Horses Never Share

Good news: I officially have friends in Germany!  This weekend had a funny way of proving this fact.  I went out with the people I'd met at the Oktoberfest again on Friday night and had a fine time.  We went to a disco not far away which was surprisingly pleasant.  It's a big place but has lots of little rooms so you can listen to different kinds of music and dance if you like, but also sit and chat if you so fancy.  We danced a bit and luckily went home at a reasonable hour.  This was due to the fact that my friend Reike and her boyfriend were having trouble in paradise and wanted to leave early.  I was pleased with this decision because I tire early these days.  So we rode home and her boyfriend talked politics at me, which was pretty annoying. Oh, and I was clever enough to put my money and house key in my boot rather than carry a purse that could be lost or stolen, but I wasn't smart enough to remember to grab my phone after I put it down to get the key out of my boot.  So, it was left in my friend's car.  I moped around the rest of the weekend, sure I'd never see the phone or my friends again, but quite luckily they found it and brought it to me on Sunday.  After that we had coffee in a nearby town and watched a soccer match.  It's really awesome to finally have a group of people here that will let me tag along.  Unfortunately the language barrier keeps me from knowing what's going on most of the time, but I get to see cool places with them.  So let's see, this weekend I also met most of Catrin's extended family at a reunion.  It was pretty cool, ate tasty cake at a family member's house and then had a huge dinner at a hotel restaurant.  I think several people spoke a little English, but no one felt comfortable enough to use it, so I spent most of the event just watching people laugh and tell stories.  Those are the times that feel lonely.  I miss being able to talk to just anybody about anything.  But hey, at least the food was tasty.  Piet loved it because he's a glutton for attention.  I've taught him "This little light of mine" and he was pleased to perform it for a room of 50 or more relatives.  He also made public announcements about the talking birds in the lobby of the hotel.  These birds repeated only German and did so in raspy, creepy voices.  I wasn't a fan, but Piet was entranced by them so we spent most of the reunion in the lobby.  There was also a machine that cleaned shoes, and after Piet discoverd this machine my shoes were incredibly clean.  It was cool to see him have so much fun.  It was also cute to watch him interact with his older boy cousins.  He'd just stare and copy whatever they did to try to fit in, until his 4 year old mind wandered and he was begging me to ride the elegator (elevator in piet language) up and down.  I have a lot of silly fun with him, I must say.  Nice weekend.

This week has been a little weird because everyone is still sick.  Jorn still says he feels woozy and exhausted all the time so he hasn't gone back to school.  Yesterday he and I dropped Piet off at kindergarten, went to the grocery store, and then went right back to the kindergarten after they called and said Piet looked like he had pink eye.  I had noticed it that morning and asked Jorn about it, but he said they'd put drops in it and he'd be alright.  Wrong.  So the next trip was to the doctor.  When we got home Piet still seemed in high spirits so we played a lot.  Later I left to help clean the veggies.  It was another pleasant day there, just organizing food and listening to German, trying to understand a little.  Being there and around my German friends as well as class is beginning to help.  Not leaps and bounds, but small steps at a time.  Class yesterday was another pleasant experience.  I rode the bus with my friend Elisa and we again met Marcos and hung out before class.  Hanging out with them and having a new, nice teacher has helped me to actually like the German class, which I guess helps me want to learn.  yay!  Last night I wrapped up the night by watching Shawshank Redemption with my host parents.  It was a little late to watch such a long movie, but it was good.

Today has been a lot less eventful for me.  Piet got an ear ache last night so he had to go to the doctor again this morning and get drops. This family just can't get well.  So Piet and I had a lot of time today to play. We went on a walk and took some pictures of the neighborhood since it was sunny and gorgeous.  When we got home he asked to listen to my ipod.  He's still obsessed with Simon and Garfunkle and has decided that the verse "Voices never share" in the song "Sound of Silence" is actually "Horses never share" which makes us all laugh every time.  He's super cute and I have a genuinly good time hanging out with him.  That's convenient considering it's my job : )  So, things are going smoothly.  I'm pretty homesick for Athens since Halloween is such an awesome time there and this year people seem to really be going all out for it.  I also miss my friends from Athens and my buddies from camp.  I'm very lucky to have met exceptional people in the past year, but it's hard to be away from them. I also miss my family tons and tons.  Traveling always makes me love home more.  Lately I've just wanted to be able to curl up on the super comfy couch in my parent's big living room and watch t.v. with Kelsey.  Piet is a good hugger though so he always cheers me up when I'm down.  The next days should be super.  Tomorrow I'll stay busy because Jorn's parents are visiting and then I'll go to class.  Friday I think I'll go to Hamburg and meet the past au pair Mallory and her friends and Saturday I think I'm going with Reike to the disco again.  So lots to do and see, and best of all, I'll be busy.  You'll hear about it soon!