The weekend begins...

Jule's tests seemed to go well today.  I think she was prepared as much as she could be. We'll see on Tuesday!  Monday is Labor Day, a federal holiday in the United States where most people are off work and schools are out.

I am having Jule try American goodies as I think of them.  One of those goodies is a Twinkie.  I tried to explain to Jule what it was, but since it's hard to explain, I just had to get ONE box.

We decided to leave for Branson on Friday to get some of the long drive out of the way.  We drove to Harrison, Arkansas.  My niece Connie went with us.  The girls watched a movie and slept while I drove.  Ugh.  I do not like driving at all.  But I'm doing it for the experience.

Jule's First Turtle

We rescued a turtle from the road today. I was surprised to know that Jule had never held one. So now we have a turtle in our family. He will live in the back yard!

Just another day... but tomorrow is FRIDAY!

We knew that Hurricane (now Tropical Depression) Isaac would be here tonight, and he has arrived on schedule and with a heavy hand.  Jule's plans to attend her first high school football game was wrecked.  Nobody wanted to go and sit for three hours in the rain and wind.  I don't know... it sounds fun to me!

Jule is getting a good view of the real America at her school.  A vast majority of her time there is good, and she seems to be enjoying her classmates.  I might have blogged about her hesitation at the "see through" mesh backpacks that are required of all students.  I may not have mentioned that there is security (police) that patrol her school all day, every day.  But, I explained that these precautions are taken to keep the students safe because of incidents across the U.S. over the past ten years that have garnered the wrong kind of attention.  And today she witnessed a minor incident that showed her why we are careful.  There was a fight between two students after lunch.  It was quickly controlled due to the security guards on campus.  I don't know why it is different here from other cultured countries.  I don't know why people are so angry, and especially so angry at such a young age.  But this is our reality in some instances.

Tonight's attempt at cooking actually turned out well.  I have no idea how because I put zero effort into it.  I used my crock pot and followed the recipe EXACTLY.  And for the first time I can honestly say that it was good!  I chose this recipe so that I could use something that Jule's mother sent as a present.  Maybe THIS is the reason why it went so well!

Thank you to Anita!!!!!!!!!!

The rain worked was okay, because Jule has three big tests tomorrow.  Anatomy, Spanish and English.  She studied hard tonight and will be well prepared tomorrow!

We continue to do our Jillian Michaels video each night.  I hate it, but it's good to have a partner for this horrible part of my day.

We also practiced speaking "Kardashian" tonight.  For whatever reason, the channel on the TV seems to be stuck on E! Entertainment channel where Keeping Up with The Kardashians seems to play over and over again.  I guess we're just too lazy to change the channel.  But we have become amused by the antics of the family, and especially how they talk.

This weekend we head north to Branson, Missouri to try to catch a day or two of vacation on Jule's long weekend.  (We have a federal holiday called "Labor Day" on Monday.)  Blogging will be at a minimal while we are gone, but we will have stories and pictures to share when we get back!  :)  Here is where we'll be spending our time:  Silver Dollar City

Arms and Legs Shredded

Jule and I have now for three nights in a row completed the grueling Jillian Michaels "The Shred" workout here at my house.  Have I mentioned that I hate jumping jacks and jumping rope?  Yes, I believe I have.  I also do not like the fact that I cannot move my arms or legs without severe pain.  I know this will go away in another day or two, but in the meantime, I feel like I've been run over by a car.  Again.  Jule and I have been complaining about our aches and pains using her Anatomy terms.  "I can't move my crural!"  And "My brachials feel broken."  I'm sure this won't translate to German properly, but if you know English, you know that these are not typical words used in any normal household.  But... anything for education, eh?

Oh, and I should mention that Jule corrected my previous blog comments about the ketchup.  She only took so many pictures because they were coming out blurry.  So, the ketchup was not so cool after all.  (But, I'll bet that she brings a few packets home with her in January.)

It appears that Hurricane Isaac will not completely ruin our weekend plans.  While it will delay our travel, we should still be able to get up to Branson, Missouri for at least a trip to Silver Dollar City.  So, we will be relatively "missing in action" from the internet over the weekend.


