I got back to Eisenhüttenstadt on Saturday the 21st (the night before my 22nd birthday). Nicole and her parents set up a grill party to celebrate, and invited some friends and neighbors over for my birthday gathering. The food was awesome! Nicole’s dad Peter grilled up some marinated steak and chicken…my mouth is watering just thinking about it. After we ate, I asked the neighbor woman about their trip to Sweden, and it was like opening a can of worms…she was so excited to tell me EVERYTHING about Sweden! This information may come in handy when I visit Margie. I generally enjoy these sort of one-sided conversations at this point, where I just get to listen and say, “Ja”, “Ok”, “Super!”, or smile and nod.
Afterward, Nicole, her bf Adrian, another girl and I went to a fireworks display near the canal. It was awesome…and I especially enjoyed the part where Beethoven was playing in the background. Then we watched YouTube videos and I showed them The Onion. However, the subtleties that make The Onion awesome may have been lost in translation…
The next day, my birthday, I opened gifts before eating plum torte cake with the Edels and Adrian. We then went to a street fair and then walked around near the river before taking off to my new home in Neuenhagen. Once we got there, we drove around town a bit so I could get the sense of where the school is, where the grocery store and S-Bahn is, etc.
The house I’m staying in is totally German (no surprise there, hahaha). It’s very quaint, and my apartment is upstairs, nice and cozy. Everything has a orange theme, so it’s a little like living in the 70s. There’s a big picture of a jolly Italian man playing the violin on the wall, who smilingly reminds me to practice. I also have cable tv, a refridgerator/freezer, a toaster, my own bathroom, and all necessary furniture (including two 50s’ style twin beds that married couples used to have, like Lucy and Ricky). It’s nice to know that I have somewhere for a guest to sleep in case someone wanted to stay with me. In the meantime, my 2nd bed is going to be the couch.
One major drawback is that I have no internet here. At all. No wireless, no cable hookups, nothing. I need a prepaid/no-contract surf stick, which I discovered can only be found in Berlin.
My landlady, Frau Wassmannsdorf, is super nice. She’s probably about 75 years old, can’t speak a word of English, and lovingly checks on me like a true grandmother. She even makes my bed, does my dishes, and empties my trash every day, even though I told her that she didn’t have to. I have decided that in return, my gesture of gratitude will be giving her all of my recyclables that she can get rebates for. Yay for friendly cohabitation!
Frau W. is also letting me use her old bike that she used to ride when she was younger. It’s maroon, about 50 years old, and has a horn. Generally, I feel like a badass when I ride it (except for the times that I occasionally lose my balance). I asked her if she had a lock for it, and she said, “That thing is so old there’s no way anyone would want to steal it. Hahaha!” The next day her husband got me a lock.
After Frau W. turned the bike over to me, I decided to do a little exploring all by myself for the first time ever. I took my backpack and a book bag and rode to the grocery store (in most cases, you have to bring your own bags to the store). Grocery shopping in Germany is interesting, because 95% of the labels are unfamiliar (plus, they eat stuff like “Quark”, which is blended up cottage cheese). Also, all the drinks are separate in “drink markets”, and personal items like shampoo are generally only sold in pharmacies or specialty shops. Nothing is bought in bulk. It takes a little getting used to. I won’t lie, I miss Walmart and Costco, but I’ll live.
I could barely shove all of my groceries into my bags, but luckily I managed. The hard part was getting back on the bike with all that crap to carry. Luckily, I avoided any accidents and found my way home, safe and sound.
The next day, with a instruction from Herr W. ( Frau W.’s husband), I was able to ride my bike to the S-Bahn, get a ticket, and ride to Alexanderplatz (a major market/attraction area) in Beriln all by myself!! I went to this massive mall, found an electronics store, and asked about the surf stick. Only problem was, I didn’t have my passport for an ID, or a proof of residency. Oh well. After hanging around a bit, I successfully found my way home. Woohoo! I feel like a tiny child slowly learning how to tie my own shoelaces.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Visit to Julia's
For the last 2 weeks or so I have been in Bavaria (southern Germany) with my good friend Julia. It was a blast! We did something interesting every day, so there is a lot to share.
