Henne im Amiland

Hallooechen,
die letzten Wochen gehen wie im flug vorbei. Von heute an bleiben mir noch 50 Tage bis zur USA Tour uebrig. Und es sind 6 Tage Schule uebrig. Dann werde ich auf der USA Tour fuer einen Monat sein, sechs Tage zurueck nach P-town und am 16.Juli geht es ab nach Hause. Ich versuche jeden Tag zum besten zu machen und zu geniessen. Diese Woche Donnerstag und Freitag waren regionals fuer Tennis. Das entscheidet, ob man fuer State qualifiziert wird. Sind wir aber nicht. IFuer die Englisch Class haben Gabi und ich eine die Schulzeitung entworfen. Und hier ist mein Beitrag :)!

Who is that German?

Have you ever wondered who that girl is? That suddenly came to your High School, speaks another language, dresses really different and strangely it seems like she belongs here? If yes, that is me: Henriette Reinhardt from Berlin, Germany. I know most of you call me Henna, because my name is too long and too hard to pronounce. Anyways it is time that you get to know me and my history. I took part in your culture for almost one year and want you to dive into mine for just a little bit.

Paonia is really small so how did I even end up here; doesn’t that suck for me, being stuck in the Middle of Nowhere? I tell you one thing. It does not at all. Today, I can honestly say if I could choose where to go, I would always choose Paonia again.

Back in my hometown, Berlin, I always had a big dream called America. I visited my aunt in Florida in 2005 and I fell in love. Pancakes in the morning, Flip-Flops, English and people on the street asking, “Hi, how are you today?” All that made a young girl dream. In 2010 I came back to Florida and I started thinking about ways to live in America one day. Once when my aunt cooked a delicious dinner, she said,” So Henna, I know you want to go to America, so why don’t you go on an exchange?” When I came back to Germany that was all I could think of. I was always that kind of girl, who wanted to make a change, who wanted to make things happen. Finally I got on it. I started researching...and researching and I just couldn’t decide between this and that program I could go abroad with. My mum, a Rotary member, told me that there was a possibility to go on exchange with Rotary. I applied and it appeared to be one of the best things in my life. All I had to pay was the flight and the insurance and I was ready to go. I just took that risk, left my family, friends and life behind.

Los Angeles, California? No, that was an illusion. There was no choosing the state. At the beginning of June 2011 I got to know that I will go to Paonia Colorado. I will be honest I had a little struggle. The thought of that big city girl stuck in the middle of nowhere, just kind of drove me crazy. My mum told me it would be okay and I thought I guess I will just let it happen. So there I was, 17^th of August at the airport in Berlin. My mum (Eva), my dad (Matthias), my sister (Clara) and a friend brought me to the airport. With two suitcases, because I just couldn’t leave my favorite clothes at home, I went through the Security Check. I started crying, it was like the typical movie scene. Gosh I thought I was not that kind of girl which was going to tear up at the airport. But yes, I did. I went on my twenty-one hour flight, already met other exchange students from Rotary on the plane and there I was. My first host dad Robert Justman welcomed me at the airport and we drove to my new home sweet home. The next three days were a little awkward. But then it just turned out to be perfect. I remember the first day at school, the smell, the locker, the people, everything was new to me. Do you know that feeling, when you go somewhere alone and you just have don’t know anybody? That is how I felt. I was the new one. But soon I got to know everyone, which was pretty easy since everybody here was so friendly and open to me. At home my program advised me to do as many activities as possible. I started out with participating in the Fall Play. I then played Basketball, which I have to say is probably not my thing, and then I played Tennis. These activities helped me to stay active and get to know people better. I experienced so many incredible things since I came here. I met with exchange students from all over the world, traveled many places, hiked mountains and became friends with strangers. I’d call it the best year of my life. Of course, there were easier and harder times, but it made me strong, I made it through. As an example, I had to change host families, which is required from Rotary. That turned out to be a good thing. I love my new host family just as much as I love my old one. And I got two new siblings Emily Pieper and Ben Justman. I found two new families.

Keep in mind, that I come from another continent, Europe. That probably seems miles away, and it is, but basically people are the same, anywhere you go. Furthermore there are some differences I want to explain to you so you might have a better understanding on what this is all about. Everything here looks so much different than in Germany. America is a much younger country than Germany. The buildings look much older in Germany than here. In the big city, we have few houses and many apartments. I live in an apartment. I can walk to school in 10 minutes and don’t need to drive. The driving age is 18, but we have so much public transportation that it is more common to take the bus somewhere. A major difference is that the drinking age for alcohol like beer and wine is 16. German clothes style is a lot different too. It is really diverse and you can find any style there. My school day lasts from 8:00 until 2:10 and we don’t have a lunch break. There is a 20 minutes break but the school doesn’t offer any lunch. Our schedule varies every day and we can’t choose our classes until we are in the 11^th grade. And then classes such as Math are still required. 50% from our grade depends on participation during class and the other 50% on tests. Another significant difference is that we have the High School divided into three levels. This is based on the Intelligence of the student, which will be decided after 6^th grade. There is the Lowest, Middle, and the Highest level. Moreover, this is probably the reason, why I have to repeat the school year. In Germany they don’t hold this year accountable. That way each student gets the right education. We also don’t have sports included in the school. We have a P.E. class but you can’t find a school spirit like this. We have clubs for sports, so you meet people from other schools. Everything is different but the same, and high school drama seems to appear anywhere.

On the 13^th of June I will leave for a USA Tour for one month. After that I will be here for six more days and on the 16^th of July I will leave. It is so crazy to think about it. I will miss looking out of the window and realizing just how pretty the mountains are. Paonia became a second home for me. Once you go somewhere else, you will see the differences and you will appreciate things at home, but also learn things you like better here. This year made me a different person. I am very thankful for being here and for everybody that makes this year unforgettable for me. And like my host mum said, “Henna you opened up a window for a lot of people” I hope I really did. Each one of you took part in my life and made this a great year full of memories, I will never ever forget. I came here as a stranger but I will go back as a friend. I feel as though I did my part to fulfill what Ralph Waldo Emerson asked us all to do, “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead, where there is no path and leave a trail.”

Thank you, Paonia High School.

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