To Say Tschüß

It's been a year since I've first started writing in here. As clichéd as it sounds, it feels as if it was just yesterday that I found out about AFS. It was a wonderful experience indeed, bla bla bla. That's the boring stuff. I'm gonna babble about something far more meaningful. I think.

I'm going to start off with the good part. My most treasured memory is meeting my first host family. The Pankows. Being an exchange student, and learning from past participants, you realise that what you get is certainly not what you want. Fair enough, I went through that back home as well. But when I'm with the people I know, there's always room to wriggle and lament. In Germany, I couldn't complain because I was treading in a completely different territory. There was also the fear that my host family would ship me home if I misbehaved (surprise surprise, they didn't) and the possibility of them sending me to another family. The point is, you just deal with whatever you receive, which is the bare truth. In that sense, should I call myself lucky? Because the family I was sent to, is the family I'm bringing back with me.

In our post departure camp which was held recently, AFS asked us to describe our happiest memory. I said that my story to share didn't consist of one moment only. It just made me happy that Papa would wake up every morning to toast buns, lather them with my favourite fillings, and pack them up for my lunchbox. Kindness is so subjective. You would think that it's mandatory that people show kindness, that such acts are miniscule and don't prove much. But for a stranger to step into someone else's home, and have food served on the table, (although it's part of the AFS contract) kindness goes a long way. It's funny how heavily exchange students rely on kindness. 

I don't think I'd ever forget my host mum. She plays this absolutely hilarious game on the computer everytime she comes home from work. She gets to plant, fertilise and water trees and she loves it because she doesn't have to think while she's playing. Don't let that fool you though. She's incredible at the German version of tic-tac-toe. And she's apparently got massive skills at billiard. Lots of people are under the impression that there's only so far one would go for someone else's child. Wanna know what my host mum did for me? I actually had to attend a party at a friend's place. But I wanted to go to our family gathering held on the same day as well. So my host mum said that we could drop by the gathering for a couple of minutes, and then she'd drive me to my friend's place. We ended up spending too much time at the gathering and it was almost 12 midnight when we realised the time. But my host mum still insisted on driving me to the party. That's the kind of person she is, and that was one of the many things she did for me. 

My friends were amazing. I don't know what else to say about them. We did stuff. Stuff that friends would do together :)

I think, when there are things, or people you just can't forget, do yourself a favour and seal them in your memory forever. That's what I'm going to do with my buddies here. To my schoolmates, thanks a bunch for everything during the year.

The AFS experience could have also not been completed if it weren't for the other AFS participants from other countries. We all knew what we were going through, and we all stood by each other. Thanks for the memories :) And a special thanks to Ariel. You were my first international friend, and the only other person to know how it feels to be so distant from civilisation aka Berlin.

It would be utterly inappropriate not to mention the AFS participants from Malaysia. Although we were sent to different countries, we always helped each other out. And I want to thank you guys for the speedy replies regarding every matter put forth. We are special cos we made it and you guys should know how beautiful yall are.

And to wrap it up, this is for you, Papa and Mutti. Ich hab euch lieb und ich vermisse euch jeden Tag. Wartet ihr nur bis ich wieder dahin fahre. Oder wenn ich euch nach Malaysia bringe. Thanks for accepting me into your cosy little family. I'll always know that I have a mom and a dad in Germany.

Of course, an exchange year isn't all sugar, spice and everything nice. There were times when I felt I made the wrong decisions. Especially when I had to cope with the change in families. There were things done (not going to mention) by certain people (not going to mention) that I didn't agree with (not go-- Oh wait, there's nothing to mention). I spoke a lot with my parents in Malaysia about it. And they were great in advising me, but I just somehow couldn't fit myself in. And so I started finding reasons to spend less time as possible at home. That was obviously not the right move and I regret not taking care of it in a different manner. At least now I know that such methods won't work.. I'm also not sure if my stint in Germany has brought me out of my shell, because as social as I may be, there are times where I just refuse to interact. Times where I think it's best that I be left alone. Also, times where I just don't want to talk because I feel like a completely different person. It still happens now, maybe less, maybe more. Maybe that's just not something an exchange year can change in someone. The one thing I really do wish I did more is was to eat Döner. If only I had taken every opportunity to whack this thing. >.<

So where does all of this leave me now?

