Tschau Deutschland

My last week in Deutschland was a fine one t say the least. I had an amazing time here in Bavaria learning German experiencing the culture and realising the unlimited opportunities that learning a language can create.

On Thursday Georg, Kathi, Matt and myself went to the Rosenheim Christkindlmarkt where I met up with Florian my exchange partner for 2014. We looked at all the little stalls that were selling the Christmas decorations and hand crafted ornaments and it was really nice to see how much culture is associated with Christmas in Germany compared to Australia.

Friday was the day that Herr Lehrer had set aside for Matt and I to go into some of the English classes and help them out with their projects and just answer any of the questions they had.

Saturday Georg's Uncle took Matt, Georg, Kati and I skiing in Sudelfeld were we enjoyed an amount of powder I had never experienced in Australia. I was a little nervous due to the terrain being steeper and my leg but my nerves soon went away when I just let those worries go.

Sunday was a nice day we went to a small Christkindlmarkt in the town hall in Grosskarolinenfeld it was not as vast as the Rosenheim Christkindlmarkt but it was just as cultural. We then went from there to Kathi's house for coffee and cake.

Wednesday the last day of school  for us was very nice the class threw us a Party to say goodbye and that I will see many of them next year.

This exchange was an opportunity to not only see the world but to improve my skills and make friends who have welcomed me into their homes and helped me see the Country with the eyes of the locals. Knowing were the best views are, the best walks and the best places to go.

The thing that living in Germany gave me was the ability to have confidence with my German speaking before the scholarship I couldn't speak in classroom simulations let alone in real situations.

Ich möchte sagen, Danke zu meine Gastfamilie und zu meine 2 Austausch und meine Tauschpartner Kathi Schwaiger und zu Georg Baumann.

Meine zeit in Deutschland war unglaublich weil es war eine der besten Erfahrungen meines Lebens.

Danke
Josh

Winter Activities

It's starting to get pretty cold here now. Just last week it snowed, and the snow stayed until Saturday when it warmed up a little bit....a little bit. Although it's been colder I prefer it much more than rain.

Snow on Georg's farm

Am Donnerstag wir haben nach München gefahren, mit der Klasse. In München wir haben ein Film gesehen, "Fack ju Göhte". I understood heaps of the conversations, but missed a bit because by the time it took me to translate the words into English they had already finished that sentence. So I was a little bit behind them. Although all-in-all it was a great film, and quite funny. It was also filmed around München and Berlin, mainly. After the Film we caught the train to Rosenheim, stayed there for a couple of hours and then were picked up by Georg's mum.

On Saturday Georg, Maria (Georg's older sister), Kathi (Maria's friend) and I all went skiing at Hintertuxer Gletscher in Austria. You can ski there all year round because it's so high. We arrived at about 0930 caught three Gondola's up to 3250m and then we started skiing. We skied for about 1.5 hours and then went for lunch. Lunch was so good. You took a tray and you could get nearly any hot food you could think of. I had Schweinebraten mit Knödel my favourite Bavarian dish and Georg had Schnitzel mit Pommes. After lunch we went over to the other side of the mountain and went to see the Glacier. Although it was all covered in snow of course. After that it was time to go so we skied down the mountain as far as we could and then caught the Gondola down the rest of the way.

View from halfway up Hintertuxer

Sunday Georg, Lisi and I went to Söll in Austria and went Schlittenfahren (Tobogganing). We walked up for about 1.5 hours because the Gondola wasn't operating and then rode the Sled all the way back down. It was so fun and you could go so fast although you had to be careful not to drive off the edge, like I almost did twice. After coming down the mountain we drove to a 'Wirt' (Restaurant) for lunch. I ordered a Schweinebraten mit Knödel, of course, and Georg had another Schnitzel. It tasted so good, better than in Austria when we were skiing. The 'Wirt' was over 250 years old. It was built in 1786 and is still there today and it doesn't even look old.

Wirt

This week was mostly spent in the snow, which was great. Skiing was definitely the highlight.
Until next week, my last blog from Germany...
Matt
 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Last post.....But I've had a great experience

Servus. I've been in Germany, in Bavaria and the time here on exchange has been some of the most eye opening and life changing weeks of my life.

This week on Thursday I went to Rosenheim with Kathi, Georg and Josh after school. Josh was meeting up with his exchange partner for next year.We walked around and got to know Josh's exchange partner and then went home becuase it was getting late.

