Konstant.

I wish I could write even some of this in German, like everyone else, but I know my homies in NZ won't be able to understand #nonEuropeanproblems -luckily everyone else is super-exposed and talented so hopefully they can understand my English. Gah. I hate how everyone speaks English

Arrived in Konstanz -spent the 6 hour train ride playing Swedish card games (seem to be spending a lot of time doing that!) Was magical seeing the Schwarzwald (Black Forest) and a lot of Germany flash by -the weather seemed to get better and we moved South! It is seriously summer here, and the glittering lake made us all want to go swimming! Our host families met us at the train station -we hadn't had time to really think about the fact that we wouldn't be spending every moment together as a group anymore! We're here for 2 weeks, then it's back on the road again to Munich -strange, but cool. My host sister is lovely though -she's 15 but she could easily pass for 19. Lots of people in Germany seem older than they are, probably because they don't wear unifoms to school and they're all quite confident and continental. Their house is lovely too (they made the welcome sign for me and put it on the door for when I got there) -they have heaps of rabbits and turtles, that each have huge enclosures and roam around outside. There is so much fruit here too! Summer <3

On Muriel's door (a genius is rarely orderly, an orderly person rarely genius)

On the first night we had a potluck (of an exemplary standard, I might add) at school to celebrate us being here. With host students, as with pets, I tend to see the similarities between them and their 'caregivers' a bit too much.

The giant pretzel filled with cheese, salmon and every type of cold, sliced meat you can imagine that my host mother made for the welcome party.

Thought this part (the 2 weeks in Konstanz) might be a bit boring, but no! Just in the first 2 days we've done heaps! I have only been to one class with my host sister so far -the PAD students have our own classes -so far we've had science, philosophy and German history -it's been really interesting so far! We're all so tired all the time though!

Yesterday was an awesome first day -it was the day of the senior prank. Typically German, they had it all planned and everyone knew at exactly what time it was going to happen, and at 10.15 they said all they needed to say over the intercom (penis), then we went outside to a massive party in the courtyard.

They had filled the corridors with smoke and balloons, and outside was a stage with a live band, but they were also playing music really loud and did a few games involving the teachers.

On the ground, the students in their final year were running around chucking buckets of water (and spraying water guns) then chucking colour powder (like for Indian Diwali festivals) at each other.

Elise (die Begegnungsschulerin) and her friend 

The Argentinians -they like a party xox

Agustin (from Argentinia) getting water thrown at him

My host sister (Muriel) and me 

Wet!

The school goes all the way up from primary school, so there were lots of kids running around and having fun as well. I got completely wet but not so colourful -lucky as it apparently doesn't come off! After that school was out and we went to the lakeside -we had a picnic, played Swedish card games, played beach volleyball and swam in the lake. I got completely sunburnt! It was so nice being out in the sun so long though! In the evening we had white asparagus (a German delicacy only available for 6 weeks a year) and pancakes for dinner, then ambrosia made with quark. Later Pia and her hostsister, who is a friend of Muriel's (handy) came round and we watched 'The Broken' a horror/thriller. I'm not good with anything even vaguely scary -I still get freaked out at the child catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang! I have also never seen a horror film before. Spent a lot of time looking through my fingers, and screaming whenever the others were, even when nothing had happened!

I don't think we have any complete days of school while we're here. Today we did a tour of the city (the weather was bad) and then we went shopping with Pia and Nina. A lot of Swiss people come to Konstanz to shop because the border is right in the middle of Konstanz (and shopping is cheaper). This also means that Konstanz wasn't destroyed in the war because bombers couldn't tell where Konstanz ended and Switzerland (which was neutral) began! Also means there's Swiss chocolate shops, with massive slabs of different-flavoured chocolate! Tomorrow we're going on a full-day excursion around the lake then up a mountain. We are actually so lucky! My German is crap, but other than that everything is wunderbar!