It would be a lie to say I haven't changed. Cold weather and lots of walking would have an effect. But honestly, I still remember my mom's face when she saw me at the airport as I arrived. It was that Is-she-really-my-daughter look. And I admit, I was wondering if I had gone overboard. Too much change isn't really a good thing. And I can't say that I've transformed myself into someone great, nor am I an evil person. However, I do know that when things alter, you just have to accept it and go with the flow.

So, now I'm in KYUEM. Doing A-Levels. In the middle of a jungle. I've found great friends. I like my subjects. I have a routine. I'm going to believe I'm a better person than I was, and I want to be a better person than I am. So at this point, life goes on.

Aktualisierung November!

Come a time, there are certain things one realises one does without being aware. These little things are called habits. One of my many habitssssssssss, is to scream HALELLUJAH when I get an idea on what to write in my next blog post. Speaking of habbits, I've also realised that most of us Malaysians subconciously substitute our R's for L's. What began as a Chinese accent has since developed into a national phenomenon. Now everybody, stop, dlop and lol.

From a general point of view, we've all got things that irk us and things that please us. And it's best when we figure those things out for ourselves to save us the hassle of being irritated by those tiresome matters. So I have (cleverly, I think) come up with a *I LIKE - I DON'T LIKE* list

I LIKE

1. Lolly's and gummy bears. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
2. Money. And Enrique Iglesias.
3. Weekends. Oooo weekends.
4. DBSK. They're such pretty people.
5. Being capable. As in, doing well for myself.
6. Papa's cooking. You gotta try it!
7. Oreo's. With Milk.
8. Falling asleep in the middle of a bad movie.
9. Brad Pitt. He can act. He's good looking. His bank account is overloaded. What more do you want?
10. H&M?

I DON'T LIKE

1. Bicycles. I wouldn't go near a bicycle (with the expectation of riding it) with a 10-foot pole.
2. Salami. Papa once told me the meat comes from donkeys. I believed him then and I still do.
3. The smell of nail polish. It's like stuffing wasabi up your nose.

4. Justin Bieber before he changed his image. Now, I just don't have an opinion on him. What achievement!     P/S Did you guys know he broke up with the kid, Selena?

5. Being short on cash. ... I feel cold ...
6. Cold wind. There are two parts to this situation. It's cold. And it's wind. 
7. Waking up at an ungodly hour. In case yall are speed-reading and didn't quite catch that, here it is again. UNGODLY.
8. Falling asleep in the middle of a good movie. 
9. School on certain days. I mean, I would gladly go to school on a Saturday. Just that, you know, school's closed.
10. Having writer's block. Like, right now?

And as I mentioned in my last post, I recently sat for the German B1 language exam. And muahahahahahahahaha. I got 1. About that, the German education system has their exams graded with numbers. 1 is the best you can get and 6 is every parent's nightmare. You fail if you get either 5 or 6. And that would mean anything above 4 is a pass. I (muahahaha) not only got a 1 (muahahaha) but also, (muahahaha) 100%. Yippedidoodah! So now, I'm doing B2. It's hard. Like rock hard. Talking about it already gives me the heebie-jeebies. Let's hope I do well in the exam. Fingers and toes crossed!