Friday Josh and I worked with two English classes which were making brochures about the differences between life in Australia, and life in Germany. We helped for four periods and then in the last lesson of the day we went with the exchange students for next year.

After school we went to Rosenheim again to go to the Christkindlmarkt. The Christkindlmarkt is a street market held every year to celebrate the four weeks of Advent. There are many stalls selling Christmas related ornaments, food and drink. Many people drink Glühwein when they go. It's normally cold so it warms you up a bit. The market closed at 20:00 so we went home to get ready to go skiing the next day.

Skiing at Sudelfeld. Wikipedia pic.

Saturday we went Skiing in Sudelfeld. The snow was so good and there was heaps of powder to Ski in. For lunch we went to a 'Wirt' and then went out Skiing again. The weather was good although a little bit windy, but all in all it was a really good day.

Sunday we went to another Christkindlmarkt in Großkarolinenfeld. It was smaller than in Rosenheim but still had many stalls there.

I arrived here almost ten weeks ago feeling excited, although a little bit nervous as well. But after the first day I didn't feel nervous at all, whatsoever. I settled in with my new family really well because they made me feel extremely welcome. Being on exchange when you're younger you get to see the country and the life in a completely different perspective. Nothing like a tourist would see it, you get to see way more. I've made friends here that will stay with me forever and I can't wait until I come back next time to see them all again. Applying for this exchange has been one of the best things I've done. Now I can speak German without worrying about mistakes, because if you want to learn you have to make mistakes.I also feel heaps more confident in speaking the language. It has been such a great experience and one I will never forget, ever.

Chriskindlmarkt in Rosenheim

Servus, Hias

Pretty Chillly

This week is when I saw the large change from Autumn to Winter. It was a pretty chilled out week due to the minimum temperature being minus 10 degrees!!

Thursday this week was the excursion to the cinema in Munich to see the new  movie "Fuck Jü Goethe" which was extremely funny and I was able to understand nearly all of what was said. The theater session was very interactive at the start they had two people come out and talk to the crowd about the movie and how it was made.  After the movie we had two of the actors come into the studio and have a Q&A with the people in the theater.

Friday night Kathi's dad picked Kathi, Franz and myself up to go to Oberhof and then we just relaxed and watched the Fußball on the TV.

Saturday was a giant sleep in and then we went to the Christkindlmarkt in Glenleiten near Kachelsee with Kathi's older sister Steffi her partner Naddl and Naddl's Parents.
Glenleiten it is a farming village up in the mountains in the summer and warmer months it's for farming and in the winter it is turned into a giant Christkindlmarkt  and also half of the houses are little museums.

Sunday was an early start due to Krisztina and Georg coming at 9:00 to take me to Neuschwanstein another castle made by King Ludwig II and it is also unfinished. This is the day I had been craving since the day Mr Kusch raised the subject about it in class last year. We begin the experience by Georg drifting around the corner in the carpark and at that very moment I knew it was going to be an awesome day. We walked up to a smaller castle called Hohenschwangau and we had a guided tour of the entire thing. We were not allowed to take any photos of inside the building but it was truly amazing.
We began our ascent to Neuschwanstein and when we arrived at the gate it was exactly how you would imagine a castle to be: Old, decorated and with a giant lowering gate.

Inside everything was either gold or resembled wealth.  King Ludwig II had a 1 ton chandelier and it was outstanding. When we exited the castle we walked around the castle and then along the side of the mountain to a bridge with the best view in the house of Neuschwanstein.

But all up this was an amazing week and now it is only 10 days until I feel the warm embrace that Australia's summer has to offer.

Übung macht den Meister

This week I was really able to see what the phrase `Practice makes perfect` really means. I managed to do some research and the closest translation to it is `Übung macht den Meister`.

I have had a pretty good week having Wednesday off from school was pretty awesome. I was picked up by Georg's mum and then we went to Chiemsee the largest lake in all of Bavaria. It is roughly 60km from Munich. In this lake there is an island 'Herrenchiemsee' where King Ludwig II built the neues Schloss which translates to New Palace. We went on a tour through the new palace and it was amazing, unfortunately we were unable to take any photos whilst inside the Palace but it was an amazing sight.
There is only one problem and that is that King Ludwig II ran out of money about half way through the building process and just ditched the project.