On the first day, Julia took me to the famous Neuschwanstein castle (the one that the Disney castle was modeled after). The drive there was beautiful…Bavaria is full of lush green grass and gorgeous mountain ranges. We were lucky that the weather was good. However, once we got there, we found ourselves in the total chaos of international tourists…EVERYWHERE. Because we didn’t get there when it first opened, we weren’t able to get tickets to go inside Neuschwanstein, but we did get to go into the “sister castle” Hohenschwangau that’s right next to it. It was unbelievably gaudy and glamorous, and it had the most amazing views toward the lake and mountains. I wished I could have stood there at that window forever!
I hate tourists. (I can say that now without being TOO hypocritical, seeing as I have a visa and am a semi-citizen of Germany…just saying). Especially the tourists with fanny packs, cameras around their necks, hawaiian shirts, tan shorts, and sunglasses. Yes, there were many of these stereotypical tourists here. I also know now (one of the reasons) why Americans have such a bad reputation…There were several really obnoxious Americans that thought the world revolved around them, leaving garbage behind and yelling across the street at each other. Why do idiots like that have to make traveling abroad so hard for the rest of us?
The next day, I almost died on a 4-hourish bike tour around the region that Julia lives in. Things like that make me even more aware of how horribly out of shape I am, at least in the strength/endurance area. I had to stop and rest so many times, it was embarrassing. It amazed me how Julia could just keep riding and riding without stopping or even getting out of breath, while I was passed by an 80-year-old man. Anyway, our ride was awesome…there were so many things to see! Along the way, we stopped for a swim in the lake. I brought my swimming suit along, but there was no where to change, forcing me to do so in public (no big deal in Europe). AHH!!! AKWARD!!!
Julia also took me to Salzburg, Austria one day. It was pretty cool to see where Mozart was born/lived, even if only from the outside. We did a little shopping in the old part of the city, had some lunch, checked out some old churches, and literally CLIMBED A FREAKING MOUNTAIN to the huge castle in the middle of the city. Awesome!
I have never seen such massive snails and slugs in my entire life as the ones I have seen in southern Germany. They are disgusting! Generally, the slugs are about the size of a large lipstick container, while the snails with their shells are even bigger.
Being the simple Montana girl that I am, the idea of mass public transporation scares the crap out of me. Julia was kind enough to teach me the way of the S-Bahn, a subway type deal that runs above ground. So much to learn! We rode it to Munich, did some shopping, watched the glockenspiel (a cool bell thing with little dancing puppets that goes off every 3 hours), and toured the Frauenkirche (womens’ church). The thought of taking the S-Bahn by myself is still a scary thought, though…
I also experienced my first German movie theater adventure in Rosenheim when Julia and I went to “Kiss und Kill” (aka “Killers” with Ashton Kutcher). Watching movies that are redone in German is strange…everyone’s voices are different, and the language doesn’t match the culture in the movie. Later, we also watched “Letters to Juliet”.
The indoor swimming/sauna place here is awesome…there are so many pools, inside and out! One of the pools had music that you could only hear underwater. Another had waves and a current that swirled around like a whirlpool. Wish we had something like that back home. Maybe someday.
After two weeks of being in Bavaria, I can finally understand a little “Bairisch”, the local dialect. At least, I now know it isn’t some kind of wacky French. ;)
At the end of my stay, I caught a ride back to Eisenhüttenstadt with another random person from the internet, who seemed to be pretty nice. Again, not a rapist/serial killer. That’s pretty much my only standard.
On the first day, Julia took me to the famous Neuschwanstein castle (the one that the Disney castle was modeled after). The drive there was beautiful…Bavaria is full of lush green grass and gorgeous mountain ranges. We were lucky that the weather was good. However, once we got there, we found ourselves in the total chaos of international tourists…EVERYWHERE. Because we didn’t get there when it first opened, we weren’t able to get tickets to go inside Neuschwanstein, but we did get to go into the “sister castle” Hohenschwangau that’s right next to it. It was unbelievably gaudy and glamorous, and it had the most amazing views toward the lake and mountains. I wished I could have stood there at that window forever!
I hate tourists. (I can say that now without being TOO hypocritical, seeing as I have a visa and am a semi-citizen of Germany…just saying). Especially the tourists with fanny packs, cameras around their necks, hawaiian shirts, tan shorts, and sunglasses. Yes, there were many of these stereotypical tourists here. I also know now (one of the reasons) why Americans have such a bad reputation…There were several really obnoxious Americans that thought the world revolved around them, leaving garbage behind and yelling across the street at each other. Why do idiots like that have to make traveling abroad so hard for the rest of us?