German translation:
Jule und ich habe jetzt für drei Nächte in Folge schloss die zermürbenden Jillian Michaels "The Shred" Training hier in meinem Haus. Habe ich erwähnt, dass ich hasse Hampelmänner und Seilspringen? Ja, ich glaube ich habe. Ich weiß auch nicht, wie die Tatsache, dass ich nicht bewegen kann meine Arme oder Beine ohne starke Schmerzen. Ich weiß, das wird gehen weg in einem anderen Tag oder zwei, aber in der Zwischenzeit habe ich das Gefühl schon immer von einem Auto überfahren. Again. Jule und ich haben über unsere Schmerzen mit ihrem Anatomy Begriffe beschwert. "Ich kann nicht mehr bewegen crural!" Und "My Brachialia fühlen gebrochen." Ich bin sicher, dass dies nicht richtig Deutsch zu übersetzen, aber wenn Sie Englisch kennen, wissen Sie, dass diese nicht typische Wörter in jedem normalen Haushalt verwendet. Aber ... alles für Bildung, eh?

Oh, und ich sollte erwähnen, dass Jule meinem vorherigen Blog-Kommentare korrigierte über das Ketchup. Sie dauerte nur so viele Bilder, weil sie kommen wurden verschwommen. So war das Ketchup nicht so cool, nachdem alle. (Aber, ich wette, dass sie ein paar Pakete nach Hause bringt mit ihrer im Januar.)

Es scheint, dass Hurricane Isaac nicht völlig ruinieren unser Wochenende Pläne. Während es unsere Reise verzögern, sollten wir noch in der Lage aufzustehen, um Branson, Missouri mindestens eine Reise nach Silver Dollar City. So werden wir in der relativ "missing in action" aus dem Internet über das Wochenende.

Deutsch + English = Denglish

Jule said yesterday that she had trouble in school, speaking Denglish rather than English.  I got a good laugh from this, and also heard it for myself last night when we were speaking about how sore our muscles are from the horrible Jillian Michaels work-out video.  She told me that the last time she hurt this bad was the last time she went skiing.  She was attempting to tell me that she got sore skiing because she had new ski boots / shoes (Schuhe in Deutsch) but it came out as "SKOOS" ... a combination of schuhe and skis and boots.

German translation:
Jule sagte gestern, dass sie Mühe hatte in der Schule, sprechen Denglisch statt Deutsch. Ich habe ein gutes Lachen davon, und auch gehört, dass es für mich letzte Nacht, als wir darüber, wie wunde unserer Muskeln sind von der schrecklichen Jillian Michaels Work-out-Video spräche. Sie erzählte mir, dass sie das letzte Mal weh diese schlechte sie das letzte Mal Ski gefahren war. Sie versuchte, mir zu sagen, dass sie wund Ski bekam, weil sie neue "ski boots" / "shoes"  (Schuhe in Deutsch) hatte, aber es kam als "SKOOS" ... eine Kombination aus schuhe und "skis" und "boots".

It's the small stuff...

Ketchup... nothing special about it here in America.  But Jule took so many pictures of this ketchup that I figured it was worth posting for her German friends and family.

Yesterday I clogged my sink.  Here in the U.S. we have "garbage disposals" in our kitchen sinks.  We can put food down the sink, the garbage disposal grinds it up and it goes down the drain.  HOWEVER... since I cooked so badly a few days before, I put too much food down the disposal and I clogged my drain.  Jule thought my predicament was picture-worthy, and maybe funny.  Do you want to see the mess I created?  Here it is:

Disgusting, right?

It's no longer in this state, but... why do I tell you about my disgusting sink problem?  Because the sink was clogged and my pots and pans dirty from the night before, we had to eat out.  (Ohhhh... how horrible.)  We visited the home of the best tasting chicken in the world, in my opinion: Chick-Fil-A.  

Chick-fil-a has interesting marketing efforts.

It is truly heavenly, juicy goodness and a party in your mouth.  Anyhow, at Chick-Fil-A Jule made a discovery that was (maybe) the coolest thing she's found since she arrived here.  Here it is...

I'm not sure why it's so great, but apparently it just IS.

Ohhh... we have a HURRICANE!

The tropical storm Isaac is now Hurricane Isaac.  Jule keeps asking "Do I have to go to school?"

YESSSSSS... YOU MUST GO TO SCHOOL!  :)

Tropical Storm Isaac is on his way!

Jule will soon experience her first tropical storm (or hurricane if it strengthens.)  We will mostly get a LOT of rain and some wind (25 mph / 40 kilometers per hour) here in Arkansas.  It will ruin our weekend plans, for sure.

