School!

School started Tuesday and it's crazy. . . it's like a movie or tv show about school in some ways. . . my schedule's actually pretty free because I'm only taking one LK (think major, most people have 2) and I'm not doing math or science. . . English is my LK and I've got art and German and philosophy and social sciences (in English) and history. I've also got a lot of free periods in my schedule- Tuesday's the only time I have 6 classes in a row. . . I don't start until 3rd period Monday and Friday, I have 2 free periods in the middle of the day on Wednesday, and I'm done after 4th period on Thursday. Germans are super-nice and I'm getting to know people and I like it a lot. My English class is really weird because we're talking about America at the moment, and I'm acting as a source of sorts. . . noting where the text is a little wrong (more often than not it's a little too right and is slightly scary). Philosophy is fascinating and a lot like a RtR meeting but in German and is crazy hard but I'm working through it. . . SS is basically economics and seems a little hard but interesting and at least it's in English. . . art is fun and I've been really creative lately. I think the linguistic confusion that is my head has a lot to do with that- pictures are a more natural form of expression for me at the moment. . . a rundown of interesting points from the paper journal, including my big long post-WYD entry:
Sunday: arrival, drizzly, set up tents and figure out what's going on and German everywhere and new people and trying so hard to follow things and I played cards with Verena and hung out and I'm still not certain that I like white wine.
Monday: cold, rainy, gorgeous German weather. . . mostly setup and I don't remember much
Tuesday: still grossish, Verena went to stay with her aunt cause she was bored and I got a real shower and Kaisu and Anna and I went into Düsseldorf that afternoon and it was fun.
Wednesday: Kaisu and I went to Köln all by ourselves and there were people everywhere and it was insane but awesome and we rode trains successfully and saw a pretty decent musical called Rachel that was in like 5 languages. . . also hung out with all sorts of Uckendorf people in Düsseldorf that night at a concert that was boring so we left to get a beer and hang out and that was more fun
Thursday: low-key hang around camp day, do camp things, felt pretty adapted and comfortable, found internet cafe, discovered Beck's Green Lemon which is so delicious
Friday: low-key day again, hung out with Kaisu and Gil (the Brazilian exchange student) and Johannes (Gil's host bro- Kaisu is the niece of one of the Uckendorf people who was around, she lives out Bremen way, I think) and was up too late and had weird dreams (anyone who can tell me what "I'm on my way to being an 80's-style drive-it pouvre" means will be my hero- some dude in one of my dreams said it to me and I think it sounds awesome).
Saturday: got up and then went back to bed and took a nap that was too long but had awesome dreams again and at night we had a big volunteer party and there was dancing and some awesome band from Trinidad and Tobago and they had to teach the Germans to dance American style, which was funny, and I danced for so long and went to bed very happy
Sunday: pack up and head back and realize that school starts Tuesday and try to remember how to live in Uckendorf
Monday: shopping- buy me a backpack and Anna and Verena clothes and lots of food and German supermarkets are still exciting and hang out a little with Franzie and Katharine who are 13 and 15 and live down the street and get ready for school.
Tuesday: First day of school. . . grrr I dislike getting up at 6:30. Elke drove me and Anna and Michelle to school and I talked to the principal and decided to be in 12th grade and I went and checked out the whole class at once, which was intimidating, and then worked out my schedule and it was break time and I wandered and found Anna and then these nice boys from my class introduced themselves but I don't think I remember their names and then I had English and met more nice people and it was really an awesome classe. Double block 3 and 4 on Tuesdays. . . another break and I hung out with some people and then had art which also looks to be interesting and I am meeting people and that is exciting. Looked into a bank account here, but it may be just as expensive as using the debit card- do you know, daddy? I rather like German school- Germans are so friendly- my new German peers are mixing English and German with me, which is okay by me for the moment.
Wednesday: rode the bus to school and English remained fascinating and then I had 2 free periods, so I wandered around Zündorf (where my school is) for one period and then came back and sat on a bench and the weather was pretty and I drew until break time, when people came out and I was social. Had Philosophy, which is hard but fascinating, and the teacher is crazy but understanding. Same teacher for German thereafter, and some insane poem that I think makes sense now. Homework was a little weird- I translated things to figure out what's going on, and had to write about ethical questions for philosophy and spent forever working on that crazy Baroque poem for German. . . I skipped Sport because we still haven't figured the whole 10/11 period thing and I wanted to go to painting with Anna and Verena and I did a pretty cool picture in chalk that I want to hang on my wall. Finished up homework and ate chips and salsa and watched the OC in German (which was weird, but the show is still pretty gripping) and went to bed.
Today: I had Philosophy first, which is a very difficult way to start one's morning, and then Social Sciences (there are only 8 of us in the class, which is awesome) and then art and then Elke came and picked me up and I was home around 12 and worked on translating my philosophy notes so I can write some essay on what good is, or what determines if an action is virtuous, or something like that. The discussion was fascinating when I could follow it, but 2 periods of German philosophy can be rough. After lunch I figured out bus riding plans with Elke so I don't get all lost like poor Gil did yesterday and maybe soon I will be riding the bus home on days when I'm out early or to school on Mondays and Fridays, when I start late. Anna's gone to swimming (which she didn't want to do) and I've gotta think about starting this philosophy thing (I don't have the class again until Wednesday).