Today, marks my fifth week in Brüggen, my eighth week in Germany, and one week left in Brüggen. So, my German has marked improvement to two months ago. Small conversations, introductions, and the typical "where are you from, how long have you been learning german" questions, are now answered with relative ease. Mostly I speak a mix of Englisch and Deutsch, or "Sprachen-Suppe", Language soup. My friend Loreen has been endlessly helpful, quizzing me on words, helping me with grammar, and in general putting up with me mangling the German language.
As I contemplate my time here, some things stick out to me. My growing collection of Kuscheltiere, the picture of Loreen and I that now decorates my desk, my wall of sugar cubes. Scrambling up onto hay bales (a fingernagel killer, just like bumper cars), watching Mrs. Doubtfire in Deutsch with Loreen, playing with Pira in Loreen's room, my Host Dad's love of jokes, Gina's bed hog status, and so much more. I didn't realize this until yesterday, but I've started knocking on the table when I sit down and people are already there. I didn't learn that in the U.S. I've slowly learned customs and just small tidbits that I never would have learned if I'd simply toured through the country. I understand more German than I think I would with an entire year in class. I think I might be more confident. I've started out right asking questions in my fumbling German, which I didn't really do in the U.S., even in Englisch. I've started forgetting English words faster than I can learn the German ones. Something I've become aware of is how much scrutiny the U.S. is under. I hear regular updates on the German news about our election. So many people have asked me "How has Trump managed to get to so much attention? How is he a serious competitor?" I can't tell you. He's a misogynistic ass, but apparently only now that blatant comments perpetuating sexual assault have come forward are some realizing that. The man has a history of misogyny, and he's proven to be a xenophobic ass. This is not the first time his demeaning treatment have come to light, and I don't understand how women can vote for someone who is not supportive of women. Enough about that though.On Friday, we had a trip to Hannover, where I took a million and one pictures. I was so obviously a tourist. We went into the Rathaus tower, with you could see practically all of Hannover from. People had written all over the inside of the tower, including but not limited to "See you in Hell", "Catalina is not Spain!", "*insert various cutesy declarations of love by couples", and last but not least, "Don't Slip." It was a lot of fun walking around the altstadt. On Saturday my Host Parents and I went to Helgoland, a beautiful little island in the north sea. We walked around and generally had a good time. It was a lot of fun. On Sunday I baked Chocolate Chip Cookies, admittedly with some substitutions. They taste great, so I'd say it was a success. I had to use honey instead of molasses, because i couldn't find brown sugar like what I needed. They were definitely a hit though, and the plate of cookies is rapidly shrinking. These past two months have been wonderful, and I'm sure the next eight will go well. Until next time, Tschüss!
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McKennaI'm originally from Virginia, I'm going to Germany via CBYX. The blog title is a reference to a beloved nickname from my mother. Archives
October 2016
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