It's been a long 2 days!

Not much has happened the past few days except work. We had our typical morning runs around the house to see what needed fixing and where new decorations should be placed. We discovered that there were many new pictures to be framed and stored. We had a few holes to cover up with nice photos and that was about it. Then I helped with some bowling. They loved it! I was a little exhausted because the rainy weather always seems to drain my energy. To say the least, my bowling time was cut in half! My Tante Lisa picked me up and we went to the other Seniorenhaus about 15 minutes away in the mountains to look at their decorations. We took so much back and also got the CD with all of my photos from the concerts! FINALLY!

We made it back to the Buche in Konz and started organizing and putting things away. By the time that was nearly finished, it was lunch! So yummy! There was seasoned chicken with potatoes and Kuag. It's basically delicious sour cream with spices. After lunch we had our usual break and celebrated Irmgard's last day of work so there was yummy finger food and real champagne! We filled something like 20 picture frames and have more to do tomorrow! I also messed around in the costume closet and found a really pretty dress :P

Wednesday was really relaxed. They didn't need us on Wednesday so they gave me the week off. The party is all planned and everything else is all set, so they don't really need me! So this morning we went nordic walking then a little bit of shopping. We went to Mobel Martin and then to the city. I was inspired by some of the designs and know exactly how I'm going to decorate the new room at home! I also bought a new pair of shoes. Retail therapy is truly a cure for anything and everything. Even if you're a guy, you should totally try it out. Buy some tools or something and build a house! Or whatever manly men do these days! We figured out that I've been here for 5 weeks and bought 5 pairs of shoes. If I stayed any longer I would need 3 suitcases! I have an insane amount of silly postcards and other miscellaneous presents for some wonderful people! SO BRACE YOURSELVES WONDERFUL PEOPLE! But we made the most delicious couscous salad for dinner and I had REAL mint tea. It was awesome :)

We got back and I started writing some of intern credit stuff. It sounds a little boring, but it makes me reflect on everything I've done. It is really eye opening to the good that is being in the Buche and how much effort is put into an awesome chain of nursing homes! Service and happiness is really the best thing in the world!

We also saw a hot air balloon today! It was landing in Oberemmel. That was sweet and you could her the puff of the fire. SO AWESOME!


 Oh and I forgot to show you but this is the summer decoration we made! It's all about travel :)

I won't be able to blog for the next 4 days because I'll be in Heidelberg for the weekend at the university. So there's going to be lots of parties and lots of fun! They are my last few days here and I cannot wait to tell you how the trip finishes up!

Much love and thanks for reading :)

The big garden party and DIE TOTEN HOSEN

As far as I know, you know everything up until Friday night! Saturday was the big garden party that we've been planning the entire time I've been here! 

Everything was set up so well and everyone seemed to come on time. We had a local high school band come play outside and then another local man play jazzy piano for the inside. It was all so nice! Everything started at around 3pm. The weather was a little iffy, but we lucked out and it turned out to be a perfect day. I would have more pictures but I was working the cocktail bar and making sure all of the house guests and their families were okay. However, we did have someone taking photos for the event, so there are pictures somewhere! 

We made something like 250 cocktails in an hour and a half. It was crazy! The bratwursts were almost gone and the keg was empty. All of the families had a great time and so did the staff. We all had a little break and could eat or drink when we didn't have anything to do. I was with my Uncle filling beers and such while bonding with the chef. The chef is a quiet guy, but he is so genuine and really cares about the people he works with. He's one of those people that doesn't have to say much, but when you look at his face, you see his sincerity. 

All in all, the garden party was a success and all of our hard planning was worth it. I've never seen so many families visiting their relatives at the same time. Smiles were everywhere and it was just an amazing place to be! 

Sunday started out like every normal Sunday. I slept in because I knew that the next night, I wouldn't get much sleep, ate my breakfast, showered, and then we decided what we were going to do with our day! While my Uncle picked up Sarah, my Tante Lisa taught me how to make semmel knodel. It's basically little round balls of stuffing that you boil in water. It was considered a poor mans meal because you make it with old bread. Heres the recipe:

• 4 small loaves of bread or a baguette
• 3 eggs
• Salt and Pepper
• Parsley
• 1/2 onion
• 1/3 stick of butter
• 3 tblsp of flour
• 100mL milk

You start by putting the bread in a bowl. Whisk the eggs and then pour them into the bowl of bread. Then put the diced onion in a pan with the butter. Cook it until the onions look a little glazed. Then turn the stove off and pour the milk in the pan. Then pour the buttery onion concoction into the bread and eggs. Add as much as parsley as you'd like. Spoon in about 3 tblsp of flour. Add a little salt and pepper. Then dig your hands in to the mess and mash it up. Eventually you'll get a sticky mixture. Grab a little bowl of water and dip your hands into it before making the small balls. Once the water is boiling but the balls inside and then turn the stove off. Once the knodel rise to the top, you know they're done! If you have leftovers, you can cut them and eat it on bread, or fry them as little cubes. They are phenomenal!

