Jane Eyre Moment, Losing Myself In The Whirlpool, Being Seen, and An Excellent Shopping Extravagansa!

Reader....I'm back! Hahaa so I left you hanging after my last post on Wednesday. =P So now it's only fair that I fill you in.

Thursday was pretty much cool. As always it's a super long day 7:30 am until 6 pm, but a good day none the less. My classes where pretty much the same, rather uneventful. Art however was great. It was only a 45 minute class today, but it went by so quick! I was really in the moment, because one of Theresa's friends had to tell me that class would be over in a few minutes so I might want to pack up. Haha. That's how in the moment I was.

Thursday's are also Drama! As usual Drama was so good. I think the students there really like me and if I'm confused about what we are doing they will help me out. We also do activities which I am able to participate in. I'm not sure if the teacher is doing this on purpose or not, but I really appreciate it. He talks completely in German and I'm starting to understand his directions a lot more than I use to.

We did some really neat activities. I'll explain a few of them to you! So he put on this really interesting music and we had to stand across from a partner with both of our hands touching their hands. Then we had to imitate what the person was doing. The person imitating would let the music guide and inspire them. WOW, it was sooo neat. We also did this with our hands out in front of us, but without having our hands touch, it was hard but fun.

We also did another activity which I like to call the Whirlpool. We've done it once before and let me tell you, it is excellent! Again this activity is set to music. We all stand in a circle with our hands on our chest and our elbows tucked in. Then we spin slowly towards the middle. Once we reach the middle we keep spinning and move around the little group of people in the middle. It is sooo cool.

Then we played around with a scene where Debbie comes to the mental hospital for the first time. I was one of the patients. The director also commented on my acting skills. I was quite proud. =) So needless to say I think I am fitting in pretty good here in Drama. I always leave with a light heart and a big smile.

I've also heard from my sister about what this years play is going to be at Churchill. Wow does it sound COOL! I am so excited to hear all about it and I am hoping for a video tape. Hint hint wink wink. I'm sure the costumes will be stellar!

On Friday my Sport class was cancelled so I got to sleep in! It was so nice. My classes started at 10 am and ended at 1:30 pm. It was ggllloooorriiiooussss. Oh and that reminds me! On Friday I was talking with one of Theresa's friends, in German, and we were talking about the weekend. She was saying that she was going to be pretty busy with school stuff, because they have a lot of tests right now. Then she said that once school calms down a little she wants to do something with me some weekend. OH MY GOODNESS! I think I died on the spot. (Of happiness. I just thought you should know I was happy and not mortified haha.) This is progress!

I've gone for a few more walks with Anton. He is so funny because he is starting to get picky as to where I take him. He will sit down and refuse to move, but when I go where he wants he can't go fast enough. I'm usually out for about an hour or an hour and a half with him. I wish he wasn't quite so picky, because I like going into the forest, but lately there is no way he'll go with me.

OH my goodness before I forget I need to tell you that I had a Jane Eyre moment! This is a literary reference people, I think the writer of the Gilmore Girls is rubbing off on me! There are always a lot of litereary references on that show. It's a good thing I read a lot! Anyways, so if you haven't read Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brönte this may not make as much sense, but I will try to explain it so you feel included!

The scene in the book goes as follows. Jane Eyre, the main character, is walking in the countryside alone on a dreary evening. A man on a horse rides towards here and falls off his horse and hurts himself. He is a striking looking man not in a good looking way, but in a striking way. They exchange a few words and then he's off. (Oh and he has a dog with him. This is important.)

Okay, back to my Jane Eyre moment. So I was walking in the countryside on a dreary evening and a man on a bike (okay so it's not a steed, but close enough) goes past me and says Guten Abend. That's German for good evening. He had a face just like the guy fromthis book. (I also watched the movie and the guy they choose to play this man in the movie looked just like this man.) So I was the one with the dog and he didn't fall and hurt himself, BUT it still reminded me of the scene from that novel. Ok so maybe the siutaion wasn't that close, but it sure felt like it at the time!

I got home and the oldest daughter Ann-Katrin took me to a welcome back party for one of her friend's who just got back from Australia. It was wonderful. Everyone was incredibly nice and it felt like the first time in so long that I was been seen and noticed! People talked to me and included me. They made sure I had a place to sit, food to eat, and they made sure to talk to me. Some of them spoke to me only in German and we had small conversations, but I spoke completely in German and understood them! One of the guys complimented me on my German and was very encouraging when ever I tried to explain anything. There were others who I had some English conversations with, and others who talked to me in English and I answered in German. It was so great. The conversations ranged from me, Canada, my school, to Germany, the problems with the former East and West.