The next day, I almost died on a 4-hourish bike tour around the region that Julia lives in. Things like that make me even more aware of how horribly out of shape I am, at least in the strength/endurance area. I had to stop and rest so many times, it was embarrassing. It amazed me how Julia could just keep riding and riding without stopping or even getting out of breath, while I was passed by an 80-year-old man. Anyway, our ride was awesome…there were so many things to see! Along the way, we stopped for a swim in the lake. I brought my swimming suit along, but there was no where to change, forcing me to do so in public (no big deal in Europe). AHH!!! AKWARD!!!
Julia also took me to Salzburg, Austria one day. It was pretty cool to see where Mozart was born/lived, even if only from the outside. We did a little shopping in the old part of the city, had some lunch, checked out some old churches, and literally CLIMBED A FREAKING MOUNTAIN to the huge castle in the middle of the city. Awesome!
I have never seen such massive snails and slugs in my entire life as the ones I have seen in southern Germany. They are disgusting! Generally, the slugs are about the size of a large lipstick container, while the snails with their shells are even bigger.
Being the simple Montana girl that I am, the idea of mass public transporation scares the crap out of me. Julia was kind enough to teach me the way of the S-Bahn, a subway type deal that runs above ground. So much to learn! We rode it to Munich, did some shopping, watched the glockenspiel (a cool bell thing with little dancing puppets that goes off every 3 hours), and toured the Frauenkirche (womens’ church). The thought of taking the S-Bahn by myself is still a scary thought, though…
I also experienced my first German movie theater adventure in Rosenheim when Julia and I went to “Kiss und Kill” (aka “Killers” with Ashton Kutcher). Watching movies that are redone in German is strange…everyone’s voices are different, and the language doesn’t match the culture in the movie. Later, we also watched “Letters to Juliet”.
The indoor swimming/sauna place here is awesome…there are so many pools, inside and out! One of the pools had music that you could only hear underwater. Another had waves and a current that swirled around like a whirlpool. Wish we had something like that back home. Maybe someday.
After two weeks of being in Bavaria, I can finally understand a little “Bairisch”, the local dialect. At least, I now know it isn’t some kind of wacky French. ;)
At the end of my stay, I caught a ride back to Eisenhüttenstadt with another random person from the internet, who seemed to be pretty nice. Again, not a rapist/serial killer. That’s pretty much my only standard.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Wanna feel like a 4-year-old again? Move to a foreign country!
Hello! A new blog entry is long overdue.
My first week was spent with Nicole and her parents in Eisenhüttenstadt. We had quite a bit of fun just hanging around. I have been talking in German pretty much since I got here, which has been a challenge, but I seem to understand people fairly well and can get my point across when I say something. I'm sure I sound like Borat when I talk, but that's ok. Yeckshamage! (Double thumbs up!)
Nicole's mom Sonja, a high school government/politics teacher, has been teaching me school words and phrases so I'll be more prepared for work. She's also teaching me about the different methods they use, which is important so I don't step on anyone's toes. I am so greatful for all her help!
It is so hard to write this right now because I have barely used any English in the last 2 weeks. It is such a weird feeling to know that you know how to say or write something, but you just can't make the connection any more unless you really try. I can only imagine what it's going to be like after a year. The people at home that I have talked to on the phone say I sound different somehow...and talk a little slower. Makes sense, because I'm trying to remember stupid little words that seem to have escaped me. Oh well. I'm going to have to freshen up my English before teaching it at the school....
My luggage finally arrived about 4 days after I got there, which was a relief...I was starting to wonder if it really did land in Istanbul like Nicole's dad thought. Luckily everything was fine, other than a few feather-shaped suckers I brought along for the kids (they were totally kaputt).
Nicole helped me get a cell phone, so I feel a little more connected to society again. Sonja let me use her old phone, so luckily I only had to buy a SIM card and not a phone. I have a prepaid phone card, which makes things easy, and it only costs 5 Eurocents per minute to call home (about 7 American cents). However, I'm trying to be careful with how much I use it.
I finally got to meet Adrian, Nicole's boyfriend for the last 3 1/2 years. He is so fun! They are a really cute couple and I hope they stay together forever! Anyway, we hung out quite a bit. One night we went out for pizza and then afterwards went to C'est La Vie, a cozy little bar. We spent most of the time teaching each other random things, like tongue twisters and how we write our letters.