After our wonderful lunch, we got ready and drove to Die Toten Hosen, Ballast Der Republik, open-air tour. Well it's safe to say that the Germans love their punk rock. There was a Hanfbackerei which is a weed bakery. There was a giant cocktail stand, multiple beer stands, and of course water. The food was like what you would get in the city, doner, pommes, bread, fried things, and alcohol. The paper said there were about 25,000 people there and here's the stage! This show was literally in a giant open field and you drove through a farm just to get to the stage. It smelled like fresh cow poop. My fav!

So this is me and Sarah with our first round of cocktails. The pictures get progressively worst, but I'll show you some more of the stage lit up and I'll post a video or two of the show :) If I'm violating any copyrights, my apologies! Right as they were about to do the encore, Sarah and I saw that a lot of people were leaving so I thought hey, maybe we can get up to the next section. So I went to the security guard, batted my eyelashes a little bit and asked, "Excuse me sir, I'm sorry but I'm American. Is it possible that we can go up to the front? I know you need bracelets, but you can help us out right?" He pulled over some random guy and says, "No, you need one of these to get in." It was a bright orange wristband and I sweetly said back to him, "They look really nice but everyone's leaving and two people really aren't going to make a difference. Pretty please?" He looked around quickly and then made a quick hand motion. We got in!!!! It was awesome and the concert was sweet.

This was our first view!

This was our second view!

 

I guess you could say we were a lot closer!

They had something like 8 encores. Nobody complained! We walked out and bought some water and then waited for the crowds to go so the traffic wouldn't be as bad. Sarah and Daniel dropped me off at the house. If you know, then you know that I can sleep practically anywhere. So of course, I slept the entire car ride home. It was about 1 when we got back. I was still a little under the influence and kept waking up. Which was so annoying, but hey I slept until 11 today! 

Today was also pretty cool. We went shopping and I bought a lot of tea for my mom and I. I also bought some really yummy New Orleans Salsa and Bruschetta mix. Then of course, some more funky pants. We also watched Ziemlich Beste Freunde again. Hands down, one of my favorite movies of all time.

It's been a great time here and I'm so sad that I'm headed home in 8 days. It's so funny because when I tell people that, they have one of two reactions. The first is, "That's so sad, but I'm sure everyone back home misses you." The second is my favorite which is more like, "You should find a man here and settle down, so then you don't have to leave." I never now how to react but it's hilarious that so many people have said the same thing to me. But hey, I'm not one to settle down really, so getting married anytime soon just to stay in a country is completely out of the question! My aunt also knows that I don't want to leave so everytime I say that I like some type of food or music, she says, "We have great music, great food, great men, and of course family. You should stay." It's not really helping at all!

AH I DON'T WANT IT TO BE MY LAST WEEK :( 

READY FOR THE MOST AMAZING 3 DAYS EVER!

Yeah I wasn't ready for them either! I can only say that these were by far, the most memorable, sweaty, and exciting days of the trip thus fair. So it all started on my birthday, June 18 :)

I am officially 19 years old!!!! It doesn't feel any different because I'll always be a little kid! Well I woke up on Tuesday morning ready to go and excited to see what was going to happen downstairs!! Bed head, norts, socks, and morning breath, I headed downstairs. My Tante Lisa Oncle Friedhelm greeted me with the two biggest hugs ever and then as I sat down, I noticed a thick yellow envelope lying by my breakfast dish. Inside was a beautiful card and two tickets to Die Toten Hosen!! They are one of the most popular bands in Germany and I cannot wait to see them this Sunday :) It didn't stop there though! I went to work and we started the day with cake and strawberry champagne. Remember the color red and roses because some how this happened to be a theme all day :) This cake also has marzipan. It's like fondant but it's not chocolate and it's simply fantastic! 

