with thanks to:

Here are some of Natalie's pictures from Germany.

I lived in Stuttgart, a city in south Germany. It was quite cold in winter but it was fresh and there wasn't really any pollution.

This is my host mother and sister. They became my family for a year. My host mother was very kind and caring, but I could never be late!!! Their house has three storeys and a garden.	These are my host sisters' grandparents. So they were like my grandma and grandpa!	I'm eating a kebab with my host sister in this picture. Kebabs come from Turkey and are popular in Germany. I ate lots of bread (which was quite hard), cheese and sausages. It sounds heavy but I liked it.
These are my classmates in school. As you can see, the students don't need to wear a uniform. School in Germany is usually from 8a.m. – 1p.m. The teachers were really friendly. I learnt some new sports after school, like fencing and canoeing. They don't have as many tests or exams as in Hong Kong.	It was a great chance for me to learn about other cultures. I also taught my friends to make Chinese dumplings.	I learnt German and my English also improved a lot. It was a great year. I'm now a 'First Friend' for host students living in Hong Kong. Some of them come from Germany so I can keep up my German and make new friends.