At one point, we passed a bunch of douche bags that were ready to party right in the middle of the street. After I told them that these guys looked like douche bags, the question, ''What's a douche bag?'' came up. Explaining precisely what a douche bag is is a little hard. A douche bag isn't really an idiot, and it's not really an complete jerk either. It's something in between; something you learn in context. My best explanation was, ''Think of David Hasselhoff.''
''OHHHHH!!!!!! Alles klar.'' Hahaha.
I have never heard so much Rammstein (a German rock band) in my entire life as I have in the last couple of weeks. Hahaha. It's great though, because now I understand almost everything they are saying.
There is a great carpooling website here that lets you find people going in a certain direction that you can ride with for a small price. Because I am visiting my friend Julia in Bavaria , Nicole found a guy for me to ride with to Munich. He had a whole car full of other random strangers. Luckily, this guy wasn't a serial rapist/killer psychopath that I would need to hose down with bear spray...in fact, he looked and acted a lot like Matt Damon. I kept expecting him to break out some sweet Jason Bourne moves, but unfortunately that never happened. Oh well.
On the autobahn, there are 3 speeds: fast, faster, and fastest. We were in the fastest lane for almost the entire trip. I had no idea that cars could almost literally FLY. And of course, I had the middle seat in the back, as always. 120-125 mph. I've never been so religious (or nauseous) in my entire life as I was for those 6 hours.
So Matt Damon was supposed to take me to the Hauptbahnhof (main train station), but dropped me off in some random place in Munich instead because everyone else was getting out there. I said, ''Wait, aren't you taking me to the Hauptbahnhof?'' He said no, I could just take the subway there, and then drove off. Huh? Subway? Like the sandwich place?
So I was lost in Munich. Wonderful. I called Julia with my new cell phone, and told her I wasn't at the Hauptbahnhof. So she said, ''Where are you?'' I said I had no idea. Near some tracks and some stairs...? The street had no name. Finally, I found a bus stop that said, ''Donnersbergerbrücke.'' Unfortunately, between my American pronunciation, poor reception, and the thick traffic in the background, she didn't recognize the name. Luckily, after an hour or so and repeating the name about 9 times, we finally made the connection.
She found me. Thank God she found me.
More on my stay with Julia in the next entry.
My first week was spent with Nicole and her parents in Eisenhüttenstadt. We had quite a bit of fun just hanging around. I have been talking in German pretty much since I got here, which has been a challenge, but I seem to understand people fairly well and can get my point across when I say something. I'm sure I sound like Borat when I talk, but that's ok. Yeckshamage! (Double thumbs up!)
Nicole's mom Sonja, a high school government/politics teacher, has been teaching me school words and phrases so I'll be more prepared for work. She's also teaching me about the different methods they use, which is important so I don't step on anyone's toes. I am so greatful for all her help!
It is so hard to write this right now because I have barely used any English in the last 2 weeks. It is such a weird feeling to know that you know how to say or write something, but you just can't make the connection any more unless you really try. I can only imagine what it's going to be like after a year. The people at home that I have talked to on the phone say I sound different somehow...and talk a little slower. Makes sense, because I'm trying to remember stupid little words that seem to have escaped me. Oh well. I'm going to have to freshen up my English before teaching it at the school....
My luggage finally arrived about 4 days after I got there, which was a relief...I was starting to wonder if it really did land in Istanbul like Nicole's dad thought. Luckily everything was fine, other than a few feather-shaped suckers I brought along for the kids (they were totally kaputt).
Nicole helped me get a cell phone, so I feel a little more connected to society again. Sonja let me use her old phone, so luckily I only had to buy a SIM card and not a phone. I have a prepaid phone card, which makes things easy, and it only costs 5 Eurocents per minute to call home (about 7 American cents). However, I'm trying to be careful with how much I use it.
I finally got to meet Adrian, Nicole's boyfriend for the last 3 1/2 years. He is so fun! They are a really cute couple and I hope they stay together forever! Anyway, we hung out quite a bit. One night we went out for pizza and then afterwards went to C'est La Vie, a cozy little bar. We spent most of the time teaching each other random things, like tongue twisters and how we write our letters.
