Amazing Weather!!

This morning I did not want to get up for breakfast and Bible study at all. But I made it to AJY and met with Heidi and Maressa. I absolutely love those two and spending time with them. If they weren’t also staying for 2nd semester I probably wouldn’t have returned for second semester. It’s nice to make new friends and stuff, but knowing that I already have great friends here makes life just that much sweeter. I sent a mass email and then went to the post office to send a postcard to my little Parker (Jones). I also bought some more wash coins so I could do my laundry later. When I got home the washer was free so I quickly jumped on that. I was exhausted so I took a little nap and then got up around 12:30 to put my laundry in the dryer and then to meet with Simone for lunch at 1.

She had a friend with her who was pretty easy to talk to. We walked down to the Marstall Mensa, but the line was really long so we headed back up to the other Mensa by Uniplatz. I had never eaten there before and it was actually really good. They have three lines you can go through (but you have to go up the stairs to get to them) and a little TV screen that tells what each line has. One of the lines has a complete meal that you can buy, the other has another type of special and then the third is a buffet. We were starving and decided the buffet would be the best option. The food was really good and we had fun talking for awhile. Her friend speaks English really well because her boyfriend is an American. They met when she was studying in Texas for a year. She did kind of bother me by asking why I am studying in Heidelberg. It bothered me because she said it in a “this place stinks” kind of tone. I told her that I love it here and she was surprised. So I asked her why she studies here and she said “because I’m not rich and I can’t study wherever I want.” So that was kind of an uncomfortable moment. I ran home after we put our plates up and got my laundry out of the dryer and then met Simone back at the Mensa. We then went to Marstall for coffee. Simone said she had a milkshake from there a few days before and that it was really good. I was excited because I thought that maybe Germany had actually learned how to make a milkshake. When my family came in 2000, Derek ordered milkshakes everywhere we went and it became a joke to see how they would actually turn out. Every single time it was literally milk that had been shaken. So I ordered a raspberry milkshake and as soon as I saw it, I knew that it was indeed not a milkshake. It tasted like there was some sour-ish vanilla yogurt in it. I will not be ordering one of those again!! And it was kind of expensive, but we did get a Euro refund for it when we turned our glass in. It was an absolutely beautiful day and Simone’s friend Julia (who I met last semester) met up with us. I decided that I want to learn 5-10 new German verbs each week and Simone and Julia helped me think of them. Simone would ask me a verb and I knew most of the ones she said. She told Julia “she just knows too much German!” I quickly told her that I have never had the problem of knowing too much German. So we whipped out a magazine and found some random verbs that I should learn.

When I first met with Simone she said that I was a typical American because I was wearing flip flops. But the weather was so nice that I couldn’t NOT wear flip flops! I told her and her friend that I probably had more than 20 pairs at home and they said that they have three and thought that was a lot! Then when we met up with Julia, Simone told her to look under the table at my feet. And after she did she said “Typical American.” Haha That’s right.

We sat outside the entire time and left a little before 4. I had class at 4:15 so when they went shopping, I went home and then on to class. This was the first day that the professor’s computer connected with the projector so we got to watch a few clips and listen to some songs. I think this class is going to be really cool. But there are so many Americans in there…and a few of them have awful accents. I’m not at all saying that my accent is perfect, it’s almost hard to listen to them or even understand what they’re saying at times.

After class I came home and made a salad for dinner. There was a covered bowl sitting on the counter so I peeked inside. It was raw fish. Gross. Julia ALWAYS leaves stuff sitting out like that. The night before there was a pot of potatoes just sitting on the stove. I think she cooks things and then does something else and forgets that she was cooking. I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case because she’s incredibly scatter-brained. I knew she’d be coming back to cook her fish soon so I tried to make my salad as fast as possible. But as I was cutting up my avocado, she walked in and started to cook. She asked if I had any flour and I told her that I did and that I’d get it for her after I finished cutting the tomato. She told me to take my time. But then a few minutes later she comes over and whispers “weizen Mehl (flour)” in my ear. I told her that she had said that I could take my time and she was like “I know, but I neeeeeeed it!” Ahhh. That girl. When I finished my salad I started working on my paper for Herr Dörr. We had to write about something funny or interesting that’s happened to us since we’ve been in Germany. I chose to write about living on my street and how it’s always so busy. I wrote that I have had many near-death experiences and about when Caitlyn and I saw someone get hit by a car. Heidi called just as I was getting started and wanted to know if I wanted to go out with her, Maressa and Charis that night. Of course! I’m always up for a girls night and cocktails! I wrote a little bit more of my paper and then went to Heidi’s. She had on a little makeup and looked so pretty! We met up with the other two and then went to Grey Stones where they had a special on cocktails. After we had been there for awhile, these two guys came in and sat down next to us. They asked us to watch their coats a few times while they went outside to smoke. Eventually they got up the nerve to talk to us and we found out that they were German soldiers just visiting for the evening. I couldn’t really hear them and they were talking fast, so I didn’t want to say much in case I misheard them. But then Maressa and Charis started talking and then Heidi joined their conversation so I was stuck talking to them by myself. They asked me if people drink a lot of hard liquor in the US. It kind of came out of nowhere so I wasn’t sure if that’s what they were really asking. I told them that at the University people drink a lot and they probably drink more beer than anything. They proceeded to tell me that Germany is known for its beer and that there’s a thing called Oktoberfest. Oh really? I think they could tell that I was uncomfortable talking to them myself. But that happens every time we go to that place! Last time these two American guys came up and started talking to us. We were getting ready to leave anyway, so Maressa and her friend walked outside. And then Heidi walked out when she was able to. So there I was. Stuck talking to these two guys. Blah!

After we paid we went for a walk along the river and then walked Charis home. Days like today are exactly what Heidielberg is supposed to be like: sunny and warm!