Gute Nackt

It has been one week since we first landed in Germany, and I have had the time of my life. The first day that we landed in Germany, we were welcomed with a lovely rain shower. Our host mother picked up Gunnar and I, and my first impression of the German drivers were that they drive like maniacs. Our host mother then dropped us off at our house, which is cold all the time due to a window in my room being broken, and therefore, always slightly open. The first time I met our host brother Chico, I assumed he was 25. The kid is an awesome dj, and he was kind enough to take us around Bonn to show us around. Along the way, we ran into a neo-Nazi, who told Gunnar and I to go back to America, among several other rude things that Chico did not seem to like. Never did I imagine that my first day in Germany would involve a fight between my host brother and a Nazi, nor did I think it would include a trip to the police station. That night, we had one of the best meals that I have eaten in my life, and we met our host sister as well. Everyone seems really nice and appears to care about us and that we enjoy Germany as much as possible. I will never forget going to bed and telling my mother "Gute nackt!" instead of "Gute nacht!", and now it has become a family tradition to wish everyone a good naked before headed to bed.

Since that first day, we have been wine tasting in the vineyards of Ahr Valley, hiking through the hills of northern Bonn to Kreuzebergkirche, and to the Post War German History Museum as an entire group. Within smaller groups, we have also gone out to celebrate Kendal's birthday at the Untergrund, gone to hang out at Bilabonn several times, and enjoyed a Sunday in Dusseldorf with a smaller group of people. I have enjoyed talking to everyone on the trip and making new friends along the way. I cannot even begin to describe how crazy it has been here, and how much fun I have been having. I am thankful for such an awesome opportunity, and now I am about to kick Ryan's butt in ping pong, so I must go.