Sunday was really really great.  We went to the other side of Bad Aibling and to be honest I thought it couldn't get any bigger. Matt, Michi and I went to Therme Bad Aibling where we were able to swim and relax.  One pool connected to outside so the water was really warm and the snow was all around.  It was refreshing to put your head up and then sink back down to stay warm.

Till Sunday
Josh

Chiemsee

Herrenchiemsee

On Wednesday this week there was no school. So Josh, Georg, Lisi and I went to Chiemsee. First we caught the ferry to the island Herrenchiemsee, where the palace that was built by King Ludwig II in 1878 is. The Palace was never finished due to the King running out of money and him being found dead with his Doctor in the Lake. No one knows what really happened that night when they were out for a stroll and no one will ever know. I think that's what made me like the Palace more, all the mystery behind it. After touring the Palace and then heading into the Museum we caught the ferry to Frauenchiemsee. It's the second largest island in Chiemsee. On the island there is a Monastry which is about 600 years old. Each year they hold a Kristkindlmarkt which attracts lots of tourists to the island. It was getting late so we had some Kaffee and Kuchen and then caught the Ferry back to the mainland. On the drive home it started to snow a little bit, but it didn't stay. That night Georg and I had Plattlerprob, Bavarian dance, from 1900 until about 2000. It was the third time we've had it and I'm catching onto it quite well, and Georg is also. It's heaps of fun and we always have a good time.

 On Friday Georg and I went for a swim in a river when it was about 3 degrees outside and the river was even colder. Although we nearly froze it was really funny and we felt awesome after it. Saturday we cooked with Georg's mum and made Christmas biscuits, 'Weihnachtsplaetzchen' but there aren't many left becuase we ate so many already!

Sunday we went to Therme Bad Aibling becuase the weather was wet and cold. We stayed there for about three hours and then left to go to the cinemas to see 'Catching Fire' in the Hunger Games series. It was a good film, even though I couldn't understand all of it. After the film we all left and headed home for another day at school the next day.

Only 3 weeks left

I've been here now for 7 weeks already, but it feels like I only got here 3 weeks ago. Time has flown, probably because I've been having such a good time.

This week the weather wasn't the best, so we couldn't do much outside of school. Although on Friday after school I went with Kathi's family to Switzerland. It took us about 5 hours to drive to Aesch a town about 15km outside of Zurich. We stayed with Kathi's mum's best friend, Christina. That night we settled in, being ready for Saturday. On Saturday we went into Zurich for the day. We walked around the city, looking at many shops. We saw Falsenegg lake and ETH Zurich. A university of engineering, science, technology, mathematics and management. Albert Einstein graduated from the university in 1920 and later came back to teach there also. Time flew and before we knew it we had to leave because it was getting dark and cold. So we left and headed back to Aesch for dinner.

Sunday we went to the local school in Aesch where Maxi, Christina's son, goes to school. It's a small primary school with a Basketball/Soccer court, a small playground and a table tennis thing. We left Aesch at about 1400 to head back to Germany becuase we had school the next day. So we said our Goodbyes and drove back to Germany arriving at about 1900.

This week was a really good one, even though we didn't go out much it was nice to stay and relax for a bit because we have been busy the past 7 weeks and it was nice to slow down a bit.

Until next week,
Matt

G'day Zurich

G'day everyone all is well here in Deutschland. I am having an amazing time.  This week was really a break through with not only my speaking skills but with the way I interpret German. I am finding it hard to speak English.  The first thing I say is German and I find it is so good.

On Friday night straight after school Kathi, Matt and I went by bus to Holzhausen where we had lunch and then we began our drive to Zurich which was great to see some sights along the way and also to catch up on some sleep.  We arrived at Kristina's (a friend of Kathi's mum) house and we get unpacked and retired after some dinner.

Saturday was when the real sight-seeing began.  We started the day by driving from the little village of Aesch where Kristina lives to the central part of Zurich where we could see some very historical buildings and there was an amazing lake named Falsenegg we walked around a part of it and looked at all the little differences to Germany. Going into every shop we could see why this part of the city had such nice cars -everything was extremely expensive.

Sunday was a day to say goodbye to everyone and before we left we played some table tennis and basketball at the local primary school in Aesch. We left from Aesch at around 2pm and arriving home at around 7pm.  We had a really relaxed night and got ready for school the next day.

I can see us having a very action packed week next week after us having such a relaxed time this week.

3 weeks left...

Bis Sonntag

Getting colder...

Since going back to school on Tuesday we have had a pretty relaxed week. The weather hasn't been the best either.