German translation:

Jule bald erleben ihre erste tropische Sturm (oder Orkan, wenn sie stärkt.) Wir meist bekommen eine Menge von regen und etwas Wind (25 mph / 40 km pro Stunde) hier in Arkansas. Es ruiniert unser Wochenende Pläne, for sure.

Anatomy = not much fun

Last night Jule had the most homework so far.  She has an upcoming test in Anatomy on Wednesday and an English test on Friday.  Both of these are posing challenges since the words are unusually difficult.  When helping her study I could not even pronounce many of the words.  She's doing well, even though she's getting frustrated at times.  I know that she will do better than many American students.  She is very smart.

Jule has mentioned that books in American schools are very large in comparison to her books in Germany.  I don't have a point of reference, but she asked me why our books are so thick. Her Human Anatomy book has over 1,200 pages.  She didn't want to take it back to school today because it's so heavy, but I have a feeling that her teacher will want her to have it there.

She has also noted the fact that homework is due the next day in American schools.  Her classes in Germany are staggered... one class on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, for instance.  So, when homework is given you can have at least two days to get it done.  Not here.  She will eventually get accustomed to this.

My cooking skills are horrible.  Actually, worse than I thought.  I am having trouble cooking even one decent meal.  I tried for chicken fettucini alfredo and green beans last night.  How hard could that be?  While the main dish tasted okay, it looked horrible.  And the green beans again had so much pepper that they were inedible.  I am not good at cooking, and it appears that practice is not helping me very much.  I have asked my mother to come down soon to help me.  Not only am I horrible at this, but I don't have much time to do it.  When I pick up Jule from school, I must continue work until at least 5:00 p.m.  I must work through lunch because I lose time in the morning and afternoon driving to school, so I don't have time to prepare things early either.  I am learning very quickly how difficult it is to be a single parent, and I understand more now why parents take the easy road and drive through McDonald's rather than trying to cook each night.  This is a very good experience for me.

Jule and I have talked about the fact that we're both gaining weight since she has arrived.  So we decided to do a workout video last night.  Jillian Michaels "The Shred."  After jumping jacks and jumping rope and push-ups and abdominal work, Jule now understands why I hate this video so much.  It is only 20 minutes, but it is pure hell, quite honestly.

If you are reading this blog, please feel free to leave a comment for me or for Jule.  My main purpose for writing this is to give her a good document of her time here when she returns to Germany.  So, if you have something to say... say it!  :)

German translation:


Letzte Nacht Jule hatte den Hausaufgaben so weit. Sie hat einen kommenden Test in Anatomie am Mittwoch und ein Englisch-Test am Freitag. Beide sind vor Herausforderungen, da die Worte ungewöhnlich schwierig sind. Wenn ihr zu helfen Studie konnte ich nicht einmal aussprechen viele der Wörter. Sie ist gut, obwohl sie immer ist manchmal frustriert. Ich weiß, dass sie es besser machen als viele amerikanische Studenten. Sie ist sehr smart.

Jule hat erwähnt, dass Bücher in amerikanischen Schulen sehr groß sind im Vergleich zu ihrer Bücher in Deutschland. Ich habe nicht einen Anhaltspunkt, aber sie fragte mich, warum unsere Bücher so dick sind. Ihre Human Anatomy Buch hat über 1.200 Seiten. Sie wollte nicht, es zu nehmen zurück zur Schule heute, weil es so schwer ist, aber ich habe das Gefühl, dass ihr Lehrer werden wollen, dass sie, um es dort.

Sie hat auch die Tatsache, dass Hausaufgaben fällig ist am nächsten Tag in den amerikanischen Schulen zur Kenntnis genommen. Ihre Klassen in Deutschland gestaffelt sind ... eine Klasse am Montag, Mittwoch und Freitag zum Beispiel. Also, wenn Hausaufgaben gegeben ist können Sie mindestens zwei Tage, um es getan. Nicht hier. Sie wird schließlich dazu gewöhnen.

