After hours and hours in trains and cars our lovely small group of 10 people made it to Rock Falls on Saturday, August 9th at around 7:30 pm. The city has around 9000 inhabitants and is located in the north east of Illinois at the Rock River.
When we arrived in the parking lot of the ‘Country Inn and Suites’ many host families were already waiting for us. It was lovely greeting everyone and with a little delay also Selina’s and my host family arrived. From the minute we first met them, Ken and Lois were so welcoming and kind. Although we have been on the run for so long the first event already happened right after we arrived. Ken and Lois took us to a wedding reception of their great niece. Selina and I felt a little bit out of place since we couldn’t change clothes and get ready properly. But still it was great that we got to see an American wedding.
The bride is about to throw her bouquet
Decorated tables at the wedding reception
The location of the reception was beautiful and people were dancing, drinking and having a good time. Fortunately we also got some food: potato salad, a ham sandwich and potato chips. This is definitely different from a German wedding meal but great for us to experience. After eating a giant piece of the delicious wedding cake we got really tired and we left to Ken and Lois’ home. They live just outside of Rock Falls in a lovely neighborhood right next to a huge cornfield! Selina and I both stayed in wonderful rooms with a big comfy beds – just what we needed!
Cooooornfields!
Sunday morning started with homemade blueberry muffins and fresh melon and mango – delicious! At 10 we were ready to leave for church. Our host family attends the First United Methodist Church and I was very curious what the service will be like. Ken and Lois introduced us to everyone. It was great meeting all these nice people. The service last 1.5 hours and we sang a lot, the pastor held speeches, prayed and every member as well as Selina and I got a piece of bread which we had to dip into grape juice, they call this act communion. I liked the new experience a lot and am thankful that they took us. After the service we ate another big piece of cake because it was the birthday of pastor’s wife.
After some more chatting with everyone, it was already time for lunch. We went with our host family’s convertible car up into a beautiful area to eat a brunch. By that time it was just 1 o’clock and we already ate tons of calories and that weren’t the last that day!!!
When we got back home everyone helped around the house because they planed a party for that night on their deck. Selina and I prepared some chocolate covered strawberries and watched Lois cooking and baking. It is her greatest passion and we had the most delicious food ever during these days!!!
Selina and I preparing chocolate covered strawberries
As an afternoon snack (!!!) we had a bacon-lettuce-tomato sandwich – not mentioning that we were having dinner just a few hours later… At around 7 the first guests showed up and it was great meeting so many new people and chatting with everyone. Lois’ brother came with a three wheel motorcycle and proudly he allowed us to sit on it. We surely enjoyed that!
Just a few moments later our host family’s neighbor who repairs golf carts wanted to give us a ride on one of those. So we were driving through the cornfields with a golf cart – what an experience!
We would like to continue our travels with that vehicle!! 🙂
Probably not with that one though…
The evening was lovely with – guess what – more food as well as a nice campfire to make S’mores: a cookie sandwich with a hot marshmallow and chocolate. Although they offered us more, we could hardly eat one, considering what we already had that day. The evening ended at the lovely campfire with good company.
Enjoying the campfire
Monday started just like Sunday ended – with food. Ken made homemade blueberry pancakes to prepare us for the day. This became a day I won’t forget in a long time since it was a very, very nice one.
In the morning they took us back to church because Lois is the president of a club called ‘Loafs and Fishes’. They serve breakfast and lunch several days a week for each and everyone who comes. No one has to pay nor to proof anything. No questions are asked and so everyone can walk in and get a hot breakfast. We were introduced to everyone and started right away to help. I cooked some fried potatoes with vegetables and Selina helped making the scrambled eggs. Once we finished cooking we helped serving the food. I was so impressed by all the volunteers that helped making all this possible and I enjoyed talking to some of the guests and having the great feeling of helping with a good cause.
Preparing the potatoes
Selina and I sharing out hot breakfast
By 11 we were done and started with the next chapter of this day: sightseeing! Ken, Selina and I as well as Philipp, another CBYX participant, and his host dad Glenn went to see the mighty Mississippi at it’s widest point. This is right at the boarder to the state of Iowa.
THE MISSISSIPPI!
At the Mississippi Dam – behind is the widest point of the river
We continued our tour while crossing the Mississippi and I touched the soil of Iowa for the very first time. There we went to have lunch at a place called ‘Pizza Ranch’ where we had again a lot of food it was really good though. Also I had a dessert pizza for the first time in my life. That was interesting!
Feeling all stuffed we went up to an lookout point where we could see the beautiful Mississippi river from the Iowa-side. Very close to that point we went up a scenic dirt road until we reached the idyllic ‘Wide River Winery’ – ready for tasting some wine. I have never done that before and all three of us had no idea which wines we should choose to try. Fortunately the lady who owns the winery was very lovely and helped us by just pouring in whatever she thought we would like. In the end we had 6 different wines – red and white ones, dry and sweet ones. The lady was so impressed that some Germans found the way up to her winery that she even made a picture of us which she uploaded on their Facebook page.
