De rest van het verhaal
Door: Anne
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Anne
16 April 2008 | Nederland, Kaatsheuvel
Ik doe het lekker makkelijk: hier het verslag zoals ik dat bij mijn leraar in moet gaan leveren:
Exchange with Annapolis Area Christian School, Maryland, United States
Before you, you see a brief report in regard to the exchange that took place from April 1st until April 10th 2008. Written by: Anne Jenniskens.
After a useless Monday at school, we could finally leave for the United States on Tuesday. We were supposed to come to the airport seperately and meet after we went through the security. Even though there were only thirteen of us, I still think that it would have been easier to travel and check in together. After an unbearable long flight, we arrived only two hours later at Washington DC airport. And we finally met ‘our’ Americans! The trip home was ‘only’ three hours, including a short intermission at AACS for a chosen set of courses evening. When I finally got ‘home’, I got to meet my American brother and mother and not long afterwards, I was sound asleep. It is truly unbelievable what a number of impressions you can get in only 23 hours!
Wednesday! I was lucky right the first day, because Alex (‘my’ American) didn’t have to be at school before 9.30 am. That meant that we didn’t have to leave before 8.30 and I felt like I was really sleeping late! I joined her in Bell’ Arte, her choir, and after that, English. They read MacBeth and I made a great impression by knowing what Ents were (L.O.T.R.). They wondered if Lord Of The Rings was popular in the Netherlands. Well, only a little bit, since Tolkien is about the greatest writer who ever lived..! But hey, why should you know, since he’s not from the United States!
After lunch we went to Chapel, where there was a lot of singing, praying and preaching. After that, Alex and I went to the Annapolis Mall just to get some cash, and then we finally got home. My ‘mom’ made macaroni cheese and that was… not extremely good..? It was horrible! Soon it was bedtime and I was glad that I brought my good ol’ pillow with me.
On Thursday, the entire exchange group plus some other kids went to Washington DC! We were at the Mall (no, not a shopping mall) and we went to see the Spy Museum and the Air & Space Museum. It was a lot of fun and when we got back to school we arranged a get-together at the Annapolis shopping Mall to eat some (please, pretend to be surprised!) pizza and spend our money. Both things were no problem to accomplish, and we went home tired but satisfied.
Hey, it’s Friday already! The time does go fast. A bus brought us downtown Annapolis where we visited the Naval Academy and got a tour around ‘old’ Annapolis. Around four o’clock, I thought that I would never be able to walk again! The bus drove us back to the school and the thought that we would be dying to sport after a day like that came to the American teachers and so it happened. They ordered pizza (original!) and we sat and ate and had a good laugh.
First thought when you hear the word ‘weekend’: sleeping late! Unfortunately, not in this case. I have lost all my sense of time over there, I had no idea what day it was and I just followed whoever was in charge. At this moment, I began to think that the time that I sat in a car in a week here, was about equal to six months in the Netherlands. Please, somebody, let me ride a bike! Anyway, we went to St. Michels, where an extremely nice guy (who unfortunately couldn’t stop talking about the oysters over there) gave us a tour around the place. After that, everybody came to Alex’ place to eat (yes, I got the richest American) in some sort of club house that her grandfather built for her entire family (about 50 people) to sleep and eat at Christmas and Easter. My big sister had arrived from college by then, and soon we had to leave with Amanda and Laura for a concert given by a band called Hawk Nelson. Laura and I had no idea what they were like, but we had a lot of fun there.
Sunday was church/family day. Billy Graham’s daughter preached at the Naval Academy Chapel, so we went there. And it was.. very American. I think I have heard the sentence “Jesus loves you!” about seven times and the words ‘sin’ and ‘sinner’ about a hundred times. After the mass, Alex and I went home and she made us some French fries and chicken nuggets for lunch. (what did I say about fastfood..?) The Lord Of The Rings-trilogy was on TV, so I watched it, while she made a lot of homework.
Goodbye, weekend… Monday it was and the entire exchange group went to Antietam and Harper’s Ferry. It was very impressive and Harper’s Ferry was so picturesque. Laura, Amanda, Alex and I had an icecream and a good laugh and than we headed back to school. Alex and I picked up a quick McDonald’s before leaving for a Youth Group. It was a get-together from kids from church and it was a lot of fun, until they started reading a story from the bible. Then I remembered: oh yeah, I’m in America.