Now for the funny story. On Monday, the 5th of November, a friend of mine told me that there would be an Arts Olympiad taking place in our school. I was actually aware of this fact, as well as the fact that the teacher had already chosen two students from my Arts class. But she said that it didn't really matter and I could just come along and participate. I wasn't really sure at first. I mean, who would be? Especially if the only thing one could draw properly is Mickey Mouse. She then started telling me stories of the previous Olympiads. She made it seem like fun and she mentioned that we could all just sit together and chat as we draw. But what really sold it was that the teacher would prepare cakes and drinks for the participants. And that's when I went, 'Dudes, I'm SO in on this!' Nothing like free food to make a day perfect, eh? And I also had an English assignment lined up for the day but I wasn't wholely prepared. Okay, I wasn't prepared at all. So, in the end, I was pretty pumped up for this Olympiad thing. The next day was Tuesday, the day of the Arts Olympiad. I got to school and chose a spot in the room. My host brother, Jonas was on the seat next to mine. We gathered a couple of minutes before 8 in the morning and received the theme of this year's Olympiad. It was Dance, Happiness, Games/Play and Festivals. As we returned to our seats, Jonas began working on his piece in a minute. Now let me tell yall something bout this kid. He's like this German-Art prodigy in the school. He mentioned once that he didn't think that much of his talent, only that he owed his thanks to his ideas. So now, I've got him on my side scurrying away in this blurrying-artist-genius-type focus and I'm sitting there going, 'What should I draw?' After my fruitful brainstorming session, I decided to part my art block into 4 parts, each part to describe each word of the theme. For the first square, I drew kids in a playground and in the square below it, I drew two people dancing and a couple more in the background. At that time, my host cousin, came to visit Jonas to see how he was doing and he was all 'Ahhhhhh.. So cool' And poured him sky high praises. Then I showed him my drawing of the dance section and he said 'Elil, if you win with your piece, I'll gives you 2 Euros' We laughed about it and I went 'Yeah, yeah..' I still had two more parts two draw but we were running out of time, so I did the only thing I could think of. I drew Mickey Mouse. And that's how I sent it in. So I had people dancing, kids in the playground and Mickey Mouse. Guess what people? I WON. And now I'm 2 Euros richer. Being severely bamboozled, I asked one of the Art teachers why I won. And she actually credited my Mickey Mouse because he's a cartoon character and that went perfectly with two parts of the theme, happiness and play/games. She found it so awesome that I did such deep thinking to come up with Mickey Mouse. She described it as 'epic'. As she said that, a thought ran through my head; I should really thank my parents for allowing me to watch all the Mickey cartoons when I was a kid. So this is a shout out to Pa and Ma, THANKS!

How bout that!

These are two of my really good friends XD

This is me being silly (as usual) in Art class,

Rattlings im Oktober

Howdy! Yall better grab some snacks and stretch yourselves cos this is gonna be a long one. And I recommend all of you to just skip the next paragraph and continue on with the following.

Apparently, I should begin by saying I'm a freakin addict. And I do coke. (It's a bet. If I write it, I get 5 Euros. Free money, baby! Pops always told me, take the money first, ask questions later)

So I'll start with the last important event and proceed chronologically. To start off, I'll blaber about my recent vacation. Over here, the October holiday is also call Herbstferien which translates into Autumn hols. Makes lots of sense, doesn't it? I love how Germans are so sensible. They don't try to impress by coming up with fancy names and stuff. They're like cotton candy. Sweet and easily digested. The language, I mean. Not the people.

Back to my story, the long weekend began on the 29th of September and went on till the 7th of October. We, my host family and I, spent it in the Sächsischen Schweiz. (NO IDEA how it's written in English) Just to give you guys a dose of what I went through, I would like to say this place is a mountainous area. With great rocks of magnificent height. And steep staircases leading all the way to Mount Olympus. Imagine that. And that's the feeling you get before you start hiking. Now imagine the same image ten times the pain. That's how it was trying to get through each step of the way. I don't really know whether the fact my host family is so outdoor-ish made the matter worse or better. Bad, because I just kept pushing myself even though I was loosing my breath. Good, because I just kept pushing myself even though I was loosing my breath. Best part of it all, I was actually leading the way on the last day.

On the first day, we went to three different places. I can't remember them anymore. Curse this teenage habit of mine of not noting down important facts. I do however remember having a flashback of my life's memories. I think at some point I thought I was going to die. This actually reminds me of the time when I REALLY did think my life was over.