At work, I practiced some piano and then braced myself for some fantastic bowling at 10am! We bowl every week and I can only tell you that this is the most exciting event we plan and hold every week. I love my house guests <3 They all sang me happy birthday (the German version) and I smiled for a straight hour because they are all so cute. Then we served lunch and ate our lunch with more champagne from Luxembourg! Later we had my concert. Mind you this entire day it was 37 degrees celsius and HUMID. It was unbearable but it made the house guests want to come to my concert even more because it was cool and in the basement. I guess you could say that the environment and weather affects the way any event goes. They all loved my playing and since it was the last of the 4 concerts we bowed together and thanked all of them. 

We got back a little bit later, but as I walked in there was this mysterious package on the bench...IT WAS ADDRESSED TO ME! This really cute guy named Ben sent it to me and of course I didn't find the card until the end. Needless to say, Benjamin couldn't be with me for my birthday so he sent me a dozen beautiful roses AND a vase FROM GERMANY! What a guy! So Benny, if you're reading this, I love you and that was a wonderfully most amazing surprise!!!

After my perfect, most wonderful birthday surprise we went to the Irish Pub! These were just two of my yummy cocktails :) 

Now we're on to Wednesday! This will be much shorter than Tuesday simply because I traveled most of it in the most insane humidity and heat of my life. 

So that morning we went to the birthday breakfast at The Delicat. The breakfast looked like heaven, here's a picture! I can't eat that much in the morning so I drank the orange juice FRESH SQUEEZED THAT MORNING and peppermint tea with the actual peppermint leaves in the pot. Possibly the best tea, I have ever had in my entire life.

Of course we went shopping before my train left at noon. It's safe to say that I will need another suitcase because I have bought the cutest clothes and most amazing presents for all of the people that I love most!

My train left Trier on time and then I had to rush in Koblenz because I was going to miss my train to Stuttgart. PSYCH! I ended up having a one hour delay and had absolutely no idea how horrendous the Deutsche Bahn was actually going to be. It is outrageously expensive with mediocre service. I guess you could say that's socialism at its finest, but then again we have horrendous public transportation in the USA as well. Your call :) Mind you this entire train ride, it was still 37 degrees Celsius and I had to wait outside. As soon as I saw the train pulling up to the platform, I was ecstatic for air conditioning! BUT WAIT! The train doesn't have AC! Let's just say I was sweating for 24 hours straight. I got to Stuttgart safely but an hour late. Greeted by my favorite cousin Hanna Banana!!!! We went to Uni and met some of her classmates and then took the S-Bahn back to Korntal for dinner. Then we went to a birthday for one of her friends. 

It was mad chill. People were just sitting around talking and listening to good music. Then the nutella broke out. I have never seen a nutella fight but it was awesome. Sarah Coon, you should have been there because you would have decimated everyone haha. There were water fights and a lot of things were thrown over onto some roof. Then we headed to a club that the Uni runs and the students go to. Also mad chill! I taught them how to Bernie, Wobble, and Wop. I felt like a real American. We got home pretty late and then both Hanna and I passed out within minutes of walking through the door.

So Thursday was also fantastic but ridiculously hot in the morning. So hot that I had to sit in a fountain in Schlossplatz and enjoy the weather. I shopped around for a few more hours. Ended up buying silicone cupcake forms and Stabilo pens. These pens are legendary and if you ever get the chance to use one, DO IT! Everyone is posting these feet pictures now, so here you go. These are my feet...in a fountain. Not artsy but you understand perfection, now. This was the fountain! It eventually was bombarded with elementary school kids splashing and that's when I took my chance to leave and find my cousin for lunch.
 
 We went to an Asian noodle place. These noodles are also fantastic and basically Lo Mein. I had a Schwipp Schwapp which is Coca Cola and Fanta mixed together. Next to Apfelschorle and water, this is the best drink ever known to mankind. A bit exaggerated, but if you've tasted it, then you'd understand what I'm talking about.
 This is also just another super cool fountain in Stuttgart :) And I finally had my crepe with Apfelmus and Zimt (applesauce and cinnamon-sugar). They are heavenly. Just come to Stuttgart and we can eat together. Just a day of food and getting fat. I'm down, you just need to get your butt over here now!

I found the S-Bahn and missed my stop at Korntal and thought, "Okay, the train has to turn around at some point." About 20 minutes later, my mom suggested that I get off and take another train back to my stop. Oops :) On the bright side, I made it to Renningen which is where my Opa's brother had a bakery. It's now run by his daughter. I would have never known that if I got at Korntal the first time. Adventure time is what I do best! A 20 minute ride, turned into an hour sight seeing tour. So worth it! 