On Tuesday at school we had sport. In sport we played some Soccer for most of the time and then we did a little bit of High Jump, but we ran out of time to get a proper competition going. After school I rode to Kathi's house and played some Basketball with Josh. I left at about 1900 and rode back to Georg's house when it was only about 0 degrees.

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were all pretty relaxed. On Wednesday we had afternoon school and the weather was bad so we couldn't do much after that.

On Saturday we went to Rosenheim in the afternoon to see my exchange partner from last year, Benni.  We stayed in Rosenheim till about 2130-2200 then Georg's father, Hans, came and took us back home to Großkaro.

Sunday I went with Kathi's family and Josh to the Bavaria Filmstadt. It's a Bavarian Film studio and they make Movies. Some of the movies which were made there are, das Boot, Sams im Glück, Wikie and more. Once we got there we had a tour around the studios and went into some of the Museums which had some of the things they used in the movies. We then went into a big studio where they had many interactive games and videos. We spent a good 2-3 hours in there after making a Star Trek like movie with a group of people. We then left and as we were leaving it started to Snow! I was then taken home and said goodbye.

Logo of the Film City

This week I wasn't very busy and it was a relaxed one, but next week will be more interesting....I'm sure.
Until next week, Matt

Winter, she comes

My week was very chilled out due to the weather being pretty soggy.

The more I am learning about Germany and its culture, language and all the other little differences the more eager I am to increase my German skills.

On Monday we had regular classes then I went to Matt's house. We got there at around lunch time, ready to go relax and eat lunch. We just relaxed until Georg came home then he took us for a walk and we saw some sights near his house and then quickly made our way back due to Winter kicking in.

On Friday after school, Kathi, Steffi, Franz and myself went to Munich.We travelled to Munich by train and we arrived right under the Marien Platz which is a big square for shopping in Munich and there is everything you could possibly want.

At around 7:00pm we caught a train to a small village near Tutzing, the name alludes me but we were picked up by Kathi's Dad and we continued on to her house from there.  Kathi's Dad owns a stable where people leave their horses and then they pay him rent.

Saturday I helped clean the stables which was interesting, learning what goes into taking care of horses and how to act around them. We then went back up to their house, ate breakfast and they showed me some nice views around Oberhof.

Sunday was an early start.  We cleaned the horse stable and then Kathi's Mum came and picked Franzi, Kathi and I up and brought Matt along with us to the Bavarian Filmstudios.  This was amazing.  We watched some of the cartoon skits and films by Michael Herbig. The small percentage of his jokes that I understood made me crack up laughing.


This was an amazing week and the amount of German I have learnt is really coming out in the way I can speak to people and joke around in German.

Till next week

Josh

YES ROME!!!!

 
Montag  we picked up Matt's parents(Paula and Nev) and went to Austria for the day touring around showing them some sights.  We went up to the top of a hill and there was a Kapelle which is a small church where you can go to pray without any distractions. Here we could see to Rosenheim, Bad Aibling  and many other cities and small villages.  After this spectacular sight we drove through the mountains to the most amazing cluster of waterfalls.  It was one of the best views I've ever had in my life, it was amazing.

Tuesday was Austria again but just Georg, Matt and I went by train to Kufstein.  We went to Festung Kufstein which translates to Kufstein Fortress.  This was a beautiful old castle remarkably well preserved and we spent a better half of our day there looking at all the information and pictures.
In the last room we looked at we saw the largest movable organ in all of Europe it was breathtaking.



 Wednesday was nice relaxed day, because we had Paula and Nev West come to Kathi's for coffee and cake.  We introduced them to her family. It was nice and also a good test to see if I had gotten better at translating from German to English.

Thursday we went for a bike ride to Koblermoor and went to the Eisdiele (Ice-creamery), I know first time someone said ice-creamery in German I felt a little uncomfortable. We then cycled along the river to Bad Aibling and then I got picked up from Georg's house to get ready for Wok Paradies, a Japanese restaurant where you can choose your food and watch them cook it.

Friday was Rome I had no idea about what all the sights would look like right up close. We had that day to unpack and get well acquainted with our surroundings and go have a look at all the little wonders of Rome that were in our vicinity.

Saturday was when we went to the Vatican and I was speechless when I entered St. Paul's Cathedral, it was amazing. We were on a guided tour so we could walk straight past the 1 kilometre line and enter with ease. After the Vatican we headed to the hotel for a little sleep and woke up just in time for dinner.

