Arrival and first days

Ich bin in Deutschland! After a long flight I'm finally here. I was lucky to meet another exchange student, Shelby, at the airport in Chicago. She's from California and is going to a different district in Germany than me, but was going to be on the same flight. And then, coincidentally, we ended up sitting pretty much right next to each other (there was one seat in between us. And I know, this is starting to sound a lot like the plot of Red Eye, so I was a little bit concerned that I was going to be held hostage). To further add to the coincidence, no one ever sat in the seat between us, so we had the row to ourselves! We took advantage of the extra leg room, I assure you.

Shelby and I being exchange students

After we landed, we went through passport control, and got our bags, Shelby and I said farewell, and I met my host family! Jürgen, Luis, and Manuel were waiting for me at the airport, looking extremely tan from their time on the island of Syllt in northern Germany, and with big, welcoming smiles on their faces. That moment was very dreamlike and I can't really remember it, but I do remember it was very exciting!

Almost there...

So we got in the car and drove the half hour to Solingen. I asked if it was true that there are no speed limits on the highway here, and they said yes, except for a few spots. So there I was, riding on the German Autobahn! Americans always talk about the Autobahn like driving on it is a death sentence, but really it was pretty much the same as American highways. 

My house!

The house is beautiful and very modern! My room is on the ground floor on the left in this picture, and it has a door right out into the yard. 

My room

When I got there, Tini made us a German breakfast filled with bread (so...much...bread), meat, cheese, etc. It was delicious, but seriously, so much bread. After I got settled into my room, we went shopping at OBI (a gigantic garden store, sort of like Lowe's but with fish and bunnies), and then to a supermarket. 

The kitchen

If there is one thing I'm missing, it's regular water. The only thing they drink here is carbonated water, and I don't really understand it. When I want water, I want a cold, refreshing drink. Instead, what I get is this throat-burning water impostor that fails to quench my thirst. I'm getting more used to it now, and I don't mind drinking it that much, but when I'm really thirsty, it does nothing for me. 

Table in the backyard where we've eaten all our meals, since the weather is so nice

Later that night we had dinner (lamb, sausage, spare ribs, potatoes, and, you guessed it, bread) with our neighbors, who actually live in the same house as the Gemkes. The two women (I can't remember their names) are very good friends with the Gemkes, and one or both of them are architects, so both the families worked together to build the house, and now they share it (both parts of the house are completely divided, though, so you wouldn't even know two families live here). They were really nice!

The rest of the backyard

Other activities that day included: ping pong with the host brothers, petting the cat, and sleeping for approximately 14 hours that night.