On Tuesday we went to Washington DC again, but without the American kids. We walked all the way from the Arlington Cemetery, where J.F. Kennedy is buried, to the Washington Monument. Between those two, we saw the Lincoln Monument, the Vietnam Memorial and the World War II Memorial. At the Vietnam Memorial, we had to make a stop at a kiosk, because mister Didden was about to faint: he needed food, right now! Considering his speed of walking, we didn’t complain. All these monuments and memorials were very beautiful and impressive, but our feet wanted REST! (which they didn’t get before we were back at the train station where some teachers came to pick us up in their gigantic seven seats-cars)
Wednesday: tomorrow we’re leaving already! We went to school (if you remember the previous Wednesday, I got to sleep late) and joined in Chapel again. We had a lot of fun with the songs and the speech, but we were a little shy when everybody began to cheer for us, and pray for us! “Keep our Dutch friends safe on their trip home, thank you Lord for this new friendship, et cetera et cetera.” That was quite moving actually. The American teachers put us in a class filled with computers, and we were sent out to interview some people considering their knowledge about the Netherlands, Europe and the European Union. And the results were tearjerking bad. I guess the prejudice that Americans don’t know anything about the rest of the world because they are so self-centered, is true.
We agreed to go the movies that night. Unfortunately our choice was blocked by a certain teacher who thought it was an unappropriate movie. I am not allowed to call names, but that stroke me. A teacher has nothing to say about what movie we want to see! Certainly considering that the movie was for thirteen years and older, and most of the American kids had already seen it. But it was obvious that we didn’t have a saying in the matter. So we went to see another movie. That movie was a lot of fun, despite that not everyone was there. When Alex and I got home, panic stroke: my wallet was still at the movie theatre…
On Thursday we went to the Air & Space Museum. The big building, not the one we went to a week ago. In my opinion, that could have been skipped, because it was soooo boring! (Mister Didden agrees!) The Flight Simulator was a lot of fun though, especially when you were standing outside and heard the others screaming inside.
Then, finally, we headed to the airport and we were on our way home. The flight was again way too long, but the view made up for it. We flew into the night, and saw the sun rise above the United Kingdom. And I watched “Alvin and the Chipmunks” for the fourth and fifth time! (all five times in the airplane)
Altogether, the trip was great. I had the time of my life... until I got home and read the e-mail from Alex that said that they didn't find my wallet. And on top of that: all that homework that I have to catch up with. Maybe for a next time: try to let the trip overlap a holiday.
Misschien tot een volgende keer, een volgende reis? Bedankt voor alle reacties en mailtjes!
Groetjes Anne
P.S. In het vorige bericht staan nu alle links voor de foto's.
Exchange with Annapolis Area Christian School, Maryland, United States
Before you, you see a brief report in regard to the exchange that took place from April 1st until April 10th 2008. Written by: Anne Jenniskens.
After a useless Monday at school, we could finally leave for the United States on Tuesday. We were supposed to come to the airport seperately and meet after we went through the security. Even though there were only thirteen of us, I still think that it would have been easier to travel and check in together. After an unbearable long flight, we arrived only two hours later at Washington DC airport. And we finally met ‘our’ Americans! The trip home was ‘only’ three hours, including a short intermission at AACS for a chosen set of courses evening. When I finally got ‘home’, I got to meet my American brother and mother and not long afterwards, I was sound asleep. It is truly unbelievable what a number of impressions you can get in only 23 hours!
Wednesday! I was lucky right the first day, because Alex (‘my’ American) didn’t have to be at school before 9.30 am. That meant that we didn’t have to leave before 8.30 and I felt like I was really sleeping late! I joined her in Bell’ Arte, her choir, and after that, English. They read MacBeth and I made a great impression by knowing what Ents were (L.O.T.R.). They wondered if Lord Of The Rings was popular in the Netherlands. Well, only a little bit, since Tolkien is about the greatest writer who ever lived..! But hey, why should you know, since he’s not from the United States!
After lunch we went to Chapel, where there was a lot of singing, praying and preaching. After that, Alex and I went to the Annapolis Mall just to get some cash, and then we finally got home. My ‘mom’ made macaroni cheese and that was… not extremely good..? It was horrible! Soon it was bedtime and I was glad that I brought my good ol’ pillow with me.
On Thursday, the entire exchange group plus some other kids went to Washington DC! We were at the Mall (no, not a shopping mall) and we went to see the Spy Museum and the Air & Space Museum. It was a lot of fun and when we got back to school we arranged a get-together at the Annapolis shopping Mall to eat some (please, pretend to be surprised!) pizza and spend our money. Both things were no problem to accomplish, and we went home tired but satisfied.
Hey, it’s Friday already! The time does go fast. A bus brought us downtown Annapolis where we visited the Naval Academy and got a tour around ‘old’ Annapolis. Around four o’clock, I thought that I would never be able to walk again! The bus drove us back to the school and the thought that we would be dying to sport after a day like that came to the American teachers and so it happened. They ordered pizza (original!) and we sat and ate and had a good laugh.
