June 1st

     It is only day three of the Jasper High School German Exchange Group´s adventure, but so much has happened that it is hard to believe it has only been three days.  Today began like any other with breakfast and the usual preparations for the day ahead.  Then, we either walked, rode a bus, or bicycled to the school. Very few people drive here and the public transportation is very efficient.  Trains and buses are often much better than a car.  At school, we spent first and second period with our partners.  I got to experience both a Latin class and an English class.  I was impressed by how manz languages the German students study.  I believe most of them take three foreign languages as well as studying their own.  I was also impressed by their study of English.  There were words in their texts that even I as a native speaker did not know the meaning of.
     After this, the American students went to German class.  Today, we learned about using the perfect past tense and about asking each other what we have done.  As always, it was very informative. After instruction, we were then allowed to use laptops to check e-mail, this blog, our grades via powerschool, or whatever else we might wish to do.  One difference between Germany and the USA is computer keyboards.  The y and z switch places and many of the punctuation symbols are in different places.  Often three characters can be produced by the same button. Then it was time for lunch.  Lunch can be bought at the school cafe, brought from home, or bought in Staufen.  I as well as many other students did the latter.  I tried some Döner from a local food stand.  It was delicious.
     The afternoon was spent in Freiberg.  We took the train to get there which was an adventure in and of itself.  We got on in Staufen and in about half an hour we made it to Freiberg.  One thing that surprised me about the trains and the buses also, was how quiet they were.  Aside from the noisy, excited Americans, the public transportation is a nearly silent affair.  One of the Germans put it best:  "Life is no party.  Here we just chill." Freiberg is a larger city that is very different from the small villages we have seen so far.  Our first activity in Freiberg was a tour of the darker side of the city.  Our guide told us stories of graveyards and ghosts.  It was both historical and entertaining.  One of my favorite parts of the tour was a graveyard.  Unlike the neat and tidy cemeteries in America, this graveyard had trees growing throughout and various plants competing for space amongst the headstones.  It was very different.  After the tour, the various groups of students headed separate ways.  Some went shopping, some were eager to try the local food, and others went back to Staufen to avoid the dreary weather (it was a rather cold and windy day).
     The rest of the evening will be spent by the students in various ways.  Already, our German is getting better and we can understand our partners better as well.  The trip has already proved beneficial for that, and it´s barely been half a week.  We even talk amongst ourselves in German, and some of us end up thinking in German.  We are doing well.  Germany, despite its many differences, is beginning to feel like home.

Zachary Grewe