Fishing and Our Going-Away Evening, I

Friday, August 4, 2000

Herr B. and Herr Steiner, Bianca's father, started the day off early in the morning at 5:30 and drove to the Förmitz resevoir to try their hand at fishing. Although only amatuers, Herr Steiner and Herr Bradshaw tried would try to outwit the crafty German fish anyway. German fish are know for their stealth and cunning. The German military over the years has gained many tactical advantages by observing the habits of its fresh water fish and applying this knowledge to its submarine fleet. The beautiful German morning dawns with the promise of a great catch. And indeed the great catch materialized. After one hour and four minutes of fighting, Herr Bradshaw landed this record-breaking Hecht (I don't know the fish's name in English). Herr Steiner fell overboard trying to help bring it in the boat. After Herr B. secured the fish to the boat, he had to jump in and save Herr Steiner, who was suffering from an acute case of hypothermia. After the hysteria, we found out that this fish was a record for the lake, one meter and 44 centimeters long and 40.3 pounds! Germans have a saying, "The dumbest farmers always grow the biggest potatoes." In this case, the saying was certainly true.

After the record-breaking catch, it was Herr Steiner's turn for a fight. Amazingly, after Herr Steiner was pulled safely into the boat by Herr Bradshaw, Herr Steiner's pole, which was laying on the floor, experienced a violent jerk. Shaking and shivering, Herr Steiner grabbed the pole at the last second before it went overboard. He was nearly pulled out of the boat again when Herr B. grabbed his leg to prevent him from a second shocking swim in the lake. Herr Steiner fought 33 minutes with this fish, the Zunder. Although smaller than the Hecht, the Zunder packs a punch that is absolutely unbelievable for its size. In the end, it was 23.6 pounds, another lake record. Thouroghly exhausted from their fishes, both Herr Stiener und Herr Bradshaw barely had the strength to row back to shore. The fish were so big that we had tow them back in behind the boat for fear that the boat would sink under their great combined weight. Fighting the dreaded fresh-water Dako Shark from attacks on their two prizes, Herr Steiner and Herr Bradshaw bravely made it safely back to shore. It was a day we'll never forget! In the evening, it was time to celebrate our Going-Away party with the Germans. There were games, music, laughing and eating. Here, Herr Bergmann, Brianna's guest father, barbeques the meat for the evening. He lets everyone know with his apron the he is the "king of his castle."

The evening gave us one last chance to be together. It became real to many of us that GAPP 2000 in Germany will forever be in the past and that made many of us realize tonight what a special thing it has been to be here this month. The parents prepared all kinds of games for us to do together. Here, Dominik has to race on stilts to the finish line to earn points in this game. More games continued on the next page!

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Herr B. and Herr Steiner, Bianca's father, started the day off early in the morning at 5:30 and drove to the Förmitz resevoir to try their hand at fishing. Although only amatuers, Herr Steiner and Herr Bradshaw tried would try to outwit the crafty German fish anyway. German fish are know for their stealth and cunning. The German military over the years has gained many tactical advantages by observing the habits of its fresh water fish and applying this knowledge to its submarine fleet. The beautiful German morning dawns with the promise of a great catch.	And indeed the great catch materialized. After one hour and four minutes of fighting, Herr Bradshaw landed this record-breaking Hecht (I don't know the fish's name in English). Herr Steiner fell overboard trying to help bring it in the boat. After Herr B. secured the fish to the boat, he had to jump in and save Herr Steiner, who was suffering from an acute case of hypothermia. After the hysteria, we found out that this fish was a record for the lake, one meter and 44 centimeters long and 40.3 pounds! Germans have a saying, "The dumbest farmers always grow the biggest potatoes." In this case, the saying was certainly true.

After the record-breaking catch, it was Herr Steiner's turn for a fight. Amazingly, after Herr Steiner was pulled safely into the boat by Herr Bradshaw, Herr Steiner's pole, which was laying on the floor, experienced a violent jerk. Shaking and shivering, Herr Steiner grabbed the pole at the last second before it went overboard. He was nearly pulled out of the boat again when Herr B. grabbed his leg to prevent him from a second shocking swim in the lake. Herr Steiner fought 33 minutes with this fish, the Zunder. Although smaller than the Hecht, the Zunder packs a punch that is absolutely unbelievable for its size. In the end, it was 23.6 pounds, another lake record. Thouroghly exhausted from their fishes, both Herr Stiener und Herr Bradshaw barely had the strength to row back to shore. The fish were so big that we had tow them back in behind the boat for fear that the boat would sink under their great combined weight. Fighting the dreaded fresh-water Dako Shark from attacks on their two prizes, Herr Steiner and Herr Bradshaw bravely made it safely back to shore. It was a day we'll never forget!	In the evening, it was time to celebrate our Going-Away party with the Germans. There were games, music, laughing and eating. Here, Herr Bergmann, Brianna's guest father, barbeques the meat for the evening. He lets everyone know with his apron the he is the "king of his castle."

The evening gave us one last chance to be together. It became real to many of us that GAPP 2000 in Germany will forever be in the past and that made many of us realize tonight what a special thing it has been to be here this month.	The parents prepared all kinds of games for us to do together. Here, Dominik has to race on stilts to the finish line to earn points in this game. More games continued on the next page!