.. haha hope everyone is doing well!! my host grandparents left for scottland yesterday for 10 days =(( but i cant wait to see my dad and explore germany with him! we are even going to Achern to visit Pia and Gül and maybe go to europapark!! FUNNNNN!! ohk seriously this time.. im going to stop writing haha.. prayers for a safe flight over here for my daddy!.. love and miss everyone!! I saw CC won homecoming queen at freedom! how cool!! A wonderful representative of our school and the picture on the morganton website was beautiful! i cant wait to see more pictures from everyone on facebook!!.. =)) ohkk tschüssiii .. hdl -Emily........ (hdl: hab dich lieb .. which is kindof like,, love you)

Schnellll....!!!!!!!

I dont have lots of time on the computer that i can spend blogging or on facebook because the little time i have i need to spend on college applications and scholarship essays and such.. soo i apologize for not blogging much , or not being very detailed!.. My daddy is coming next weeek!! I am so excited!!!! I want to tell you about Sunday though, haha i know im like three days late but still it was so fun!!.. We went to a big "pool" it was awesome, more like a day spa.. all of the pools were heated and they connected inside and outside and had two huge water slides that seriously were scary fast! I wish i could describe it better but it was so much fun!! It wasn't very crowded and there were timers everywhere and at certain times there would different jets and waterfalls and stuff would come on! We stayed there all day and it was only 8,50 euros! and then 1 euro for a wiener and roll at lunchtime!! I got to sit in a Sauna (can someone please tell me what the point of a Sauna is.. i just sat there burning up hahaha.. ) anyways.. its was a really cool place and part of the building was a huge glass pyramid so when we were swimming and it got dark you could see the sunset.. it was really cool!.. i want to build one in morganton! haha anyways! thats all for now!.. Gute Nacht!... oh man i almost forgot! Austin has a cell phone now too, and we texted the other night. hahah i cant tell you the last time i texted someone.. no wait, i can, it was when i was still in america.. hahaha anyways just thought i would let everyone know that texting withdrawls have ended.

oh no!

Austin has officially made my blog look boring =((
haha..
I am so excited that three of my friends are in different countries! This is such a cool experience and I love being able to share it with people who are able to relate! As far as I know, Jessica Tom and Austin are all having a great time.. and guess what SO AM I!!! School: I have my classes set now (Math, English, German, Physics, Art, Vollyball, History, Religion, Latin, and Law) School is going great! I am able to figure out most of the math and some of the physics. Of course I am doing fine in English, though I have learned that I kindof SUCK at grammer and spelling hahaha oh well, if i dont learn german while I'm here at least I know im learning english!! haha.. anyways.. Vollyball is so much fun! I LOVE IT! Art class is by far my favorite though, we are currently drawing people.. which, other than nature, is probably the hardest for me... but thats why i love it so much! Last thursday I started Theater! Oh my gosh, it was awesome!.. Why did I never do theater at home???.. They are currently doing a play that is a spoof on Romeo and Juliet, its pretty funny.. its what would have happened if they didnt die!! Theater has also helped a lot with learning German. When i can see the words they are saying, it is a thousand times easier to learn and remember! Before the older theater group we help with the little kids, they are adorable! There is a little girl named Mona and she was so excited to talk to me! She asked me if i have ever met Miley Cyrus and sadly i had to say no =(( haha!! This weekend my host parents are gone to Oktoberfest in Berlin, i think.. But the local disko where svenja works is opening tonight and there is a big celebration! I am so excited because everyone from school will be there! It is supposed to be so much fun! This afternoon we are going to the Grandparents house, YAY for lunch! I cant wait, i seriously llove her grandparents!! ... So it has officially reached the point where I DO NOT want to leave =(( I have made a lot of friends and will miss everyone and everything when I have to go.. Of course I cant wait to see my family and frieds at home, but I am DEFINITELY coming back to Germany. Some of the girls I have become friends with are named, Bea, Tina, Sofia, Katja, Maria, Anna, and of course Svenja! The weather is cooling down and the moped rides are getting chilly for sure but everything is just as beautiful as always! I am looking forward to October 8-18 because my daddy is flying over!!!!! We are going to drive around germany and visit a few other countries as well.. I am looking forward to it!!! I cant believe everything I am doing, and have already done.. this whole experience is crazy!! and its all happening so fast!!.. i have already been here for 2.5 months.. OH MY GOSH.. that means I only have 3 left =(( NOOOOOOOO.. time is flying! Well.. if there is anything you think i should post about, or you want to know.. just comment or email me at em.rooks@yahoo.com .. .sometimes i dont know what i have said already and i am always telling people at home so i dont know what im leaving out.. but if there is anything you want to know more about, or you just want my blog to be a little more interesting. let me know, i will do what i can! haha. Love and miss everyone!!.