At one point, we passed a bunch of douche bags that were ready to party right in the middle of the street. After I told them that these guys looked like douche bags, the question, ''What's a douche bag?'' came up. Explaining precisely what a douche bag is is a little hard. A douche bag isn't really an idiot, and it's not really an complete jerk either. It's something in between; something you learn in context. My best explanation was, ''Think of David Hasselhoff.''
''OHHHHH!!!!!! Alles klar.'' Hahaha.
I have never heard so much Rammstein (a German rock band) in my entire life as I have in the last couple of weeks. Hahaha. It's great though, because now I understand almost everything they are saying.
There is a great carpooling website here that lets you find people going in a certain direction that you can ride with for a small price. Because I am visiting my friend Julia in Bavaria , Nicole found a guy for me to ride with to Munich. He had a whole car full of other random strangers. Luckily, this guy wasn't a serial rapist/killer psychopath that I would need to hose down with bear spray...in fact, he looked and acted a lot like Matt Damon. I kept expecting him to break out some sweet Jason Bourne moves, but unfortunately that never happened. Oh well.
On the autobahn, there are 3 speeds: fast, faster, and fastest. We were in the fastest lane for almost the entire trip. I had no idea that cars could almost literally FLY. And of course, I had the middle seat in the back, as always. 120-125 mph. I've never been so religious (or nauseous) in my entire life as I was for those 6 hours.
So Matt Damon was supposed to take me to the Hauptbahnhof (main train station), but dropped me off in some random place in Munich instead because everyone else was getting out there. I said, ''Wait, aren't you taking me to the Hauptbahnhof?'' He said no, I could just take the subway there, and then drove off. Huh? Subway? Like the sandwich place?
So I was lost in Munich. Wonderful. I called Julia with my new cell phone, and told her I wasn't at the Hauptbahnhof. So she said, ''Where are you?'' I said I had no idea. Near some tracks and some stairs...? The street had no name. Finally, I found a bus stop that said, ''Donnersbergerbrücke.'' Unfortunately, between my American pronunciation, poor reception, and the thick traffic in the background, she didn't recognize the name. Luckily, after an hour or so and repeating the name about 9 times, we finally made the connection.
She found me. Thank God she found me.
More on my stay with Julia in the next entry.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
The Journey to Germany (say that 10 times fast...)
Hello everyone!
It has been too long since I wrote my last entry, because I have a lot to catch you up on. :P
In May and June I stayed in Bozeman to tutor and enjoy the scenery a bit longer. I'm really glad that I had the chance to stick around a bit more because I knew I would definitely miss it when I left. The tutoring business was really slow in May (ie, nonexistent), but it really picked up in June, allowing me to save some money for my year away.
On July 1st I moved home to Billings to spend my last month in the US with my mom and other friends/family. It went by extremely fast...we went on a few small trips, ran errands, hung around a bit, and suddenly it was the my last week. I got my mom an adorable kitty named Meow-Meow, and she is unbelievably sweet!! I wish I could have taken her all for myself...hehehe.
Before leaving I also had a chance to meet some new family on my dad's side. They are all such great people and I feel so lucky! My aunt Helen and her husband Joseph gave me a sapphire ring to remind me of them while I'm away. It was really sweet.
My mom and I took one last trip together (Meow Meow in tow) before I left in one big circle: Thermopolis, Meteetsee, Cody, Yellowstone, West Yellowstone, Ennis, Virginia City, Townsend for the rodeo, then back to Billings. We had a pretty good time.
On August 1st, my family and I had one last going-away party in Columbus at the 307. It was nice to see them once again before leaving for a whole year. Afterward, we rushed back to Billings so that I could set up video chat on the computer, buy some last minute items, run a few last minute errands, and PACK! I was up until 2am.
My mom and I met my aunt Sandra at the airport around 9 in the morning, since my flight to Denver was supposed to leave at 10:19. However, we found out that this flight was CANCELLED. They tried to get me on another flight at 12:30, but it was full...the soonest was a flight at 3:00 that was running 3 hours late. Needless to say, I was in a state of panic, because it takes an hour and 40 minutes to get to Denver, and my flight to London left at 8:15. This left approximately 20 minutes for me to get off the plane, get my boarding pass, and board the other. Yeahhh...
It was nice to have some extra time together though.
My two rolling suitcases that I checked were going straight to London, so I didn't have to worry about those...until later. I made it to my gate in Denver just in the nick of time. Phew.. Onward to London. I sat next to a really sweet Danish girl on the airplane, and we hit it off right away. We talked and played games until we fell asleep and landed. We went through security together, and asked someone about our luggage. A woman told us that mine would be transfered directly to the plane to Berlin, and I didn't have to worry about it yet. We ate lunch and parted ways.
