The second-to-last day in Cedar Rapids

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The second-to-last day in Cedar Rapids

Hello and welcome back to our travel blog. The time in our host families went by so fast and soon we will be heading to Chicago and then back to Germany.

In my host family, they are not thinking about my departure yet. I am living with a big family with five host siblings. Although I am not used to living in such a big family, I quickly settled in.

My day starts at 6:30 am.

After getting up, I get ready and pack my breakfast to take with me when I leave the house. The school day starts at 7:50 am for the students at Kennedy High School.

My first class for the day is Forensics. Together with a few other friends, we took fingerprints and analyzed them.

Before class, a few selected students left their fingerprints on a glass container. Our task was to make these fingerprints visible using magnetic powder and then transfer them onto a white paper using Scotch tape.

Once we finished transferring the fingerprints, the teacher gave us sheets with a selection of twelve different fingerprints. After a few minutes, we were able to determine which fingerprints matched the ones we had taken ourselves.

In the second period, we visited the German class again. We practiced prepositions like we did the day before and then played a game where our German teacher, Frau Reade, read a text and we had to depict that text in a picture. Some students did very well, while others found it a bit more challenging.

In our third class, we were able to relax and enjoy a show put on by the students in the Show Choir. They started by rehearsing a song, and once the choir director was satisfied with the singing, the students performed a choreographed dance to the song. It was astonishing to see even the boys fully engaged, dancing and singing along.

After school, I visited the elementary school where Chloe's little sister attends. Aniah had already told her classmates about me, so when we arrived, many curious children came up to me and asked about various holidays in Germany and typical German food.

In the evening, all the exchange students and their hosts gathered in the gymnasium at Washington High School to participate in sports activities together. We started with a warm-up by playing games like chain tag and volleyball. Then, we were divided into six groups and played volleyball, soccer, and handball against each other. At first, some of the handball rules were unclear, but over time, the Americans also became enthusiastic about the game.

Thus, the second-to-last day in Cedar Rapids came to an end.

Written by Maya

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The second day before leaving Cedar Rapids

Hello and welcome back to our travel blog. The time in our host families went by so fast. Soon, we will go to Chicago and then head back home to Germany.

Although my departure is in a few days, me and my host family haven't thought about me leaving yet. I live in a big family with five host siblings. I'm not used to living in such a big family, but I felt welcome very quickly.

Today, my day starts at 6:30 am. That's when I woke up and started to pack my lunch. Shortly after, we left to go to school. The classes at Kennedy High School start at 7:50 am.

My first class was forensic. Together with my friends, we took fingerprints off of each other and analyzed them. Before the class started, some students had to put their fingerprints on a glass container. Our task was to make those fingerprints visible by carefully powdering them with magnetic powder. The next step was to take the fingerprints off of the glass container and transfer them to a blank sheet. After that was done, we compared the fingerprints to twelve others on a list the teacher gave us. After a few minutes, we had a guess on whose fingerprints we were analyzing.

For our second class, we went to the German room and practiced the two-way preposition. To do so, we played a game where Mrs. Reade read a text, and the students had to draw what they understood. Some students did great, others still needed some help.

In my third class of the day, we went to the Show Choir. When we arrived, the class was repeating a song to perfect it, and when the teacher was satisfied, they started dancing to their song. It was amazing that some of the boys had the motivation to take part in it.

After school, my host Chloe and I went to pick up her little sister from elementary school. Aniah had already told her classmates about me, so when we arrived, a lot of little children surrounded me, interested in the German culture.

In the evening, all the exchange students and their hosts got together at Washington High School to play sports. First, we did a warm-up by playing "Ketten-Hasche" and "Zweifelderball." Next, we got separated into six groups, which would play volleyball, soccer, and handball against each other. At first, some of the rules of the handball game were confusing, but after a while, the Americans enjoyed the game as well.

And so ended the second day before we leave Cedar Rapids.

Written by Maya