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.

Week three :D

Rosenheim and surroundings

Can't believe how was time is going, it's already the third week.

On Tuesday this week we went on a Wandertag (excursion day). We went to Mietraching, and went Bowling, and even though I wasn't very good at it but I still had heaps of fun.


After school on Thursday we drove to Irchenberg, near the mountains. You had really good views of Rosenheim and surrounding villages, and when the sky is clear you can see as far as Munich as well.

The Mountain Hut

Friday after school we went to Austria, with another family from Großkarolinenfeld. It took about an hour to get there, driving on the Autobahn for most of the way. While there we stayed in a Mountain Hut, which was really cosy and had a great feel to it. Saturday we went hiking up a mountain called Gaißberg, which is about 1,300 m high and had a little bit of snow left on it from last week. It was a great hike and the weather was perfect. That night we spent in the Mountain Hut again, playing board games and me trying my best to understand a game called 'Activity'. It's similar to Pictionary, but you can act out or speak about the word you have, depending on the place you are on the board. Sunday we packed up and went to Kitzbühel a ski village.  After that we went back to Großkarolinenfeld for lunch was Georg's family.

Gaißberg

I had a great time this week, the Mountain Hut was definitely the highlight, until next week


Matt

Week Two, already!

Hey guys,

The Alps

Been another week and still having lots of fun and doing heaps.

At school on Thursday it was so cold it started to snow, but only for a little bit. But the snow stayed on all the peaks above 800m. The weather bureau says it might be the coldest Winter in about 100 years.

On Friday I went to Ice Hockey in Rosenheim. It was Rosenheim vs Dresden. Dresden won, 5-3. It was a little bit disapointing, but we all had a good time.Just seeing everyone dressed up and so into the game was exciting enough, and the Stadium had a great feel to it.

Mozart's Geburthaus

Salzburg

 On Saturday we caught the train from Rosenheim and headed to Salzburg, in Austria. We had the whole day there and most of it was in the old part of the city. While there we saw Mozart's birth house, Hohensalzburg Castle and Salzburg Dom. My favourite was Hohensalzburg Castle because I had an awesome view of the city.

Today, Sunday, we went to the Apfelmarkt, in Bad Feilnbach. We had some Bavarian food and walked around the market. It's like a fair, lots of tents with people selling Apples, Cheeses, Meats and Bavarian clothing. There was a steam Tractor and other steam powered vehicles, mainly farming ones.

Can't wait to see what's next,


Matt

Josh's Blog Wilkommen in Deutschland

Josh Raymond
Arrival - 29 September 2013


After saying our goodbyes at the gate Matt and I were accompanied by our escort to the waiting bay for our flight to Singapore. At this point I was excited beyond measure.  This was it, leaving Australia for the first time. When we landed in Munich after our second flight from Singapore, we were greeted by an escort in a traditional German dress.  It was at this point I fully recognised the gravity of this opportunity.

At the airport in Munich

We were greeted by our hostpartners Georg and Kathi along with Georg Ruider, Kathi's step Dad.  He is really friendly and can speak some English which is always a breath of fresh air over here. We drove to Großkarolinenfeld which is about 45 mins from Munich and we met Georg´s Family, They invited us into their home for some Fruhstuck (Breakfast) it was tasty.  All the breads and other things were so awesome. His Mum and Dad, Elisabeth and Johann are funny and also know basic English. His younger brother Michi and older sister Maria were kind and understanding of my basic German skills.

We dropped Matt off there and continued on to Holzhausen, a small farming village with about 20-30 people. We drive up to their house, my house for the next 10 weeks, and unload and I am greeted by Kathi's mum Krisztina and Lorenz who is new born, Anna who is nearly 2, Marinus 3 and Franz who is 11. They were all extremely welcoming and were easy to warm to.

School on Monday was a shock because I was under the illusion that they had another week of school holidays but they had finished a fortnight before. The school is so different.  They start at 8:00 and finish at 12:55, have a 25 minute break at 10:10 and everyone can speak some level of English.

On Thursday Georg's parents took the four of us to Oktoberfest and it was honestly one of the loudest, busiest places I have ever been to. I had an amazing time and the amount of food was astounding. We then went on the double-decker train home and continued to bask in the glory of our day off school It was a public holiday, German Reunification Day).

At the Oktoberfest

There were a few stand out differences too and it's not only everyone speaking German but the amount of corn is tremendous it is pretty much cows and corn as far as the eye can see.

There is so much more but its to hard to put into words but I'm sure there are many more exciting things awaiting me in the near future.

This trip has now opened my eyes to the usefulness of German and how much harder I have to work to become fluent.

Week one

Servus! I've been here in Germany for a week so far and I'm already having heaps of fun.

After Josh and I said our goodbyes to friends and family in Melbourne we set out for a 21 hour journey to Munich, Baravia's capital. Only on the plane did I realise the opportunity I have been given and how I'm going to benefit from it. Once we arrived in Munich we were greeted by our exchange partners, Georg and Kathi. Next thing we were in a car on the Autobahn, driving to Großkarolinenfeld, Georg's home village. Georg lives on a dairy farm, with his parents, Johann and Elisabeth and his older sister, Maria and younger brother, Michael. We had breakfast (Frühstuck), which consistered of many breads, spreads and sweets. We then said goodbye to Josh and Kathi, who were going to Holzhausen, where Kathi lives.

Monday was our first day of school. School starts at 0800 and finishes at about 1300. The school times (I think) are much better than back home in Australia, because it gives you the whole afternoon nearly to do stuff. Also you don't have to bring as much food too. The classes are also different, they have classes like Business and Accounting, and don't have classes like Science or Health.  This is because the Wirtschaftsschule is a special business school.

The Oktoberfest

On Thursday, it was the German reunification day, a national holiday to represent the day when Germany became one country again. The four of us and Georg's parents went to the Oktoberfest in Munich. One of Germany's largest festivals. Once we got there all you could see were rides, Beer tents and people, lots of people. From there we went and got some Weißwurst and Pretzels to eat, which I liked. After we went to the statue of Lady Bavaria and went on some rides. Time flew and it was already hitting home time, so we caught the train back to Großkaro and dropped Josh and Kathi home.

In one week I have already tried many different foods and already have had many fun experiences, like giving my host family Vegemite to try and teaching them how to kick a footy. I'm so glad I applied and now it's paying off... big time.

Until next week,

Matt