Dresden-Praha-Wien-München

Wow! Another amazing week! My dads sister and mom (Aunt Alli and Grandma) flew to Germany thursday and picked me up! We drove to Dresden for the day and ate an adorable dinner! Then we drove to Prague, CZ .. here it is called Praha! We arrived at night and found an amazing hotel! Very cute and old fashioned.. we wouldnt have gotten the full experience if we stayed anywhere else. We were right on the main strip with an awesome view of the city right out the window! We got ready and walked around at night and saw everything from exoctic dance clubs (avoided those) to men in fairy costumes... haha it was crazy!! Very entertaining.. I was disgusted to see groups of guys coming in and out of these cabarets (is that the right word??) but it was an experience for sure! Then we got coffee drinks and people watched before going to bed! Then next day we walked all over! and up a billion steps to Prague Castle, which was BEAUTIFUL oh my gosh.. no words to explain it!! At around five we drove to Wien.. We arrived at about 9pm, took showers and went out to explore once again! We found tons of cute bars and clubs and went and danced and saw the "nightlife" it was so fun! We went to bed and in the morning we went sight seeing once again! Wien was beautiful and very upscale.. we went shopping and looked around all over! At around 5pm we head out for München, Germany (Munich).. In Munich there were some of the most amazing buildings I have ever seen! It was gorgeous!!! We got in around 10pm and got ready and went and explored the nightlife.. It was a little more like Prague when it came to "entertainment" there were a lot of exoctic female dance clubs and guys going in and out.. (i seriously lost all faith in men.. how sad) there was an amazing disko in a huge old bulding then we went in and danced but it was very crowded and chaotic.. a fun experience for sure though!! The next morning we got up and took a bus tour all over Munich which was the best idea we ever had haha.. we were all exhausted from walking and driving.. so sitting and sight seeing was so relaxing! We got off at the Olympic park and watched street performers, had lunch. went to BMW world.. saw the Castle!! (I want my future husband to build me one, just for having a son.. WOW) Maximilian Street had some of the most amazing houses I have ever seen.. Overall it was the perfect trip!! We touched on three of the major cities in Europe and visited three different countries in four days! Its hard to write about everything so check out my facebook for pictures.. they should be uploaded by eventually.. but its taking foreverrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!! love and miss everyone.. daddy is coming on october 8th and i cant wait!!!!!!!!

Your Eyes Look Like Almonds..

