Freitag, den 11. Dezember, 2009
Guten Morgen!
As I type this, I am sitting in a train on the way to see my family in Singhofen… finally! We’ve been trying to figure out when would be best for me to visit for a long time, and, I guess this would technically be the last chance before Christmas break. … I am going back to Canada next Friday. I can’t believe it, that was SO fast! Only… three, and a bit of a month, months. Anyway, lots of exciting stuff ahead, and there are also some things to update on (not particularly interesting for the most part, but nevertheless, a good way to keep a bit of a record of goings on.)
Let’s see…
I know I went to a nearby town, Breisach, a couple of Wednesdays ago. I had gone there in September with a couple of schoolmates for a project on places to travel in the area, but I wanted to go back. So… I did. I spent a lot of my time there doing homework, as the shop I had wanted to look in was closed for a couple of hours once I arrived, and because i had lots of homework to do.
Okay, was noch…
There was a pirate themed party at my building. It was pretty much really boring, the party itself, but still nice to see friends. My friend Nate taught me how to play a bit of Blackbird on a guitar I borrowed from my neighbour and I dressed up as a pirate =) I used my Dirndl top as part of the costume- so versatile! I could be a pirate every Halloween from now on because getting ready is just so easy =) . So that was that.
On the school front, I have been crazy busy. Way too busy, in my opinion. On the … first of December or something like that, I wrote my first real school test in Germany for my Environmental Policies and Green Business in Freiburg class (which went very well), and had a mündlichen Referat (oral presentation) on Monday with my friend Jenna. We presented on Bio products, but I don’t know how well it went. Mal gucken. And then yesterday I wrote my Grammatik III test, which I studied so inefficiently for, yet studied lots for.
I will maybe write about what has happened since last Friday, since that is what I can actually remember. Here goes.
Friday- I worked a lot on my take-home exam for German 310. Ugh, that class is completely ridiculous! Fortunately it was cancelled both times this week, so I got back 3 hours that would have otherwise been very much wasted. Then, Laura from Canada came to visit that evening! It was so great to see her- she’s just finishing up a portion of a European study program in France and came to visit Germany before heading back to Canada for the Christmas break. She’s already been in Freiburg, but never for the Christmasmarkt, so we checked that out with two of her other friends from Basel. i just looked out the window and noticed that there are quite a few apple trees in people’s backyards that are completely neglected. Nobody picks their apples. Hmmm. Anyway. It was wonderful to see her. She went back to Karlsruhe that evening though, as her Oma lives there. Then, there was another party in my building, a Christmas themed one, so I went home and did some homework before going there. It was fun, way way way better than the pirate party. More people, better music and lots and lots of DANCING! But, I don’t like it when people (especially my friends) get so drunk and say inappropriate things or try to do inappropriate things. I like people sober or drunk and just, happy and nice. But at least I got some (rather sheepish) apologies the next day, hahaha. Anyway, I got to have a really nice conversation with a new friend, which also made the evening/morning great!
I went the next day to the Stühlingermarkt- it is like the Münster market, just smaller and better, in my opinion. I found Bioland apples for 1,99 Euro/kilo, and a couple of neat shops in the area, too. I think I just did homework for the rest of Saturday, or maybe I didn’t and did something else I forgot.
Sunday: Went to mass at the Münster and then came home and Jenna came by to work on our Referat and we watched Home Alone (Kevin allein zu Hause, auf Deutsch) with Alicia and my neighbour. It was so soooooo helpful to watch such a familiar movie in German! I understood everything. And I love that movie. So much. And I love Advent, so much. And I can’t wait to be back in Canada for a bit for Christmas =) Then another floor mate, who rents out the big bedroom, had us over for tea and cookies to celebrate Second Advent. Really nice.
Monday: Woke up and did NOT have to go to German 310 (WOO HOO!!!!!), worked on my Referat then went to my Green Business class, then gave the actual presentation in my Mündliche class, then went to Capoeira, then got home and read an e-mail from my Global Environmental Governance prof saying we had class from 8 til 12 the next day. Tried to get ready for that little surprise, went to bed. Got up went to this ridiculous class, worked really hard on not falling asleep, ummm… probably went grocery shopping or something after that…. homeworkhomeworkhomework… stuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuudying for Grammatik….
