By the way: "Here" is Wausau, Wisconsin, a town a little bigger than Aurich. I am staying with a very nice family with three kids in their suburban mansion. Since I never had sisters before the 15-year-old sophomore, Courtney, and the 8-year-old Natasha were quite a pain sometimes. Courtney is going to the same school I am going to - Wausau EAST High. The school is kind of a ghetto school. Drugs all over and every second week suspensions for drugs or other things. School is from 8 to 3 and therefore very exhausting... But on the weekends you never really get to relax. So called Parties mainly mean hanging out in someone's basement and playing pool or watching TVs. If alcohol is involved then you'd better be watching out for those cops because you do not want to get sent home. But then you could also go out - that means cruising and going to eat. And there is of course everybody's favourite activity, going to games. I love watching Basketball games. Everybody gets so excited and there is the dance team and popcorn (by the way, American popcorn is salty and buttery) and you meet people and yell at the other team's fans... There also was Hockey and Soccer and Football to watch. Now all those seasons are over and track is starting. Track is sprinting, long distance running, high and long jumping, pole vault, shootput, throwing and sometimes swimming. I thought that might be fun and so now I have to run (upstairs, downstairs, sideways, jumping, on my hands,...) and work out 2 hours in a gym full of sweating athletes every single day. Water never tasted that good, a shower never felt that good. To you Wisconsin probably sounds pretty boring. And yes it was in the beginning. But now I have more and more friends. And I also got to see a lot more of the USA - New York; Niagara Falls; Canada; Knoxville, Tennessee; Chicago; Mall of America, Minneapolis; Milwaukee; and it is only three weeks left till I get to go to Hawaii! Aloha!

by Gesa Ortgies

last change: 10.03.2004 19:00