Sonntag, 23.08.2009
I get to start classes in 12th grade again. Last week i tried different grades and realized i understood nothing in every single one haha so the teachers decided i mind as well stay with people my age, YAY! Austin Jones made me a SchuelerVZ (german equivalent of facebook) and it has helped me make lots of friends! People dont want to approach me at school becuase they dont want to say something wrong in english, but they are very confident when it comes to writing and in this case typing english! lucky me! so i talk to them on the computer and break the ice, convince them that they could speak arebic for all i care i just love human interaction and any form of communication! It is wonderful! I went to Deja Vu, a cocktail bar with three girls from school this weekend and it was so much fun! One girl is named Anna and she is crazy, but the good kind! she is very outgoing and laughs at everything she was so nice and fun! Then we went and saw The Proposal, cutest movie ever! Soo funny, i love sandra bullock! As much as i loved it i also hated it haha, fairytale movies kill me becuase you leave with high expectations for men and happy endings and as soon as you step out of the movie theatre (in german called a "Kino") BAM, back to real world where guys are pigs haha ok exaggeration but still.. great movie! i would recommend it for anyone in a relationship.. becuase those of us who arent, never will be because of the expectations set after watching the movie.. ok im rambling "es tut mir leid" (im sorry) haha.. Svenja has a bike that belonged to her grandmother that she let me ride the other day! very old school, hot pink with a basket and no gears, the kind where to break, you just peddle backwards! haha. it wasnt the most comfortable but i managed to make it into altenburg in only 45 min! cool! im pretty sure my butt is a thousand shades of black and blue now but you didnt want to know that :P haha! Germany is so beautiful and the weather is starting to cool down a little bit! School is fun becuase i look forward to trying to make friends everyday!! Tomorrow i have Latin, History, and Physics! yay!! German school is awesome!, so far i have attended the following classes.. math, german, english, geography, art, music, physics, latin, french, economy, history, religion, and ethics.. SO COOOLL haha very different from only have 4 classes at home each semester! Oh my goodness, so for dinner we had the most amazing thing in the world, it was peppers stuffed with some sort of meat in some sort of sauce on rice.. my mouth was in heaven, seriously i thought if i opened it to take another bite i would start singing hallelujah with all sorts of bells and joyous sounds hahah.. In my spare time i have started college applications which i find. A PAIN IN THE BUTT!.. they ask so many questions and you are supposed to "be yourself" when you answer.. problem no.1 what kind of self will get into the college i want.. problem no.2 i am currently in the process of figuring out who myself really is, haha problem no.3 i dont think i will ever really know.. so i guess i will just be the 17 year old confused, crazy, energetic myself that im currently acting as.. haha my brain is crying from all the thinking ,, just kiddding! i miss and love my family and friends! I especially miss FUMC youth group, but am thrilled to hear Jason will still be the high school youth leader when i return YAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!
love always -EmilyKate

Donnerstag 13.08.2009

My fairly eventful week has been quite enjoyable! The kids at school are getting a better feel for me, and even starting to talk to me! I even got the courage to start a conversation with one of the girls that sat in front of me! They are very nice but i found out they dont talk to me becuase they are scared to speak in english becuase they dont want to say something wrong, i told them I dont care how you say it, even if we have to play charades, i just want some human interaction and the opportunity to talk and hopefully learn some german! they were really nice though and slowly i think i am starting to make some friends! But just my luck, next week i start classes with the younger kids, i am taking some with 7th and 8th graders even becuase they dont know english well so i will be forced to learn german, i will see how that goes and hopefully it helps me learn the language faster but i would really rather be in classes with people my own age, so we will see! In english class today, we had to read an analyse a poem called "I Into Tea" (we are learning about great britain), it was an ok poem, easier to analyze than the ones we do in Mr. Fossetts class for sure haha but the english teacher asked me to read the poem because i am obviously more fluent and it would be easier for the students to understand when they heard it, side note: most of my classes have better 9 and 12 people in them, except my english class with has closer to 20.. haha just my luck! so i get up and read the poem and i am so nervous, my voice was quivering and i know i was beat red haha but i think the other students understood that i was nervous and that made them more open to talking to me, which was wonderful! We have vollyball tomorrow YAY, i am so looking forward to it!.. Today after school, Svenja and i went and ate italian ice cream and it was so amazing, seriously the best ice cream in the world with everything you could imagine and all the fruit you could ever want on top or any topping possible, and it looked like it should cost 20 euros not 4! I loved it, im not sure what i got but it tasted amazing and the presentation itself was worth spending money on haha then i went with her to get her tattoo! I am not a fan of the idea of getting a tattoo for myself, but i was excited for her and it turned out really cute! She loved it and i had fun watching her get it, looked too painful for me to even remotely want one haha but the tattoo lady was SO COOL, i love artsy people so much, she freehands every tatto she does because she wants her clients to be able to change anything on it so that they get exactly what they want, and she made it look so easy, it looked identical to the picture svenja brought in (which the girl in my class, the cool one who talked to me, drew! yay for artsyness!) haha i was amazed and svenja loved the outcome so it was a good day! We ate lasagna for dinner, which was good but not nearly as good as my moms hah! I am starting to really buckle down and try to learn German though, and svenja is being great with trying to help my, she is really a nice person and easy to get along with and she is doing to much to help me! Anyways, im going to wake up tomorrow at 5:30 to run before i shower for school becuase i need more exercise until i find a soccer team or people to play with on a more regular basis! and UNC posted the application essays so i suppose i will get to work on those tomorrow, if you have any advice on college application essays at all I REALLLY would love as much advice as possible so please please pleasee email me at em.rooks@yahoo.com I need all the advice i can get, i am a HORRIBLE writer haha wish me luck! and i miss and love everyone.. there are so many things i took for granted in morganton, i complained wayy to much.. I MISS THE MOUNTAINS.. and being able to drive.. but there are soo many things im going to miss when i have to leave germany, so im doing everything i can not to take ANYTHING for granted haha -thats all for tonight! xoxo -Emily!

