Boules tournament

Today we had a Boules tournament at the campground. This is a tradition at the Ardeche campsite and hads been held for at least 5 years annually. Boules is a French game where a small wooden ball is thrown at least 20 feet away and the players try to get as close to the ball without touching it with metal balls. We played our tournament so that teams of two played against each other to 13 points. The players on the winning team got points for a win, the losing players for a loss and the top 8 in wins went on to the semi final.

Unfortunately I placed 13th and didn't get into the semi final. The 8 finalists were also on teams of two, so two people won the 1st place prizes. Interestingly, the draw put out two teams with people from our 'corner' of the campground where the Germans camp, and two teams with people from another part of the campsite. One team from our 'corner' advanced to the final and so did one team from the other part. The final winners of the boules tournament were Joe and Winni from our part of the campsite. Prizes were given to all the finalists and the 'Lucky loser', the winner of the game between the two worst Boules players.

Madeline's grotto (Le Grotte de Madeleine)

Today we went to Madeline's grotto, a series of caves winding into the mountainside, filled with stalactites, stalagmites, and columns. We had a guided tour, but our guide spoke English with a French accent and I didn't understand her too well.

I took a few pictures as well:




The cave was discovered in 1887 by a shepherd looking for his lost goat in a thunderstorm. He followed the goat's cries and found a cave in the mountainside. As he walked for a while, he came to a huge chamber filled with stalactites and stalagmites, the biggest measuring 30 feet tall and 10 feet wide!



But the entrance he found is not the one we used because it comes out on a cliff face 150 feet above the river. In the 1950s the caves were opened to the public as people found a series of navigable caves while dynamiting.

Klettergarten ('Climbing Garden')

Today, after a few days relaxing at the campsite, I went to the Klettergarten, or climbing garden, with Jonas and my campsite friends Thomas and Christopher. We had to swing from tree to tree and go over various obstacles with carabiners and a pulley. The ropes which spanned from tree to tree were marked with green or red. On the green ones we fastened our carabiners and on the red ones we fastened pulleys. The courses were marked 1 2 3 4 5. After the practice course we moved from course to course and I finished the entire garden with Jonas. The first couple were very easy, the hardest obstacle being a shaky bridge. We soon learned to fasten the pulleys onto the wire and slide down to the next tree on the course. At the middle of the fourth course, Christopher went down from the tree on the 'Bail out ladder' as Jonas and I went up to about 45 feet above the ground to a pulley slide. We finished the course exhausted but unhurt and moved on to the last course. We climbed 20 feet up a 4 inch wide ladder to a platform and swung about 40 feet on a rope to the next tree, where we had to climb a net with the rope tugging at our backs. We finished this and pulley-slid to the next tree. Then came the hard part. 30 smal woden swings, 4 feet from each other, spanned to the next platform. Jonas and I couldn't step from swing to swing so we turned backward and pulled ourselves along the rope where we were fastened until we were close enough to the next swing. We finished with our arms burning but continued anyway. The next obstacle was a trapeze - monkey bar contraption and didn't know what to do so we just shimmeyed along the rope where we were fastened. Lastly, we slid at breakneck speed into a pad on the last tree. I hit with my chest first and it hurt alot, but then it was easy to get down to the ground. In all, a great experience and well worth the time there.

Pfingstferien in France

Today I am leaving for a one week vacation in France. We have pentcost vacation, Pfingsferien. We are going camping and kayaking on the Ardeche in Southern France. I will blog about it when I get back.

Today I had art class. We finished up a project we were doing, drawing and designing cars. The teacher took people who were finished with their cars to the side and explained the next project to them. He took me to the side when I told him I was finished. He talked very fast so I didn't understand him. After asking him to repeat himself a couple times he asked:

"Are you retarted?"

"No, I'm just an exchange student from America." I replied.

"So, if you're retarted, why are you going to Middle School and not to a mental facility?"

After this I decided to ask one of my classmates about the project.

Today at soccer practice we had a new coach. He was very good at coaching and taught us a lot of new things, but he was a little bit tempermental. The last 4 people to arrive at practice had to move all the goals into position for the rest of the team! What's more, the coach would yell at us about how badly we played soccer and then immediately switch to praising us!

