Düsseldorf (10.07)

On my trip to Essen with my host brother (Gastbruder) and host sister (Gastschwester) to visit their Grandparents (Großeltern) we all went to Düsseldorf for the day.

Düsseldorf is a beautiful city, I have noticed that it is not so green (grün) as other places in Germany (Deutschland).

Meine Deutsche Freundin wohnt in Düsseldorf aber ich konnte nicht mit sie treffen. Sie hat ein Austauschjahr in Australien gemacht und sie hat in mein Schule in Gold Coast gegangen.

My German girl friend lives in Düsseldorf but I couldn't meet up with her. She did an exchange year in Australia and went to my school in Gold Coast. 

My German grammar may be wrong 

That is me leaning on the glass at the Rheintower.

On one of the streets there was a French street party
 and so there were stalls selling French produce and 
lots of awesome vintage cars.

That is an rhubarb alcohol free beer that I tried
 in atypical German restaurant. 

The river (Fluss) that passed through the shopping centre 
of Düsseldorf was so beautiful I had to take a picture.

This is some of the French produce on sale at the street party
 - it is nougat and they had Nutella flavour.

There was a mini Eiffel Tower and I thought it was a 
cool shot with the roller coasters in the back. 

I actually really enjoyed my time in Düsseldorf and hope to go back to visit my friend one time. I am in Essen until Sunday and so far it has been a very enjoyable trip :) 

Hamburg (25th June)

I was given the awesome opportunity to go to Hamburg for the day with my German school friends and a Chilean exchange. Of course it is a far trip from Minden to go to Hamburg for just a day, it is about 3 hours or so on the train so we didn't get a whole lot of time to do many things.

But we visited the beautiful Rathaus, walk around the city, go to the docks and eat pommes with mayo (hot chips/fries). I was able to buy some postcards from a souvenir shop - it is a thing that I do that every city I go to (if I get the opportunity) to buy postcards and I don't know I think I can compile them all together and make a frame or something of them. I buy extras so I can send some home to my best friends and my family.

Hamburg really is a beautiful city and I have actually been there once before with my Counscellor's family during Easter Holidays. I think I might actually have some photos from then to show you what it is like. I remember then that in the part of the city where we were, it was like Venice because there were rivers flowing through the city. There were actually swans on the rivers too.

However this experience was really cool and I got to spend time with my great friend from Chile who was flying back home the next week or so. Hopefully I will get to spend more time there on the Rotex Deutschland Tour (if I get on the list) and take some awesome photos.

Weekend in Holland

With my first host family (my mother and sister), another family and two other exchanges in Minden from Argentina and the U.S. we all went to Holland for the long weekend. Little did I know that it would be one of the greatest highlights of my exchange.

We had an apartment that actually was really cool, placed above an automotive workhouse, in Zanoort an Zee. Zanoort an Zee in Holland is a wonderful holiday destination where you can have a delicious dinner on the beach side. It was so nice because I was actually missing the beach - it is not common for me to do this as in Australia I loath the beach, too much salt and sand for me. The other exchanges and I enjoyed taking a load of photos on the beach it was really fun.


The first night we just had dinner on the beach then went for a walk around the city - which is so beautiful may I add.

We went to Harlem the next day which was only a 30 minute train ride. Harlem is literally my favourite city so far in Holland. I was actually considering living there in the future. It such a beautiful place and the people were so friendly.

The next day we got the opportunity to go to Amsterdam and boy was that something. We got to visit the Anne Frank house and that was so interesting. I didn't cry, I don't seem to know why but I just don't cry in those types of situations, especially in public. I also didn't feel as sad as I felt interested. I just felt so engrossed in the information about Anne's family and the relationships within the house. I read a little bit of the book before but I didn't get to finish it so I didn't know as much but it was just so interesting and so smart on how they did all these things to survive and how hard it must have been - creeping around the house silently to not make a single noise. I really wanted to get something from the shop but we had to go then.

The other exchanges and I just walked around in the city, we got some shorts because it ended up being so hot that day - it was terrible, like Australia in the summer with horrible horrible humidity. Although it was a beautiful day and I have missed a nice summer day since I came to Germany actually.

On our last day in Holland, the exchanges and I just chilled at the apartment, did some shopping and hanged out in Zanoort.

It was such a nice weekend and I owe my host mother everything for it and it was even better because I got to spend it with my friends also. Hopefully I will get to visit Holland again soon sometime, maybe even get the chance to live there.

Driving to Holland

Zanoort sunset

Restaurant on the beach that we went to on the first night

Zanoort

Zanoort Strand (beach)

Zanoort Strand (beach)

Harlem

Harlem

Harlem

Harlem

Harlem

Harlem

Rotary Praesentation (auf Deutsch mit Englisch Uebersetzung)

Hallo mein Name ist Gabrielle Burey, ich bin eine Austauschulerin aus Australien und seit Januar in Minden. Ich bin 18 jahre alt und ich habe die Schule in Australien bereits beendet.