 It happened a long time ago, okay not so long. But the phrase adds dramatization to whatever I'm gonna say next. Bananas, I was sitting at home (in Malaysia) and I happily munched on my oranges as I watched Russell Peters on the computer. Then he must have said somethin real funny cos the next thing I knew, the orange got trapped somwhere in my throat (I'm not medically knowledgeable enough to figure out the exact location) and I couldn't breathe anymore. I wrapped my hands around my neck, mostly because that's how they react in movies and partly because I thought I could somehow use my fingers to push the orange further down. And then I jumped up and ran like a meat-eating goat that had the hots for a maniacal chicken with weird sleeping habits. As I ran, I passed my little (not so little, she was 15 at that time) sister who was watching the television. Believe it or not, she just looked me up and down with raised eyebrows. And here I was hanging on for dear life. I gasped for air in front of her and motioned a little, well mostly telepathically screamed at her to bring my mother. I was thinking more along the lines of goodbye. But she just said, What?! with half an ounce of worry marring her features. 15 years of being sisters and that's all I got at my supposed moment of death. I then ran into a room, banged my head on the door (accidently) and kept forcing myself to try cough it out. After several attempts, I got through. I proceeded to clean myself up and marched to the hall to see my sister still absorbed with the program. I confronted her and she said, You alright? Hell yeah I was.

On the second day, we really got into hiking mode. There was a lot of walking and we went up to mountains. On the third day, we went up only one but we walked a lot. That one mountain took the same amount of time we needed for the two mountains on the second day. On the fourth day, Jakob, my host brother, got food poisoning and we took the advantage to just stay and rest at home. On the fifth day, Gisela, my host mother, and I walked six hours together and on the last day, you know what? I can't remember what we did. And after we returned from the trip, I thought to myself I needed another round of holidays just to sleep in and do nothing at home.

Nowadays, we need proof for everything

One of the many beautiful paths we took

What did I tell yall now bout steep ladders?

Jakob and I enjoying sweet victory at the peak

Don't I look like I came out straight from the 60's? 

The following big event would be my trip to Hamburg. Or rather, my shopping trip in Hamburg. Unfortunately, I was so busy shopping I completely forgot about taking pictures. How bout that! It was wonderful though. Very busy, but that's what you get in big cities. I took the phrase shop till you drop so seriously that I spent the following week sick in bed. And among those days in the week, I had my German B1 exam. To those who aren't informed, countries made up from the European Union i.e Germany, have their language exams accordingly;

A1, A2 - Beginner
B1, B2  - Intermediate
C1, C2  - Advanced/ Expert

P/S : There are two stages to each level, therefore the number behind each letter.

I have been watching a lot, I mean, A LOT of romantic movies lately. I'm actually going through IMDb's list right now. I keep swooning at the male leads. And after such influence, I've come up with my perfect romantic scene. So here it is. A guy and a girl walk into an elevator. There's an intense sexual tension surrounding them. The guy grabs the girl and kisses her. Not too much, just enough to keep lingering feelings and a yearning for more. I was going to write desire, but I find it too rash, don't you? So the girl pushes the guy away using both hands and goes, What?No! Her brain is telling her to come to her senses but her body tells her to get on with it. *Does it make me crazy if I secretly (not so secret anymore) relish in that phrase?* The elevator doors slide open as the girl lifts her garments and walks quickly away. She doesn't turn back to give that last glance at the guy who just stares at her back. *Aha! I love a practical woman who keeps her head up in the name of Confusion-In-Love*

Damn. Fluttering feelings all over. Did I mention I love elevator scenes?

Holy Guacamole! I've got less than 3 months to go! I refuse to find out the exact number of days I have left. That'll just

a) Slow down everything
b) Speed up everything

How ironic. And how very true.

So that's it folks for tonight. More to come....someday. :)

Ich Leb Noch

Hey guys, I just wanna let yall know that I'm still here. In Germany.  Now I'll go think about something proper to write. YEAH.

Ferien, Schule and Everything in Between

Zombie-frying (Can't help it, the smell of food is wafting through my nose right now) jokes aside, YES, I'm alive. The two and a half month break was just something that was meant to be. Come a point, there is sometimes just nothing you can write about. Well obviously,nothing doesn't actually mean nothing. I just don't think you guys would be interested in what juice I drank or which pair of shoes I put on or best yet, if I made an appointment with the toilet bowl for the day.

So I'm just going to give a very fast recount of what happened since May 25th. That-a-way, it'd look like I've lead a very jam-packed life till now. 

