Emden Exchange 2008

Last Post from Frau Green

2008-07-13T12:29:00.002-04:00

we are in frankfurt. again i am using this awful keyboard so i won't write much. all are here and well and we are ready for our travels home. some of the students say they would like to just stay here but they don't mean it, I am sure. It has been a real experience and soon you will hear all about it. We hope for good weather and good flights. we will see you tomorrow night at the airport.

Frau Green

Last Night in Emden

2008-07-11T13:57:00.004-04:00

This is our last evening in Emden. The picture, however, is from St. Goar. We have experienced much since then. Yesterday we were in Bremen where we had a tour and spent some time shopping in the rain. Seven of the eight IHS kids bought gnomes (Gartenzwerge) and entertained the entire train on the way home. Today the gnomes had to stay at home while we went to an open air museum and learned the trade of dyeing fabric. Really a great time, although it rained again and it was hard to move about in the rain. Oh well. I am getting ready to have some Abendbrot before I pack up for Frankfurt and the students are all at a farewell party organized by Marit and her parents. I hope they are awake for the train ride at 8:00am tomorrow. Parents, enjoy the weekend, because we will be back soon!

Hello from Arizona

2008-07-09T13:48:00.002-04:00

Lynnie, we finally got into the blog and are delighted to see the photos and read the entries.

Looks like you are having a great time.

Love, Grandma and Grandpa

2008-07-09T12:30:00.002-04:00

Tuesday and Wednesday

2008-07-09T12:14:00.005-04:00

Tuesday - We spent the day on the island of Borkum. The weather was less than ideal - about 60 and raining. We spent the first two hours on a Wattwanderung with a guide the students dubbed Hagrid. You can almost see him behind Dan below. We found crabs, worms, mussels, and many plants to taste. (Really . . . it was like a salty salad bar.) Then there was time for beach and swimming but it was a little cold.

Wednesday - We met at school and didn't go to class. It was the last school day here. We instead had a tour and lecture about Emden and its history. We saw much including a graveyard, the city tower, the harbor, and a bunker. We went to the Bunker museum and learned about 1925-1949 in Emden. There was much to think about. Then we had lunch and went with our hosts on a paddle boat ride.

Hard to believe that there are only two more days left in Emden.

Great to see you--at least in pictures!

2008-07-08T21:06:00.001-04:00

So glad to see you all enjoying the journey. Kali--send us a note, a sign, smoke signals, anything!

Love, Mom and Dad.

Happy Travellers!

2008-07-08T20:13:00.001-04:00

Great Pictures! Thank you Frau Green and Ms. J...
Love you Lynnie - M&P

The Tourist

2008-07-08T17:38:00.000-04:00

Hey, Erich
Cool shades. I love the pictures.
Love, Mom

Who Would Have Guessed?

2008-07-08T16:01:00.002-04:00

Why am I not surprised that Joe is in the stocks for not obeying his teacher? Glad that everyone is having fun...thanks for the pix.

What we are doing in Germany

2008-07-08T15:17:00.013-04:00

We are riding the rails and seeing the country.

We are exploring the world - old castles and new cities.

We are gaining a new perspective.

We are learning a new culture and way of thinking.

We are making new friends . . .

and obeying our teachers . . .

or paying the price!

But do not fear. We have lost very few of our group so far.

Poor Herr Flasche!

Greetings from Borkum where we spent the day today walking on the sea bed while the tide was out. It's a real experience!

St Thomas

2008-07-07T00:00:00.001-04:00

We have arrived back home. The weather was hot but fun. One day we went snorkling in caves and we saw Virgin Gorda and Norman Island. I hope you are all doing well with your families.
The Fiederers

PS

2008-07-04T08:56:00.001-04:00

PS
We almost forgot - happy 4th of July!

Back in School

2008-07-04T08:48:00.002-04:00

We are now in Emden and back in school for the last two days. Yesterday there was a party at the school all day and we mostly just walked around. Today was a regular school day and we got to see what school life is like in Emden. It is full of differences, but somehow still the same. During the third period we Americans got together and had our own class to catch up with each other and find out how we are doing. It sounds like everyone is in a nice family and that there are many fun events planned for this weekend. The weekend is spent with the families and I will see the students next on Monday at school - although they have my number and know how to reach me if needed. As of yet, I have no pictures to post because I have to find a way to 'convert' them from my camera card, but we'll see what we can do. For now know that all are here and well.

Frau Green

PS- the principal was very excited to receive our picture book!

