Ab August werde ich 10 Monate im Land der unbegrenzten Möglichkeiten leben!!

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

The truth about homesickness



If life was easy, where would the adventure be?

This post is going to be different from my other ones, because  I am not talking about what I did the last time it is about how I feel , I want to talk about homesickness.
I have been homesick in the last few weeks and I can tell it is not a great feeling.  In fact to me it is the worst feeling ever.  It real sucks when you are sitting somewhere and everything's fine and all out of sudden you start missing home, your family, friends at home. Or simply a situation pops into your mind and you start thinking about home and start missing it. The problem about it is that I can't do anything about it. Well at east not that much.
Once I just had to think about Martin because of some reason and got homesick, just a word or a action can remind me of home and make me sad. It can get really worse and I started thinking about home, going home because it hurt so bad.  I just miss simple things like talking with my friends not having to think about what to say, being fully understood, siting in the living room with Mama and Papa and just listen to the newest news from Mama, talking about movies and actors with Papa, or just looking out of the window and watching people walking by.  But luckily I have a wonderful host family which manages it to cheer me up again when I start missing home and talk with me about it. That makes it a lot easier.

In school I still have troubles finding friends and talking with others, it's not easy talking with someone when you don't understand everything, or don't know what to say. And during the periods you don't really can talk to them because the teacher wants us to be quiet, and after school I also don't have time to meet with friends because I have practice until 5:30 and then homework is still waiting
for me.

I found good friends in exchange students with which it's easier to talk to because they go through the same as I do and can understand what  I am going through because they go through the same, we can
exchange our feelings about homesickness, what is strange or new to us.  I found good friends in Wasilia and Rost which helped me seeing the good sides again when I was or am sad.  When I'm with
 my classmates i often feel left out , they don't understand how it is being in a new , foreign country, 
how hard it is to find friends, to understand everything or being understood. 

Yes it is true and now I finally believe all the returnees, homesickness sucks. But I know it will get better and my homesickness will fade away.

Like you may can tell, I was homesick as I wrote this and still I'm fighting with it but it's getting better :)


Thursday, November 15, 2012

Purdue basketball game


Day 86- 9. November 2012 Friday

Usually Fridays are amazing, the weekend is right in front of me, no school, tests or quizzes, usually no homework and plenty of time with my wonderful family. But this weekend didn't start that great. I used to think, that homesickness would just go away after a few hours or a day but no I was wrong.
This weekend it just came back to me, and this time it was real though on me. It started as Dad's sister came to visit over the weekend. She reminded me so much of Sybille (Nuremberg) and I had to think so bad about Germany and my rabbits. All out of sudden I started crying and couldn't stop for about 5 - 10 minutes. It was bad. But luckily Mom was there and talked with me about 1 hour until I felt a little better. 

Day 87- 10. November 2012 

This morning looked better then the day before. Even though I had practice I was happy because it just started at 10 am.  
 Look at my other blog to see the other thing that happened, I won't write it down here, just check the other blog. 
Well, we had been at Grandpa's and Aunt Cindy's house to celebrate Justins birthday. But Nikki, Kariden and I couldn't stay that long because we went to the Prudues basketball game in Lafayette. I had to be at the school at 5:15, but  I thought I have to be there at 5 and was surprised  that nobody was there at 5.  Jup the German always in  a hurry and early, right? xD 
So we had to wait more than 20 minutes until I could get into the bus and finally on our way to Purdue.   We all were in a very good mood, listened to music and talked, it was great fun!  As we got into the arena I was amazed, the arena was huge! I was so excited. The game was great, too. I whish I could play like they can, the Prudue team even won the game! After the game our team, our basketball team were there to watch it, went to the basement of it and got to the court to take a picture with the team!! I was so excited, that was just amazing! My first basketball game and then THAT! It felt so great, kind of important, haha.  Afterwards we got into the bus again and stopped by an ice- cream store and got some ice-cream. The scoopes were huge! It was like 2 scoops in Germany :D. And it was really good! But first I had some difficulties to order because the price was made out of the scoop, the cone and the tax, it took me a while to find out how much it actually was but my team mates helped me.  The day had been very exciting and amazing! 


First Basketball game, fall award festival

Day 82- 5. November 2012 Monday

After school I stayed at the school until 4 because then we met with Tracy, our coach to get our uniforms, we should have our very first basketball game! Even though it was just a scrimmage, a game which doesn't count, I was really nervous. After we got our uniforms we got into the bus, a yellow school bus! I was so excited! The first time I rode in a yellow school bus, to my very first game!!!  As we arrived at the other school I was really nervous as we walked through that huge school. Since I play JV, junior varsity, we had to play during the 3 rd quarter. Before the varsity game started everyone rose and listened to the national anthem, like before every game, the the vasity played the first 3 quarters, I was so nervous the whole time, then in the 3rd quarter it was the JV's turn.  I was a sub and played about 6 minutes or so, I was so afraid.  But I guess I did ok for my first time playing against another school. A brand new experience for me! :)  And I just can get better right?
Our team lost the game but it was ok for me, at least it was just a scrimmage.