I also met a girl from my English class there and she motioned for me to sit beside her. We got talking and it was great, because I'd never talked to her before. Ann-Katrin really looked out for me and made sure I was OK. All in all it was the most wonderful evening. When I left everyone wanted to shake my hand, kiss me on the cheek, or give me a hug. They all wished me luck and told me that we would definetly see each other again. Wow...I know I'll always remember that night as one of my highlights here.

That brings me to yesterday. Stephan took me into Kassel to go shopping. BAH! I was so excited. It was wonderful. I made some excellent purchases and I also helped him shop. It was really fun, because I've never shopped for a guy before. I would pick something out and he would just try it on. He had a lot of success also so it was great. When I was shopping for myself he'd hold the shopping bags, give opinions, and just generally be very helpful. So it was a great experience. I have to say I was wondering about shopping with a guy. Most guys really are not into it at all and are actually difficult to go shopping with. Stephan however turned out to be great. He never rushed me and we had a great time.

Then we went to a friend of his in Kassel and we had supper there. They are really nice people and we had a good time. I've met them once before when I was with Stephan. When I left the girl, Yana, gave me a hug. Gosh it was so nice.

That's one thing I miss a lot here are hugs. I'm use to getting quite a few a day. Ask my family! It's not that I would want my host family to just start randomly giving me hugs, because it wouldn't be quite the same. They'd be giving me them because I missed it. I have appreciated the hugs Marion and Lutz will give me when I returned from Language Camp, or my weekend with the Wagner's. I appreciated it because it was spontaneous and they did it because they wanted to.

There are many different types of hugs and there is a certain one I am missing. I'm missing that hug where someone will hold you just hold you for awhile. Everyone has their own type of hugging style and there are different hugs that they can give you, but they still keep their hugging style. I don't know if that makes sense, but it completly does to me. I missing that feeling of complete security that that kind of hug gives you.

In some ways here I have had to be more independent than I ever had. Don't get me wrong I am still very much being taken care of. Like I'm not working, paying rent, cooking all my won meals, but I have to rely on myself in a completely new way. I have to make decisions and living with a guest family is not like living with your own family. I make sure my room is clean and the bathroom is just like it was before I leave. So there are things like that, but there's more too. I have decisions that I need to make about all sorts of things. In some ways this is really thrilling and exciting. At times though it gets a bit hard.

Like there isn't really such thing as a lazy weekend where I can stay in my pj's all day and not do my hair. (My hair is a pretty crazy sight after I've slept on it.) Well I could, I mean no one is going to tell me I can't, but it would just be weird. You know? I'm a guest so I'm not really comfortable doing something like that.

Oh before I forget there were a few things I forgot to post in earlier entries. First of all there is an Eco Disco here in Germany. Stephan was telling me about it. The power they use in the Disco is generated from people dancing in the Disco! That is sooo cool! I just had to tell you about that! I'm in a pretty small centre, so I haven't really been able to see much of the Eco scene here in Germany. I've heard it's big, but I haven't heard much about it. Although, in my little village there are a ton of solar pannels. Many of the houses here have solar panels and there is a solar panel field here which I go past every day I walk with Anton.

Another thing I forgot to mention is that when a teacher asks a student to speak they say, bitte shon. This translates to please. So when ever a teacher asks a student to speak he is bascially saying please go ahead. I really think this is cool. It seems quite respectful and I really think that's neat. It's like they are saying I want to hear what you have to say and I think your opinion matters. (I don't mean this as a slam against teacher's back home, I'm sure what we have to say matters to you too!) Another thing is that at school when ever anyone sneezes you hear a chorus of Gesundheit. I also think that that is rather cool.

Today has been a rather lazy day. I slept in really late. Ahhh that was nice. Then I've watched some Gilmore Girls. (I have now finished the first season!) They have the second season, so my German learning continues. Then I've just been catching up on things here and there. So thanks for reading, post a comment if you'd like (I'd love to read it), and most importantly take care. Until next time.

Yours,

Marita

P.S. On that shopping trip I bought some European scarfs. They wear them so many different ways depending on the shape of the scarf. I am so excited to wear mine this week. It's going to be G-R-E-A-T! Not only will I look amazing, BUT they are quite essential in a German classroom. Guys are always opening the windows. I think it's a German teenage boy thing. Everyone says oh it's so cold, but the windows are always open. I don't understand this phenomeon, but when I do I'll get back to you!

'Ciao. Saying that also reminds me, that saying 'Ciao is a popular goodbye here. I find this amusing. I'm really leaving now though, so see ya!