Meine Kochkünste sind schrecklich. Eigentlich noch schlimmer, als ich dachte. Ich habe Probleme beim Kochen noch eine anständige Mahlzeit. Ich habe versucht, für Hähnchen fettucini alfredo und grünen Bohnen letzte Nacht. Wie schwer kann das sein? Während das Hauptgericht schmeckte okay, es sah schrecklich. Und die grünen Bohnen hatten wieder so viel Pfeffer, dass sie ungenießbar waren. Ich bin nicht gut kochen, und es scheint, dass die Praxis nicht hilft mir sehr. Ich habe meine Mutter gebeten, sich bald zu mir zu helfen. Nicht nur ich bin schrecklich an, aber ich habe nicht viel Zeit, es zu tun. Wenn ich abholen Jule von der Schule, ich muss weiter arbeiten, bis mindestens 05.00 Uhr I bis zum Mittagessen muss arbeiten, weil ich Zeit am Morgen und am Nachmittag Fahrt zur Schule zu verlieren, so dass ich keine Zeit haben, um die Dinge frühen entweder vorzubereiten. Ich bin sehr schnell lernen, wie schwierig es ist, eine alleinerziehende Mutter zu sein, und ich verstehe jetzt mehr, warum Eltern den bequemen Weg und fahren nehmen über McDonalds, anstatt zu versuchen, um zu kochen jeden Abend. Dies ist eine sehr gute Erfahrung für mich.

Jule und ich haben über die Tatsache, dass wir beide an Gewicht zunehmen, da kam sie gesprochen hat. Also haben wir beschlossen, ein Video-Training zu tun letzte Nacht. Jillian Michaels "The Shred." Nach Hampelmänner und Seilspringen und Push-ups und Bauch-Arbeit, Jule versteht jetzt, warum ich dieses Video so viel Hass. Es ist nur 20 Minuten, aber es ist die Hölle, ganz ehrlich.

Wenn Sie diesen Blog lesen, bitte fühlen Sie sich frei, um einen Kommentar für mich oder für Jule verlassen. Mein Hauptziel für das Schreiben ist, um ihr ein gutes Dokument ihrer Zeit hier, wenn sie nach Deutschland zurückkehrt. Also, wenn Sie etwas zu sagen haben ... sagen Sie es! :)

Are you SURE you want just "ice" ?????

Jule and I frequent Sonic to get crazy drinks.  For those reading in Germany, Sonic is a favorite of Americans for things like Vanilla Coke or Grape Sprite or whatever fruit-and-pop mixture that you want to order.  (Jule's first attempt at a Strawberry Coke was not a success.  :)

Find out more about Sonic drive-in here:  http://www.sonicdrivein.com/sonic101/index.jsp

Anyhow, we had a funny experience at Sonic yesterday.  We stopped to get a snack.  I asked Jule "What do you want?"  She answered "Ice."  Sonic has special "ice"... it's cut differently from other ice that you find at typical restaurants.  People sometimes just order cups (or bags) of ice at Sonic because they love it so very much.  But I still found it funny that she just wanted a cup of ice.  

This is what Sonic ice looks like.

I asked her again, "Are you sure you JUST want ice?  Aren't you thirsty?"  And she re-iterated that yes, she just wanted ice.  We had been talking about the fact that we would both gain weight by eating out so much, so it made sense.  So I ordered... one Sonic slush (for me) and one full Route 44 cup of ice.  When the order was delivered, she was confused.  She said "No... I wanted ICE!"  She meant "EIS" -- ice cream.  We laughed about this for quite some time.

Laundry and shopping and ducks, oh my.

Today we began our day by a trip into Little Rock to waste some time shopping.

We ate lunch at one of my favorite fast restaurants, Pei Wei.  Jule ordered Hong Kong BBQ.

We made our way to Park Plaza Mall on University Avenue for shopping.  Jule says she needs a new pair of jeans.  Her favorite pair have a hole that I need to patch.  Anyhow, we didn't find jeans, but she did find a nice shirt on sale at a very good price.  :)  I introduced her to Aeropostale, American Eagle and other typical American teenager-focused stores.

Next, I told her that we had somewhere we must be immediately at 5:00 p.m.  So we made our way downtown to the Peabody Hotel where we witnessed ducks swimming inside the swanky hotel's large fountain.  Promptly at 5:00 p.m. the "duck master" escorted the ducks out of the fountain and down the red carpet to return to their suite in the hotel.

Story of the Peabody Ducks

The famous Peabody Hotel in downtown Little Rock is more than just a nice place to stay. It is also home to one of the city's most famous -- and most peculiar -- attractions. Each day at 11:00 a.m., a parade of five mallard ducks, led by a "duckmaster," makes its way from the roof of the hotel down to the lobby. There, a red carpet is rolled out and John Philip Sousa's King Cotton March begins to play. The ducks march into the fountain of the Peabody's Grand Lobby. At 5:00 p.m., the ceremony is reversed when the ducks return to their rooftop home.

