We recently heard from Barbara, a Long Term volunteer who just arrived to Germany this January. She has a great blog from her trip so far including delicious recipes and tales of her volunteer experience so far. We included a couple entries here, as well as the link to the rest of her blog…Enjoy!
“Last Saturday we drove to Bernauer for some ‘richtiges Einkaufen’ (proper shopping) at the E-Center (Can you guess what the E stands for?). Our main goal was groceries and SIM cards, which we completed with ease. 
However, with several hours of shopping, 2 hours walking the dog, and nothing but a traditional Deutschefruehstuck (German Breakfast, which consists of rolls, butter, cheese, jam, and coffee), poor Lex and I were exceptionally hungry by 6:00pm, when we got back to Werneuchen.
Though I am fairly certain these recipes are, in fact, truly delicious, I cannot be sure how tainted my perception was by my hunger that night. :o)
Guten Appetite!
Salatesosse (Salad dressing)
2-3 spoonfuls of fragrant Olive Oil
2-3 spoonfuls of lightly reduce Balsamic Vinegar (this vinegar should be distilled from grape, apple, and pear juice, or similar fruits)
1 spoonful of Clover Honey
Salt, Pepper, Tuscan spice blend, and Middle Eastern spice blend
Whisk all of these ingredients together in a salad bowl. Toss with salad greens to coat.
Kaese-Kartoffeln (Cheese Potatoes)
1 kg small/baby golden potatos, boiled
100-150g shredded Swiss cheese
Salt, pepper, olive oil
Preheat oven to 375F (C).
Quarter the potatos and place in a heavy casserol dish. Drizzel olive oil over the potatoes and sprinkle on salt and pepper to taste. Toss gently to coat.
Sprinkle the Swiss cheese evenly over the potatos.
Place in the middle of the preheated oven and bake until the cheese is melted and the edges have started to turn brown.
UP/ICJA Quest: Host-Family, The First Days.
On January 27th our host family picked us up. We enjoyed a nice meal at their favorite Indian restaurant (which was DELICIOUS! I had the Chicken Tandoori and Lex had Snapper in red sauce), and then to their favorite Cafe for an after lunch espresso (in my experience this is very typically German after enjoying a large meal). 
It was wonderful to be able to speak German freely (during the Orientation Camp we were asked to speak English as not everyone could speak German), and I was very proud of Lex for practicing his German and enthusiastically participating in our conversations.
The Behms (our host family) drove us around Berlin center, pointing out important landmarks and sharing some of their own personal stories growing up in Eastern Germany/Eastern Berlin and living through the imposition and destruction of the Berliner Mauer (Berlin Wall). Since both are artists (Our Host-Vatter (Host Father) is a percussionist (specialties are set/trap) and Host-Mutter (Host Mother) is a dancer (performer) and dance instructor) and both grew up in artistic families, their stories tended to focus on performance art and the use of performance art in political demonstrations. It’s absolutely fascinating and I can’t wait to learn more!”
Want to hear more about Barbara and Lex’s Long term Quest?
postgradexplorations.blogspot.com
Interested in Long Term Quests to Germany? Check out our website for information about how YOU can travel and enjoy the gift of volunteering:
www.unitedplanet.org/volunteer-abroad/long-term
ABOUT UNITED PLANET
United Planet is a non-profit organization with a mission to create a global community, one relationship at a time. Established in 2001, United Planet offers volunteer abroad, virtual internships, internships abroad, gap year volunteering, and global virtual exchange in more than 40 countries.