After a tough practice and a lot of push ups for the losing team, the coach yelled at us for a good 5 minutes nonstop.

"Come on, you wimps! My grandma can play soccer better than you! Your positioning was terrible, your ball control stinks! This must have been the worst practice I've ever seen!"

And then:

"But I truly enjoyed it. I look forward to seeing you guys again."

Bayern Munich, the champions

On Saturday, Bayern Munich won the final of the Deutscher Pokal(German cup) 4:0 against Werder Bremen. I didn't get tickets because it was in Berlin, but I watched it on TV. With the Pokal and the League in hand, Bayern approaches Inter Milan in the Champions League final next week. It's going to be a great game to watch, and for anyone that is interested, I think it will be on at 12:15 Durango time.

The coolest thing about the Champions League final this year is that Bayern has the chance for the Triple(Cup, League, and Champions League) and so does Inter!

Among the excitement of Bayern fans is also sadness as Germany's captain Michael Ballack will not be playing in the World Cup this summer.

Bayern vs. Bremen highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqJ-uMO8TXE&feature=related

Michael Ballack injury: http://www.myfootballnews.co.uk/news_jump.html?player_id=1528&story=72093

World Cup theme song(gotta hear this one): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kYQaXx-L6w

10 Kilometer Run

Today I took part in the Regensburg Marathon's 10 kilometer race. I've never run for more than 10 minutes straight, so this was pretty hard for me. I ran with Jonas and his friend Lenny. The first kilometer everyone was cheering for the runners so Jonas clapped and waved and hooted as he ran, a pretty dumb waste of energy. At kilometer 7 Jonas couldn't run as fast as Lenny and I so we ran ahead of him. I was so tired by the last kilometer that I couldn't walk because my legs wouldn't go out of running mode. In the end, Lenny and I ran the distance in 54 minutes 10 seconds. Jonas made it in 56:26.

People from Kenya were there and got 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the Marathon, Half-marathon, and 10 Kilometer. They can run a whole marathon without stopping! One of them was Kenya's 'Iron Man' winner. The 'Iron Man' race is 5K swimming, 180K biking, and the a full marathon. They also have double iron man, triple iron man, and iron man through the Sahara Desert. THEY ARE INSANE!!!

After the marathon, we got a massage, went swimming, and ate spaghetti for lunch.

Dult

Today I went to the Regensburger Dult again with Jonas and his friends. This time, we rode bumper cars for quite a while. Jonas, four of his friends, and I all teamed up on a chubby kid who would throw his full weight against the front of his car when ramming people to try and hit them harder. We all came from different directions and simultaneously slammed him so hard that he flew up out of his chair! After this, the kid started yelling that we were being unfair to him. After this, Jonas and his friends went on Topspin and High Energy, the two craziest rides in the park(see photo and video). I didn't go with them because I get dizzy pretty easily and the rides are pretty rough.





After Jonas and Co. were done with the crazy rides, we went on a ride called Breakdance, a ride where chairs spin around a platform which spins on another spinning platform, making the rider very dizzy. At the end, the chairs spun and jerked around so fast that I almost threw up! I had to sit down a few minutes before I could go on another ride.

Lastly, we went to a shooting stand and had to shoot moving little metal rabbits with a pellet gun. This was very hard and with 12 shots Jonas and I only hit 4 rabbits, but the person at the stand gave us 5 dult-points to buy prizes with. Last time we were at the Dult we bought an airsoft gun with our points, but this time we only had enough for a lighter. Another fun-filled day at the Dult, but I've already spend 40 dollars on rides and stuff there and I don't really want to run out of money here.

DÖNER!!!!!

On Wednesday I went to a Döner stand with my friends from school and ate my first Turkish Döner. It was delicious! Two giant rolls of pork spun around on a spit and the people there shaved the pork off into thin, perfectly roasted slices. Along with salad, ranch dressing, tomatoes, onions, and tomato sauce the meat is put into a pita pocket. Definitely makes the top 5 things they have to eat here in Germany.

