My day started by waking up at 6:40am and catching the bus, S-Bahn and another bus to school. Once at school, I got to see my friends and catch up for 20 minutes before we all (Germans and Americans) departed for the day to Hessenpark. After a short 20 minute drive we arrived and we waited for others to arrive that drove themselves. Our day at Hessenpark started with a quick 30 minute tour. Hessenpark was beautiful; filled with old historic buildings, it was perfect for some instagram scenery photos. We also met some pretty amazing animals, including some chickens and 3 pigs. Teo even got to touch the pigs. Following our tour we broke up into three different groups to get our hands dirty and make things common from the middle ages. The first group went to go dye pouches with indigo, making different patterns with rubber bands. The second group partook in weaving and created beautiful cloths in all different colors and patterns. The last group, my group, learned how to make baskets. We learned how to start the base, weave the sticks in and out, and finish. We had to be sure when weaving to push the previous line down or it would be too loose. We also had to make sure that when starting new sticks we matched thick ends with thick and thin ends with thin. Weaving two thick ends together proved to be quite challenging. Although it took nearly 2 hours and was tedious, it made for a beautiful product. After we all completed our projects we met up again to share our works. To finish off our day, we all had lunch together in a restaurant called Zum Adler. Following a few spilt drinks and a broken glass, we all received our food. It was delicious–the most popular food choices being Spätzle and Schnitzel. To kill time before our bus arrived, we got to walk around the common area and go into some open stores, including a bakery. Finally it was time to go home. While most went home on the bus, Luzy, Sebastian, Constantin and I went home in Sebastian’s car. To finish off my day, Luzy and I went to the local supermarket ReWe and purchased some typical German sweets for me to try. Out of the 15 different things I tried, my favorites were Happy Hippos, Bueno, and Nimm 2. All and all today was another successful day in the Frankfurt area with tons of different activities and eating for everyone to enjoy. ~Taylor W.
PS#1: Ten days into the trip, our missing suitcase was finally delivered to its incredibly patient owner…
PS#2: See our weaving workshop in action…
Brett – so sorry it took so long to get your suitcase!! Love the baskets & weaving projects. Good work, CA German students. We’re enjoying the photos and “journal” and the video. Enjoy your last days with your exchange partners.