Erasmus Alemania

Today, Elisa, her host sister, my host sister and I went to Munich for a fun day out. We started by visiting some shops to buy souvenirs. I got a small charm with the German flag, and Elisa bought a cute postcard. After shopping, we walked around the city, enjoying the beautiful weather and the lively atmosphere. We even found a little street market with handmade crafts, which was really nice. Then, we went to a store where we made our own bracelets. I made one with Turkish evil eye beads, which are supposed to bring good luck, while my host sister created a beach-themed bracelet with little seashells and colorful beads. It was so fun to make them, and now we have a special reminder of the day. We ended the day with some ice cream, and I couldn’t have asked for a better time. 

Today was a relaxing day. In the morning, we decided to watch a movie I’ve been wanting to see for a while. It was a comedy, and we really enjoyed it! It made me laugh a lot, and it was a great way to spend some time. After the movie, my host sister and I decided to do a craft together with Elisa and her host sister. We went to a local store in a near village to decorate mugs. We got some paints, brushes, and special markers, and then we spent the afternoon decorating our mugs with fun designs. I painted flowers on mine, while my host sister drew some lemons. It was so much fun, and I’m really proud of how they turned out! After finishing the mugs, we decided to bake a cake. It was a nice, calm day, and I’m happy we spent it doing something creative and relaxing.

Today was the birthday of a very good friend of my host sister, and she threw a party that we were invited to. Two other Spanish girls were also invited, so I wasn’t alone. I was really curious to see what parties are like here. The first difference is that they start much earlier. This one started at seven in the evening, while in Spain they usually start past midnight. It was in a party hall, and there was food, drinks, and candy for everyone. There weren’t many guests, so the room seemed a bit empty. Even so, it was fun. There was a photo booth, a game table, and a craft area. Music was playing all the time, and we spent the evening singing, having fun, mingling, and playing with the German girls.

My host family consists of the father, the mother, and three daughters. They are all very kind and affectionate with me. The mother is very cheerful and talkative, and she always tries to start a conversation with me. The father, although he’s not home as much, is very interesting and intelligent. The little sister is very fun and makes the best efforts to speak English with me. I think we are quite similar in some ways. The older sister is very intelligent like her father, but also cheerful and funny. Lastly, my host sister is lovely, very talkative, and kind to everyone. They also have a very energetic dog. I’m really happy that I ended up with such a welcoming and friendly family.

Today we went to school like on a normal day. It was an entertaining morning because we had to give some presentations about Spain—its music, food, traditions... After that, instead of going home, we took the train to go to a trampoline park. I fell asleep on the train. The four Spanish girls who are here went, along with my host sister and one of her friends. Elisa’s sister couldn’t come. When we arrived, they gave us special socks and we went in. We tried all the trampolines, we jumped, we ran, and we got really tired. We played hide and seek, basketball... It was a lot of fun. After an hour and a half, we had to leave, but we were already exhausted.

The school here is very different from the one in Spain. It’s much bigger and has more students. Here, they have children from a very young age up to 18 years old. It’s a school with wide hallways, three floors, seating areas, a cafeteria, a library... The classrooms are large and have windows that let in a lot of light. Since there are so many students, there aren’t enough classrooms. That’s why there are containers outside with more classrooms where lessons are also held. Students treat the teachers in a more distant way than in Spain. There are two breaks, and then a lunch break since they sometimes have classes in the afternoon. Everything is much more modern than in my Spanish school.

Today is Elisa’s birthday, the other Spanish girl. We planned lots of things to celebrate it. First, we went to the bowling alley. We played a very competitive game, but Elisa, the birthday girl, lost. Then we played another kind of bowling game in pairs, and we tied. We had a great time. After that, we went to Elisa’s house. We had chocolate cake and cheesecake—both were delicious. Her host sister had made a piñata by hand, and we opened it with her little siblings and fought over the candy. We played different games, and Elisa’s cousin, who lives in Germany, came over. We all had burgers for dinner. It was a really fun day.