FESTIVAL!!!!!

Yesterday was by far the most fun day ive had since i got here! School wasn't too bad, We had german class for an hour and a half and the teacher was really nice... i just sat and read my book though, then we had a two hour break where svenja did work for something and i sat in the cafeteria and read, which was relaxing.. i walked around outside a bit too.. then we went to art class for an hour and a half.. it wasn't bad.. they copied notes the whole time, and i continued to read my book haha the teacher seemed nice though.. i recongnized some words in both classes so i have a general idea of what they are talking about but they teachers understand that i dont know the language so i just read my book and dont disrupt anything.. after art we had a thirty minute break and then we went to vollyball! They didnt do anything though, just talked about what to wear and how the game is played and stuff.. i want to try and participate in that class but i dont know if the teacher will let me, i guess it depends what we are doing that day! haha but thats not why my day was so fun!.. after school we went swimming at a lake, not a big one.. about the size of three public swimming pools.. it was soo cool though! it had diving boards and of course a beach area and gass everywhere for people to lay on towels and blankets and stuff and an area where we played soccer and vollyball a little bit.. and in the water it had a HUGE inflateable slide.. it was awesome!! But the day got even better! We went home and ate green bean soup for dinner!!!!!!!! haha ohk just kidding that wasnt the exciting part either.. we went into altenburg for a big festival ! It was soo cool, there were two rides one that made you really dizzy by spnning you around really fast while loud disko music played and there were strobe lights and colored lights haha it was soo fun! very crazy! then we went on a big round cage thing and it made you feel like you were floating, it was crazy and then it spins you really fast, if you let go you would fly off the ride haha so i held on! It was a lot lot of fun! There were no funnel cakes but they had thin waffel type things and they put all different fillings in them and folded them in half like a folder.. i got chocolate in the middle and it might have been the best thing i have ever tasted in my entire life!!! mmmmmmmm so good! Then there was a big tent and it was like a mini disko.. it was SOO FUN! Fun dance music playing really loud and everyone dancing and singing at the top of their lungs.. sometimes in german which was really cool! The played everything from lady marmelad (i cant spell, the one that goes "o lay vue coo shay ah lay va" or some mess like that haha i spell phonetically (sp?)) haha ohk anyways everything from that to old usher songs which were hilarious and really fun to poker face and fast german dance songs.. everything you could imagine that has a fast beat and you can dance too was played it was awesome! German people dance soo well too, its not like the american dancing where everyone grides and i try to stay away from the dance floor to avoid flying diseases haha but germans reallly dance, not on each other, but to the song.. its cool to watch i cant explain it but they make dancing look fun! We got a cocktail (sorry), i got a touch down.. i think thats what it is called, i dont know but there was a bunch of fruit on the top so i got it! haha and sat down and watched everyone dance and then we went and danced.. and i tried not to embarass americans but i wasn't the best dancer haha i had so much fun though! There were a few kids from school there and they actually made eye contact haha so i had a chance to smile, it was good.. haha then we went home because we were exhausted. it was so fun!!!!!!! I love german dancing so much haha its fun and fast and you dont feel like your in a dirty music video haha.. so that was my friday night and i loved it!... a few side notes **Germans cant make the "th" sound, its funny!** Today we went to Conni (host brothers) new apartment becuase he started work about an hour away and so he had to move closer, we helped move the last of his furnature in and even built him a wardrobe, or put it together at least haha svenja and i put together the drawers, which is more difficult that i originally planned haha but i felt accomplished! Her grandparents were there helping too and they are great! I really like her grandparents, they seem like a couple that should be on I love lucy or something, they are so fun! haha Thats all for now, love and miss everyone!! -Emily

