For our first day at German school we awoke around six am, much earlier than we had been waking for the weekend. We ate a "small" breakfast of rolls, marmalade, meat, and cheese before Sabrina's (my partner's) mother drove us to school. As they live in a separate town, the trip is fifteen to twenty minutes.
School began early with social studies, where the ninth grade class learned about child labor laws. Unfortunately, most of the German lessons in America are focused on simpler terms like food and sports, so I was unable to follow much of the class. Social studies was also the only class that did not take place in the same room as the other classes. Unlike in America, German students tend to use only one or two classrooms, and the teachers will show up to the class' room instead.
After the double period, the American students met for a tour of the school and grounds. Unlike BHS, the school consists of multiple buildings and wide open spaces that are well used. There are plants everywhere and the walkways are stone or brick. Personally, I find it much more picturesque here than back home. The tour, conducted by seventh graders, ended with them practicing their English by asking us questions, from 'What are your hobbies?' to 'Apple or Samsung?'
The rest of the day included French (even harder to follow than social studies), physics (I realized how much math and science one can forget in a semester), and German (the students planned a breakfast for their free day on Thursday and almost everything they said was clear enough for me to follow, until they began to read...). We also tried German school food even though Sabrina rarely eats it because we wanted to compare it to American school food. The food didn't taste too different, but it was served with real plates and silverware, which surprised me.
The day ended with far too much ice cream, even more rain, and a welcome speech from the mayor of Blieskastel. A completely drenched group of GAPP students met in a hall that apparently served as both orphanage and jail (quite the interesting combination) many years ago but which is now a government admin building.
Too tired to do much else, my host family settled for a game of Phase 10 (apparently played with dice instead of cards in Germany) before turning in for the night
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