Turkey Day

Yesterday was the longest, yet most beautiful day I've had so far in Germany. I'm sure I don't need to tell you why, but just in case you were really doubtful of your guess, I took the opportunity and brought Thanksgiving to Germany. Well, to my host family and a few friends here.

It started out just an idea a couple of months ago- that we have a Thanksgiving dinner, and that I would be the one to cook it. Then a week ago I spent a couple of hours collecting different recipes and making a shopping list and started to get an idea of what I had really gotten myself in to. I was to cook for 16-18 people in total. I was generally okay with that thought- that is until the 17 pound turkey arrived from the butcher shop. After that I was completely nervous and anxious and having dreams about dropping the turkey as it came out of the oven, which it barely fit in in reality. How was I supposed to make all of these things that I've never made by myself before?!

On Wednesday, the cooking began. I made an apple pie and cherry cheesecake, as well as prepared the bread for the stuffing. As soon as I got home from school the next day, yesterday, I started on the sweet potato casserole, then the glazed carrots, mashed potatoes, peas, rolls, and the stuffing. After I hauled the turkey in the oven and everything else ready to cook, I took one look at the kitchen and decided it was just best to sit down. There was food everywhere and so were my thoughts. Needless to say, I was exhausted from spending quite a few hours on cooking. Where was help, might you ask? Well, I forbid it, at least from my host mom.

My host mom couldn't keep out of the kitchen and asked me several times if she was allowed to help. Several meaning at least once per five mintues. However, I wanted the dinner to be a thank-you for my host parents from me. That wouldn't work if I let her help! However after a couple of hours I gave in and let her cut the onions, but only because my eyes would be watering for hours if I had done it. Okay, maybe not for hours, but I had cooking to do and couldn't afford to waste any time crying over cut onions!

In Germany, it's very polite to bring a little something for somebody who invites you over for an event, so as people arrived I gladly accepted several boxes of chocolate. One thing that made the night extra special was that my neighbor decided to print out some information on Thanksgiving as nobody really knew what it was, so she explained a little bit about it as a sort of speech, including how Black Friday is perfect for women. The she turned to me and asked me what I'm thankful for, and I proceeded to thank everybody for making me feel like I have a home here in Germany. I also thanked my host family for how kind they've been and for allowing me to live with such wonderful people. They thanked me as well and all of them gave me a hug. Sounds cheesy, but it was absolutely perfect.

Next came the eating. The turkey came out wonderfully and didn't, thankfully, end up on the ground. Everybody complimented freely and told me how they liked everything. They're all such fantastic people and I felt obliged to cook for everybody. When I was eating, everything hit me. I'm in Germany! I'm sharing my culture! I just cooked a dinner for 18 people pretty much by myself! I also had invited one of the girls over who I had been speaking with a lot in my classes and she came! Everything was perfect. (Not completely actually- I forgot the gravy...)

To top it all off, I skyped my family after my night was over and was reminded how loved I am, what with my sister-in-law crying and everybody looking so thrilled with everything I said. It was really, honestly, a perfect day. I couldn't have asked for anything better.

17-lb Turkey

Sweet-Potato-Casserole

Stuffing!

Apple Pie

Advents Craft I made!

Story Time!

I'm not sure why my thoughts brought me here, I don't really have a point in making this blog post. However, I had this strong urge to write, so here I am.

Since I've been here I've had horrible back pains, which I think have resulted from stress, or just bad posture that I can't quite seem to remember to fix throughout the day. I told my host parents about it a couple of weeks ago and they told me I should go to the doctor who's pretty good friends with them so she could look at it. Weird that I couldn't just go to a chiropractor right away, right? So, I went to the doctor, and of course she referred me to a specialist, but Krankengymnastic (phsyical therapy basically) instead of just a chiropractor. Yesterday was my 5th appointment with them, and it's been working for the most part, the lady who helps me just shows me some exercises to build up my upper back muscles.

While about to go to my physical therapy appointment yesterday (I ride my bike there, it's about a 15 minute ride), I look for the key to open the garage to get my bike, and it's not there. I went outside to double-check that it was closed, and it was. Next step: ask my host sister where the key is. We spent about 5 minutes looking for it, and my host sister ended up calling my host mom. After no luck of finding it, I ended up having to take the bus, which came the same time my appointment started. This is just one example of something that I very easily become stressed over. "Come on Alex, there's nothing you can do about it! Take the dang bus and stop being so stressed over everything!" came to my mind several times when I felt like I needed to cry. Nevertheless, the public transportation didn't fail my expectations and the bus came about 4 minutes late, and having to walk to physical therapy from the bus stop, I was about 15 minutes late for the 30 minute appointment.