As soon as I got back, we headed to Oma's apartment!!! I cannot even begin to tell you how awesome it was seeing her. She is the happiest woman ever and always knows how to make you smile. She may be older but she can always connect with you and know exactly what to say. We finally broke the language barrier and lots of conversation. I finally feel like I know my Oma now and am proud to say that I am her granddaughter. Here she is! Doesn't she look great in green :)

After our ice cream and visit with Oma, my Tante Susanne and I went to visit Opa's grave. I'll show you a picture and give you a little bit of context. Graves here are very expensive to keep and maintain. They need to be watered often and paid for otherwise the grave becomes anonymous and nobody knows where their relatives are. A headstone is very expensive so until then, there is a beautiful wooden cross. The flowers are new but when in full bloom will look absolutely amazing. That is Hebrews 13:14 which means "For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come."

After we visited my Oma and Opa, we went to pizza at Vesuvio in Feuerbach. This is the most fantastic pizza place ever. It is made by native Italians who moved here. It is always busy and a true that we even found a table. Then after we stuffed our faces we made our way back to the apartment and watched, Ziemlich Beste Freunde. Like everything in Germany, it's amazing. The story is wonderful and true! The acting is incredible and the story is so touching. It's about a man who is paralyzed from the neck down and looking for help. That's all you need to know. Just look at the imdb reviews or pirate the movie! If you get a chance, check out the soundtrack, it's incredible.

SO FRIDAY! TODAY!!!! I slept in and then we went to Killesberg. This is a park that was built in the 40s for the public to enjoy. Every Sunday, there is a circus for kids and train that runs around the entire park. A famous architect also built this tower that people can climb to see the best view of Stuttgart. They have flamingos, goats, pigs, llamas, birds, fish, and everything. There were even Greyhound races held there when it was legal. So here is a view of the park and me sitting on a horse. The Steinbrich family used to walk there every Sunday together when they were younger. Apparently everyone takes a picture on the horse but it's so awkward to sit on!

 

I TOTALLY FORGOT TO MENTION THIS EARLIER! We ride everywhere by public transportation within the city and by Vespa. I want a Vespa. But the S-Bahn is wonderful and so is the U-Bahn. They are much better than the long distance trips :) We made our way back home and had Maultasche. They are big ravioli looking things stuffed with vegetables and yummy ingredients. There's meat in there too :) Don't you worry! The main reason for Maultasche was so that the Germans could still eat meat during lent, so they would hide it in these little pockets. This is my cousin, Hanna!!! :)

Sadly this was my entire stay in Stuttgart because my train left at 4...or was supposed to leave at 4pm. Someone commit suicide and jumped on to the train tracks along the way. This backed up every single train for 60 minutes, 90 minutes, 120 minutes, and so on. Deutsche Bahn doesn't really know how to handle anything and the service is not all that great. My train was delayed and then I would miss my connecting train. Here comes the adventure! I hopped on a train to Mannheim and then switched there to a train to Saarbrucken. I found some crazy awesome Americans. They were all living and doing research for different science companies. Every weekend they traveled to a different city in Europe. After meeting them, I realized that I love traveling because there are always new faces to see and new friends to be made. So much excitement!!! Surprise my train was late to Saarbrucken and I missed my connecting train to Trier. An hour later, I finally made it on the train to Trier. The weather was cool this time and I had people to talk to, so it didn't seem so bad or lonely! 

After 5 hours, I made it back to peaceful Trier :) Tante Lisa gave me a huge hug and made pommes (french fries) and salad for me!! We shared our stories and now I'm here blogging for you, you wonderful person, you!! I can't even tell you how grateful I am that someone is reading this blog. There is always something positive that happens when something goes wrong and I've made the most of my crazy travels here. I hope that my blog makes you want to come to Germany and adventure on your own! 

Much love and bis dann!!!

Oh boy!