Hello my name is Gabrielle Burey, I am an exchange student from Australia. I have been here since January living in Minden. I am 18 and I have already finished school in Australia. 

Meine Eltern leben noch in Moree, NSW und meine beiden Brueder leben in Brisbane und Gold Coast. Seit ich 12 Jahre war, habe ich in einem Internat gelebt. Meine Brueder waren auch dort, denn meine Eltern wollten die beste Ausbildung fuer uns. Ich liebte mein Leben im Internat und ich habe dort viele Freunde gefunden. Ich konnte nur in den Ferien nach Hause fahren, denn die Schule war 6 Stunden entfernt. Meine Schule hat eine Schuluniform, die bequem für das Wetter war. Letztes Jahr habe ich in Australien meinen Fuehrerschien gemacht und ich liebe es, Auto zu fahren! Ich vermisse meine Freunde und Familie in Australien, aber ein Jahr in einem fremden Land zu leben, ist es wert.

My parents still live in Moree, NSW and both of my brothers live in Brisbane and Gold Coast. Since I was a 12 I have gone to a boarding school. My Brothers also went to boarding school because my parents wanted us to get the best opportunities. I loved my life in boardings school and I have had made so many friends there. Only on the holidays do I come back to Moree, it is 6 hours from my boarding school. My school had a school uniform which was comfortable for the weather. Last year I did my driving test and so I love to drive a lot in cars! I miss my friends and framily in Australia, but to live a year in a different country is so worth it.

Meine Heimatstadt, Moree ist in New South Wales, im gleichen Gebiet wie Sydney.

Moree hat asiatische Einfluesse und ist auch gepraegt von den Aboriginies. Der Sommer ist sehr heiss und der Winter ist waermer als in Minden. Und wir kennen keinen Schnee.

Durch Moree fliesst auch ein Fluss, aber er ist nicht sehr be eutend. Es fahren keine Schiffe auf den Mehi – Fluss. Und die Menschen in meiner Heimat fahren nicht mit dem Fahrrad und auch nicht mit dem Zug, und im Moment fahren die Deutschen auch nicht mit dem Zug – die Bahn streikt mal wieder. In Australien faehrt jeder Auto, der 16 ist.

My hometown, Moree is in New South Wales in the same state as Sydney. Moree has Asian and Aboriginal influence. The summer is very hot and the winter is warmer than in Minden and we also don't have any snow. Through Moree runs a river but it is not so important. We don't drive ships on the Mehi River. The people at home don't bike ride or normally take the trains, and in moment the Germans are also not travelling by train - the train continues to strike. Australians usually travel by car starting when we are 16. 

Hier kann man sehen wie gross Australien ist – im Vergleich zu Europa.

Und wie groß ist Australien Im Vergleich zu Deutschland?

Australien ist 21 mal größer als Deutschland. In Deutschland gibt es 16 Bundesländer und Australien besteht aus sechs Bundesländern und zwei Territorien. In Deutschland leben etwa neunzig Millionen und in Australien nur etwa 23 Millionen Menschen.

Das ist die Flagge vom Australien und zuletzt die Flagge der Aboriginies.

Here you can see how big Australia is in comparison to Europe.

And how big is Australia in comparison to Germany?
Australia is 21 times bigger than Germany. In Germany there are 16 states whilst in Australia there are 6 states and 2 territories. In Germany there is a population of 90 million people whilst in Australia only 23 Million people live there.

That is the Australian Flag and below is the Aboriginal Flag.

Meine Ankunft in Hannover am Flughafen. Meine Gastfamilie, die “Quarders” holen mich ab. ich war so aufgeregt. Und das sind meine esrten Fotos vom Minden.

My arrival in Hannover and I was picked up by my host family the "Quarders", I was so excited and those are my first photos of Minden.

Im Januar habe ich zum ersten mal Schnee in meinem Leben gesehen und gefuehlt.

Ein Ausflug mit meiner Familie und Miru nach Bremen. Ich bin beindruckt von Bremen – eine sehr schoene Stadt.

I went on a trip to Bremen with my host family and an Argentinian exchange student, Miru. I was so impressed of Bremen it is a very beautiful city. 

Karneval in Koeln mit den Mindener Inbounds. Das war ein tolles Erlebmis. So etwas gibt es in Australien nicht.

I also went to carnival in Cologne with the other inbounds from Minden. I was an amazing experience, there are no carnivals like this in Australia. 

Mit den Inbounds ging es auf Europatour im März . Wir waren in 8 Ländern und 14 Städten in 23 Tagen mit 53 Austauschschülern. Es hat so viel Spaß gemacht und es war erstaunlich , so viele Städte zu sehen. Meine Lieblings-städte sind Barcelona, ​​Rom und Paris.

