A Vast Blue Sky...and A Wobbly Bicycle Ride

First of all I want to thank everyone for their comments, you have no idea how excited I am to get them! THANKS. =)

Currently I'm just getting over being sick. Don't worry it's nothing major, just a cold. My voice sounds a little funny though. Haha oh well. A lot of the kids at school also have colds. Cold season starts much earlier here than in Canada. The weather has been like Autumn. The German summer ended when I was away at my language camp. So I have been wearing sweaters, jeans, and long sleeve shirts lately.

So last weekend I was taken to Hamburg by my second host family. Oh gosh I was sooo excited! It was a 5 hour drive to get there, but the drive went by super fast. There was so much for me to look at out the window. When we arrived in Hamburg we walked around a flea market and we wandered into a few shops. Then I was introduced to my second host father's brother. He was a very nice man. He took us around the city a little and we had coffee at a little cafe.

Hamburg is a port city and a lot of ships bring in coffee beans which haven't been roasted yet. They roast the coffee beans in Hamburg because it's cheaper this way. Anyways, the air in Hamburg smells really sweet because they roast the coffee beans here.

Then we went back to his flat in the city. It was a beautiful flat and it reminds me of how much I want my own flat in a large city. Lethbridge has always felt a bit small for me and I've always dreamed of moving to a big city. Oberellenbach, here in Germany, is a lot smaller than Lethbridge. Don't get me wrong, I love it here. Everyone has been so kind to me, it's a great experience going from living in a city to a village, but I do miss a big city.

Also, if I was in a big city I would have more things that I could do independently on my own like going downtown to shop, sit in a little cafe, take a walk in a park, or visit a museum or an art show. Here, I do need to rely on others more to go out to do things, because one of the Rotary D's is I cannot drive. However, this is a cultural exchange and when would >>I<< ever live in a village? I have never seen that in my future, so it is a good experience for me. It is probably a good experience for my wallet too! Hahaha.

The next day the uncle, my second host father, and my second host brother took in a football game. (This was a present to my second host brother.) He was so excited and his team won, so I think it was a fantastic weekend for him. I spent time with my second host mother. We took a boat trip and walked a long a beach. The sky was sooo blue. Oh gosh...I've missed seeing such a blue sky with no clouds. The sun was out and it was so hot. It was like summer again. It was absolutely lovely!

That morning I also had the first cappucino of my life. It was sooo good. I'm definetly not going to become a coffee addict anytime soon, but every once and a while I think I might indulge. I've had more coffee here in Germany than I have ever had in my life. (5 cups in just over 4 weeks.)

Then we made the 5 hour trip back, where I tried to sleep. (I failed miserably at this.) Man I was so tired, but my brain just would not shut down. I recieved a warm welcome when I arrived back to my German home.

To my surprise another friendly face greeted me. Stephan my host brother is back for a while. I was excited to see him. We stayed up watching a movie, called Blow with Johnny Depp. It was pretty good. That reminds me before I went to language camp Stephan and I watched Kung Fu Panada. Now seriously if you haven't seen this movie you kind of need to see it! I know what your thinking, that this is a movie for little kids, but it's hilarious! Watch it and get back to me, aight?

Then I was back to school again. Most of my days in school are pretty much the same, so I'll hit the high lights. I'll start with a funny story. So I was sitting in Music class and I ended up being beside a guy I didn't know. This is unusal, because I am usually by Theresa or her friends.

Well this guy starts speaking to me in German. He asks if I am from Canada, if I speak German, and of course I reply in German easily to these few sentences. He then asks, in German, if I understand him. Naturally I say yes, but it was kind of funny because he asked that in German. So again I said yes. Now he thinks that I have a good handle on the German language. Not for long...dun...dun....dun...dahhhh.....

So there weren't enough music books so he offers to share his book with me. Of course he is the perfect gentleman about it making sure the book is more on my side things like that. Then he asks me, in German, if I understood the text. Naturally I said no. This vocabulary in the text book is way to advanced for me to comprehend. I can pick out a few words every once in a while, but there was no way I was going to understand the text. So he starts trying to explain the text to me, but not in English in German. So it was really sweet of him, but there was no way I was going to understand that either. He is using all of these big, complicated words that I don't understand. My face, must have been priceless. Quite quickly he got the idea that I had no idea what he was saying. Hahaha, dang well it makes a funny story.

Stephan is the cook of the house, so when ever I come home from school now, I have dinner courtesy of him. On Monday I came home to curry and he knows that East Indian food is my favourite. I am really lucky to be living in this family. This is just one of the little things that really picks up my day.

I went to another Rotary meeting. This meeting was at their other location, a modern hotel. The food was better at the castle, but the speaker at this meeting talked slower, so I was acutally able to get the jist of what we was talking about. WOW! One really interested thing at the Rotary meetings is they never clap, but instead tap on the table with one of their hands. Very interesting.

The book I need to read came yesterday and it was an incredible book. I highly recommend it! The title is I Never Promised You A Rose Garden, by Hannah Green. I will be reading lots of it tonight!

I've also now ridden a bicycle again for the first time since I was 10. I had a pretty wobbly start, but I think I remember how it works now. Haha. So many people ride bikes, so I had better get use to it.

That brings me to today. I got to sleep in because one of my teacher's is sick. There are no substitute teacher's here, for High School anyway. If your teacher is away or sick you get a free class. It's great when it's at the begining or the end of the day! So Theresa and one of her friend's and I went to a cafe before class. I had double art today, which I adored. I was in extremely high spirits when I left the classroom. We are just sketching, but I like it. I have never drawn before so it is a very neat, new, and exciting experience for me.

I got off at 1:30 and Stephan and I played card games, Jenga, Chess, and some board games this afternoon. He's pretty much like the older brother I never had. I've always wondered what it would be like to have older siblings. Now I get to test it out. I wouldn't trade my sister Julilla for anything though. When ever I thought about older siblings she was always included in the picture. I hope she gets to have a 'little sister or brother' someday just to see what it's like.

Stephan and I are going out bowling tonight with a few of his friends, so I'm pretty jazzed about that. It is currently rainy and overcast, but I'm in good spirits. I've had a nice day. Tomorrow is Drama again, so I am super excited about that!!

Thanks for your time reader!! Until next time...

P.S. I'll try posting some photos later on today, but right now blogspot doesn't seem to want to attach them.