Sunday was hands down my favourite day overall.  We went to the Colosseum and that was amazing, it was the one thing I was so passionate about seeing. We took some photos and then continued on through the lower levels where they had a small museum of relics and artefacts.

 This week was so amazing I am sad to say good bye to Rome.

Bis Später Josh

Holidays and Roma!

Holidays! This week we had a one week holiday, and it's also week five, half way through my exchange trip....:(
On Tuesday we went to see my parents, who were staying in Rosenheim. We picked them up and went for a drive to Austria and on the way back we showed them around the area and then went back to Georg's house for Mittagsessen. After Mittagsessen we showed them around Georg's farm and the cow halls. We then went to a Cake shop called Wiklstüberl. The cakes there are massive and you can't eat the pieces in one sitting, but the cakes were some of the best I have ever tried before. We left to go back to Großkaro feeling full and a little bit sick, but it was worth it.

View from Kufstein Fortress

Wednesday we went to Kufstein in Austria. Once we arrived there we went to Kufstein Fortress. They are unsure when the Fortress was built but it was first mentioned in a document in 1205. The Fortress was conquered in 1504 as well as the city by Emperor Maximilian I. We had a look around the inner city afterwards and then caught the train back to Großkaro. That afternoon my parents were invited to Kathi's house for afternoon tea. It was nice and we all had a good time.

Thursday we rode to Kolbormoor to the Ice Creamery and then to Bad Aibling. The weather was cold and a little bit wet but it was a nice long ride. That night we went to Kolbormoor again with Georg's family, my parents and Kathi. It was my parents' last night in Rosenheim so we all went out to Wokparadies, a Chinese restaurant where you pay 15€ and you can eat as much as you want. You can choose some food and they will cook it right in front of you or you can take some of the already cooked food. It was a great night.  Leaving at about 2100, we dropped my parents at their Hotel and went back to Großkaro. Josh stayed at Georg's house that night because the next day, Josh, Georg, my parents and I were flying to Rome!

Altare della Patria

Friday... I woke up feeling excited and ready to go to Rome, but I had to pack first because I hadn't done so the day before... So after packing everything and having Frühstück we were all ready to drive to the Airport in Munich. After getting to the Airport, checking in, going through security and then flying to Rome, being driven to our hotel, we were finally there. That afternoon we all went for a walk. We first went to Fontana di Trevi, then we kept walking and saw, Tempio Adriano, the Pantheon, Palazzo Madama and then went on to see the Piazzo Navona. We had Dinner in the square there and then walked back to our Hotel passing all those sights again.
                                                                                                                        

Saturday we went to Vatican city. It was weird to see

Fontana di Trevi

another country within a country. Vatican has its own Police and own Bishop, being the Pope.  We had to go through security to get in to the city. Once we got there we had a tour around the Museum and then the Sistine Chapel, which is one of the most amazing pieces of art work I have ever seen, it was 'mind boggling' to see the extent of hard work and skill that went into painting it. Spending a good half an hour or so in there it was time to leave and go on to see St Peter's Basilica, the biggest Church in the world and it was big. I could have spent ages in there but sadly we had to leave because our tour was coming to an end. The tour ended and we headed back to our Hotel, then Josh, Georg and I walked around the area near our Hotel, later we went for Dinner. Sunday was our second last day in Rome. We went on a tour Bus around Rome. We went to places such as, Barberni-Via Veneto, Porta Maggiore, S. Maria in Trastevere, Fori Romani, Campo De' Fiori, Pantheon, Spanish Steps and the Colosseum. Everything we saw was amazing, mainly the Architecture made me so amazed. My favourite thing we saw that day was the Colosseum. It was a place I really wanted to go and it was awesome. The Architecture and the size of it was unreal.

Colosseum

Monday we left Rome and flew back to Munich. We said our Goodbyes to my parents who were flying to Frankfurt and flying back home on Wednesday and caught the train back to Großkaro.  We dropped Josh back home, because we have school again tomorrow.

Rome was a great experience, and we all had a great time there. I can't wait to go back there when I'm older.

Ciao, Matt

To Oberhof

This week was so beneficial for my German skills,  the amount of conversation practice I have had in the 4 weeks I have been in Deutschland is something which is next to impossible to mimic in a classroom. Little things you learnt in the classroom and thought you would never have to use, are actually useful.

