Day-10: School Day

I woke up today to find that I had slept in fourty minutes and that I had to take a shower quickly so my exchange partner, and I, would not be late for school. Once we had both eaten we prepared the bikes for our 20 minute journey to school. I really enjoyed the bike ride through the strawberry fields because the view was great and it was a little cooler for a change. We finally made our way to school and my exchange partner had P.E class first so I just hung out in the homeroom and started writing down what I was going to say for my blog post. Later in the school day my group presented a presentation on the American school system to an eighth grade English class. We talked to them about the block system at GBS, the GPA system, where you go from middle school (we don't have a Gynasium in the U.S), and clubs, electives, and other activities that GBS has to offer. All the students seemed very interested and attentive towards our presentation. Moreover, they couldn't believe how many hours of homework that we usually have at GBS, which is 3-4 hours, compared to their 30 min. - 1 hour homework. I am starting to find that in Germany students can still be as successful without so much homework (...food for thought...). Additionally, a few of the students asked some questions about the American school system, such as, "Why is there no E in the grading system of A-F", and "Do you prefer the American system of the German system?". Personally I still like the U.S school system because there are just so many clubs and activities for someone to participate in. I was impressed by how well eighth graders could speak English. After that school ended, and we all biked back to our exchange partner's houses.

After school, my exchange partner and I, went to the community swimming pool with a few other exchange students. I had so much fun there! In Germany the diving boards, or platforms, are the best because they are just so much higher than the ones in the U.S. Everyone was nice, and when we finished swimming a few friends and I went to play soccer in the fields near the swimming pool. I think I can say, for all of those who were at the pool, that eveyone had a wonderful time.

At the end of the day all of us, I feel, are exhausted, but in the positive way, as it tends to have a negative connotation. I know that I am having a lot of fun, and I am both missing my family in the U.S, but dreading the day where we have to leave Germany...

The Field We biked through

The swimming pool that we went to