So I am beyond excited and cannot sleep because my birthday is soon!! 19 is an awkward year but hey, I'm awkward so it all works :) 

Last time we caught up, I told you all about my crazy weekend at the wine party at Geisenheim. Remember that I'm in Germany and the wine keeps on coming! Saturday afternoon consisted of an amazing dinner with lots of fresh salad, obviously meat, and of course apfelschorle. I was in the biggest food coma ever/a little dehydrated so I passed out. Saturday was short and sweet :)

Sunday was also unreal! I woke up and had the most wonderful breakfast. Fresh baked pretzels, my exotic yogurt, fresh orange juice, and mint tea. I can't even begin to tell you how much breakfast is going to stink once I get back to the states. Slowly I got ready and then we headed to the wine festival. Now this wine festival is once a year. It consists of riesling, champagne, and delicious food. Beer is not allowed haha. There is a lot of local entertainment throughout the weekend and some famous comedians come too. He was from the 1960s, so I didn't know who he was but he looked pretty funny.

Here is our view! Those are all vineyards and the small villages are in what used to be the riverbed of the Moselle.

Then I had a concert that afternoon. We set up the stage which looked beautiful and still looks beautiful for the next/last concert! This lineup of pieces I am more familiar with so it went relatively smoothly. The house guests seemed to like it and the family members did too. A little girl even came up to me with a small daisy and complimented me. She looked like Boo from Monsters Inc. and my heart melted. So touching! I wasn't so used to working on Sundays so when we came back, I felt so discombobulated! On the other hand, my Tante Lis and I sat down and watching The Illusionist. It's hands down amazing and I was able to understand a lot of it! A short but sweet day. The house guests finally appreciate what I do and know my face which is so reassuring that I'm doing something to make their day/stay at the house a little bit better.

So Monday! Monday is always our longest day at the Buche. Our day started at 9 and I practiced some piano for about an hour. Then I went upstairs to help the house guests to the news hour. Every Monday, we have an hour to talk about the news and current events all over Europe. We also talk about vacations that the house guests went on and listen to stories. These people don't always have someone that will listen to them, so this is an awesome time for them to let it all out! You'd be surprised how much these men and women have to say if you just sit down and listen. The best way to advertise this is by keeping this consistent and by word of mouth. A routine is essential for any elderly person and the only way to get them to come to any event is to ask them directly and give them an incentive. I love them all so dearly but my gosh, they can be difficult!

After that we started to get ready for lunch. Lunch was unreal today by the way! Lasagna with cucumber salad and pears for dessert. The food isn't the greatest but then you have days where it is absolutely on point. After lunch, Simon and I went on a walk with Frau Spoo and Frau Adrian. Frau Spoo and Frau Adrian have dementia and almost no family. Frau Spoo has no husband, no kids, and no friends alive. She is 92. Frau Adrian has a daughter but she never comes to visit. Today we figured out that her daughter's name is Elisabeth and so is mine! So I don't know if she thinks I'm her daughter sometimes but that lady always makes me smile. She is too cute and so sincere. Not to mention her sass. That woman was born sassy. Well Frau Spoo always asks for potatoes and gives kisses. Frau Adrian loves flowers and being told that she's beautiful. So Simon and I do our best to keep these two happy! The lady above is my homegirl, Frau Adrian. Isn't she just the cutest?! And here are the many faces of Frau Spoo :)

This is the. Oh! You dog!! face.

This is the I'm cold face.

This is how she gives kisses!

It's safe to say that I love my job and every aspect that goes along with it :) Tomorrow is my birthday and I feel like there are so many surprises in store, but you'll get to hear about all of that tomorrow night!!! Thanks so much for reading and keeping up with everything! It means the world to me the people actually read this! 

Bis Dann :)

4 days in 1, here we go! Again :)

Tuesday :)

It was a short day! Salwa wasn't working this week, but we have Simon. Being 14, he likes to adventure and has unlimited energy so we went to Kaufland during our lunch break. As soon as we walked in, he went straight to the ice cream. Eventually we made our way back to the Buche and he made silly jokes the whole way. Jokes like, oh so you fly here from the US every morning? We made it out by 1 and went shopping! I've been really concerned about prices lately because 1, I'm a bargain hunter, and 2, I only have so much space in my luggage. Didn't really buy anything but it was still fun! We got back around 4:00 and enjoyed the sun with a little bit of dinner. TV really isn't that great here and it's awful on Tuesday nights, so inevitably I passed out watching some American sitcom in German.

I also got the best snapchats from the best friends ever. So shout outs to my girls Hannah, Taylor, and Sarah! Sarah, I'm sorry I couldn't screenshot fast enough :(













Wednesday!