Day 84- 7. November 2012 

After practice and a quick rest at home we went back to the school, because the fall athletes had a fall award festival. Every student who participated in the fall sports got something like a diploma and some got special awards for best improvement, team spirit etc. Some got a blanket r a school leather jacket. The whole award festival was really interesting and fun! Kariden and Nikki both got something, they were in Volleyball, Nikki in varsity and Kari in 8th grade volleyball.  Mom told me that also the winter athletes have such a festival, I can''t wait for that! Because I'll be among them! Afterward the awards had been given to the students, we saw a video about the volleyball varsity team.Afterwards everyone got ice-cream and pictures had been taken. Jup it was interesting to see that and I think it is a good idea and way  to support the athletes!!

Halloween and different things

Day 72 - 26. October 2012 Friday

Even though we had fall break I had to get up at 7 that morning. The reason for that was basketball practice, as I got up everybody was still asleep, I tried to not wake up anybody except Nikki who had to drive me to school. In school everybody was like : " I'm sure I'll pass out today!" the  dirty 30 were really though on all of us, Lexi even tripled. But the coaches told me I got better in shooting free throws, I was so happy ! The practice is always two hours long. 
At home I simply slept a lot because I was so tired. At the evening we had the birthday party for Katrina. Once again our house were full of people. :)

Day 73 - 27. October 2012 Saturday

I had to wake up early again, at 9 am because of Basketball Free Throw . We had to shot 500 free thows, 4 hours long. From 10am -2 pm. Luckily we hadn't to run this time I was so extremly happy!! Also I did really well, once I even got 9/20! So in the end I managed to get 101/500. I was so proud of that. At half-time we got pizza and pop from our coaches.
Today the kids went trick and treading even though it wasn't Halloween, yet. 
At 6 pm we went to Granpa's house with all of the youth group. There we ate some good chili and afterwards we played a game, it was so cold outside but I got the coat from Mom, so I was warm. The game was about finding hidden puzzle pieces with the help of bible phrases. We were seperated into two groups and our group lost the game... But it way still very much fun! Afterwards we played "Kids of the corn field" That is like hide and seek in a cornfield. Laura and I hid together, it was super much fun! We've been the last one in the field and won the game, we were really good in hiding, we head toward a street, walking low, silently and stopped to listen where the others are at.
When ever we heard them close to us we changed our dircetion. Luckily it wasn't that dark so it
wasn't creepy walking through the corn field in the night. At almost the end Laura wrote a message to Dad asking him what we're supposed to do xD He told us that we won the game! :D

Day 77 -31. October 2012 Wednesday -Halloween

Jup, Halloween. If you can believe it or not I really forgot about it compleatly! I remembered it again
as I saw different students being dressed up in school.  But the rest of the day I had no real time to worry about that, after school I had again basketball practice which wasn't that hard on me. after 
practice Nikki picked me up from the school and we drove to the church. We had a spaghetti dinner. I liked it very much!  Also I talked with Wasilia about her presentation she has to do for PAX about her country. So like you see I did nothing Halloween like on Halloween but that doesn't bother me much.

Day 79- 2. November 2012

Even though it was a Saturday it felt like a Friday, because once again basketball practice. As I got home at 10 am, we ate breakfast which felt like lunch to me and soon after got into the car to get to Lafayette. Katrina got her very first haircut that day!  In the mall I searched for jeans and a coat but just found some jeans.  After we " gave up " searching for a coat we ate at a chinese restaurant, it was real good! Also we font some pretzels, I got one with almonds on it, it were so extremely delicious! 
Afterwards we went to Jerry's house and ate a very good fish and just stayed there a few hours. Back home I soon went to bed because I was extremly tired. :)


I can't believe it's already November!! It feels like I just got out of the plane and left Germany! 

Random "facts":
Seems like Americans love it to count, especcially when someone is in trouble!
There are corn fields everywhere! - What's around me? Left side, corn field. Right side, corn field.
Behind me, corn fields. In front of me, corn fields. xD



Fall party and First Baskteball practice

Hey! So I finally have time again to write here, I'm sorry that I'm so slow in updating! Anyhow, this post is about the fall party at Trudy's and Basketball.