26th June - I moved out and ate a vegetable lasagna with my new family. [Additional note : I now live in Krakvitz, a stone's throw away from Kasnevitz, which is two stones throw away from Putbus]

27th June - Jonster the Pankow returned from a field trip  in America, the country of living dreams.

6th August - School REstarted. I'm in the eleventh class with the same lot of people. The ball has started rolling. I repeat, the ball is rolling.

Doesn't it seem so (insert word 'bloody' for non-adults) exciting?

My German skills have improved, or so I've heard. But being left out still happens because folks love talking at superhuman speed with all these bamboozling words. Nevertheless, the show must go on.

The first day of school was really somethin. In the morning, everyone trooped into their assigned classes. A paper noting classes with their respective class teachers and classrooms was pinned up onto the bulletin board. And for the next hour and a half, the class teachers explained how the year would go and picked out class presidents and etc. etc. The timetables were given out and I very funnily didn't receive mine. So I had no classes for the rest day. Back then, I would have cried HALLELUJAHHHH in delight. But times a-changing. Elil's a-changing. And I decided to take action. On the following day. Nothing like a day off in school to celebrate, well, school. Hallelujah?

Now with Jonster the Pankow back home, sleeping on MY bed, in MY room, I can't help feeling awkward. There was one time I thought, 'Oh, I'll just run up now and get me jacket' And halfway up the stairs, I tripped on my own two feet.

I've just realised I've been sprouting random stories without any order.

I can't believe I almost forgot. The Olympics!! Chong Wei. Chong Wei. Chong Wei. Chong Wei. Chong Wei. Chong Wei. Chong Wei. Chong Wei. Chong Wei. Chong Wei. Chong Wei. Chong Wei. Chong Wei. Chong Wei. Chong Wei. Chong Wei. Chong Wei. Chong Wei. Chong Wei. Chong Wei. Chong Wei. Chong Wei. Chong Wei. Chong Wei.Chong Wei. Chong Wei. Chong Wei. Chong Wei. Chong Wei. Chong Wei. Chong Wei. Chong Wei. So yeah, that's my thoughts on this subject. (P/S Papa heard my Chong Wei chantings as John Wayne. Like, lol)

 The other day, the family and I went to visit Mr. Störti. Störti carries out his own show called Störtebeker.

Here's where Mr. Störti plays with the other kids.

Here's us anticipating Störti's grand entrance.

By the way, it rained. But we were fully prepared. I mean, Mutti prepared well. She packed us ponchos and little cushions for the seats. You know, just so our butts were treated like royalty.

I've actually decided to reduce the amount of pictures to be put up on the blog. Cause you see, at the end of my stay, I'm planning a lil somethin, okay, a big somethin. And it involves the pictures that go up into the blog.

I realised that I've started questioning the English language. I think it's got something to do with learning German. Like why certain words are pronounced in the way they are. Or how is it the phrase make sense when it so obviously mean something else. I'm starting to lose grip on my vocabulary as well. My thoughts sometimes jumble up and I start saying things. You know how sometimes you want to say something and halfway through your speech you lose your train of thought but you keep carrying on because it would just seem odd if you back up and restart? Yeah, well, that's sorta becoming a part of my life now. 

Cheers mates. 

Deutsch Action!

Pfingsten 

Wikipedia's definition - A festival to celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus.

My definition - Er....holiday?

So yeah. I'm off from today till next Tuesday. Let's see, that's 1..2..3..4 nights of sleeping in. Could life get any better? YES, IT CAN! I found 150 euros in my jeans pocket and now I'm rich. Plus that with the 20 cents I found in my school bag the other day, I'm filthy rich. Went on a shopping spree in H&M to commemorate my findings. Now I'm back to being the pathetic me who's got to think twice about getting a sandwich from Subways. On the bright side, I'm overflowing with clothes.  : °° :   (Look, I made my own smiley!!)

