Gretta Gone Global

There is nothing in the world like a long weekend with loved ones, especially when it is one long celebration!

I arrived Friday, slept till evening, and went with to the neighbor’s birthday party. We talked and drank until 1 am. Saturday morning I slept in, enjoyed breakfast and a relaxed morning before going out with another neighbor’s daughter with her friends for coffee in the afternoon and drinks all evening. They even stayed out till midnight in keeping with the German tradition to congratulate the Geburtstagskind as soon as the birthday begins. Sunday morning I was awoken by my mother on my cell phone singing mananitas. As we talked I looked out the window and saw it was snowing! God’s birthday gift to me…

At breakfast I learned that Mass at the little village church was already over. Well, I would have to go into town. Why not the Dom. Suddenly, my life took a glamorous turn. Dressed in my new gorgeous brown winter dress I was putting on extra socks to wear with my sandals(the only other shoes I brought besides tennis shoes), when I was urged to wear my hostesses wonderful boots instead. With my jacket and gloves on I felt like royalty. And then, I was driven to church in the latest model of Mercedes (my host works for the company) by a daring driver showing off the special features of his car. I’ve learned by know how good of drivers Germans are, and how good their cars are, that I was able to enjoy the scenery flashing by, rather than see my life flashing before my eyes.

My special day was a lucky day, because I got to hear the Cathedral Band play at mass. After lunch and homework, which turned into a nap, we went to the Oma’s for coffee and Kuchen. Ah, the delicacies of the German household… After some set up for the Oma’s party the next day, what started as a toast to the Birthday Girls turned into a party – German style. Armfuls of liquors were brought to the kitchen table. Some were so old that a spoon was necessary to get to the liquid itself. Of the few good ones we enjoyed a round, where as of the bad one taste was enough and we had to wash out our glasses. Soon we had separated the bottle into baking, tossing, and empties.

That evening I discovered the Olympics and cheered for the Germans with everyone else. At some point, my birthday ended and the Oma’s began. In the morning I was greeted by a table of hour de’ vours and mimosas. After that there was soup and bretzel and… That was when it began to dawn on me that Germans never stop eating and drinking on festive days. This idea was reinforced when we headed over to the hall for coffee and Kuchen. This pattern was to continue as buffet dinner was served at 7pm with drinks to accompany. Unfortunately for me, the party ended then. I have school tomorrow and I can’t miss Midterms. At 4:30 I said good-bye and was driven to the train station.

Now my train is pulling away from the Hauptbahnhof. As Italians say Partire e un po’ morire (to leave is to die a little) and that is exactly how I feel. Is the party really over? Do I really have to go? I will just have to look forward to the next time I visit.

Heaven is Where:
The Police are British,
The Chefs are Italian,
The Mechanics are German,
The Lovers are French
and
It’s all organized by the Swiss.

Hell is Where:
The Police are German,
The Chefs are British,
The Mechanics are French,
The Lovers are Swiss
and
It’s all organized by the Italians.

Oh, Bayern…

I had a wonderful Easter.  I spent it on trains, on my feet, and with friends.  But the best part was evening.

The family I visited has three girls, all around my age.  Every evening that I was there we sat out on their second story balcony, relaxed, sang, talked, watched a flickering fire, drank beer, enjoyed the summer weather.  Today I sit inside, alone, in front of the computer.

What a difference.  But only for today, I hope.

Well, back to big-city life tomorrow.

Happy Easter Season everybody!

Who ever knew

• that a stretch of track that usually takes 20 minutes to cover can also take 1 hour
• that that 1 hour could also be fun

The first train was 30 min delayed and only took us two stops because it was ‘defekt.’  the next train traded for the defekt one didn’t even leave that stop because it was also defekt.  Finally another train came, but I opted to wait the 2 minutes for the one after because the passed 40 mins had caused quite a crowd to accumulate.

So, I get on the next train and travel halfway to my destination.  Then, oh, time to get off again.  The train we were on had to turn around because he was running that late.

Next train.  Again, very full, and every station after that only made it get fuller!  We were so packed in that no one even needed to hold on in order to keep their balance.  The chatty people in the middle said it very well: “cuddly.”  Thank goodness we could all laugh about it.

And thank goodness the ride home was much quicker!

I have been alive on earth for roughly 19 years and 9 months.  Thanks Mom and Dad for getting me this far!  I’ve still got a long way to go…

The past 8 months I have been on the other side of the world.  Without my parents (physically at least) but not really alone.  I have two pairs of host parents, a program director and an area representative to look after me.  Sure I have become independent, which is to be expected at my (new) age, but I am still looking forward to spending the summer in their nest.  I’m sure they are looking forward to the nest not being empty for at least a few months.

