Month two is nearly done and dusted!!

Hey everyone! This month has been completely insane! It is a big and bold statement to say that this year is going to be the best year of my life but every passing day it is becoming more and more true. I had thought that the pace at which I was experiencing new things would drastically slow down, but they have surprisingly constant which is amazing. This month I really struggled to know what to write about as so much has happened, and it is hard to know what everyone would find the most interesting. I have decided that instead of going into too much detail I will just try to describe the highlights. 

- One of the main highlights over the past month for me has been visiting two phenomenal castles that are situated around my area. The first, Hardenburg which I visited on the 12th of February with two other Rotary Exchange students Gabi and Gui from Brazil, was AMAZING. I came away from the experience feeling privileged to be able to see such a beautiful place. I have no words to describe the sight apart from this is definitely not something you'd see in New Zealand!! 

View from the castle (a photo just doesn't do it justice) 

Hardenburg castle 

Gui and I

And on the 19th of February I went to another castle in Annweiler with my host Dad Werner and  this was incredible. I am constantly amazed by the deep history that this insane country has. We also went to a mini performance at the local 'Fest Halle' which was cool to see. 

- 16/02 I attended Lukas' (a friends) 'Licht Nacht' at his school. There were many performances, and stalls and it was awesome to see Lukas play.

- 26/02 Katja (My host Mum) and Lisa (My host Sister) went to an animal park called 'Wild-und Wanderpark' which was so cool! There was a pack of wolves that are kept there, and this was the most captivating thing to watch that I have seen in a very long time. It was very easy to see the hierarchy, and to be perfectly honest I could have watched them all day! We also saw deer, artic foxes, bison and an assortment of farm animals. It was a very cool day and it is still a very real dream for me to work with animals such as wolves or artic foxes one day in the future. These sort of experiences is what motivates and encourages me get a degree in Zoology. 

-  Germany has said to have a 'fifth season' which comes in the form of 'Karneval' or 'Fashing'. This celebration begins each year on the 11th of November and continues through till 'Ash Wednesday' (1st March) the following year. However the main celebrations are based around 'Rosenmontag' from Thursday the 23rd of February  until the 1st of March (Ash Wednesday). Germans are crazy for carnival season, and every day throughout this time period there are performances, parades and dressing up. In Rhineland where I am, when I looked up the background of the performances an extensive history was revealed. It was said that the highly expressive parades were a way to protest anti Prussian and anti-French thoughts in times of occupation through forms of parody and mockery. In 1823 the first official 'Carnival Club' began in Cologne. Since then Cologne, Düsseldorf and Mainz continue to be the main centres for large celebrations. During Carnival, many German schools close, so that everybody can fully experience it. My school, MSG was closed so I had a five day weekend which was fantastic! On Tuesday, I attended a Carnival parade in Herxheim with two friends David and Vanessa. It was awesome to see everybody dressed up and the effort that went into the different floats!! 

                                                              

- My German understanding has improved dramatically which I am so thankful for. By no means can I understand everything yet, but I can now understand the general context of my conversations which is really helpful, especially in school! 

- My host family has been absolutely fantastic. And even though I have only been in Germany 46 days, I truly feel a part of their family, which is so cool!! I am looking forward to see what the next few weeks brings and what new experiences awaits. 

This weekend I have the Rotary Orientation Meeting in Eisenburg where I am really looking forward to meeting other exchange students in my district. 

Tchüss für heute!!

Jasmine x