Today, the family and I went on a lil trip around the island. We started at Sassnitz and went towards Sagard. Then we took the journey up north in the direction of Glowe, passed through Breege and drove all the way south. From there, we hopped into a ferry (with the car) to the other side and headed to Trent for lunch. The ride across was for 5 minutes. I was expecting two hours or so. Boh. After that, we continued on to Bergen where we did some grocery shopping and drove through Prora on the way back home. And somewhere in between, we dropped by this strawberry farm and played like kiddies.

Papa thought I made good fish food.

Mutti : Looky here. Papa : Poker face

Going across the see.

Papa ist immer glücklich

And that's what they call a father-daughter moment.

Papa felt the need to show off his pretty legs.

Watch me as I swinnnnnnnnnnnnnng!

Super fast, that thing. Super.

Tring to shit : Take 2

Oh, Mutti..

Just for the record, I'm totally fried.

THIS IS HOW I REALLY AM

Excuse me, I'm listening to 30 Seconds to Mars.

My Neue Zeit

*Rolls up sleeves*

My God, do I ever have I bone to pick with this blog.

It's been gnawing at the back of my head like a carnivorous pumpkin planning a mass murder. I contemplated leaving it in an epic HALT, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's got to do.

'I am the epitome of a walking contradiction for various reasons, only one of which being that I feel my existence is of heaven and hell.' - Kim Elizabeth.

I wonder whether Kim Elizabeth ironed her own clothes.. I know I do!

Somewhere in between the last update and this, I learnt to play billiard.

Sticks and stones...oh wait, I meant ball.

Professional beginner at work.

Note that the white ball MISSED the yellow ball.

Someone has got to come up with a saying about never underestimating a beginner. Should there be one, I could have quoted it. It's pretty simple really. I almost (very nearly) beat Papa at his favourite sport. Or maybe one of his favourite. We agreed to a three game play. Naturally, the winner of two games emerges as the champion.

The first part of the match was marred by my unability to hit the ball. I could tell that Papa was secretly basking in my limited capacity. And I suppose that's when he let his guard down. He won the first game. Barely made it though. In the second game, I found my rhythm and grabbed the final ball at the very last moment. As for the third game, Papa raced to a very early lead. But I caught up in my own (ridiculously) slow pace. When it mattered most, Papa came through. I put it down to experience.

I refuse to overshadow my aptitude for billiard by crediting beginner's luck. I think I've finally found my thing. Now all that's left to do is to convince my dad I'm going to pursue a career in billiard.

Guess who got a parcel from home!?

Last Saturday, Papa, Lisa and I went to Rostock. Rostock's a fairly large town (like a city-town) with some very cool looking buildings. Papa actually had a sailors' gathering. We drove towards the harbour which is where the gathering was held. There were LOTS of people and everyone was eating Fischbrötchen. I really didn't have the heart to ignore my tummy's pleas for meat so I passed on the fish and got some Bratwurst instead.

Papa was all smiles and oozing excitement the whole time. He met up with some of his old pals from twenty (or so) years ago. As they chatted up a storm, I went to watch this group of old men dressed in shiny black suits playing some pretty good music.

When Papa was done, we drove into the town and went walking in the Zentrum which is like the town centre. I absolutely fell in love with the bookshop, which funnily enough is called Jokers. Got myself a German storybook too.

Saw this guy with killer tatoos in a mall.

Papa and I had the joy of having the whole cinema to ourselves for The Avengers. Until two more guys came in.

I think I'm starting to appreciate the value of money now. Like the other day, I thought that if I turned my head one more time while travelling in the train from school back home, I might have to put on a neck brace. I actually had no money. Zilch. Not even a cent, much less four euros and five cents which is what the ride costs. Oh, and I kept looking over my shoulder because I would have to make my escape if the the ticket guy came. Thankfully he didn't. I now realise that having cash in my hand keeps me in peace. This is going to be a fun year of self-discovery. I can tell.

Lisa's Auto after a nice shower.

I like going for a swing every now and then.

Right : DVD's I've watched. Left : What I've yet to watch.

Although, not all the movies were good. I remember one that was completely and utterly atrocious. I'll just put it this way; it's like your mood's so foul from the plot shenanigans you want to hurl two cartons of rotten tomatoes at your tv screen. Problem was, I didn't have rotten tomatoes.

I'm not crazy, I'm just a teen.