Hi Everyone

2008-07-02T21:08:00.003-04:00

Hallo Kinder,

It sounds as if you are having a blast there. Thanks for the phone call with more details. I'm glad it was Frau Green and not me (Mom) who had to climb the 509 steps! I'm sure you will find your host families as excited as you are for this exchange. We are so happy for you to have this opportunity and know you will remember it always. We are very curious about which foods you are taking to. Any Oxenschwanzsuppe? We can't wait to see the pictures. Have fun in beautiful Emden.

Sarah and Phil Buchiero

Enjoy your Independence!

2008-07-02T09:23:00.004-04:00

The news on the blog has been really fun and interesting to check every day. Thank you to all the tired travellers taking the time to post updates! Call our cell phones this weekend Lynnie, if you have a chance.
Have fun in Emden!
We love you Lynnie - M & P

cute

2008-07-02T08:09:00.001-04:00

that is a nice picture, thanks i was missing cocoa. what did he think of the flag, did he try to eat it?

2008-07-01T18:29:00.002-04:00

july 1 message

it is after midnight and the students are all in bed and hopefully fast asleep. i am in the hostel lobby havingsome alone time and calming down from a long day. this computer is difficult to use, so please excuse the typos. we are now in köln and onlyoneday away from emden, and we are getting anxious. it will be good to get there. today we climbedthe cathedral tower. tyler and dan counted 509 stairs, i think. it is a hot day and was quite a workout. we also took a tour all in german and learned about where young people in köln hang out. it has been a good day, but we were all readyfor bed.

several of you keep asking how we got to rothenburg back on day one. we met some nice people on the train who tried to help us find a bus and we discovered that there were no more. they were on their way to a friends wedding andthey asked him what we could do. he offered to drive us with help from a couple other guests. our other option wouldhavebeen to call the shadylooking taxi advertisement, and all the people were veryfriendly and helpful. we gave them one of our exchange books because they refused to take money.

well, it must be close to one and i am enjoying the quiet down here, but it is time to get some sleep.

frau green

2008-06-30T22:26:00.002-04:00

Cocoa sagt "Ja Deutschland!!", aber ist er jetzt sehr traurig.

Hello

2008-06-30T13:05:00.002-04:00

We are having an amazing time. We got toride up the Rhine and explor Bacharach with a really fun game. Then when we got back we explored a castle, and almost couldn't get out, it was a lot of fun. We are having a really nice time.
I think we have a group that like the explore a lot more then before, with lots of Lord of the Rings.

Hello to thoes 3742 miles away

2008-06-30T12:53:00.006-04:00

Hey everone. Were all having alot of fun here in the big DE. So far weve had lots of big adventures and nothing but fun and hilarious times. We did watch the Euro Cup finals last night and were quite dissapointed when Germany lost, especially on such a bad goal. Well were all going to grab some food so goodbye for now and ill see you in a few weeks.

Hallo!

2008-06-30T12:53:00.004-04:00

Hi Mother and Father,
I'm having a great time in Germany, although I question your methods of... light eating? Anyways, I might email you or call.
Aufwiedersehen!
Erich

2008-06-30T12:48:00.001-04:00

Im under frau greens name. Only you dad would post that on the blog. Oh well. It was funny. Love you guys and see you soon.

Dan

Daring Adventurers

2008-06-30T12:37:00.002-04:00

Hello parents.

It is almost 7 pm here and our day is coming towards the end. It has been a hot one - lots of sun and walking. We rode on the Rhein river and looked at castles. We toured the city of Bacharach and went on a photo scavenger hunt. Finally, we took a tour of the castle Rheinfels above our hostel. We went without a guide - with a map and info sheet - and we found many tunnels, towers, and caverns to explore. This is truly an adventurous group and they led us down many mysterious passage ways. A wonderful time was had by all! Well, Miss J and I are hungry and going to eat now. Greetings from all!

Frau Green

Rose card part II

2008-06-30T08:23:00.004-04:00

Good morning travelers (at this end). Have a nice river trip. Keep a close eye on the helmsman as you pass the Lorelei. We see that Rose's card worked. Yeah! Don't spend it all in one place, Rose. love, mom and dad

Caves, castles, and ice cream

2008-06-29T12:56:00.002-04:00

Hello parents and friends in Rochester,

We are now in St. Goar. Rothenburg was wonderful and it was hard to leave, but now we are in St. Goar and are glad to be here. We went hiking above the Rhein river on wooded paths with fun bridges and caves. We have seen many castles and bicycles. And we have eaten delicious ice cream and snowballs and pizza and schnitzel and döner and more. Everyone is well and happy - even us teachers. We were unable to test Rose's card today because it is Sunday and the banks are closed, but we will try it tomorrow again. Ok. The students have planned a ping pong championship and Miss J and I are hoping to win, so we had better go practice.