It was another long day at work for me and it felt even longer because my Tante Lisa didn't work with me. On the other hand, it is a great experience because some of the employees don't speak English. I had my first full conversation with one of the house guests all in German and BY MYSELF! This is huge because we actually understood each other and I managed to speak some French with her too. Dr. Ladd is a gem for actually teaching us how to speak it! Her name is Frau Lorenz. This lady is so classy and you definitely know that she was a looker back in the day! Her daughter moved to Paris and now to Biarritz so they both know some French. Super cool!You should look up Biarritz because apparently it is the "hollywood/Beverly hills" of France. Back home by 4ish and the weather wasn't so nice so I just relaxed in front of the TV and read over some of my music before the concert the next day!

Thursday <3

Thursday was by far my most favorite day of the week. I finally got to sleep in and then we went shopping. Oh my gosh. I think I bought the most adorable high heels ever known to man kind. They are also insanely comfortable. They were also half price, so I had to buy them in both colors :) I bought an adorable dress too for only 20 euros. I dropped a huge chunk of money but only after my mom and I had a long talk. She very casually told me that "money is there to be spent, so enjoy yourself. Think quality, think memories, and buy things that will remind you of this trip for the rest of you life." She was so right so I put prices aside and went for the things that will remind me of Germany forever. I also love buying ice cream and things for my family here because it creates memories too.

My concert was super duper fun. I messed up SO SO SO much but the old people loved it and applauded even in the middle of my songs haha it was adorable! I also played Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, but Mozart's variations of it. I'm almost positive he wrote that little tune. In each country there are different words. So French, I'm pretty sure is "Ah, vous dirais-je, maman" and here in Germany they sing Hier kommt der Weighnachtsmann. The old people started to sing along and then Mozart decided he would jazz it up and they stopped singing. But when the melody came back, they started right up again. It was priceless :) After it ended, I packed my bag and went straight to Sarah's! We exchanged so much music and I'm proud to say that I have 4 more days worth of music :)

Friday...

Uni is every Friday but honestly it is the most interesting class that I've ever attended. It's all about American values, our system of government, and everything that the US stands for. Today, I learned so much more about Germany and their values. I don't know about any of you, but I had to do 25 hours of community service before I graduated high school. In Germany, volunteerism and charity is not really a big deal. If you do it, then there's a chance you'll get an awesome award from someone high-up in the government. That's how rare it is! There aren't many private schools here because religious values and such are taught in school. There is no separation of church and state, so the churches are funded by the government and do charity sometimes. There are also crucifixes in the court rooms and religious classes that advocate certain values. Where as in the US, most families put a lot of effort into finding a church because public school is not allowed to instill those values in students/promote a specific religion. As I'm able to look at the German system more in depth, it is safe to say I'm becoming more liberal. Their way makes sense and they actually get things done. Not to mention they are granted 24 days PER YEAR off of work by the government and can take more depending on their job. A lot of this is due to religious holidays. According to the teacher, "Germans always need two days to celebrate holidays and that is why I always stay in Germany."So amazing. Religious holidays are also important because everyone gets them off where as in the US, holidays like Good Friday, Easter Monday, and other religious holidays aren't really "holidays".

After class we took the train to Geisenheim! Geisenheim is one of the most reputable universities for wine-making in the world. They teach you how to of course, make the wine, deal with customers, advertising, tasting the wine, aging the wine, knowing where the wine grows, etc. It takes a lot of intelligence and skill but when they're off hours they party hard. The university throws parties where the alcohol and food is free for all of the students. We got to go because they had extra wrist bands. We started with cocktails at the apartment and worked our way to the party. It was a sugar schnapps, gingerale, lime, brown sugar, something cocktail and then kept adding the wine they made and some champagne. It was nuts. Then more free wine. I was done by like 7.

The next morning we all felt like this little guy. I'm never drinking wine ever again.

Oh hey! It's been awhile!

Well sorry I haven't blogged in a few days. It's been one of those lazy, laid back, kind of weekends.
Thursday night was awesome! We went to the Irish pub and I had my first half liter of anything! So of course I had to order a Guinness. All I have to say is that Guinness is one of my favorite beers now. A half a liter in, I saw some boat shoes across the terrace. Boat shoes are very American. I immediately walked over because I'd been speaking Denglish (Deutsch and English) for almost over a week. It turns out that they were from Georgetown! They were all very nice and accommodating considering I was a total stranger at that point! Just some background real quick. Every Thursday at the pub is buy 1 get 1 free on all cocktails. So I got a free drink from one of the people there! Sex on the Beach is one of the greatest drinks ever. I'm also obsessed now haha. After we bonded and made our new friendships "Facebook official" I went back to the table with Sarah and her friend Caroline. At around 10 we walked back and passed out by 11ish. Probably one of the most exciting days yet!