The weekend was where the fun really kicked off! On Friday after school Jo Jo(Kathi and Franz's Dad) picked the three of us up and took us to his house in Oberhof. We went straight to the horses at his farm, they were some of the nicest horses I've ever seen.  We went for a walk into the woods at the bottom of Oberhof, it was everything I thought it would be and more. From what was going to be a quick 20 minute introduction to Oberhof, ended up being a 3 hour walk around the entire wood I just couldn't get enough.

Saturday was a Traditional Bavarian wedding, this was the true embrace of Bavarian culture which I was so eager to embrace. The wedding began at 10am at the church and this was very hard to understand the prayers and songs due to some of them being in Bavarian.

After the ceremony it was about 1pm and we went to the venue where everyone was seated to have lunch.  We ate traditional Bavarian wedding soup and it was really tasty.  2 hours of dancing soon followed and this was quite the occasion for everyone to show off their skills. We went underneath the wedding to the Wine room where everyone dances around on the tables and chairs singing and clapping, this was amazing and then everyone chanted AC-DC and the band played a few of their songs and everyone could sing along.

After that we had dinner which was a giant platter of meats and cheeses for every table. Then giving our best wishes we drove home. After being at a wedding for 13 hours it was time for a well deserved rest.

Sunday was quite a relaxing day sleeping in until 11 and having brunch was a good way to chill. At 4:00 Elise, Georg's mum took Georg, Matt, Kathi and myself to Therme Erding which is a huge indoor water park.
After having a shower we entered the Galaxy which is the part of Therme Erding where all the water-slides are.
We went on all the fun ones until we saw the fastest one there and we just had to go on. It was pitch black with a vertical spiral in it. It was thrilling.

This was amazing I can see my German skills developing greatly from here.
Josh Raymond

Best week so far

Servus. This week has been as eventful as the last three, if not even more.

Marienplatz

On Monday, Georg and I took the evening train to Munich. Once we got there we walked to the Hilton Hotel, where my parents were staying while in Munich. We went out for dinner and since it was quite late we went back to the hotel. My parents had been travelling all day, so they went to bed. Georg and I went out for a walk around the area near the hotel and then went back and went to bed as well. The next day we went on a Bus tour around Munich, which went to the Olympia Park, BMW Welt and other parts of Munich. We got off the Bus at the Marienplatz and watched the Glockenspiel. We said Goodbye to my parents and chilled around the Marienplatz and then caught the train to the Hauptbahnhof and then went back to Großkarolinenfeld.

Friday I went to Ice Hockey in Rosenheim. It was Rosenheim vs Landshut. The arena was packed with people, mainly Rosenheim fans. The game was awesome, both teams played well although there were many penalties for each team. Rosenheim won, 4-3, which put them on top of the ladder. After the Ice Hockey, Georg and Michi went home and I went to stay with Benedikt, my exchange partner from last year.

On Saturday I went to Kampenwand, in the mountains in Bavaria. We went with friends from Georg's family and they have an exchange student from Britain staying with them. We talked about the differences from our own countries and what experiences we had so far. We took the Gondola up the mountain and then walked back down after we had lunch. The views were epic and it was Sunny and warm-ish which made it all the better.

Panorama on the Kampenwand

On Sunday I went with Georg and his family to a village near Rosenheim. We watched a parade, the parade was full of decorated horses and wagons. I had never seen anything like it and it was great to see all the horses, wagons and everyone dressed in traditional clothing. Later that afternoon Josh, Kathi, Gerog, Lisi (Georg's mum) and I went to Therme Erding. A massive thermal water park, which consists of slides, pools, spas, saunas and everything thermal. Once there we went into Galaxy and on some of the craziest slides out there. My favourite was the 'Kamikaze' which is almost a vertical slide that allows you to slide super fast, but it's not very long and is over in less than 10 seconds. But the adrenaline is the best. After spending 4 hours there we left and went back to Großkarolinenfeld.

This week I've found my German (and Bavarian) getting heaps better and I'm finding it much easier to speak it, which is really good.

This week has been one of the best so far, if not the best...but only so far.

Till next week,

 Da Hias (Matt)

Second week

Well this week was amazing I have already nearly crossed everything of my list already after just 2 weeks but im sure there is so many more things for me to do here.

Where should is start well maybe at the start. On Sunday my host family took me to Bauerngolf which is I think one of the most ingenius things every invented . Its the same principles as minigolf but on a much bigger scale using soccer balls and shoe sticks which you use to hit the ball into the hole but around, over, under and through obstacles like tires wagons and pipes in the end i was beaten severly at this game by everyone. 