From my town, we can reach Munich in an hour by train. Today, my host sister and I decided to travel there for some shopping. We had some difficulties with the train, but when we arrived, it dropped us off at Marienplatz, right in the city center. On the nearest streets, all the stores were there, like Bershka, Subdued, Stradivarius... But first, we stopped at a restaurant to eat. I ordered a pizza, and my sister had a vegan burger. Afterward, we went shopping and enjoyed an afternoon looking at clothes. I didn’t buy anything, but she bought a really nice top. After visiting many clothing and makeup stores, we went for a Nutella crepe, and then we took the train back home.

Today my host family took me to Salzburg, in Austria. I was really excited to go because my dad had told me a lot about that place. After a long time trying to find parking, we finally managed, and the sightseeing began. We went up to a viewpoint where you could see the whole city. I was surprised because it’s not like most European cities—it’s smaller and cozier. Then we visited the house where Mozart was born. It really impressed me to be there, and I truly enjoyed it. We walked around the city, and it started snowing!! It never snows where I live, so I was thrilled because I love snow. We bought some very typical Salzburg chocolates to bring to my parents. Since it’s a small city, the walk was short. Also, many fountains were covered because of the cold, so we couldn’t see them. Even so, it was beautiful.

Today my host family asked me to cook typical Spanish food. Since they’re vegetarians and most Spanish dishes contain meat, it was really hard to find something to cook for them. After thinking a lot and asking my mom, I decided to make them a tortilla de patatas and zarangollo , a dish that’s very typical from Murcia. My sister and I started working on the tortilla, which takes some effort. I had never made one by myself before—I always make it with my mom—so I wasn’t very sure it would turn out well. Everything was going perfectly until the moment we had to flip the tortilla. It fell on the floor because it was so heavy!! But it’s okay, we were able to fix it quickly. The zarangollo , on the other hand, was also my first time making it, and it turned out perfect—exactly like when my mom makes it.

Another thing I have to get used to while being here is the food. To start with, German food is very different from Spanish food, of course, since they don’t follow the Mediterranean diet here. But also, in my host family, some of them are vegetarians. Not all of them—only two of the daughters are. But of course, since it’s much easier to cook just one meal for everyone, most of the time we don’t eat meat or fish. I don’t like meat that much, so it hasn’t been too hard for me to get used to, but sometimes I do feel like having some. I’m eating a lot more vegetables than I usually do, but I don’t mind because it’s really healthy. Also, I’m lucky to be someone who eats everything and likes most foods. Even so, there have been things that surprised me—for example, they once made a lentil lasagna. It was really tasty.

Today my host family and Elisa’s family went skiing together. They asked me if I wanted to go, and I told them that even though I didn’t know how to ski, I really wanted to. I had only skied once before, but I didn’t do too badly. They lent me all the necessary gear, since they’re pretty professional. When we got there, they explained the basics to me and we started on the easiest slopes. They’re much better than me, so I was falling a bit behind, but it was still a lot of fun. Still, I wasn’t at their level and was already quite tired, so I stayed in the café so they could enjoy the harder slopes. I was perfectly fine there. I love the snow, and I made a snowman and took a nap. Later, they came back for me and we skied a bit more. Even though I didn’t do as well as I expected, I really enjoyed the day, and everyone else had a great time too.

Today is Sunday. There isn’t much to do here on Sundays, but my host sister and I had a really good day. When I got up, I studied a bit of the material my classmates are covering back in Spain. A little while later, my host sister came downstairs with several board games and showed me her family’s favorites. We had a great time. After lunch, we took a nap. And later, my sister and I made chocolate cookies. Even though they didn’t turn out perfectly, we had a lot of fun making them. I’m sure we’ll get better with practice. After that, we had dinner and sat in the living room to watch The Vampire Diaries together while eating our cookies.

This morning, my host sister had a very important ballet exam. She’s very athletic—she does ballet and tennis, and also goes running. This morning was her ballet exam, and she offered me the chance to go watch her. Of course, I said yes, since ballet has always been a sport I’ve loved. She got ready with her leotard and special shoes, and I sat in the audience, really excited. They danced several different pieces, and all the girls did an amazing job. It was really beautiful, and I’m sure my sister will get an excellent grade because she did it perfectly.

