Der Kölner Dom

Hello all, thanks for keeping up with my blog. There’s lots to share, mostly good news, but some not so good. First, the not so good; a participant on the program has been fighting severe homesickness since orientation and, despite our efforts to reach out and counseling from our program director, she has decided to go home. We are sad that she left, but we have to keep going and make the best of our experience.

Now for some good news; our group recently held an election for a president and a vice president to represent the group. A girl from Minnesota was elected VP and I was elected president! I'm very excited; I get to work closely with our program director and I will be representing the group with some opportunities to give speeches. I'm truly honored to represent such an awesome group.

I just received information about my long term host family...or families, as it turns out. I will be with a family who lives in a Frankfurt suburb named Nidderau from September to January and then with another family, who lives in a nearby town called Hanau, from January till June. Both families have children and appear very nice; I look forward to meeting them.

Language school continues every morning from 9-1. Last week (when it was the 40h anniversary of the first moon landing) we did a short unit about the moon. We went out in the city and asked random people if they would be interested in traveling to or living on the moon and why; it was a unique experience. Since then we’ve done a unit on immigration and we are about to begin another on German holidays. Allthewhile we continue work on grammar and pronunciation. Some days are more fun than others, but I learn a lot each and every day.

On Monday our American group joined a group of German students and we mingled, saw some World War II sites, ate dinner, and played tackle football. It was a great opportunity to share cultural ideas, discuss the struggles of learning a new language, and laugh at silly stereotypes. I even beat boxed for a German guy who could rap like it was nobody’s business—auf Deutsch, natürlich. Everyone had a lot of fun and made great friends.

Last week we took a tour of Bonn’s central fire station. After seeing its vehicles, sleeping quarters, and dispatch center, we were able to board a firetruck’s ladder and go 100 feet up for a great view.

Hartwig took us on another tour of Cologne, this time focusing on its signature landmark—the Cologne Cathedral. The two-steepled Gothic wonder stretches 515 feet high and took over 750 years to build. We braved the climb to the top of the south tower—a 509-step journey. I attended mass last Sunday and it was spectacular; I understood almost everything this time. The Cologne Cathedral is by far the most magnificent architectural construction I have ever seen.

A crucifix commissioned by Gero, Archbishop of Cologne, in 976.

The golden shrine of the Three Kings. Inside are three crowned skulls believed to be those of the Magi themselves.

We went clubbing again; this time the highlight was a mad remix of the 'Pirates' theme. Afterwards I called home for the first time and had a nice long chat with the family.

I explored the Godesburg castle again; this time with my buddy, Jake. We were able to climb up the tower for an unparalleled view of Bonn and the Siebengebirge—a collection of seven mountains along the Rhine. We had a lot of fun just snooping around and taking cool pictures.

Deutschunterricht fängt an!

F.Y.I. As per a suggestion from a friend I will write in past tense :)

Language school started about two weeks ago and is going very well. After a ridiculously difficult placement test (I got a whopping 14 of 30 correct), I was placed in the highest of the three classes at the school—thanks Herr Pfefferle! Our teacher is a riot and our class of seven is getting along really well. Thus far we’ve been doing lots of review of grammar as well as units pertaining to news and money, during which we partook in excursions to the newsstand and the bank.

We met the mayor of Bonn for a hearty welcome and a chance to ask questions about Bonn, Germany, and American/German relations. He declared us citizens of Bonn—‘Bonners’, if you will.

Hartwig guided us through Cologne for a Roman-era historical tour…

…followed by a sampling of German pastries. Mmmmmm!

Celebrating a friend’s birthday at a club in Bonn.

Visiting Beethoven’s house, now the world’s most comprehensive archive of original works and belongings.

Listening to the Bonn University Orchestra play Weber’s “Concert for Bassoon and Orchestra” and Holst’s “The Planets.” We had front row seats, and the performance was spectacular.

Biking 12 miles along the Rhine to Remagen, the site of a critical World War II battle over its bridge spanning the Rhine River. The former mayor of Remagen/ founder of the museum gave us a personal tour. Wonderful man, full of enthusiasm and energy at 80 years old.

I’ve learned so much since I’ve arrived here in Bonn. I’ve been introduced to German lifestyle, music, culture, transportation, and language. My host family is wonderfully kind and I'm making great friends. I think I’m gonna like it here…

Der Beginn

Hello!

My name is Ryan Knott and this blog is intended to describe the happenings of my life. The following year will consist of my participation in the Congress/Bundestag Youth Exchange program, a government program that funds a year abroad in Germany for 25 American high school graduates. The program begins with a seven-week period in Bonn where I will be attending language school, followed by a ten-month period near Frankfurt where I will be attending high school and doing internships in the healthcare field. I plan to make updates about once a month. Enjoy!

I start off my adventure with a few days at our family's cabin in Minnesota. I am able to spend some quality time with the family before Mom and Dad bring me to Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport. It is very difficult to say goodbye to the family, but I eventually head off to find my plane headed for Washington, DC. I get to DC without a problem and leave for Georgetown University. After meeting all the other participants at Georgetown, we begin our orientation sessions that consist mostly of discussions about what to expect during our year in Germany. We spend the next two days with more orientation sessions and some touring of DC, seeing all the famous monuments and the German Embassy.

We then go to Dulles Airport to catch our flight to Frankfurt. My suitcase was a few pounds too heavy, but that was easily resolved by throwing a pair of shoes in my backpack. The flight is eight hours long, but a good selection of movies and a long nap make it quite manageable.

Once we arrive in Frankfurt we hop on a bus and head toward Bonn. We spend some at the language school before our host families arrive to meet us. My host family is wonderful; very kind and welcoming. They are originally from Peru, so there’s an interesting combination of English, German, and Spanish spoken here at home. My German quickly comes back and I’m able to speak nothing but German in no time. I’m relatively pleased with how well I can communicate, but I really look forward to improving throughout my year here.

Highlights thus far include:

Tour of DC: here’s the group in front of the Iwo Jima Memorial

The quaint city of Monschau: we did some exploring and checked out its historic mustard mill

Visiting the Belgian Border

Rheinkultur, Bonn’s HUGE open-air concert (similar to Milwaukee's Summerfest)

Muenster Basilica: Beautiful church and service, but I can’t understand much of the Mass at this point

Godesburg castle: beautiful castle just 10 minutes from home with a beautiful view over the Rhein River valley