School.. wow

Today was my first day of school, and well.. school is lame everywhere SURPRISE haha! The school i go to ranges from grade 5 up to grade 12 with only about 2000 people or less, im not quite sure.. but there are not that many people my age, compared to freedom and patton! there were only 12 people in my first class.. By the way, i had NO CLUE what was going on in math class. haha near the end i started to figure out what they were doing but i couldnt read the teachers handwriting on the blackboard so i couldnt copy it down.. and usually in english when i cant read what Mr. Fossett writes i can figure it out because i can recognize what word it looks like, but in german i dont know ANY words so when i cant read their handwriting it is useless.. haha and everyone writes fancy so i cant even copy notes becuase i cant tell what the letters are!! Today i had math and then we were supposed to go to German but we didnt have it for some reason and the teacher left them an assignment to do, so we sat in the lunch room for two hours, i just read my book becuase i obviously couldnt do the assignment, the language thing has purposed a problem haha "whod a thunk" hah just kidding, but then we ate lunch and went to english class, which was really easy but embarrasing becuase the teacher made me stand up and say a whole bunch of stuff.. and i know im being a negative nancy but none of the kids talked to me! haha.. i know im scary but come on!.. they didnt even introduce themselves.. sooooooooooo maybe things will get better.. at least i got the first day out of the way and good news, we got out at 1:30!!!!!!1 thats awesome! yay.. i am so glad tomorow is friday! I will try to keep things updated xoxo love and miss everyone!

Village Traveling

Its only 1 here (13:15) but i thought i would go ahead and post becuase we have a busy afternoon!.. Tomorrow is my host mom's birthday, but they always celebrate the night before and stay up until 12.. very cool! we got to do it on my birthday, but tonight will be much more fun becuase more people will be here! It means, good food, fun music, and lots of people. I am very excited! This morning Svenja and i walked through the entire village becuase she gets paid to deliver some sort of coupon book, or something like that, so we walked to every house.. it only took about an hour because the village isn't terribly large.. I enjoyed it though becuase once again the weather is fabulous!!!!!!! Sunny, a little wind, not too warm.. PERFECT.. and i got to see all of the houses and the rest of the village, so i really enjoyed it! I have to go help make goo-lah-sh ( i dont know how to spell it so i sound it out haha ) Hope everyone is doing great at home, i miss everyone a ton. school starts on thursday YAY!!!!! ohkay, one last thing.. haha, so whenever you see someone you shake their hand a kiss on the cheek, for those who dont know i am awkward becuase i avoid any form of PDA or hugs becuase i always do it wrong haha.. so the whole kiss cheek thing drives me bonkers.. for one, are you actually supposed to kiss their cheek? which side do you go to? do you just make a kissie noise, TALK ABOUT AWKWARD, that would mean i need to go practice a kissie noise HAHAHAH! I just stick to the lightly graze them with my cheek and smile big like "Hey im american and we just give a head nod and smile" hahahah.. ohk sorry for ranting. Have a good day! loveeeeeeeee -Emily

Leipzig, pronounced lie-p-zish !!!