Wednesday: NO GERMAN 310!!!!! So, no class all day!!!!! I went to the Stühlingermarkt again and bought the most enormous apple I think I have ever seen. It is sitting right by my computer as I type =) Then I went to my Grammatik Prof’s office hours (really helpful!). But something REALLY exciting is… she told me about a farm nearby as well, where rescued animals go. And apparently I can volunteer there. So, I was thinking, since the earliest I’d be able to get out of my rental agreement is March 31st, I could take an SLI (Sprachlehrinstitut) class, maybe Mandarin, during March, because they have sessions from the 1st til the 24th, live in Freiburg and go volunteer with the animals! It’d be great! I still have to check the place out, though. I told Vlad about it and he said he has been there, but that they have an electric fence at the top of the monkey cage. Hmmm…. ?????
Got home. This boy who lives on my floor who loves me made soup for us for dinner and, exciting news- I found fresh kale at the Stühlingermarkt, so I made my amazing Kale and Avocado salad. Such a good salad. Anyway. Then there was Englischtutorat, where me and Alicia speak English with people from our building who want to learn English, and then we went and studied in Vlad’s room until 2 am for Grammatik. It was hilarious! Alicia was starting from the most basic stuff at about 10 at night, things like, “So, what exactly is a definite article? And what are the cases?” She can speak German, but, oh mi gosh, I couldn’t believe she was just starting to study the night before, and stuff that we weren’t even going to be tested on. And we watched a hilarious version of the Safety Dance music video during a break, and then Iscandar visited, because he was going home the next day for Christmas and wanted to say goodbye (maybe just to Vlad, but we were there anyway). Then…. left at about 2…. feeling quite accomplished. I needed a place to study, by the way, because 2 of the lights in my room are not in good form. The one over my desk does not work at all and studying at night was really hurting my eyes. Have to write the Hausmeister about that…
Aaaanyway. Woke up a few hours later and went to write my exam, which I think went okay, then went to class, then came home, baked cookies for Lukas and Jan (Dreena Burton ones, they love them!) went back downtown to meet with my Global Environmental Governance prof. Started taking notes for an extra essay she wants me to do because I don’t know anything about poli sci, typed typed typed, got a few things for this weekend at Alnatura, went to spaghetti place with Janelle, Ashley, Heather, and Alicia. Went home. Packed a bit. Went to the Tanztutorat, where I learned the Cha Cha and how to Waltz, apparently (I didn’t know that’s what it was until Cindy, the one who co-taught the dance class, told me on the bus this morning), then… packed a bit more after saying bye to everyone. And now I am here! And now I am going to do some homework.
Tschüss
<3 gemmer
PS- Almost forgot- One thing that happened is I went on the most uncomfortably cold fieldtrip of my life. IT WAS FREEZING. I seriously thought I was going to have a heart attack. And it started snowing. But I heard a lot about renewable energy in the Regio…. too bad none of it sunk in!
And, very exciting- I now have access to an amazing blender. A friend of mine rents it out for the semester and I have already made a cheesecake mousse, made of millet, cashews, agave, and lemon juice. I just had some. Delicious. So many more possibilities with a blender!
Later…
So, I arrived in Nassau, and was greeted by Tante Edith, Little Carmen, Kyra, and Benji, and was so so so so so so so so so happy to see them. It was amazing. I gave them all really big hugs =) I can’t even believe I am here. It is so strange and wonderful.
Little Carmen, Kyra, Benji and I drove back to Singhofen, and Tante Edith stayed in Nassau to have her hair done. We went to see Tante Christel at the Tank Stelle and I saw Ollie and Jan and the new puppy, Leika. Little Carmen and Kyra went home and Tante Christel gave me delicious Linsen-Suppe and delicious chocolate pudding and I just couldn’t even believe I was there. We chatted a bit, and, it seems as though they don’t really know what to do about me, but that’s okay because I love them. I can understand them better than they think, it seems, and I know they are all really busy, so I feel a bit badly for visiting, but I really wanted to see them and I think they want to see me too. Anyway. Then Little Carmen and Kyra and I went to Nassau again to pick up Melissa- she is very blond now- and went back to their house. And I looked in the attic with Kyra and saw where we stayed for so many summers so long ago. And I miss it, I definitely miss it.