Really though, I am enjoying my time here.  What is better than a Salsa Costume Party: Dancing and Dress-up combined!  Almost the Masquerade Ball I dream of… 

I almost forgot it was my birthday because I was in Bonn and it was the height of the Karneval season, the fifth season of the year in Germany.  But now it is all over.  The costumes and decorations are packed away and ashes on our forhead call us to repentence and preparation for the Passion of our Lord.  Then the party begins again in 6 and a half weeks.

I got millions of Valentines

from God.  They floated down out of the sky and made the ground all white.  Three days in a row.  On Saturday I even played in it:  I went sledding with my host parents.  Beautiful!  I couldn’t have asked for anything better for Valentine’s day.

It is 12 noon and -2°C in the sun.  This morning it was -13°C when I left the house for my 20 minute walk to Mass.

Yesterday I was debating whether I should go or not, or go in the afternoon downtown.  Friday night I went to bed with a sour throat and all Saterday I felt terrible.  Well, in the 36 hours between Friday night and Sunday morning I slept a total of 24 hours.  Consequently, I woke up at 7 this morning well rested and feeling greatly improved.  I got up, baked Bread Pudding for my hostfam and drank a cup of coffee.  It was light at 8, so I decided I could make it.  At 9am I put on two pairs of pants, two shirts, two scarves, my thickest pair of socks, a pair of gloves, a hat, a coat, and shoes.  Then I headed out across the fields to Church.

I was glad I went.  The parish children were all dressed up as the Wise Men, the Sternsingern, and the farmland on the way had turned into a Winter Wonderland with the snow and cold.  The sun came up and warmed my face on the way home.  I could only tell it was still cold by the way my breath formed a layer of ice on my scarf.  Now I am home, with a cup of tea and a warm scarf around my neck.  Hopefully I will be healthy again tomorrow so I can go to work… or maybe I’d rather not be healthy quite yet.

Well, Christmas is officially over.

I should be sick of it by now, but I was still sad as I saw people packing away decorations today.  (Well, I could go to Spain where it is still Christmas for a little while.) 

Christmas in Germany seems to last forever.  Unhindered by Thanksgiving and Halloween, Christmas treats and such started appearing in stores around the end of Oktober. By the middle of November the season is in full swing.  Christmas markets seem to parallel the flames on the Advent wreath in number and brightness.  Also like the candles, some stay lit over a month long, like the one in Frankfurt.  The biggest candles are lit first and burn the longest.

Finally, after so many weeks of preparation, real Christmas comes.  On Christmas Eve all activity dissappears into warm homes, only to emerge sporatically as families walk off their large meals on each of the three days of Christmas.  Yes, three days of Christmas.  Logically, the actual holiday is proportionate in length to the preceeding hype.

Each of the three days my hostfamily and I ate a lovely, homemade, sitdown dinner.  Each day we opened presents, each day from different sources that had been there for Kaffee und Kuchen in the afternoon.  Each day we sat in peace and admired the decorations and Christmas music.  Each day we took a walk to aid digestion and revive bloodflow.  Each day was really Christmas.

When many Americans were already thinking about taking the Christmas tree down, we were just putting it up.  When most Americans were slogging back to work, we were still relaxing and recovering.  When many Americans’ Christmas presents were already out of sight and mind, we were just readmiring ours.  Now, when many Americans may have already forgotten where the Christmas decorations are, we are just packing them away.

But lets look at the positive side: there is still the beautiful, fluffy snow to make winter bearable.  And the freezing temperatures provide innummerable ice skating rinks.  And one joyful season just makes way for another…  Let Karneval begin!

Yes, a very good day indeed.

It seemed ordinary when I woke up, but then I looked out the window and saw it was snowing.

The snow wasn’t perfect, it was slushy, but I got to stay indoors all day and work on my new gloves.  This afternoon then, I confirmed my new job.  Then later I found out that I was accepted into my college of choice.  Now, I am about to spend the evening talking to and being with some of my closest acquaintances in Germany.  A perfect ending to my wonderful day.

Tonight I will go to sleep in my warm, comfortable bed with the feather cover and wake up tomorrow refreshed and ready for another day, even if tomorrow is far from perfect. 

It snowed!!!!

Friday we had a blizzard, or we would have had one if it had been a few degrees colder.  All we had was wind and rain.

Saturday night it really did snow though.  I couldn’t believe it.  Then Sunday afternoon it snowed again!  Sadly, it all melted by today. 

However, it really did snow.  In November. 

I can’t wait for December!