Today was fun!! We got to go into Leipzig, which is only about an hour drive.. it was a lot of fun, tons of shoppping stores and big pretty old buildings and tons of people! I enjoyed people watching.. so many different colors of hair and styles. i love it! I tried to go shopping but it didnt work because i am Jeri Rooks' daughter, therefore if it is not a bargain then im not getting it hahahah.. just kidding, im having trouble adjusting to the style.. i love it on other people but i cant see myself in some of the clothes AT ALL hahaha.. For now i look the same, but today was so much fun! and i have a new love for Bratwurst, it is possibly my favorite food everrr next to home made mac n' cheese the way the simpson girls make it! yummmmm. they dont have mac n' cheese here and i have been craving it like crazyy! Anyways.. apparently my host brother, who is sixteen, is moving out becuase he has work ?? i dont really know the whole deal there but he is a chef, cool huh! If i figure out whats going on with that i will be sure and update !! Today was fun and i got a few pictures which is good, i will try to get them on facebook fairly soon! School starts soon YAY! Thats all for now.. -Emily

Summer Life

We are having beautiful weather! Nice and sunny, the sun comes up around six and sets around 9 its soo nice to have long sunny days! Daddy sent me some books and candy in the mail so i have been reading and laying in the hammock all day! It is beautiful, the hammock is right in the garden with beautiful flowers everywhere and the cow in the field beside me haha cool!!! We went to an Irish Pub last night haha, i feel too young to be saying that but anyways! It was a funna atmosphere, they were playing weird american country music haha very entertaining! I got coke, just for those who are curious. haha I had fun though, and today is beautiful! Svenja is sick so prayers for her to get better!!! I finished MySistersKeeper, it was amazing.. and i have started reading the books for Mr. Fossett's class for when i get home.. i just started *On the Road* by Jack Kerouac, i will let you know what i think when i get further into it.. just for the record I NEVER READ, haha i like math and science but to get me to sit down and read a book is almost painful, but for some reason i have found a way to enjoy it here! Maybe its a way for me to seperate into my own little world, i dont know , but i enjoy it! I miss everyone at home! I got to talk to Jessica again the other day, she was online at the same time as me! which is cool becuase there is an 8 hour time difference between us! haha.. But she is doing really well, she started school (in Costa Rica) and has met a bunch of people and made friends with a Girl from norway and one from New Jersey! I keep trying to get her to make a blog haha but she is doing well, thought i would let everyone know!.. It is about 3:30 so i am going to go read outside since it is so nice! I miss everyone at home! Love always -Emily
ps. ansley and jake both got a facebook and email now so i can talk to them all the time too! yay!!!

Sonntag 26. Juli

Less eventful week but still enjoying myself! Obsessed reading *MySistersKeeper* If your havn't read it, you must! It is amazing and i cant put it down!! I finally found people to play soccer with, and they know where the fields are so we got to play which was a ton of fun, definitely a soccer field with the best view ever.. Germany is absolutly beautiful!! It's lunchtime though! so im going to eat potatoesssssssss!! love love love -Emily

Dresden!!!

