Dienstag 12. Juli

Hallo family and friends of the academy! Hi mom,


I believe the jetlag has subsided as I'm really only tired when I wake up for school. Speaking of school, today marked the second day of school for the exchange. Today my partner (Maxi) and I went to math (which I think was precalc) in which Jane and I attempted to decipher a worksheet, and then German history where a girl gave a presentation about the Hitler Youth. The school has a few differencs with the Glenbrooks, as it still uses chalkboards and has a schedule more like that of a college. We have continued to partake in the Germans' food culture, which consists of variations of breads meats and cheeses for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
The weather today was a high of 66 and low of 55 with constant rain that prevented me from taking many pictures. At around 12 we left the school for an hour bus ride to the Bodensee which had the Pfahlbaumuseum Unteruhldingen. This is open-air museum which contains the reconstruction of Neolithic and Stone Age houses that were on the Bodensee. The tour of the museum began with an immersive pictured below:

(Indoor portion of the Museum)

After this we were guided outside to continue the tour to the recreated homes. These houses contained very interesting old tools, such as a wooden scythe. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures inside the house. The recreation was extremely detailed and well done, and although I could go on about the appearance of the houses and the view we had of the Bodensee, I believe a picture would do them more justice (a picture does in this case does say a thousand words).

       (Pfahlbaumuseum Unteruhldingen photo by Maeve)

Next we took a short bus ride to Meersburg. In the beautiful city of Meersburg is a large castle that we able to tour. The castle was both elegant and eerie with a decadent church altar and a fully equipped torture room. After the tour we were given time to explore the city. The city reminded me of the kind of European cities you see in movies. It was very cute and the shops were nice as well. Before we made our way back to the bust, Janes's partner (Valentina), who happens to be Italian, was given a free sandwich by the owner of a small Italian deli. Jane, Luke Amen, Luke Cherchenko, and I were in awe. That kind of stuff doesn't really happen in America.

   (Downtown Meersburg pictured by Meghan)

(Castle in Meersburg)


After Meersburg we took a hour and a half long bus ride home then I ate gyros at Maxi's house and relaxed. One of my favorite parts of the day was when I explained the concept of Cicis Pizza to the Germans; they were amazed. So far, the experience has been unforgettable and I am speaking on behalf of the entire exchange when I say it is amazing. I just wish I could have some Taco Bell or mac and cheese right now. Thanks for reading!




      Sincerely, Alex Amini