Frau Green

PS: Go Germany tonight in the Euro Soccer Game!

Hi from Irondequoit

2008-06-28T17:03:00.002-04:00

We're so glad you are there having your adventures! Loved your email Lynnie, and thank you to Frau Green and Ms. Jaloszynski for the update today.
Lynnie, if you see any circus monkeys, please take a picture for me....
Love you - from M

Rothenburg

2008-06-28T10:46:00.000-04:00

Glad to hear you all made it safe and sound. I am sure you will have so much fun in Rothenburg as it was my absolute favorite city on the trip. I got Joe’s Germany hat there while exploring the city. I hope the weather cooperates for you.
~Katie Izzo

Illness

2008-06-28T10:31:00.002-04:00

Glad Erich is feeling better. Eat lightly!

Love, Mom
P.S. Mom would love a call.

And Dad wonders how they got to Rothenburg....bus? cab? friends with a fleet of limousines?

Rose debit card

2008-06-28T09:13:00.002-04:00

Rose we are looking into the problem, please check your email for more details.
Glad that you are all safe and sound after the travel issues.
love,
mom and dad

And they are here!

2008-06-28T05:38:00.003-04:00

Hello parents! This is Frau Green and Miss Jaloszynski. It is a beautiful day in Rothenburg and we have just finished a tour of the wall. Perfect weather and beautiful city. The kids are real troopers! Yesterday the trains gave us a run of bad luck and frustrating connections. We ended up over two hours later than we expected. We even missed the final train to Rothenburg due to delays out of our control, but we don't remember hearing even one complaint! Really amazing for teenagers. And we did get to Rothenburg thanks to some help from friends we met on the train. We expect no more trouble, but it's good to know that we are with such great students who can handle the stress.

We will try Rose's debit card again today and let you know soon if it works. For now, she is fine. Erich is also feeling much better after sleeping. Everyone is happy.

Well, there is much to do and see and eat. Greetings to you all!

Frau Green and Miss J

...And they're off !

2008-06-26T13:54:00.001-04:00

Well, they have left. Have a great trip ! !

It's Tomorrow!!!

2008-06-25T15:32:00.002-04:00

Guten Tag!!!
I can't believe we're leaving tomorrow. I'm so nervous and excited!
see everyone tomorrow
Tschuss

It is Here

2008-06-25T12:23:00.001-04:00

It just dawned on me this morning that tomorrow we will be going to Germany!!!!
I am sooooo excited!!!!

Assignment

2008-06-18T11:40:00.002-04:00

Here is an assignment for the students:

Write to your exchange partners one more time this week. Tell them that you are excited to be coming and ask any last questions you might have. Share about what final exams are like for you. Just touch base one more time before we leave.

Great! Back to finals. Good luck everyone.

Frau Green

Trip to Germany

2008-06-15T13:35:00.002-04:00

I am sure Erich will be enjoying this trip to the country where his dad (me!) was born.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber used to be my favorite town to visit when I was a kid because it still was so medieval. You had to park outside (a few local cars are allowed inside, but not many). We stopped there on my honeymoon, too.

My own dad lived for years in Norden, only about 30km from Emden, and my little (half-)sister was born there. This is the area in Germany everybody makes jokes about. ["Why do the East Frisians have cut-up faces on Mondays? Because they try to eat with knife and fork on Sundays."] This sounds in terrible taste (almost nobody tells ethnic jokes in the United States anymore), but the East Frisians seem to be quite proud of it. My dad had a bumper sticker when he lived there: "Nicht hupen, bin Ostfriese. Benutz Klopf-oder-Rauchsignal". ("Don't honk at me, I'm East Frisian. Use knock (like banging on a hollow log) or smoke signals").

The Purpose of the Blog

2008-06-08T16:27:00.000-04:00

The purpose of this Blog is to keep communication open between the IHS students while in Germany and their parents and families at home.

The blog is for:
- Students and teachers to write updates about what they have been doing in Germany.
- Parents to write general notes of encouragement/greeting to the group.
- Discussion before the trip about preparation
- Communication between parents
- Communication between students
- Brainstorming about the time when the Emden students are in Irondequoit

This blog is not for:
- Long emails to your child.
- Personal information (such as email addresses or credit card numbers)
- emergancies

Who can write on this blog:
- IHS students on the exchange
- Parents of these students
- Frau Green and Miss Jaloszynski

If you would like to be added to the blog writers, please send Frau Green a message and you will receive an invitation to join. The invitation will take you through the steps.