This unique tradition began in 1932 when the general manager of the hotel and one of his hunting buddies returned from a hunting trip in Arkansas. The pair thought it would be amusing to put their live duck decoys into the Grand Lobby's fountain. Intended as a prank, they had no idea how popular the ducks would be with hotel guests. Soon after this stunt, the live decoys were replaced by five mallard ducks. 

It was in 1940 that a bellman named Edward Pembroke offered to help train the ducks. Pembroke had once worked as a circus animal trainer and soon taught the ducks to march. He was made the official Peabody Duckmaster and kept that title until he retired in 1991. 

The ducks, themselves, have been rotated over the years. In fact, each team of five ducks (one male and four females) only work for three months before they retire. The ducks are raised by a local farmer and are returned to the farm when they retire.

No trip to Little Rock would be complete without a visit to the Peabody Ducks. You do not have to be a guest of the hotel to see the ducks march. In fact, visitors are encouraged to come in each day and witness this fun spectacle.

German translation:

Geschichte des Peabody Ducks

Der berühmte Peabody Hotel in der Innenstadt von Little Rock ist mehr als nur ein schöner Ort zum Verweilen. Es ist auch die Heimat einer der berühmtesten - und merkwürdigsten - Attraktionen. Jeden Tag um 11.00 Uhr, eine Parade von fünf Stockenten, durch eine LED "duckmaster", macht seinen Weg aus dem Dach des Hotels hinunter in die Lobby. Dort wird ein roter Teppich ausgerollt und John Philip Sousa King Cotton March beginnt zu spielen. Die Enten Marsch in die Brunnen der Grand Lobby des Peabody. Um 5:00 Uhr wird die Zeremonie umgekehrt, wenn die Enten ihre Dachterrasse Hause zurückzukehren.

Diese einzigartige Tradition begann 1932, als der General Manager des Hotels und einem seiner Jagd Freunde kehrte von einem Jagdausflug in Arkansas. Das Paar dachte, es wäre lustig, ihre Live Entenlockvögel in die Grand Lobby-Brunnen setzen. Gedacht als ein Streich, hatte sie keine Ahnung, wie beliebt die Enten würde bei Hotelgästen sein. Bald nach diesem Stunt, wurden die lebende Lockvögel von fünf Stockenten ersetzt.

Es war im Jahr 1940, dass ein Maskottchen namens Edward Pembroke an der Schulung die Enten angeboten. Pembroke einst als Zirkus Tiertrainer arbeitete und bald unterrichtete die Enten zu marschieren. Er wurde der offizielle Peabody Duckmaster und behielt diesen Titel bis er im Jahr 1991 im Ruhestand.

Die Enten, selbst gedreht wurden im Laufe der Jahre. In der Tat, jedes Team von fünf Enten (ein Männchen und vier Weibchen) nur für drei Monate arbeiten, bevor sie in Rente gehen. Die Enten werden von einem lokalen Landwirt angehoben und auf den Hof, wenn sie in den Ruhestand zurück.
Keine Reise nach Little Rock wäre ohne einen Besuch der Peabody Ducks abgeschlossen. Sie haben noch ein Gast des Hotels, um die Enten März zu sehen sein. In der Tat sind die Besucher aufgefordert, in jedem Tag kommen und bezeugen diesen Spaß Spektakel.

We're "tarred"

After a very busy first week, Jule and I were very tired (or "tarred" as they say here in Arkansas) and have slept late today.  It felt so good.

So, last night we DID go Crazy Bowling at the AllFam Bowling Center in Cabot with Wimee, Dylan and Marissa.  This was Jule's first experience with Crazy Bowling.  We had a fun time.

Jule bowling with eyes closed.

Marissa bowling backward.

Dylan bowling between his legs.

Jule bowling with her feet.  :)

It's FRIDAY!

I am going to *attempt* to translate in German for the remainder of these blog posts.  (See German translation at the bottom of the post.)

I cannot believe that Jule has already been here for one week.  Time flies when you're having fun.

This weekend we are staying relatively close to home.  We have tickets to ice skating at Arkansas Skatium, tickets to paintball in Jacksonville and we may go bowling if the Alexander kids want to go.  (I have educated Jule on "crazy bowling".)  We have many options this weekend.

Next weekend, the travel begins!

How to do "Crazy Bowling"

Crazy Bowling Instructions

Scoring for crazy bowl is similar to traditional bowling, except where noted. Each frame presents a different challenge. Use the list below or make up your own. You may want to bring a pair of dice, a pair of mittens, and a blindfold with you.