Dienstag, 21. Juli 2009
We drove to Dresden today, which is about 2 hours away. Svenja drove (she has her permit).. i miss being able to drive my car.. haha.. but Dresden was beautiful.. really really old and all the buldings were amazing.. We went to a museum which was really cool but i wasnt allowed to take any pictures =( Hopefully i will be able to post some pictures on facebook or send some to my family so if you can get in touch with them you can see them, or add me on facebook !! My family made if safe back from Disney and i got to talk to them today! yay!!!!
I found a bookstore with an English section which i was thrilled about! I am not a huge reader, i prefer math and watching tv hahah.. but i cant wait to read My Sisters Keeper.. the movie isnt comeing out here for a while so i will get a chance to read the book and rent it whenever i get back to NC..
We ate lunch at a really cool restruant, they give you a credit card on the way in and you go buy whatever you want to eat on your credit card or tell them what you want them to make and then after you eat you take the card up on your way out and pay for everzthing so you dont have to worry about waiters or checks or anything! really cool!!.. also i love that there isnt a tax.. haha if it says its 6 euros, then all you pay is six euros not 6.42! haha
**Side notes**
There are flies everywhereeeeee.. haha we have fly strips in the kitchen to catch all the flies (not appetizing) .. excuse my poor spelling. haha
Also.. granddaddy long legs are also everywhere in the house.. on the walls and ceiling and such.. i am learning to ignore them.. still not a fan though
.. cant find deodorant anywhere, having mom send me some haha.. and host mom doesnt shave.. woot woot go GERMANYYYYYYYY
Im having a lot of fun.. the first week was rough but it is certainly getting better!
I miss my family and friends a ton.. LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!!!
remember you can always email me at em.rooks@yahoo.com or find me on facebook
please keep in touch!!!
xoxoox

Montag, 20. Juli 2009

Im learning how beautiful the most simple things are, not just in Germany but everywhere, you just have to find them. We went on a walk down a gravel path lined with cherry trees and absolutly beautiful fields on each side that went on forever with a view of other villages in the distance. It was amazing, i wished i had brought my camera. Anyways, we played singstar,which is like rockband without the instruments, only the singing haha.. it was entertaining for sure. I ate liver for dinner... (no, im not normally this adventurous with food at home).. but i enjoyed it.. i figured most meat tastes about the same and if you go into thinking it will be good, it will be ok at least. haha i didnt hate it.. i loaded it with onions (something i also try to avoid on food at home) a bit of mashed potatoes and some salt and enjoyed the liver haha.. Tomorrow, my host mother has the day off from work and is taking us into Leipzig, a larger city outside of Altenburg.. Im looking forward to it.. We are going to see all of the beautiful old churches and venture around and then go shopping!! haha.. all i really need is a jacket that is warmer than my zip up hoodies and slightly less bulky than the ski jacket i brough.. im sure i will find something..! Pray for safe travels for everyone driving back from Florida (my family and the basketball team) I miss everyone and got to talk to Jessica today on facebook, she is finally in costa rica and she said it was beautiful which is great! I love and miss everyone tonsss.. the only tv stations that are english are the MTV reality shows so believe me, ive been watching some quality tv over here, hahah
xoxo Emily

Samstag, 18. Juli 2009

Yay we went to the super market today.. its like sams club it has everythingggggg it was soo cool.. it was two stories and there was a flat escalator so you can stand with your buggie on it while it takes you to the second story.. way cool! haha.. i found some american cereal and yogurt which was cool haha! Last night was rough.. Svenja crashed on her moped.. thankfully i was riding in the car in front of her.. it was really scary though.. she is fine thankfully.. It was a sleepless night for sure though.. i found the sports channel on tv yay!! haha so i have just been watching eurosport becuase i know whats going on and the commentary is annoying in any language, so its nothing new!! I miss my family, they dont have internet axcess in florida so i cant wait to hear from them! I appreciate all the birthday wishes on facebook, i had a wonderful birthday! I hope everyone is good at home.. i miss my friends a tonn! Jessica left for Costa Rica the day before yesterday i think so i cant wait to hear from her.. it will be interesting to share experiences abroad from two different continents!!! My family knows where to get the residence visa YAY so i wont get locked up abroad!! Its about 2:30 here so im going to go help make lunch! I miss you guys!! Leave me comments or email me at em.rooks@yahoo.com I want everyone to keep in touch! xoxo -Emilyyy

Birthdayy!!!

