First Two Weeks in Germany!
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Hallo zusammen! The first two weeks in Germany at language camp have been an absolute thrill! Although there is a huge emphasis on learning the language while here, the social aspect of language camp is also extremely important. For the past two weeks, we have been bundled up in a huge castle in Germany, where it's only us, our teamers, and our German teachers, which has led to us becoming very close, very quickly. I have been going to school with the same people for the past ten years, but already feel closer to my CBYX friends, some of whom I met only two weeks ago!
I don't want to give away too much about language camp, but much of it involves educational learning sessions, called "plenum", where we usually discuss an interesting topic, such as gun control, and talk about what us Americans think about the topic and then compare it to what Germans think. Other times, it's more practical things, such as how to navigate the German train system or how to recycle in Germany. Most everything is covered, and so far, even my friends that have never been to Germany before and didn't know any German going into the year feel well prepared to go to their host families in two weeks.
Although we are usually kept pretty busy during language camp, there is also ample free time to do fun things around the town with friends. So far, we've already been minigolfing, played cards, done an interview with the local newspaper, and even gone to a concert. One of my favorite things to do, however, is go on a run every morning at 7 AM with one of my best friends so far. There's even the opportunity to go to church on Sundays for those who are either Catholic or Protestant. Another very cool thing about the castle is the "Schloss Cafe", a small little restaurant on the site that sells cake, coffee, and other really good deserts and drinks. Lecker!
There are still two weeks left in language camp, and there will definitely be more exciting things ahead! Some days, though, it's great to just go outside after German class and just enjoy the view, lay on the grass, and take some cool pictures with my new best friends.
Until next time! Bis bald!