Frame 1 - Have someone stand in front on you, legs spread. Roll the ball through their legs. Frame 2 - Bowl with eyes closed or blindfolded.
Frame 3 - Bowl on one foot.
Frame 4 - If you're a righty, bowl with your left hand. If your a lefty, bowl with your right hand.
Frame 5 - Sit on the floor and bowl by pushing the ball forward with your feet.
Frame 6 - Lay on your stomach and bowl.
Frame 7 - Bowl in slow motion.
Frame 8 - Get someone else in the bowling alley, who is not with your group, to bowl one frame for you.
Frame 9 - Bowl backwards, either between your legs or in whatever other way you can manage.
Frame 10 - Spin in circles five times and then bowl immediately.


German:

Ich bin * Versuch * in deutscher Sprache für den Rest dieser Blog-Posts zu übersetzen werde. (Siehe deutsche Übersetzung am Ende des Beitrags).

Ich kann nicht glauben, dass Jule hat bereits für eine Woche hier gewesen. Die Zeit vergeht.

Dieses Wochenende bleiben wir relativ zu Hause schließen. Wir haben Karten für Eislaufen am Arkansas Skatium, Eintrittskarten für Paintball in Jacksonville und wir können Kegeln gehen. (Ich habe Jule auf "crazy bowling" erzogen.) Wir haben viele Möglichkeiten, an diesem Wochenende.

Am kommenden Wochenende beginnt die Reise!

Verrückte Bowling Instructions
 
Scoring für verrückt Schüssel ist ähnlich wie bei traditionellen Bowling, sofern nicht anders angegeben. Jeder Frame stellt eine andere Herausforderung. Verwenden Sie die Liste oder machen Sie Ihren eigenen. Vielleicht möchten Sie ein Paar Würfel, ein Paar Handschuhe und eine Augenbinde mitbringen.


Frame 1 - Bitten Sie jemanden, stehen vor auf Sie, die Beine. Rollen Sie den Ball durch die Beine.

Frame 2 - Bowl mit geschlossenen Augen oder mit verbundenen Augen.

Frame 3 - Bowl auf einem Fuß.

Frame 4 - Wenn Sie ein Rechtshänder, Schüssel mit der linken Hand. Wenn Ihr ein Linkshänder, Schüssel mit der rechten Hand.

Frame 5 - Setzen Sie sich auf den Boden und Schüssel, indem Sie den Ball nach vorne mit den Füßen.

Frame 6 - Legen Sie sich auf den Bauch und Schüssel.

Frame 7 - Bowl in Zeitlupe.

Frame 8 - Get jemand anderes in der Kegelbahn, die nicht mit Ihrer Gruppe, zu bowlen ein Rahmen für Sie.

Frame 9 - Bowl rückwärts, entweder zwischen den Beinen oder in welcher anderen Weise können Sie zu verwalten.

Frame 10 - Spin in Kreisen fünfmal und dann Schüssel sofort.

Geometry = Fun

Jule made this in math class today.

Jule's Schooling: In and Out of Classroom

A big difference between American and German school is the length of the school day.  Jule's classes begin at 8:25 a.m. and end at 3:45 p.m.  Her classes are 50 minutes long each.  In Germany, her days are sometimes as short as 7:45 to just after 1 p.m.  (Depends on the day, she says.)  I remember thinking when I lived there that the kids were skipping school, since I saw them on the streets in the early afternoon.  Nope.  Just out early.

Here are pictures of Jule's schools.

Sylvan Hills High School in Sherwood, Arkansas, USA

You may see the full campus of Jule's American school here.

And below is Jule's school in Germany...

Ernst-Barlach-Gymnasium in Unna, Germany

During this LONG American school day, the students are exposed to both serious (hard) classes like Geometry, American History, English, etc but also fun classes.  I had to take a guess at which  "fun" classes Jule would like to take.  I put her in one called Housing.  This is her first class of the day and covers things like interior design, running a household, etc.  So far I believe that she likes it.  I also put her in a arts, crafts and pottery class.  As I mentioned in an earlier blog, she has already brought home Oragami.  (Apparently she helps some of the boys in the class because they just don't "get it.")   :)

To give Jule the real "Arkansas experience" I have recently tried to explain to her what a "redneck" is.  It's hard to put into words, I have found.  I tell her that she'll know one when she sees one.  But for her German friends and family, here is an example of how a "Redneck" looks:

This is something that we make jokes about in America, but these people really do exist in small towns in the southern United States.  We have comedians who do nothing more than make fun of Rednecks.  Rednecks have their own way of speaking English.  For instance, instead of "everyone" they say "y'all" ("you all", as Jule now knows after she asked me what "y'all" means.)  Here's an example of how a Redneck would speak differently:

"My brother from Jawjuh bard my pickup truck, and I aint herd from him in munts."

