A Visit in Ketsch!

I think one of my favorite things is sleeping without setting an alarm! I slept until around 10:30 and then ate my new favorite breakfast: strawberry yogurt with Schoko-Musli. Schoko-Musli is Oatmeal with cruncy stuff and choclate pieces in it. Super yummy and filling enough to eat just that for breakfast! Heidi came over around 11 to borrow my small suitcase. She is going to Bayern tomorrow to visit her friend. She also came in through the window! I just think that is so funny! When she was getting ready to leave, we opened my door and Keith was standing there getting ready to knock. Since I'm easily scared, I screamed a little. He was confused about how/why Heidi was here.

After Heidi left I booked my flight to Greece. It actually worked out really well that the bank put a hold on my card. I ended up getting a significantly cheaper flight with better times. I think it was about 100 Euros cheaper!!! SWEET! I really really want to go to Oktoberfest this weekend. Just for the day. How can I be in Germany and not experience that? Keith said he'd go with me, so hopefully he follows through on that. The German train system is going on strike on Friday. If they strike Saturday too, we won't be able to go. They want a pay increase of 33%! Crazy! If they actually got that, train tickets would be so expensive that people would have to use other modes for transportation and then they wouldn't even need those people to drive the trains. So yea, keep those fingers crossed that the strike is only on Friday!

Julia has a cold and I hope I don't get it. She made soup for lunch and asked if I wanted some. She also heated up some of the pasta we ate for dinner the other night. She ate the soup with me and then waited to eat her pasta when her friend from upstairs came. I found out that her name is Stina. I'm glad Julia's making some friends, too!

Around 2 I headed to Bismarckplatz to take a bus to the Hauptbahnhof. Katharina was picking me up at 2:30. One problem though, I was so excited when I left, I forgot my cell phone! Then I couldn't find her when I got there! We eventually ran into each other, but I still felt bad because she said she had tried to call me. OOPS! It was so strange seeing her drive! Last time I was here her mom had to take us everywhere. At first we didn't know if we should speak English or German. So we did a little of both! It was sooo cool to see Ketsch again! Walking up to her house brought back to many memories and I was so excited to be back. Her mom peeked through the kitchen window and waved when we walked up. Then she opened the door and gave me a hug. Her dad and Sebastian were also there. I really don't know Sebbi that well since he was living in Denmark last time I came. He and Katharina look NOTHING alike. He is really tall with dark hair and she is really short with blonde hair! We ate not too much longer after I arrived. We had a light salad and lasagna that was really good. We spoke German the whole time at dinner. I was a little nervous, but they understood what I was saying. Sometimes I feel like I just say "ja" aka yes to everything because I don't know what to say back! But after awhile I was asking a few questions and answering with longer sentences. Katharina and I went up to her room after we ate and just talked and looked at pictures. She has changed her room a lot and it looks so good. EVERYTHING is from IKEA and I just love it!

We also went to see a movie - Ratatouille! It was so cute! We got popcorn, but it was really salty. They also had the sweet popcorn, but since we were having cheesecake later we decided not to get it. We had gone to the same movie theater a few years ago, but we saw Harry Potter. I didn't understand any of that movie, but this time I understood pretty much everything! I loved it! Totally recommend that you go see it! When we sat down, Katharina asked me if I recognized the girl in the next seat. We didn't talk to her, but it was totally Katharina Rupp! She came to Mooresville in 2002 and also hosted a girl from Mooresville in 2004. Katharina didn't want to talk to her just in case it wasn't her, but it definitely was! Something funny about the movie theater here is that you have assigned seats. I think that's a really good idea. Another thing I noticed was that you could order beer at the concession stand. After the movie was over and we were leaving, we walked past the concession area that had tables and there were people just drinking away.

When we got home we ate a slice of the cheesecake that her mom had made. Yum yum! The cakes here aren't nearly as sweet as in the US. We sat at the kitchen table and it brought back so many more memories! I sat at my normal spot and we talked to her mom a bit more in German. It's crazy to think that last time I was here I pretty much only spoke English with them. Her mom would speak some German to me, but I really couldn't understand that much. Katharina told her mom that I needed a desk lamp for my room so they found one for me. Then her mom also got two more sets of sheets for my bed so that I don't have to do laundry so often. How sweet! They are also going to give me a small TV for my room. How cool!!! Katharina's mom drove me home since they were dropping me off at my apartment and Katharina doesn't like driving in the Altstadt. It is really confusing driving there and it was just easier for her mom to do it! She came though and we talked about fun things we could do while I'm here. Katharina wants to take me to Berlin for the weekend and then her mom also wants to take a boat ride along the Neckar or the Rhine. They also suggested going to the theater and a few other things. I'm so grateful to have them so closeby!!!