We looked at some fotos from Freiburg and all the goings on there with Melissa and Carmen and Kyra and then Kyra made a Facebook account so we could keep better in touch (I should really just go on WerKenntWen more… ooops.) and we had dinner and then, well, they arrived before dinner, then Kyra and I went and talked with two of her friends, or, her semi-boyfriend and his cousin, whom she also kind of likes (yes…) and it was really hard because I almost completely have no voice- I don’t know what happened! This of all weekends!
Then, we went up to Tante Christels and I went and saw my liebe Susi, working so hard as per usual. She is so awesome, i don’t even know how she did it but, she somehow was able to make all of this amazing vegan stuff, like chocolate covered almond mound things and cupcakes and cookies and omigosh! It is all amazing and I feel so ridiculously lucky and spoiled and like I wish I had done way more for them. We sat and chatted and Mereika and little Mia were there. I havn’t seen Mia since she was a new born and wow, she is so cute! It was wonderful. Just, sitting and chatting (or…. listening to them chat)- couldn’t have asked for better.
When we went outside to go to Holzhausen, it was snowing. I have never, ever seen it snow in Singhofen. Probably because I have only been here in the summer… what a blessing, though- so cool! And then we drove back to Holzhausen and I chatted with Susi and Lukas and drank some tea and ate some delicious Norwegian Christmas cookies Susi baked in all the spare time she has and looked at fotos from their Egypt trip. And now I am about to go to sleep in the room I stayed in last summer. It is so crazy to be back here. I want to visit all the time, but I know we’re all busy. Once I get this semester finished up, I can visit more and for longer. And now I am going to go to sleep in bliss.
Sonntag der 13. Dezember, 2009
Hallo,
So, jetzt sitze ich wieder im Zug, nur diesmal fahre ich Südlich. I just transferred in Koblenz , and left Nassau at 13:16.
Yesterday was wonderful. I got up pretty early, because I wanted to be able to help Susi a bit with whatever. When I “worked” there last, last summer, I usually only got downstairs a bit before 10 am- yes, a very lazy way to spend a month of summer. sigh. Anyway, got up, had breakfast with the kids once I peeled them away from the xbox or game cube or wii or whatever it was they were playing with, as Susi’d requested, and then we did a bit of homework. I helped them with math and German, and Jan, all of 8 or 9 years old, read through my German, hahah. Then I went and visited Tante Emma, my Ur-Opa’s cousin, whom I was named after. It was really nice to see her and chat- I find it so easy to talk with her. Normally, that is. Yesterday I could hardly talk. Meine Stimme war fast weg! Trotzdem, war’s sehr schön. Wie letztes Jahr, im Sommer. Nur Drausen war Schnee, haha. Then I went back to Susi’s and met the boys- I think I am passing where we were last year on the Rhein, when we went for a hike with Inge and Walter and Susi and them; it was boiling hot, if my memory serves me- and we headed up to the Ranch where Susi was. It was really strange seeing the cherry trees I’d always pick from covered in snow and totally bare. We stayed there for a bit- I swear I recognize this bit of the Rhein really well. Yeup, dieses Stück sagt mir was.- but it was really cold and I was pretty much not able to help with much,- I am passing by castles I recognize. We took a boat years ago out to this building I am looking at. It’s in the middle of the river.-so I went back to the house with the boys and they got ready to go to Nastätten, the same town in which I always went grocery shopping last time. Then Susi came, we went to Nastätten and had delicious Chinese food and some kind of fried fruit for dessert, (which I could definitely had done without…). She, now, it wouldn’t technically have been “forcing” because she did not pry my mouth open and pour the Lychee Schnapps or whatever it was down my throat, but, you know what I mean. So frustrating. So so frustrating. But anyway, it was really nice to sit with them and have Chinese food, in a restaurant, which I don’t think I’ve done since my last night in Vancouver and just to be with them. Then, Lukas needed a new fountain pen and we literally stayed in the stationary store for, what I am sure must’ve been, 45 minutes. Gah, ah well. Then, went to Schlecke- 14.53, I just just just saw a sign on a Vinyard that reads “LEBE VEGAN”. I am stoked, that was amazing! I think I am going to contact the DB and ask where we would’ve been at 14.53 and then make some new friends here, hahah!