Things they have in America and not in Germany:

Donuts
Mexican Food(at least not much)
...

Things in Germany and not in America:

Schnitzel
Spätzle
Pretzels
Döner
Good sausage
Krapfen (wannabe jelly donuts)
...

Maybe I'll continue this list, but that'll take a while.

Happy Fathers Day!

Antje just told me that today is Fathers Day! If you don't believe me, look at google.de! Apparently they celebrate Fathers day in May in Germany, either the first Thursday of May or the 13th. So happy Fathers Day, everyone!

Unfortunately for my Dad, he will be in America for Germany's Fathers Day and in Germany for America's.

Growing Slaves?

Today in Geography we were talking about Latin America, pretty much South and Central America. Our teacher asked us a question, namely 'What do you think is grown in South America?'
Answers:

Bananas
Coffee
Tofu
Gum
Soybeans
Cocoa beans
Slaves

How the Spanish Conquistadores would manage to grow slaves in fields is still beyond me.

English test

Today I had a small English test. I had to read German sentences and translate them into English. At the end of the class when everyone was finished, the teacher read us the right answers. Unfortunately, I got almost all of them wrong because I wrote the most common way of saying the sentences instead of how the class was taught. For example, I wrote down "They were running out of food but still didn't want to try lobster." and the right answer was "In spite of shortened rations on board, they preferred not trying lobster." I can't imagine anyone talking this kind of English!

Regensburger Dult

Yesterday I went to the Regensburger Dult, a big fairgrounds with tons of rides. I didn't do most of them because they involved being drenched with water while spinning around upside down, which would probably make me throw up. But when we go back on Thursday I'm going to bring a camera and ride 'Break Dance', a rapidly spinning platform with smaller spinning platforms on top and cars which jerk back and forth, creating a lot of force.

The hardest rides to withstand are Topspin and High Energy. They are really hard to explain, so I'm going to right more on Thursday with pictures.

Thinking in German

Now I've been here for almost a month and my German is getting really good. So good in fact, that I think in German as I'm speaking it. I can also think in English as I'm reading or speaking it. So, when I'm reading an English book and Antje asks me something, an odd mix of German and English comes out while my mind switches to German. For example, "Ja Antje. I'll gehe to the Bäckerei in five minuten." The weirdest is, I can't say this sentence unless I've been forced to quickly switch languages.

Soccer at SV Burgweinting

For the last couple of weeks, I've been playing with the A team of the local soccer club here, SV Burgweinting. Some players are 2 years older than me! At first, I couldn't play as well as them because my new cleats were bugging me and I was a bit jet lagged, but now I am playing pretty well with them. Their game is a beautiful one with one-touch passes most of the time. I played a defensive midfield position yesterday and got the ball a lot. Because the other players are faster and more skilled than me, I need to play the ball very quickly to avoid losing it. Their game is also very physical and I got slide-tackled a couple times. Once I almost fell into the goal post! All in all, a very fun experience to play with these guys. I think I'll be a much better player when I come back from Germany.

Greek Letters!!!

Physics here is utterly baffling. We need to be able to calculate how much energy in Jules it takes to melt and boil any material! What's more, in the couple weeks I've been here, I thought that the Greek letter Theta(a capital N with a loop on the top which means temperature) was just the German's cursive N (what the heck is N to the 'water'th power?)! Good thing that my grades here don't count, 'cause I'm going to get a whole lot of F's.

Old sax?

Lars will like this one. Today, I asked our neighbor Jeremias what kind of sax he played. He answered "Alter Saxophone", in English "Old Saxophone"! It took me a while to figure out that he meant an alto saxophone. I may have found a mistranslation in the German language.

Bayern Munich vs. VFL Bochum(continued)

After each of the goals, the commentator would say "Goal by Thomas," and the crowd would say "MÜLLER"
"Thomas" the commentator said again.
"MÜLLER" the crowd chanted.
"Thomas"
"MÜLLER"
"The score after this goal: Bayern"
"ONE"
"Bochum"
"ZERO"
"Thank you"
"YOU'RE WELCOME"
Interestingly enough, the commentator said nothing after the Bochum goal.

