Wochenbericht/ Weekly report

Hey, I'm back!

Last week we dealt with vaulting. It's really fun to do gymnastics on the horse. ☺️ It's amazing how many different figures there are. We were allowed to choose two figures. I chose the 'Shoulder Hang' and the 'One leg press' (see pictures) to try them out. When I did the 'Shoulder Hang', I thought I would fall off the horse immediately because then you hang upside down from the horse. 😂

On Friday, we had another work day at the ranch. These are usually tasks like keeping the ranch clean, cleaning the riding gear, stacking hay, setting up obstacles, replanting flower pots, and so on...

Small animals are also occasionally sold here. That was the case on Friday too. A family came to the ranch and got out of the car. I just thought to myself: "What are they doing here?" I was so lost in my German thoughts that I asked a student in German: "Are they buying a rabbit or something?" 🐰 As a result, I got to see the surprised face. As if to say: "What does she want from me?" 😅 Only then did I realize that I had chosen the wrong language. I've never done anything like this before. 😂 I've only accidentally said a word in German, not a whole German sentence. 😂

On Saturday, we went for a ride. I always enjoy the rides very much. 😊 The colorful forest really brings nature to life.

Today is my birthday. 🙃 At my request, we had Nutella muffins. 😍 I spent the day with my host family in New York State. We did some shopping for the winter. They say there could be up to half a meter of snow here. 😅 I went into the store with my backpack. A few minutes later, an employee approached us and said that I wasn't allowed to have my backpack in the store because it was a security issue. That's completely different from what we do in Germany. 🤷🏼‍♀️ But when you consider that you can easily buy weapons in many stores, I can understand why backpacks aren't allowed. 😅 After that, we went shopping at Aldi. Yes, there's Aldi in America too. 😂 And yes, this time I left my backpack in the car. 😂 It made me feel a sense of home. Although I have to say that Aldi stores here are filled with many American products. But hey! They were selling Knopper's! 😉😂 After enjoying a hot chocolate at Starbucks, we headed back.

When we arrived at the ranch, I packed my backpack. The students had been planning a birthday surprise for me for a week. It was a 'sleepover' in a nearby cabin. All we had there were beds. But we didn't have light, electricity, water, heating, or even bathrooms. 😅 After packing, we all gathered at a staff family's house to play some games together. Just before we left, they asked me to get on a chair. They sang happy birthday to me and told me how 'cute' I am. It's a tradition here. 😂

After that, we went to the cabin. It was only around 6 degrees Celsius, and I needed two jackets and a blanket just to survive. 😂 They told me to wait outside the door because they wanted to prepare something. As they led me blindly into the room, they handed me a broom. I was supposed to hit a 🦄 piñata. Despite the cold, we had a great time. ☺️ After we got into our sleeping bags, it quickly became warm.

That's my update for you again.

I hope you're doing well! 🤗

See you soon! ✌🏻

________________________________

Hey, I'm back!

Last week we were busy with vaulting. It is really fun to do gymnastics on the horse. ☺️ It is amazing how many different figures there are. We were allowed to choose two figures. I chose the 'Shoulder Hang' and the 'One leg press' (see pictures) to try them out. With the 'Shoulder Hang' I thought that I would fall right off the horse, because then you hang upside down from the horse. 😂

On Friday we had another working day at the ranch. Most of the time this is work like keeping the ranch clean, cleaning the riding gear, stacking hay, setting up obstacles, replanting flower pots and so on...

From time to time small animals are also sold here. So also on Friday. A family came to the ranch and got out. I just thought: 'What are they doing here?'. I was so absorbed in my German thoughts that I asked a student in German: 'Are they buying rabbits or what? 🐰 Accordingly I got to see the baffled face. According to the motto: 'What does she want from me? 😅 Only afterwards did I notice that I had chosen the wrong language. I haven't brought something like that yet. 😂 I just said a word in German by mistake. But not a whole sentence in German. 😂

On Saturday we had a ride. I always enjoy the rides very much. 😊 The colorful forest makes nature really blossom.

Today there is my birthday. 🙃 There were Nutella muffins at my request. 😍I spent the day with my consulting family in New York State. Went a little shopping for the winter. They say there is snow up to half a meter. 😅 I went to the store with my backpack. A few minutes later, an employee came up to us and said that I wasn't allowed to be in the store with my backpack because it was a security thing. This is quite different from what we do in Germany. 🤷🏼‍♀️ But when you think about the fact that you can just buy weapons in many stores, I can imagine why backpacks are not allowed.😅 Afterwards we went shopping at the Aldi. Yes, there is also Aldi in America. 😂 And yes, I left the backpack in the car this time. 😂 I had the feeling of a piece of home. Although I have to say that the Aldi markets are full of many American products. But hey! There were Knopper's for sale! 😉😂 After a hot chocolate at Starbucks we made our way back.

Arrived at the ranch I packed my backpack. The students had planned my birthday surprise for a week. This was, a 'sleep over' in a nearby cabin. All we had there were beds. What we didn't have was light, electricity, water, heating, let alone bathrooms. 😅 After packing we all met at a staff family's house to play some games together. Shortly before departure I was supposed to get on a chair. There was singing for my birthday and I was told how 'cute' I am. That is such a tradition here. 😂

Afterwards we went to the hut. It was only around 6 degrees and I needed two jackets and a blanket to survive at all. 😂 They told me to wait in front of the door because they wanted to prepare something. When I was led blindly into the room I got a broom in my hand. I was supposed to hit a 🦄 piñata. We had a good time despite the cold. ☺️ When we were lying in our sleeping bags it was warm relatively quickly.

That was my update for you again.

I hope you are well! 🤗

Until the days ✌🏻