First thought when you hear the word ‘weekend’: sleeping late! Unfortunately, not in this case. I have lost all my sense of time over there, I had no idea what day it was and I just followed whoever was in charge. At this moment, I began to think that the time that I sat in a car in a week here, was about equal to six months in the Netherlands. Please, somebody, let me ride a bike! Anyway, we went to St. Michels, where an extremely nice guy (who unfortunately couldn’t stop talking about the oysters over there) gave us a tour around the place. After that, everybody came to Alex’ place to eat (yes, I got the richest American) in some sort of club house that her grandfather built for her entire family (about 50 people) to sleep and eat at Christmas and Easter. My big sister had arrived from college by then, and soon we had to leave with Amanda and Laura for a concert given by a band called Hawk Nelson. Laura and I had no idea what they were like, but we had a lot of fun there.
Sunday was church/family day. Billy Graham’s daughter preached at the Naval Academy Chapel, so we went there. And it was.. very American. I think I have heard the sentence “Jesus loves you!” about seven times and the words ‘sin’ and ‘sinner’ about a hundred times. After the mass, Alex and I went home and she made us some French fries and chicken nuggets for lunch. (what did I say about fastfood..?) The Lord Of The Rings-trilogy was on TV, so I watched it, while she made a lot of homework.
Goodbye, weekend… Monday it was and the entire exchange group went to Antietam and Harper’s Ferry. It was very impressive and Harper’s Ferry was so picturesque. Laura, Amanda, Alex and I had an icecream and a good laugh and than we headed back to school. Alex and I picked up a quick McDonald’s before leaving for a Youth Group. It was a get-together from kids from church and it was a lot of fun, until they started reading a story from the bible. Then I remembered: oh yeah, I’m in America.
On Tuesday we went to Washington DC again, but without the American kids. We walked all the way from the Arlington Cemetery, where J.F. Kennedy is buried, to the Washington Monument. Between those two, we saw the Lincoln Monument, the Vietnam Memorial and the World War II Memorial. At the Vietnam Memorial, we had to make a stop at a kiosk, because mister Didden was about to faint: he needed food, right now! Considering his speed of walking, we didn’t complain. All these monuments and memorials were very beautiful and impressive, but our feet wanted REST! (which they didn’t get before we were back at the train station where some teachers came to pick us up in their gigantic seven seats-cars)
Wednesday: tomorrow we’re leaving already! We went to school (if you remember the previous Wednesday, I got to sleep late) and joined in Chapel again. We had a lot of fun with the songs and the speech, but we were a little shy when everybody began to cheer for us, and pray for us! “Keep our Dutch friends safe on their trip home, thank you Lord for this new friendship, et cetera et cetera.” That was quite moving actually. The American teachers put us in a class filled with computers, and we were sent out to interview some people considering their knowledge about the Netherlands, Europe and the European Union. And the results were tearjerking bad. I guess the prejudice that Americans don’t know anything about the rest of the world because they are so self-centered, is true.
We agreed to go the movies that night. Unfortunately our choice was blocked by a certain teacher who thought it was an unappropriate movie. I am not allowed to call names, but that stroke me. A teacher has nothing to say about what movie we want to see! Certainly considering that the movie was for thirteen years and older, and most of the American kids had already seen it. But it was obvious that we didn’t have a saying in the matter. So we went to see another movie. That movie was a lot of fun, despite that not everyone was there. When Alex and I got home, panic stroke: my wallet was still at the movie theatre…
On Thursday we went to the Air & Space Museum. The big building, not the one we went to a week ago. In my opinion, that could have been skipped, because it was soooo boring! (Mister Didden agrees!) The Flight Simulator was a lot of fun though, especially when you were standing outside and heard the others screaming inside.
Then, finally, we headed to the airport and we were on our way home. The flight was again way too long, but the view made up for it. We flew into the night, and saw the sun rise above the United Kingdom. And I watched “Alvin and the Chipmunks” for the fourth and fifth time! (all five times in the airplane)
Altogether, the trip was great. I had the time of my life... until I got home and read the e-mail from Alex that said that they didn't find my wallet. And on top of that: all that homework that I have to catch up with. Maybe for a next time: try to let the trip overlap a holiday.
Misschien tot een volgende keer, een volgende reis? Bedankt voor alle reacties en mailtjes!
Groetjes Anne
P.S. In het vorige bericht staan nu alle links voor de foto's.
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Je kunt nu ook Smileys gebruiken. Via de toolbar, toetsenbord of door eerst : te typen en dan een woord bijvoorbeeld :smiley