Before the game, at the train station in Munich, we sat down to eat lunch. Every few minutes some drunk Bayern fans would walk past us, belting out all the cheers they could think of. After lunch, we followed these fans to the subway station which would take us to the game. Our train was completely packed with people, and the fans were so drunk that people kept falling over when they couldn't find something to hold on to.

We arrived at a subway station a ways away from the stadium. Bayern fans filled the space all the way to the huge stadium. Little specks of blue, the Bochum fans, were spread across the vast landscape of red. So many people had Bayern jerseys on that I saw the entire starting 11 of Bayern on the back of people's jerseys.

In the Allianz Arena(see http://gpsmission.com/media/16297256.jpg), we sat in the middle of the Bochum fan block. This was no big deal, because half of the people there were Bayern fans looking for cheaper tickets. Down on the other side of the stadium were the hardcore Bayern fans behind the goal. They didn't have seats, but they didn't need them because they were jumping up and down yelling for Bayern the entire game.

Before the game, Bayern and Schalke were the two top teams in the Bundesliga, tied in points and 9 points ahead of other teams. If Bayern won against Bochum and Schalke lost to Werder Bremen, Bayern would be first in the Bundesliga this season. Seeing the importance of this to the Bayern fans, a Bochum fan listened to the radio broadcast of Bremen vs. Schalke. When Bremen shot the 1-0 goal against Schalke, he spread the word around our block. Almost everyone shot out of their seats and cheered for the goal. A few minutes later, the goal was broadcasted throughout the stadium and the rest of the fans cheered.

Towards the end of the game, Bremen shot the 2-0 against Schalke. After the goal was broadcasted, Lukas sang "Who are champions? Only FCB. Only FCB. Only FCB." A few minutes later, the hardcore fans sang "Who are champions? Only FCB."

After the game, Lukas and I were on the subway to the train station. The subway was packed with drunk hardcore Bayern fans, singing their hearts out on every Bayern chant in existence. One fan even did a solo chant which lasted for about two minutes! Although the fans never sang with each other in time or pitch, it was great fun and I even joined in on the cheers I picked up.

Match highlights: http://www.mysoccerplace.net/video/bayern-vs-bochum-3-1-highlights-1-5-2010

Bayern theme song(Stern des Südens): http://www.myvideo.de/watch/1586805/FCB_Stern_des_Suedens

FC Bayern vs. VFL Bochum

Champions! Today FC Bayern Munich secured their place at the top of the table with a 3:1 win against VFL Bochum. And I got to see it all firsthand! Both of the teams came out of the dressing rooms greeted by a roar of applause from the fans. First the commentator said the Bochum players names very dryly. About 75 people yelled their support out of 69000. Then the commentator came to the Bayern players. He yelled the first player's name out. "The number 1, Jurg" and the whole stadium called back "Butt", the goalie's name. This happened equally enthusiastically for each player on the Bayern team.

The goals:

Thomas Müller(18.): Passing the ball around the middle of the field, Bayern was clearly the better team at this point. They had quite a few chances to get a goal in the first 10 minutes, but didn't capitalize until the 18th. Arjen Robben received the ball at the edge of the box. He passed it outside to Phillip Lahm, who took it inside and hit it past the keeper and across the 6 yard box. The ball came to Müller, too low for a header and to high for a kick, so Müller chested it into the goal.

Thomas Müller(20.): Again, Arjen Robben recieved the ball at the edge of the box. Thit time, he dribbled inside, faked a shot, and played a beautiful chip ball to Lahm. Lahm hit a long cross to Ribery, who volleyed the ball across the 6 yard box. Again, Müller was at just the right place for Ribery's cross and headed it past the keeper right into the corner.

Thomas Müller(69.): Hat-trick time! Thomas Müller, always in the right place in the right time. Lahm played the ball to Müller at the edge of the box and Müller took it around 3 Bochum defenders before slotting it coolly past the keeper. Not bad for a 20 year old!

Sorry, but I'm done writing for today. More on my experience tomorrow, not necessarily the game, but the fans!