Four Days and Counting

Today is my fourth day in Deutschland, and have to say I've been faring quite well. I arrived Dienstag, 4 Januar (Tuesday, January 4) by train from Amsterdam. My first crisis? I almost didn't get off the train. When given instructions for booking my train, I was told to arrive at Bergheim Erft/Glesch. Well, it turns out these are two different stations, with Bergheim being the first stop, where my host family was waiting. Thank goodness I caught a glimpse of my house mother and brother running towards the train. If I hadn't seen them, I would have ridden the train a few more kilometers to Glesch, which is a pretty sketchy station in the middle of a field. Thank goodness I hopped off at Bergheim!  
My house family is very loving and accepting (they have asked for no names or faces to appear on the web, so I will refer to them as M-my house father, S-my house mother, and J and D- my house brothers). J was my family's foreign exchange student my sophomore year of high school, and I can only hope we treated him the same way they're treating me. 
According to my Sociology 101 class last semester, my house family fits the German stereotype quite well. They are very organized, with an immaculately clean house and a very organized schedule. Oh, and my house mother loves tupperware. She has drawers, cabinets, and shelves full of that stuff. But unlike my home in the states, where we simply toss the container into the cabinet and shut the door as fast as possible, hers is very organized. S also knows where every item in her house is thanks to lots of lamenated labels and inventory charts. (Mom, if you're reading this, don't get any ideas). The Germans don't need Good Housekeeping- they ARE Good Housekeeping. As an American teenage girl, I am trying my best to do (or not do) the following:
-not leave every belonging I packed in my two carry-on bags all over my room. You have no idea how hard this is. In my opinion, everything should be spread out so it can be seen at a glance, not shoved away in a drawer or closet. Unfortunately, my belongings are having a tough time staying put in their drawers, closets, and shelves. Oops : /
-taking short showers. Everyone else in this household is in-and-out. No questions asked. So naturally, I feel inclined to do the same. But after 3 mornings of uber short showers, I'm ready to bask in the glory of a hot, steamy shower for at least 20 minutes. I'm sure every teenage girl in America can take my side for this one. It is necessary, if sanity wishes to be obtained, to have long, hot showers every morning or evening. End of story.
-eating every meal with the entire family rather than snacking alone in the kitchen seven times a day. I understand that this is not necessarily a cultral thing, but rather a this-family thing. Fruhstuck (breakfast) is eaten together every morning (on school days at 6:30). My breakfast is what's called a Mussle, a dish comprised of oatmeal, yogurt, fruit, and milk. We prepare these the night before and let them sit in the Kuhlschrank (Fridge) with our name labels on them overnight. In the morning we stir them up and dig in. Guten Appetit? Not exactly. At least, not for me. The first morning I tasted it, I almost cried thanks to the bitterness of the yogurt, milk, and oatmeal together. For those of you who know me well, you'd know that I like sweet things. Not bittersweet or kind of sweet, but sweet. So, I added honey-lots of honey. I've found that honey is my lifesaver here. In order to not look like a stereotypical fat American who adds sugar to everything, I simply add honey to everything. It works just as well and ensures that I can actually eat what's on the menu ;) 
Also, mittagessen (or lunch) is the main meal here. As a matter of fact, we're about to have guests over for mittagessen. Normally this meal is eaten around 14:00 uhr and takes as much preparation as dinner in the States. Today we're having a casserole-thing with broccoli, carrots, potatoes, onions, and cheese, with a side of salmon and a tiramasu for dessert! (I'm not even going to try to name those in Deutsch). 
Next we have Kaffetrinken. While Kaffetrinken (or cookie dinner, as I call it) doesn't occur everyday, it is still a main part of the meal structure (at least in this household). It is completely different from dessert; it is its own separate meal. Get this: it's an entire meal dedicated to cookies, cakes, coffee, and tea. Who wouldn't be down for this?
Abendessen is the final meal of the day. It is often called Abendbrot, because we eat bread (abend-evening, brot-bread) and sandwich snacks. On the table is a loaf of bread and platters of lettuce, sausage, tomatoes, butter, jam, marmalade, and cheese. You make a toast or sandwich of your liking to fill your stomach before bed. Normally I just make myself a summer sausage and cheese sandwich. 
Now that I've given you the low down on the meal structure here, I have to let you in on my second crisis. When people speak to me in broken English, I have discovered that it is my natural instinct to reply back in broken English. I guess my instincts don't want me to look like a show off to those who can't speak English fluently. As you can imagine, this is a problem because now I can't properly speak English or Deutsch. Oops  : / I suppose there's plenty of time to fix this in college....
Until next time, 
Gabbie


PS: Here are some random pictures I've taken!

My green bear lamp! It wears my hat perfectly.

My books for learning German. There'll be blogs to come on that topic :)

These are Lindt, aka, the best thing about Germany thus far. They are roasted almonds, coated in nugget and milk chocolate with cinnamon and powdered sugar. J re-gifted them to me because he's allergic to nuts. Score!

My favorite gift ever :) My High School Musical doll from Amsterdam. Gabriella can travel the world with me! Too bad I didn't bring the rest of my HSM doll collection...

My house mother likes to fuss over my mismatched socks. Unfortunately, since I didn't bring another blue or red one, she'll have to live with it!