=

My brother from Georgia borrowed my truck and I haven't heard from him in months."

or

"I cudnt unnerstand a wurd he sed ... must be from some farn cuntry."

=

I could not understand a word that he said.  He must be from some foreign country."

If you don't speak English as your first language, you probably could not understand what these people are saying.  We have trouble sometimes.  In fact, if we have television shows featuring "rednecks" then almost always there must be captions.

In order to give her the real Arkansas Redneck experience, we are attending the Redneck Games of Arkansas.  She and I need to start training.  It would be GREAT if we could bring home a prize.

The Michael Jackson Dance Experience

Last night we had one of our most fun nights so far because of one reason:  Michael Jackson.  I have a Wii, which Jule has (of course) played before.  But she had NOT experienced Michael Jackson dancing on the Wii.  We began dancing at 8:00 and had sweat pouring off of us within the first 10 minutes.  It's hard to explain how much fun it is.  You will just have to ask her about it!

Jule's favorites...

There are several things that Jule has found that she loves here in America.

1)  Naked Juice!  We have been DRINKING broccoli and spinach and carrots.  :)  She will tell you that it's SO GOOD!  (And I know that she's NOT just appeasing me, because she gets it from the refrigerator by herself.)   :)

2)  Pop-Tarts:  Oh... the sweet goodness of this breakfast treat!  Jule has come to love these and has had them for breakfast almost every day.  She has watched me burn them in the toaster at least once.  I'm sure this will happen again.  Jule will testify that I cannot smell, so when things start burning, I don't know until the kitchen fills with smoke.  Jule will be my nose while she is here.  

3)  Blackberries!  These berries are similar to raspberries and grow wild in this part of the country.  You may have them in Germany, but not sure if they're called the same thing.

4)  Mexican food.  I've mentioned this in an earlier blog, but she REALLY likes Mexican food!

5)  Goldfish.  Soooo good.  I put these in her lunch.

6)  Tonight she's going to experience Papa Murphy's pizza.  She just watched it being made.  We'll pop it in the oven soon.  We have orientation with Lisa from CCI tonight!

Second day of school... MUCH BETTER!

Monday night I could barely sleep because I knew that Jule did not want to go to school on Tuesday.  I was worried.  I do not want for her to have a bad time here, and school is a big part of her day (of course.)

HOWEVER....

Day two of school was "much better" as she said.  She had so much to tell me after I picked her up from school.  What a relief!  As I told her, when the students found out that she's from Germany they wanted to talk with her.  This is good news, as she needs to be more confident in her speaking.  She is actually very good at English... she just does not know it yet.

She made a few friends and did some very cool assignments during her day.  She showed me her Oragami that she made in crafts class.  She told me about how the Geometry is different here from Germany.  She talked to the other exchange student from Vietnam.

I reached out to the other host mother, as well, and we have plans to go to dinner next week so that the girls will have some time to talk outside of school.

Things are looking much better.  I am so happy for her!

First day of school. :(

Ohhhh... the first day of school in America.  Blah.

Jule is attending a school called Sylvan Hills High School.  The school has about 1000 students from grades 9 through 12.  I am not very happy with this school.  It feels old and sad.  The students are... different.  However, I have no choice but to send her here.  I am not poor, so I have no opportunity to take her to a different place.

We spent yesterday (Sunday) some outside walking the Big Dam Bridge in Little Rock.  It is the longest pedestrian bridge in the world.  Jule and I took the dog (Cricket) but Cricket decided that she did not want to walk very far.  So, our time there was short.  We will go back without the dog!

We also visited The Old Mill in North Little Rock.  It was built in the 1800's and is famous for being in the opening credits of the movie Gone With the Wind.

We did not do much more on Sunday.

Again, today was school.  A few things went wrong, as I expected.  I really hate that Jule must go at all, but I guess I don't have a choice.  Hopefully, when looking back, it will be a learning experience -- even if it's not great.  Definitely she will appreciate her school in Germany much more after this.

Full Day Number One: Shopping and Food!

