On Tuesdays I work until about 2:00 PM, and on Thursdays I am finished by 9:30 AM.
After Work
Because I have so much free time after school, there are many opportunities to explore my community and the surrounding areas. In the warmer months, I could often sit on the beach by the Baltic Sea. There is a library in a neighboring town to my school that offers a multitude of literature, from German classics to translated children's books. I'm currently working on reading the Magic Treehouse series by Mary Pope Osborne. They were a favorite of mine growing up, and I find children's books are a great way to build my everyday vocabulary.
Another common activity for me is visiting the supermarket after school. More often than not, I stop by to pick up some groceries to prepare my dinner for the evening and following day. In Germany, it is common to only pick up what you need a couple days in advance, especially produce, to ensure it is fresh.
For dinners I usually cook myself, but my landlady also invites me around one time per week to eat with her. She enjoys cooking, and often makes traditional German or GDR dishes. One of my current obsessions is "Milchreis," which is a kind of rice pudding that can be eaten with marmalade as a dessert or for breakfast.
Evenings - 5:00
My evenings typically involve preparing for my classes the following day or throughout the week. In German schools, students often follow their textbooks very strictly, and I like to introduce more variety through games and stories. These activities, however, take a lot of extra work!
During the winter, it also gets dark very early in Northern Germany.