Wine tasting with Glenn and Ken
The lovely owner of ‘Wide River Winery’
Host sisters for 3 days 🙂
We made our way back to Illinois were we visited a very, very interesting place (that’s at least what I thought): a Dutch windmill right at the Mississippi river! Although I have lived in the Netherlands last year, I never visited a windmill – shame on me! But now I finally got the opportunity. You could already see the flags of the Dutch provinces waving outside in the wind. In the windmill one could try on the typical Dutch clogs and read more about the windmill’s history. Dutch settlers built a windmill and a dike right at the Mississippi river.
Next to it there is a visitor center where you could see more windmills from all over Europe as well as buy Dutch souvenirs there like tulips, porcelain from Delft and of course miniature windmills. With this short Dutch experience at least I was confused!
The Dutch – American windmill! Can you see the flag of Friesland??
Such a cliche!! hahaha
Yes that’s what Dutch people are wearing!!
The dike at the Mississippi – love it, so Dutch!
No this not me in Holland, it is indeed in Illinois!
We drove back to Rock Falls where we rest for a little while until we headed off to the next event. We had a picnic dinner with the other CBYX participants who stayed in that region and their host families. Everyone brought something to eat and although we haven’t seen each other just for two days there was already so much to tell. Everyone had great experiences and spent some lovely days in Illinois. While we had dinner together everyone had to introduce themselves and tell what they did so far. This was so much fun and we all laughed a lot!!! We rounded the night up with taking pictures from all of us.
Our lovely little CBYX group staying in Rock Falls, IL
Katharina, Kevin, Mathias, Korbinian, Benedikt, Selina, myself, Philipp, Sabrina & Svenja
Our lovely host family Ken and Lois 🙂
At home we chatted for a little while and showed Lois pictures from our families, friends and house at home until my eyes got heavier and heavier and I finally went to bed after this amazing day!
Our last full day in Rock Falls started with some homemade monkey bread. Probably one of the best things I ever had!!! Thanks to Lois who is an amazing baker! Ken, Selina and I then took off to go to Lois’ brother-in-law’s farm. Richard collects tractors and owns around 50 of those plus some kettle and many acres of cornfields! We walked around for a bit and he explained everything to us. We could sit on a tractor and enjoyed the cliche picture of an American farm.
Just one of the many farm bulidings – the hay is stored there
Well yes that’s me on a tractor hahaha
One of the 50 tractors that Richard collets
Selina and I on of his biggest tractors
The Germans checking out the American farm life
And another tractor, I look tiny
After that experience we went back to church where Selina and I helped some more with giving out lunches for kids who needed them. It was lovely working with these ladies together and learning more about what the organization is doing for the community.
Selli and I helping giving out lunches
For the afternoon Ken had the plan to take us to Dixon where we were visiting Ronald Reagan’s boyhood home.
Dixon is just 30 minutes away from Rock Falls so we got there in no time. Fortunately Glenn, Philipp’s host dad arranged some free tickets for us. We started the tour with a 10-minute movie about Ronald Reagan. It explained where he grew up and lived as well as how much he always loved his home town and never forgot where he was coming from. I thought that we would also get to know more about his life in general and especially his politics but no, it was simply about his relationship to Dixon. The tour continued in the house where he lived between age 9 to 12. A volunteering lady showed us around and explained everything. She did a fantastic job but we Germans where a little bit disappointed that there was nothing original. The house itself was rebuilt and the whole interior was made up. When they rebuilt it in the 1980s they asked Ronald Reagan and his brother what they thought it looked like back then. In my opinion this wasn’t really authentic but at least we got a first impression. I was hoping to learn more about Ronald Reagan’s career or at least see the original house of his childhood. Anyways, we got some nice pictures and later we also visited the river where he used to work as a lifeguard during his high school years. I was really impressed how big they promote Ronald Reagan in this region without having to much original material, the marketing section of Dixon did an incredible job there for sure!
That is Ronald reagan’s boyhood home
The 40th president of the USA and us
Back in Rock Falls we had a quick look around at a shop where Ken used to work and then came back to have our final dinner on the deck. We had homemade hamburgers and Selina and I helped preparing the corn we ate at the side. It was a great last evening to round up the incredible short time we spent in Rock Falls. We took it easy that night since the next morning we had to leave at 7:30 to catch the van that brought us to Chicago.
Preparing the corn
Eating the corn!
Lois was up all evening to bake cookies for us and prepare a huge lunch bag with sandwiches, crackers, sweets, veggies, water bottles and even some ice so that everything stayed cool.
On Wednesday, August 13st we left in the morning. It was lovely seeing everyone saying their goodbyes and I bet everyone had a great time.
Even though we first didn’t expect that our time in this little town would be very exciting still I enjoyed my days there a lot. Having Selina as my host sister for 3 days was great and I am glad we got to share this experience.
Thank you Lois and Ken and the community of Rock Falls for making us feel so comfortable and giving us the best time!!! And a special thank you to Lois for letting Selina and me gain 5 pounds just within a few days! 🙂
Anneke
Rock Falls, IL