Class was alright on Friday but the teacher is very pro-Germany. This makes sense because she left the USA to come to Germany. She always compares everything back to the US. I mean it's the only thing she can compare it to. During all of this, she manages to bash everything that the US stands for. She commented on our pride and patriotism. We are the most patriotic because we think we are the best and in her opinion she believes that our nation is being brain washed into patriotism. That may be true but there are other ways to go about telling the class this. This is the only real "American" opinion that these native German students are understanding. Every class is biased based on the teacher but I think these students should be able to see both sides. Anywho! She tends to dumb down Americans because we have a narrow mindset. I will admit that most Americans have a narrow mindset because they are "comfortable" and don't feel the need to go anywhere. Sadly, that is something we can't change. It's our nature as the fattest nation in the world. We don't leave the couch or our local towns. However, I do commend those that choose to wander and broaden their world view. So much goes on that the news doesn't tell us and we should probably be more aware of the modern world.

Sorry for that rant! After class Sarah and I went downtown. I bought a new bathing suit and she got a new skirt. Both are absolutely adorable!!! While sitting and drinking our smoothies, one of the Georgetown students passed by. I forgot to mention that on the bus to Uni in the morning, we saw another Georgetown student. Trier isn't that big so I'm glad I put myself out there to make a few new friends here in Trier :) We were planning on seeing Hangover 3 in German but we cozied into the couch for a few hours. We watched Fantastic 4 and 28 Days Later. The latter was my first "zombie movie". I don't even know how to explain my opinions about those types of movies...so I'll leave that to you to figure out! This photo describes German tourists. They always walk with their hands behind their back. If you're wondering what American tourists do...they don't do anything. You can always point out their American apparel or very apparent silence.

Sunday was great! I slept in for the first time all summer! Waking up at noon was the best thing I've done in awhile. Sleep is absolutely amazing. I suggest you catch up on sleep because college destroys any healthy sleep pattern. Then we went into Luxembourg for the day. It was absolutely beautiful. They mostly speak Luxembourgish, which is a mix between French, German, local dialect, and slang. Don't try to understand it. I've found the best way to fake it is nod, smile, and say yes. Works every time!
That picture is the gate to the royal palace and their coat of arms is there. Those red lions are everywhere, I swear!

We ended up walking into the Notre-Dame, which is the catholic church of "our lady". This is where the Luxembourg royal wedding was last January! I felt royal just sitting there. The church was absolutely beautiful. There was a free concert, so we couldn't say no! It was played by the Orchestre D'Harmonie and organized by the Rotary Club Bascharage-Kordall. The line- up was!

Praludium en Re mineur by Johann Pachelbel

Concerto Grosso a Quattro Cori by Gottfriend Heinrich Stoelzel

Sonata da Chiesa by Kees Schoonenbeek

Pini di Roma by Ottorino Respighi arr. Yoshihiro Kimura

The best one was the last piece, Pini Di Roma, because it shook the entire cathedral. Definitely check it out, if you have a chance. But like any other song, you have to wait for the drop. 

Monday was a long day at work. I practiced piano and met a cute 14 year old boy named Simon. He is so small, I love him!! He knows how to make everyone smile. Believe me, that's almost impossible in Germany. Germans don't smile unless they have to. My favorite time is coffee because I get to serve them and hangout for awhile. We also learned a few new songs after coffee. My favorite is 

In Einem Polenstadtchen. That's the youtube link so you can listen to it! The lyrics are adorable too!

Tuesday was great. I bowled with the house guests again and brought a dog named Romy around to see the house guests. They absolutely love dogs, except for the very few how loudly say, "Ich habe angst!" and then ask to leave the room. There were no more quacking ladies, if you've been keeping up with my posts, you know what I'm talking about. However, it's becoming apparent how much German I still need to figure out. I understand almost all of it but many people don't understand because I mix the words up. If there's anything you need to know about German, say it backwards and put the words in the wrong place and it will sound almost perfect. After work, Tante Lisa and I went into town to reward ourselves after two long days of work. We went shopping. I might need to buy these shoes because I'm absolutely obsessed. 

So that summed up the past few days :) Thanks so much for reading and keeping up with everything!!