Pause

Well, I have officially made it to the (eternally long) semester break...huzzah! As of a week ago, I have no classes or any real obligations until April the 20. I bet you all wished you were studying in Germany right about now. To be fair, most of the German students are relatively busy during this time, taking big exams, writing long research papers, and participating in internships. For those who conduct their entire education in Germany, this time can be quite stressful (and useful, for the block internships in schools and ample research time) however, as an exchange student, I am given a lovely chunk of time all for my own. I am not complaining.

So far, I have wrapped up loose ends from the semester, cleaned (ok, to be fair, I only cleaned a little bit...), did laundry, ran misc. errands and slept. On Wednesday, however, I leave for an 8 day trip to Warsaw, Scotland and Dublin with Amy and Isabelle. Ewa has been kind enough to offer to play tour guide for us in her hometown of Warsaw and Isabelle studied last year in Scotland, so she will be showing us the insiders look into her life there. I am clearly very excited. My only real concern is that I am still not at 100% from the mono fiasco, but I'm sure it will all work out. I have to promise to look after myself and *not* end up in the hospital again, or Thomas won't let me go (as if he could stop me...ha!)

So, now that I am in the semester "pause" maybe I will have more exciting things to update the blog with...although don't hold your breaths! I am almost certain I had a great mental list of amusing cultural interactions to share with you, my faithful readers, however I seem to have misplaced it in the chaos of my brain. Sorry to disappoint. The sad news of the day is that my favorite cafe (where they know my name and my favorite drink...) is closing at the end of the month. I am devastated. Amy and I spent a lovely evening there a couple of weeks ago, drinking cocktails with one of the owners and chatting away. I am in complete denial that they won't be there for me anymore. I find it such a shame that a place that has the names, dates and birth weights of all the regular customer's babies written on the wall, a place where they make such an effort to know everyone who comes in, where they support local artists, play great music, and make great coffee is going under in this time of financial hardship. Karlsruhe is losing a great meeting place for community and I am deeply sad. 

In other news, Thomas and his roommate Bastian just bought a foosball table. Thats right, folks, I am being catapulted onto the path of greatness by my boyfriend's love of foosball and determination to train me to be good enough to humiliate some grown men. Go me. Or something like that...I'll keep you posted (or you could just watch the news...I'm sure you'll see my rise to greatness chronicled there)

Thats all for now, I am off to a goodbye party for 3 of my friends here who are leaving in the next few days and weeks. As always, I am missing and loving you all from afar. I trust that you are well taken care of in the arms of our Father. ~love~

Authentic

Authentic, that is what Amy and I made the super bowl party we attended at midnight Sunday night. Apparently. The formula for this "authenticity" included nachos (without salsa or guacamole), popcorn (salted, not sweet...the Germans weren't all that certain about that decision), corn bread, and our combined knowledge of the rules of football. ha. I was a "football expert." for a night. In Germany.

A good friend of Thomas' is (for reasons still unknown to me) a big fan of all American sports. He follows all of them much more avidly than I do. It is somewhat astounding to me how much he knows, actually. So, anyway, Stefan informed me that he and a few others would be watching the Super Bowl and I was welcome to join them if I wanted. After weeks of thinking that I would be not watching the Super Bowl for the first time in my life, I was overjoyed and, surprisingly, willing to begin watching the game at midnight! Amy of course wanted to join, and I told Stefan that we would bring some "Super Bowl appropriate food" (much to his delight!) We only stayed for the first half (and until Amy and I stopped singing along with Journey at the top of our lungs) and here are my observations:

First of all, I love nothing more than watching the confusion/discomfort of Germans when I tell them that you eat nachos with your hands. In a country where everyone eats pizza with knife and fork, nachos are a strange concept. (all Mexican food is very very foreign to them, much to my dismay) I think it is hilarious.

Secondly, I never realized how complicated football was until I explained it to a bunch of people who have never ever been exposed to it (even a little bit).

Along those lines, explaining how you play football and all of the rules in German makes it that much more complicated. 

I don't think I have ever watched a football game in which more fuss was made over the tackles than the plays.

The Super Bowl feels just like a regular football game without the commercials. I missed the commercials.

I really enjoyed my evening of American Football with the Germans (many of them were quite disppointed to learn that it was the last game of the season...I think we did a good job of creating a few football fans) As usual, this new cultural encounter left me laughing hysterically and once more thankful for this place where I am, people who I am blessed to know, and all the experiences that I am blessed to have. 

As always, I send my love. I carry you all in my heart and miss you daily. ~love~