Day 67 21. October 2012

That day was the fall party at Trudy's house. I woke up full of energy, in church we had revival again, the work ship was interesting, the pastor played some very great songs and they even had a drama, I like it very much. After church Mom drove Wasila and me to Trudy's house.
As we arrived I talked with some Germans and also a Basilian girl.  We ate and drank some thing and then went to the fire to eat some Marshmallows, we even found some cracker and Belgium chocolate so we could prepare S'mores. I love S'mores!! After eating we started to carve our pumpkins, it was so much fun even though it had been real slimy. After all of us had finished we took a picture of us and our pumpkins.
We also played a little bit Basketball, we threw some free throws, I was so bad in it! But it was a lot of fun. Afterwards a few of us went inside and ate and talked with the other exchange students. I really loved the fall party, it was so much fun!
At 5 Dad and Jerry came to pick Wasilia, Rost and me up. They had a lot of pizzas with them which we should bring to our church. Dad said to me "When there are some missing, I know who ate it."
At church we went to the basement and ate pizza and played a game called "signs".  Afterwards we had revival again.
That day was really exhausting but great!

Day 68 - 22. October 2012 Monday

That day should be my very first basketball practice!  The beginning of the day wasn't that great because I was entirely tired. But I also was extremely nervous and also excited because of basketball.
The first 30 minutes were murderous to me. Our coach made us run 30 minutes up and down the court, dribbling,passing, and RUNNING. Afterwards I was done.  I almost passed out and saw stars in front of me, it was really hard. After those 30 minutes which are called "Dirty 30" we had regular practice, means transitions. I couldn't really participate because I was so exhausted. Also it was hard to understand everything but luckily my teammates explained everything to me.
After practice dad waited for me to drive me home, I was so thankful for that. At home I didn't have time to rest because really soon afterwards we went to church, there we had a chili  supper, which was really good, hot and spicy. The we had revival again. At home I pretty much just fell into my bed I was really tired.

Day  69- 23. October 2012

The only real thing inca say about that day is that I was really sore, I could not really walk. Practice was a little bit better than the day before,  but not very much. We did the same things Iike the day before.

Day 70 - 24. October 2012 

That day I barely could walk, I was extremely sore. I even thought about quitting basketball. But luckily some of my teammates cheered me up again and gave me back my positive attitude. In Sociology we had an open book test. Means filling out a test with the book next to you which you can use and when you didn't finish it you could take the "test" home and work on it. I really like the tests over here! Mostly they have multiple choices, matching or short answers/essays.
In basketball the dirty 30 were murderous to me,  I even had to rest several times and ran out of breath very fast and everything hurt so bad.
After practice we went to church, the last day of revival. I was a little bit sad that it was already over, I like it.

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Prudue & Revival

Day 62- 16. October 2012 

That day I skyped with Mama again. I felt good afterwards, not homesick or anything which is great! Soon afterwards Mom,Dad,Kori and I went to Kariden's volleyball tournament. It was real interesting and I liked it very much! They even won!! After the game we went to Walmart and I got some salami! Yeah I haven't eaten salami since I left Germany, haha. Well now I have some again, yeah.


Day 63 -17.October 2012

After I got from school Dad, Kariden, Nikki  and I went to church were the rest of the youth group waited. As we drove to Laffayette it started storming but luckily it stopped as we arrived there!  We went to a house which was real beautiful and huge!There we ate  Pizza cookies and drank some pop, also I talked a little bit with someone from Austria, in German!  As we went outside the youthleaders gave us some riddles we had to solve,  we walkedalmost  through the whole Prudue campus, it was so much fun! :)
As we got into a room were we met other  youth kids. To get to know each other we played bingo, that reminded me so much of the VBS! Then we sang songs and listened to a presentation, which was real interesting! He used rhetorical questions and jokes which made the presentation real good! As we drove back home I was in a really good mood!


Day 65- 19. October 2012

After Study Hall the juniors and seniors were called to the audiotorium were some teacher did a presentation about texting and driving. Several students had been called to  do a simulation in a car.Most of them killed a pedestrian xDD Then during lunch was a video about that topic,too. Also we should watch a video about accidents because of texting/drinking and driving during spanish class, everybody again to the audiotorium, but because they showed a lot of blood and one student threw up it had been cancled.
After school I didn't do very much, just watched TV.


Day 66- 21.October 2012 

That day was the first day of Revival in our church.  It was just like normal church, and yes I know I still have to do a post about church, I'm sorry for that!... Anyways, this time didn't preach our pastor another pastor from another church did.  With that pastor it was real intersting, he even made some jokes, the songs were great and they even had a drama! I enjoyed it a lot! As we got home I ate the left over french toast I once made. But Omis are way better!!  Then Mom and I went to Walmart.  We talked a lot, it was so much fun! :) At Walmart we bought a pumpkin carving kit and other things.


My next post will be about the Halloween/Fall party at Trudy's house :) I hope I can catch up with today, soon! I will try my best!

xoxo Clarissa