- Schlecker and Susi bought shampoo and things and then we went back to Holzhausen and got ready for- Bingen, I was near Bingen when I saw the sign…- the Weihnachtsmarkt in Rüdesheim!!!!! It was so beautiful and wonderful!!! I loved it. We parked in a Lidl parking lot and then walked the rest of the way, but of course had to stop at McDonalds first…. (?????????? Yes.) and then we were there! It is, I think, much nicer than the Freiburg Weihnachtsmarkt, although the one there is nice too. This one was huuuuuuge! So we just walked around and ate and ate and ate and ate and they drank drank drank drank and- ugh, this lady across from me keeps staring at me.- and then my Mother called! From Kanada! It was pretty tricky talking with her, because I couldn’t actually really talk, but good thing there was a quiet leather store I went into so I could hear her, hahah. It’ll be nice to be all together again in the summer, and nice when she comes in February, I think. Then, we went into this special Christmas store, whose name I forget, and then we went to try and find Sabrina, but she’d called Susi 5 times and SMSed a lot, too, but it was too loud to hear to Susi didn’t get the message until it was too late and Sabrina had to leave. So we just missed her! Anyway, then we went to go sit in a restaurant and eat, and on the way I found…. Lebe Gesund! An organic, vegan company that make excellent apple chips (as well as other delicious things), so I was very happy. Then we went to a sort of Italian German restaurant, I guess, and it was again, nice to sit with such a great number of family members. Who all was there… hummmm….: Michie, Susi, Deensche, Melissa, Kyra, Jochin, Little Carmen, Olie, Mareika, Mia, and the two boys. Then we drove back to Holzhausen and listed to some pretty interesting Christmas music along the way, but not before stopping by McDonalds on the way back to the car, hahaha. Oh gee…. And then Susi and I looked at old photos until very very late, and there were even a few from us when we visit in the summer, which I found very nice, and drank tea and I ate these amazing Norwegian cookies she made. Will definitely be making them myself. Then it was time for bed. Then I woke up, had a shower, had breakfast with the fam (fresh squeezed orange juice… yum =) made me very much think of OrganicLives and Gorilla Foods and raw-friendly Vancouver =) ) then I packed my stuff and Susi sent towels along with me, and bed linen, for which I am unbelievably thankful. Having one rather thread-bare towel is not fun, especially on laundry day, where it sometimes isn’t dry by the time I need it for my shower. Problem no more! Same goes for the bed linen. And, she schenked me some hand towels as well, which used to be my Oma Bertha’s. =) . We went up to the ranch and let the horses and the ponies out in the field to run around in the snow. Animals are so amazing, they just are incredible. OH, speaking of which- when we came back from the ranch yesterday, there was a box sitting in the front hallway. Lukas opened it up and… there was a ver frightened, beautiful rabbit inside. I could’ve cried. The box was way too small for her and who knows how long she’d been in there already. And she was really scared. So I just sat with her, with the box open, until Klaus took her up to the ranch. I named her Inge, like Ingwer, because of her lovely ginger-brown fur. I don’t know when it will happen to her, but I think that all of the bunnies get killed. And eaten.
So, Sabirna met us and then it was off to Singhofen where I got to see Kata and Deensche and Tante Edith and Onkel Helmut and then we went to Tante Christel’s- this lady keeps staring; really annoying- and went to the Chinese restaurant of the sister-in- law of the Chinese restaurant people we went to yesterday in Nastätten, just this time in Nassau, with Susi, Sabrina and Tante Christel. Oh, and Tante Christel gave me a card =) I don’t know when I should read it, maybe on the plane…. we will see. See if I can wait til Weihnachten, same with the Geschenk von Deensche. Then we went to the train station and said some goodbyes. But it was not nearly so difficult, because I will be seeing them again in 3 weeks. And then again in February, and then again in May (at the latest…). And I love them.
Just got through Mainz and am on my way to Mannheim. Then umsteigen, und dann nach Freiburg.
Tschüss,
emma
