When my alarm rang at 6am, I only had one thought on my mind: sleep. Half awake, my exchange partner Natalie drove us to school. As soon as we arrived, we were greeted warmly and attended a welcome orientation where we received thoughtful messages from Frau Griesing and the principal. Upon entering the English class, I found the students at the Feldbergschule to be quite fun and charismatic as we discussed the differences between our respective countries. Afterwards, I prepared myself for my peers’ presentations (on elections and environment) – and I was pleasantly surprised at how interesting they were. The class became increasingly entertaining as we learned the ropes of the American Election process with my peers and modeled the system using Frau Burgbacher as a Democrat and Frau Greene as a Republican. It was hilarious as each teacher gave their “campaigning speech” and we voted for a president (which Frau Burgbacher won by a landslide).
Following a long morning, the CA group was led by a few teachers for a tour around Oberursel. As we leisurely explored the town, there was one particular activity I really wanted to experience: bread tasting. I was already tired at this point, and I desperately needed a mental break from all the words. Finally, there, after all the long historical explanations about Oberursel, I saw a table with platters of bread samples screaming my name in the peaceful courtyard. Bread had never tasted so delectable. The flavors of the apricot and apple marmalade danced on my palate, complimenting the simplistic and rich butter with the soft yet chewy bread. I stuffed my face with these delicious treats, savoring the taste of each and and every one.
Feeling full and satisfied, we continued the tour, exploring every nook and cranny of the old town. We also received chocolates while viewing some sort of jail cell on the side of the historic town hall building. I thoroughly enjoyed the coffee truffle, with this little sweet treat making my day that much better. My legs, unfortunately, were quite sore after climbing 180 steps to reach the top of a church tower to see a beautiful view filled with traditional German houses and flowers. After the grueling climb down, we were finally on our way back. My partner and I dropped our friends off at their house and we went to grab snacks at my now favorite grocery store, Netto. Snacks in hand, we went home and I followed Natalie to her tennis lesson. As I currently bask in the sun writing this blog post, I’m both curious and eager to see what the Feldbergschule has to offer. May the future of our exchange trip be filled with more bread and delicious treats as we delve into life as a German high school student. ~Lily