Jule slept late today, as expected, since she had a long day traveling yesterday.  We finally got up and going around 11 a.m. and headed straight to Wal-Mart for school shopping and grocery shopping!

Wal-Mart is a mammoth of a store.  It's both loved and hated in America.  People love it because you can get anything that you need in one place... from tires to grapes to medicines and televisions.  It's commonly called a "superstore" here in America.  And because it's so large in size and is found in nearly every town in America, its prices are cheap.  On the other hand, the small businesses cannot compete with its buying power and therefore many older "mom and pop" businesses have had to close their doors forever.  For small business owners, Wal-Mart meant the death of their livelihood.

Wal-Mart is also used as an example of a place where the odd people of America go to buy groceries.  We oftentimes make fun of it, and there are websites designated just for this purpose.  PeopleOfWalMart.com is one of those.  Take a gander at the photos.  It's disturbing.  Now, you don't ALWAYS find these people there, but in the very small rural towns you're likely to find some strange people.

After Wal-Mart, we were very hungry so we scooted down John F. Kennedy Boulevard to Jule's first Mexican Restaurant experience at Casa Mexicana.  We ate white cheese dip (queso blanco) and salsa with warm tortilla chips.  We both ordered flautas.  They are delivered with lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, Mexican rice and refried beans.  On the plate, it does not look good, but in your mouth, it is wonderful!  When we left the restaurant, we were both so full that we were miserable.

Mexican restaurants are everywhere in America, but especially in the south part of the U.S.  We have many illegal (and legal) immigrants from Mexico.  They come through the border and migrate north.  It's very common for the families to own restaurants.

After our Mexican food, we had to go grocery shopping.  Kroger is a common grocery store here in the United States.  We needed to get food for the house.  Eating out is fun, but I do need to cook on many nights!  :)  Jule was surprised at the number of different items we have of one product.  For instance Oreo cookies.  We have 18 different kinds of Oreos and hundreds of kinds of ice cream. It took ten minutes for her to pick out one kind of ice cream.  (She settled for Chocolate Ganache and a pint of Ben and Jerry's.)

We were tired after this, so we went home and rested a little.  Then we ate our leftovers from Texas Roadhouse Grill and went to a movie called The Campaign with Will Ferrell.

After the movie, I took Jule to her first "FroYo" experience.  We call Frozen Yogurt "FroYo" for short.  This is Tutti Frutti, the one closest to my home.  We both had fun trying all the flavors, and we both liked the sour ones the best!

So, full day #1 has come to a close.  We are tired.  Off to bed!

Jule has arrived!

Well, Jule has arrived! :) I met Jule at the Bill and Hillary Clinton Airport last night around 6:30 p.m. U.S. Central Standard Time.  This is seven hours behind her time in Unna.  She was tired and HUNGRY!  So, we drove to her new house at 507 Verona Ave in Sherwood, Arkansas and dropped her bags.  She said that a steak sounded good to eat, so we went to her first US restaurant called Texas Roadhouse Grill.

When you enter Texas Roadhouse Grill, the thing that you notice most is that there are thousands of peanut shells on the floor.  While you are waiting for a table, you may eat as many peanuts as you wish... and there's nowhere to put the shells, so you throw them on the floor.  It's odd, and would never happen in a German restaurant for sure, but it's just one of the strange things about some American restaurants.  So... Jule did the same as the other people at the restaurant... she threw her shells on the floor!  :)

Since American restaurants are busy, you are given a small device that will blink and buzz when your table is ready.  I guess this was new to Jule since I needed to explain what it would do.  :)  The other thing that she learned about American restaurants... the waiters and waitresses won't leave you alone.  They come by every five to ten minutes and ask if you need more of this or that, whether you're happy with your meal, and if you need anything.  Since I have traveled often, I know that this is a big difference between America and many other countries.

Her first meal was an 8 ounce sirloin steak, a baked potato with sour cream and cheese and bacon on the side, corn, water with LOTS of ice, and... oh.... the bread!  :)  She will tell you about the bread.  :)  It's soft and warm and the butter that is delivered with it is very sweet with some cinnamon.  The servers (waiters/waitresses) will bring as much as you want to your table.  I told Jule "This is why Americans are fat."

When we returned home, she began unpacking into her new bedroom and then she was ready for sleep!  :)

Today we will do lots of shopping for groceries and school supplies.  It appears that she will see her first American thunder storm.  She's still asleep, but I hear thunder coming!  I will have to educate her on tornadoes and what to do if one comes here.  They're fairly common in this part of the country.