The flight to Berlin went fine except for the SCREAMING BABY right behind me. Ughh..so much for sleeping. We made it there on time, and Nicole and her dad were waiting for me right where I could see them. Perfect. Now for the luggage. I stood there and waited....and waited...and waited. Soon I was the last person there, and no more luggage came out. It was lost...every traveler's nightmare. We had to go file a report, and this was my first German-speaking challenge. Luckily the man and I could make out what each other was saying, and now I just have to wait.
That night I slept for 13 hours. I think I'm used to their time now. We have been having a pretty good time, and I'm trying really hard to speak in German. I know that I totally sound like Borat to them and they probably think I'm "slow" or something, hahaha. Oh well! So far, I haven't had much trouble understanding what they are saying. We have eaten out a few times, driven around their "village", checked out their schools, gone shopping, and horse riding. So far, so gut.
If only the luggage would get here..!
It has been too long since I wrote my last entry, because I have a lot to catch you up on. :P
In May and June I stayed in Bozeman to tutor and enjoy the scenery a bit longer. I'm really glad that I had the chance to stick around a bit more because I knew I would definitely miss it when I left. The tutoring business was really slow in May (ie, nonexistent), but it really picked up in June, allowing me to save some money for my year away.
On July 1st I moved home to Billings to spend my last month in the US with my mom and other friends/family. It went by extremely fast...we went on a few small trips, ran errands, hung around a bit, and suddenly it was the my last week. I got my mom an adorable kitty named Meow-Meow, and she is unbelievably sweet!! I wish I could have taken her all for myself...hehehe.
Before leaving I also had a chance to meet some new family on my dad's side. They are all such great people and I feel so lucky! My aunt Helen and her husband Joseph gave me a sapphire ring to remind me of them while I'm away. It was really sweet.
My mom and I took one last trip together (Meow Meow in tow) before I left in one big circle: Thermopolis, Meteetsee, Cody, Yellowstone, West Yellowstone, Ennis, Virginia City, Townsend for the rodeo, then back to Billings. We had a pretty good time.
On August 1st, my family and I had one last going-away party in Columbus at the 307. It was nice to see them once again before leaving for a whole year. Afterward, we rushed back to Billings so that I could set up video chat on the computer, buy some last minute items, run a few last minute errands, and PACK! I was up until 2am.
My mom and I met my aunt Sandra at the airport around 9 in the morning, since my flight to Denver was supposed to leave at 10:19. However, we found out that this flight was CANCELLED. They tried to get me on another flight at 12:30, but it was full...the soonest was a flight at 3:00 that was running 3 hours late. Needless to say, I was in a state of panic, because it takes an hour and 40 minutes to get to Denver, and my flight to London left at 8:15. This left approximately 20 minutes for me to get off the plane, get my boarding pass, and board the other. Yeahhh...
It was nice to have some extra time together though.
My two rolling suitcases that I checked were going straight to London, so I didn't have to worry about those...until later. I made it to my gate in Denver just in the nick of time. Phew.. Onward to London. I sat next to a really sweet Danish girl on the airplane, and we hit it off right away. We talked and played games until we fell asleep and landed. We went through security together, and asked someone about our luggage. A woman told us that mine would be transfered directly to the plane to Berlin, and I didn't have to worry about it yet. We ate lunch and parted ways.
The flight to Berlin went fine except for the SCREAMING BABY right behind me. Ughh..so much for sleeping. We made it there on time, and Nicole and her dad were waiting for me right where I could see them. Perfect. Now for the luggage. I stood there and waited....and waited...and waited. Soon I was the last person there, and no more luggage came out. It was lost...every traveler's nightmare. We had to go file a report, and this was my first German-speaking challenge. Luckily the man and I could make out what each other was saying, and now I just have to wait.
That night I slept for 13 hours. I think I'm used to their time now. We have been having a pretty good time, and I'm trying really hard to speak in German. I know that I totally sound like Borat to them and they probably think I'm "slow" or something, hahaha. Oh well! So far, I haven't had much trouble understanding what they are saying. We have eaten out a few times, driven around their "village", checked out their schools, gone shopping, and horse riding. So far, so gut.
If only the luggage would get here..!
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