Herrsching is the town where I’m living during this Erasmus. It’s a small town, but very beautiful. It’s located next to a very large lake that connects with many other towns. Despite being small, it has everything—supermarket, drugstore, restaurants and bars, candy shops... It’s very pleasant to walk around here, by the lake, while enjoying the sunset. There’s also a small park with gardens that is very pretty. Plus, there’s the train station, so this is the final stop. That means my train rides are longer, but also that it’s almost impossible for me to miss it. It feels strange living in such a small place, since I’m used to living in a city where there’s much more noise and people passing by. It’s really nice, although maybe a bit lonely at times.

Today I went with my host family to Andechs, a nearby village from Herrsching, where I live. We walked there through the hills, so today I did wear my hiking boots. The walk there was beautiful. They took me because it’s a very touristy place. We had lunch at a restaurant with typical Bavarian food. Even though it’s not the type of food I like the most, it’s a pleasure to try food from other cultures. Afterwards, we visited a small church that was beautiful, decorated in white and gold tones. We walked back home, and I really loved the walk.

 My host family has a dog named Fee. She’s very playful and energetic, so today my host sister and I went out for a walk with her. We hiked up the hill, and the dog didn’t stop running. My sneakers got all muddy—if I had known, I would’ve worn different ones. We watched the sunset, and it was a really nice moment where we got to know each other better. The hill here is beautiful, and we’re lucky that it’s right next to the house. When we got back, we prepared dinner together. I still struggle to get used to the meal times, since here they eat and have dinner earlier, but I’m slowly adapting.

In Germany, most people live in villages far from each other. Personally, I think it’s much more convenient to live in a city, where you have everything you need nearby. Even so, I thought living in a village would be a disadvantage, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. In Germany, public transportation is very good, as there are buses that travel between villages very frequently. What’s used the most is the S-Bahn, the train. It passes through almost all the villages on a regular basis, and it takes you all the way to Munich. Therefore, it’s very easy to get from one place to another. Although the trains sometimes have issues, in general they work very well. It’s something I didn’t know, and using the train daily and seeing how it works seems like a very interesting experience to me. 

Today was the first day we went to the German high school, Christoph Probst Gymnasium. Even though I wasn’t thrilled about having to wake up at 6:30 in the morning to catch the train and arrive on time, I was very excited. When I got there, I met up with Elisa, the other Spanish girl who came with me, and together with our host sisters we went to class. The school really surprised me—it’s very big and full of people. The classes were quite enjoyable, and although I don’t understand the language well, I still found it interesting. During the first break, we went to the cafeteria and I bought myself a donut. During the second break, we took the opportunity to explore the school. Since Elisa had already been there, she was able to show me around very well. It’s great to be able to see how everything works here.

Something that pleasantly surprises me and is a big difference from the way of living in Spain is the houses. Although it's true that in Spain there are people who live in towns or on the outskirts and have chalets or large houses, the most common thing there is to live in an apartment. In Germany, if you live in the city, it’s probably the same. But most people live in small, remote villages where they have big houses. Mine, specifically, has three floors. They have a very large living room and kitchen, a laundry room, four bathrooms... My room surprised me the first time I walked in, as it's the size of my living room in Spain. It has a big bed, a sofa, a vanity, a desk... For me, it's something very different, and I’d love to live in a house like this.

  Today our German adventure has begun. The dad of the other Spanish girl I´m going with to Germany drove us to Bilbao, loaded with our suitcases and backpacks. When we arrived at the airport, we checked in everything and spent a good while browsing the duty-free shop. We were nervous, but we distracted ourselves with each other’s company. On the plane, everything went great, although takeoff and landing scare me a little. We arrived in Germany and our host families were waiting for us with open arms. We met our host sisters, who will be with us for more than two months, and the two of us Spanish girls had to separate. The journey from the airport to my new home took an hour, which I used to get to know my host family better. They are very kind and talkative, and I know I’ll be very comfortable with them. When we arrived, I was very tired. They showed me the whole house and my room, and I unpacked my suitcases. For dinner, they ordered sushi, which I love. Today I went to bed early...