I went on Europtour in March with the other inbounds in the district. We went to 8 different countries, 14 cities in 23 days with 53 exchange students. It was so much fun and it was amazing to see so many cities. My favourite cities are Barcelona, Rome and Paris. 

Die Osterferien habe ich mit Familie Gruebbel verbracht. Ueber die Feiertage waren wir in Ploen. Dort habe ich mein erstes Buch auf Deutsch gelesen “Der kleine Schmetterling”.

I had my Easter Holidays with the Gruebbel's. Over the labour-free days we were in Ploen, there I had read my first book in German called "The Small Butterfly".

Warum habe ich Rotary gewaehlt und warum wollte ich nach Deutschland?

Ich liebe Herausforderungen, ich mag es zu reisen und mache gern neue Erfahrungen. Ausserdem wollte ich deutsch lernen. Dieses Austauschjahr wird meim Leben nachhaltig beeinflussen, es wird mich staerken und mich fuer neue Dinge oeffnen.

Ich moechte mich bei Rotary, meinem Eltern, meinem Gasteltern, den Quarders, und bei Jutta ganz herzlich bedanken, dass sie dieses Jahr fuer mich zu einem ganz besonderen Jahr gemacht haben und hoffentlich auch weiterhin machen werden.

Why did I go with Rotary and why did I want to go to Germany?
I love challenges, I like to travel and to make new experiences. Also because I wanted to learn the German language. This exchange year will influence my life by making me stronger and more open-minded.

I would like to thank Rotary, my Parents, my Host Parents - the "Quarders", and Jutta because they have made this year for me such a special and I really hope it will continue to be so. 

Europatour Maerz (March)

I went on Europatour 2015 for 22 days with 53 other exchanges from my district in Germany. The first night was hard as I didn’t know many people because I was unable to meet them all at the Rotex Wochenende in Paderborn but like always I was accepted into this new family with diverse people. I have became friends with a majority of the english native speakers first and then I became really good friends with some of the Spanish/Japanese/Thai/etc. speakers. I had so much fun and I am sort of sad at the moment because it is over but I know that I will have more experiences like this in the near future :).

The Rotex Europatour '15 Distrikt 1900

made by Rafaela Saragiotto (Brazil)

Monatbericht Januar - Monthly Report January

My first week was pretty good actually. Saturday my host family took me to the city and showed me the Weser River, which goes through Minden. I have found out that bröchen which is a type of bread is SO GOOD. But My host family doesn't have bread in their house because the host mother is vegan so I have been eating vegan for a week and to be honest I feel... Thinner. Uhm I stayed home until Thursday which was when I had my first day at school. It was so good, I met so many people and there are a lot exchanges (not only Rotary too) in Minden, a majority are from South America and spoke Spanish.

A boy who was leaving Minden to move to Frankfurt had a farewell party that night so they invited me and it was nice to just chat and laugh about funny things. They told me things about exchange in general, gave me warnings about people who go to our school and the town Minden. It is like a family and I am their newborn baby. It is really cute. I got a cheap phone because my iPhone didn't accept the sim which is annoying. The cheap phone works and I love it so much! I made some more German friends on my second day of school and I joined in the French class... So I couldn't understand what people were saying x2. Tried to ride the bike home but then I got lost and ended up on the other side of the town... My host mother loved it! I am learning more and more German everyday and what is cool is that almost no country has a grudge against Australia. They literally love us! So we have an advantage here I guess. I have been told countless times about how cool my accent is despite the fact that I don't know the difference.

My second week in Minden, Germany was quite eventful. Over the weekend I went to Oma’s birthday lunch (oma means grandmother) and I had so much food that I got sick and was vomiting quite a lot. Because of this, I was unable to go to school on Monday or Tuesday. It started to snow and I had a snowball fight with the Quarder family and built a snowman with my host sister, Sophie.

My second weekend in Germany was so fun and I did a lot of things. On Saturday night I went over to another exchanges house and chilled out there with the other exchanges, it is very nice. On Sunday I went to Bremen with my host mother and another exchange girl, my host mother knew some people from Bremen and they acted like our tour guides. Bremen is so beautiful and I enjoyed my time there. On Monday I was invited with three other exchange students to go to Koeln (Cologne) by the train. It was so nice and we had so much fun. We climbed the tower in the Dom - which is a very big cathedral in Koeln. They say that they have started building the church 800 years ago and took them 600 to fully complete it. The building is so big and beautiful, with many intricate designs around the exterior.

It was a long flight from Brisbane, Australia through Bangkok,
Thailand to Hannover, Germany

My room for the next 6 months! 

The steeples in Minden :)

The shopping centre of Minden
(You cannot buy much stuff here, normally the
younger people go to Hannover to shop)

A Pedestrian Bridge that goes over the Weser River

The look of outside from my room :)

The family cat "Leo"

Snow selfie 

The look of the street where I live