Ashley: Day 5 and 6

And on the 5th day... we traveled.

Yesterday we left Berlin. We woke up early in time to get to the train station for our 9:25 AM train to Hamburg. Unfortunately, that train was delayed and we had to find another train to jump on to make it to Scheessel in time. We boarded a big silver bullet train in Berlin and got off in Hamburg to change trains. We hopped on a different (double decker) train and headed to Scheessel where 17 very excited families were waiting to meet the kids.

Here's where the day took a turn for the worse. Brace yourself.

As we got to the train station in Scheessel to all the bright shining faces of some very excited families, I did a quick head count, which I've gotten very good at! I've learned to count quickly because moving on and off public transportation with 17 bodies that are not used to the speed or momentum of the system is quite a task. Kris and I have learned that one of us must be in front and one of us in back, just in case the entire group doesn't make it on a train - which happened last trip a time or two. Except this time I only counted 16, not 17. I counted at least 10 more times to double check I didn't miss a head somewhere. I kept coming up with 16. I stopped everyone and said "Guys, who are we missing?!". Quickly we figured out Kira was not with the group. By this time the train had left.

Queue panic mode now.

"What! Where is Kira!? Who was sitting by Kira?! How did no one see Kira?!"

After panicking, tweeting, a phone call home, a phone call to the train station,  and tracking of the next 6 stops the train was making, Kira was found.

Kris hopped on a train and headed for Bremen (about 30 minutes away) where Kira was smart enough to get off the train and make a phone call. They both rode the train back in to Scheessel and all is well. Kira is with her host family and my blood pressure has returned to it's normal rate. What an awful feeling!

Last night the kids spent time with their families. All the families were extremely excited to see and meet the kids. I'm sure most families had a planned activities or dinner in the evening.

Today the kids went to school with the German students and sat in on various classes such as Spanish, Gym, Math, English, and Music. There was a short school assembly where the "school director" or principal introduced the kids to the entire student body. The principal actually went on this very exchange back in 1985 when Carston and Carl first started the trip. The kids were also interviewed by a local newspaper reporter. They've made us feel important here!

Blogging may not be everyday seeing as how the kids are with their host families but stay tuned because we will update later on in the week.

Hope all is well at home! We couldn't have asked for more beautiful weather here - 75 and sunny.

Ashley