On Tuesday we went to school by bike the way to school is awesome hills and mountains evrywhere you looki its astonishing.We had all our normal classes and then continued on back to Holzhausen where we had lunch and got ready for Bavarian dance it is an amzing event every tuesday and we only watch but before we leave i hope i can do a basic dance to bring home with me.

The Wirtschaftsschule Alpenland (our sisterschool) is a buisness orientated school and every Thursday from 10:35- 12:55 they have Üfa (Übungsfirmenarbeit) which is firms training so order stock and selling all the things you would usually do in a buisness firm but with other practice firms across Germany. I really enjoyed this class not only because it was differnt but because we don´t have anything like it in Australia.

Friday well Friday simply awesome we had school and afterwards I went to practice my bass guitar with the band and some new mates and it took some persistence but I finally managed to understand what they were talking about and what they wanted me to play.

After band practice me and some friends boarded the train to meet up with Georg, Kathi and Matt and some others. We then had a cofee then set out to Lukas´ house. We waited there for Flo then we caught the night bus to the Rosenheim Ice hockey rink to watch the Rosenheim Starbulls vs Dresden Eislöwen (Ice Lions) this was an enourmous match because Dresden always win and it was unfortunately the same outcome but during the game we went and stood in the Rosenheim fans area and I learnt all the chants and songs to sing most inapropiate but the others I could understand which was pretty cool.

Saturday sleeping at Georgs after the Ice Hockey we got up at 7:00am and got ready ate breakfast and at 9:00am we caught the train from Rosenheim and started our little adventure to Salzburg in Austria. We arived in Salzburg at around 10:30 and we went to the Info kiosk.I was under the impression that Austrain was a whole different language but its just a dialect. We immidiately went to the old city and saw some old buildings and street preformers but we exit a shop and i read the side of this building `Mozarts Geburtstaghaus' and I was astonished by it i went straight inside of course and looked at the whole mueseum dedicated to this musical genius.

 
To conclued our day we went for a wander around the old city and then I look up the cliff side and I see the biggest gnarliest castle I have ever seen. We went inside and it was a mueseum on all the old rulers of Austria , wars, and everything else about austria. Then it was about 5pm and we rode the train back to Rosenheim and from there home.

But Sunday was just amazing my host family took me to the Apfel Fest a gigantic festival 20 minutes down the road dedicated top apples, apple juice and anything else that can be made from apples.
the amount of apples I tried was uncalculable so ill just say I had alot.

This was the highlights of my 2nd week here in Deutschland.
 Till next week,
 Servus Josh

Hallo all,

This week was just as much fun as it was practice for my German skills.This week it really hit me that is up to me to get better at my German and it also pays of in the end. School was really good this week I was able to my use English to help the others prepare for an exam but lucky for them it was postponed.

On Tuesday we had our classes Wandertag which is like a class excursion to something they all vote on.
We went to the bowling alley in Mitraching which is also home to an old American Airforce base. This was an awesome day out and I found out that I have no future career in bowling what so ever.

On Thursday we had a project day were all of the kids sign up for one of the offerd activities. I chose to go into the activity where we learnt about the amount of mobile telephones recycled every year. It was astonishing the amount of Electronic waste recycled or put into landfill.

Friday was a real highlight we had school and that was awesome but the band practice was cancelled which is a pitty because I really enjoy jamming with all the other students. After school we went to the Bavarian dance gathering where all the groups of dancers in our area come have dinner and show off there skills. This was a true embrace of the Bavarian culture and I even learnt how to do a bit of it myself.

Saturday was a real lazy day slept in had breakfast then went to Ikea which was more fun than it sounds it is twice as big as it is in Australia.

Sunday was a day I had been craving since the day I flew in.My host family took me to Wendelstein.
Wendelstein is a mountain around the same height as Mt Hotham, in the middle of the Bavarian mountains. It is has one of the greatest views I have ever experienced and a top its peak is a weather sation and all the radio receptors. We went also inside the mountain to the Wendelstein caves which go strait into the side of the mountain these were also awesome.At one end of the caves was a sudden stop where they had put all of the information on the caves and at the other end was another cave which went straight out the side of the mountain.
We caught a gondola down with a sight like I had I could stand in the gondola every day.It is also  something else that i can tick of on my list.

Till next week.