Family Trip During Fall Break

As soon as our fall break started, my host family decided to go on a family trip to Dresden and cities along the way. Despite the long drive (5 hours), I was so excited to see new parts of Germany and to spend time with my host family on the road trip. During our trip, I've had my first experience at a Youth Hostel. My family back home traveled to many places, but we always stayed at a hotel. So, sleeping at a hostel was something completely new. When we were packing for our trip, I was thinking of a hotel, so I didn't bother bringing Shampoo, Conditioner, nor towels in my luggage because I thought they would be provided for guests like hotels in the U.S; I was wrong. Thankfully, my host family, who have traveled and used hostels before, had those for me to share, haha. 

At our first hostel, we had our dinner. On one side of the cafeteria, there were roasted meat, potatoes, and bread. Right beside these, there was sweet, "french toast/crepe" looking food that you eat with applesauce on top. Me, being an American thought that the "french toast/crepe" looking food was dessert and the main course was meat. So, I got each of them in 2 separate plates and brought it back to the table, where my host family was sitting. The first thing that my host sister asked me was, "are you going to eat all that?". I was confused by the question because I thought that we were supposed to get both, a dinner and a dessert. I told my host parents about it and they laughed and said that the sweet food wasn't a dessert, it was actually a dinner menu. In America, at least for me, I would never eat something sweet as the main dish for dinner. But apparently, they did in Germany. After I explained and clarified what I was thinking, my host parents told me that when I first brought 2 plates to the table, they thought "wow, she has a big appetite". It was a moment of cultural shock and an interesting experience. Everyone got a big laugh out of it, so my embarrassment was all worth it :)

In the morning we checked out and resumed our road trip. Places that we visited include Wartburg Castle, where Martin Luther translated the New Testament into German, Baumkronenpfad im Nationalpark Hainich, Bad Langensalza, and our final destination, Dresden. 

At Wartburg Castle, my 3 host sisters and I were waiting outside for their parent and I decided to pull up Snapchat filter to take a photo with them. They loved it! We had so much fun going through the filters and making silly faces. Who knew that Snapchat filter can be so entertaining. 

After Dresden, we went to Kassel because my Experiment Entdecker Tour to Hamburg was that day, and my host family decided to drive me to Kassel, where it would be shorter and one way trip to Hamburg. They all got out of the car and made sure that I knew how to find my train, platform, seats and so on.

They are such an amazing, sweet and loving family and I'm so glad that they are my host family.