Yesterday was fun! We went and saw Harry Potter, in german, i didnt understand it haha but i still enjoyed watching it!!! Ive learned to just make up what i think people are saying.. sometimes its more funny that way haha.. Svenja, her boyfriend, her brother, and i all stayed up until 12 so we could have a small glass of Sekt (like cheap champagne)and listen to german music for my birthday.. i loved the music but not the sekt ha. We had fried ham (tasted like bacon yummm) and eggs for breakfast.. i usually dont eat eggs unless they are scrambled but i ate them anyways and enjoyed it.. they grow all kinds of fruits and vegetables in their garden that i am learning to love! We had redcurrent and blackcurrent.. i dont know what they are.. but they taste like blueberries and we eat them in a bowl with milk.. its fantastic!! For my birthday Svenja gave me a cool shirt, some cute socks, a day calendar, and amazinggg candy! haha Her grandmother made me a buttercreme frosting cake that looks wonderful! we get to eat it tonight after we grill out.. aka sausage hahaha woohoo.. they said i get to try liver soon too.. haha yay
**if you love attention, become an exchange student, everywhere i meet people they are amazed and want to teach me german or practice their english... haha its entertaining..
alsoo.. We went to the lake yesterday.. it was funn! the water was freezing though.. haha at the pools and around the lake there is always a field with nice grass that everyone lays in until it is hot.. rather than pool chairs on some cement like we do in america.. they know how to do it right here hahah.. so after laying in the grass and getting warm we went swimming then hang out on the blanket in the grass again when we are finished to dry off..
My birthday has been wonderful so far. i miss everyone at home.. and ill keep this updated as often as i can =)
i love and miss everyone, especially my family xoxo
-Emily

Altenburg!

We went into Altenburg today! It was soo pretty, there is a market that goes down the middle of the street that sells everything you could imagine.. I climbed a huge tower to see over all of Altenburg.. it was amazing!
My Host Family: I have one sister and one brother.. my sister is very nice and quiet but very good at english.. my brother is verrry funny and cooks well.. the parents are very nice, the mother knows english a very little bit and the father none. There are two cats and a little kitten who i loveee it is absolutly precious.. and it doesnt speak german so i dont have to worry if it understands me haha.. there are a ton of bunny rabbits and chickens and roosters that wake me up every morning! very cool! Also there is a cow! haha it is very old and doesnt produce any milk but its cool anywayss! there is no clothes dryer so all the laundry dries outside on a clothes line which is new haha and the moped still scares me but i ride on the back praying the whole time!
I finally found a bank that takes my money.. the dollar is worth nothing for the euro.. i withdrew 200 euros and it cost me 275 dollars.. RIDICULOUS!!!!!!! haha.. the mcdonalds here doesnt have a dollar menu =( its actually pretty expensice.. there are no anysiye drinks for a dolar six. haha the larg (actually size of american medium) cost like three dollars or something..
I didn't get much sleep last night, tossed and turned a ton!
Pray for my familys trip to Florida for Ansley's Nationals Basketball tournament! Im sure they wil have a blast wish them luck!
Lovee -Emily

Day 2

I'm here! wow.. everything is beautiful especially the town cobblestone streets and amazing tall german looking buildings.. I still dont know german.. surprise =) hah so i am constantly zoning out just listening to the american music in the background.. i love that they listen to american music haha.. The family I am staying with is so nice! very tall! We rode through Altenburg on the moped.. which not surprisingly made my butt go to sleep after 30 minutes haha.. it was defintely a new experience though. very cool! We went to the swimming pool where everyone lays in the grass, swims, or plays volleyball!! They had 6 diving boards 2 small, 2 medium, one really tall, and one that was so high i though i was going to vomit just looking at it! I slept for 17 hours last night haha it was amazing! German boys are very attractive by the way.. except for the weird styles and highlighted hair.. not so much for me. hahaha I miss everyone a ton!

Leaving Tomorrow!

I depart from Charlotte tomorrow at 4:20 for the 9 hour flight to Frankfurt, Germany where I will be greeted by my host family, except my sister (Svenja, 17) who will be visiting Austria until July 14th! My host parents know very little English so the first two days will be a fun experience for sure!

Wish me luck..

I am so excited!!!!!