I expected to walk in there and somebody tell me, "Forget it, you're completely late for your appointment. You don't get another one, go home." Walking in there cringing, my mouth already open to explain why I was so late, I was greeted with smiling faces from the receptionist and my Physical Therapist saying "Ah da bist du!" (There you are!). They explained that they had called my house wondering where I was and my host sister had told them what was going on. They could tell I was stressed, probably from my constant furrowed brow, and turned immediately into my counselors and kept telling me everything was okay. We used the remaining amount of time to go over another exercise. At the end, I was talking with the receptionist to apologize and tell her I needed to reschedule my next appointment (we're going to the Black Forest again and I wouldn't be here), and she asked me how long I'd been speaking German. I told her three months, and she was astonished- more enthusiastic then the other people's responses had been when I told them. She continued to tell me that I speak fantastic German (which I've still yet to believe) and that WAIT... I don't have an accent!! That was the first time I've heard it, and I completely and sincerely hope it's true. That immediately made all of my stress go away. No accent!!

Then, to top it all off, some random guy who was waiting for his appointment also commented on my German and helped me put my jacket on- how sweet! Needless to say, yesterday night was an improvement. I think it's so funny how when things are going wonderfully I forget how it is to feel so upset over something. For example, just the other day I was submitting my honors application for the college I want to go to. It wouldn't submit, and that was the last day I could turn it in. It wanted me to select a major when it wouldn't give me a major to select. After about 5 hours of randomly crying, screaming at my computer (which I've sworn off of because of how pointless it is- which shows you how seriously upset I was over this thing), and just about giving up, my mom ended up calling them and leaving them a message to tell them that it wouldn't let me submit it. It was about 3:30 in the morning when I ended up going to bed (bad Alex). I was so completely frustrated over this only to find out the next day that because I'm a nursing major, I have to wait for the school to actually accept me as a nursing major before I can confirm it and before it can appear on the application. There's a special honors committee that reviews this handful of applications in January, and the guy emailed me this and told me that he'd put me on the list. It was nice of them to tell me this before I worried so much over it... anyways. Stress = gone.

Now, when I've had such a good day and could just stay home and relax, I've forgotten completely what it feels like to be so stressed out. Admittedly, I can be a little silly sometimes.

Well, that's all that's really been going on so far! Besides the fact that one of my good friends from this program is going back to America tomorrow, which I'm sad about. However I think it's for the best for him, I won't go into too much detail about that.

Gute Nacht Leser(in)s! (Goodnight readers!)

Entschuldigung

Entschuldigung (en-chool-dee-gung) - excuse me. I need to work on writing more often.

That word will start us off with today's culture lesson. You can use this oh-so-polite word in many different sitatuations, the main ones being:

A) When  you burp or provide other natural bodily functions that aren't accepted in public.

B) When you run into somebody, step on their toes, kick them in the shin, etc.

C) When you come late to class. The teachers find it very rude when you don't say entschuldigung when you come to class with the door already shut, which marks the beginning of the period.

Seems pretty simple and close to the American culture, however you can't use this word when you want somebody to move. It won't work, trust me, I've tried. You have to say something like "get out of my way" with or without a bitte (bit-ta) - please- on the end. I've found the language to be very blunt here and straight to the point, which isn't always the best feelings-saver but at least you know what everybody's thinking about you. For example, a couple of weeks ago my host dad told me that I should paint my nails a different way because he thought it would look better. Needless to say, I took his advice, I just thought it was funny that he suggested it.

Sprache Zeit (sprack-ah tsite):

Language time.

Lately I've caught myself understanding what people are saying, and then being so surprised that I'm actually understanding that I wonder how it's even possible. German just seems to be this completely different world of a language to me, and I think I've learned so much without realizing it that when I can say something that I initially thought I couldn't, or understand what my host family is saying, my mind is blown away.

This is not to say that I'm bilingual, or even close. I still don't know half the things that are going on or what joke I'm expected to get when people look at me and laugh, which I find happens often. However, the best response is always to laugh along, smile, and change the subject to the weather which I think everybody can relate to, and I can understand.

How It's Going:

Just about how it should at the moment. I have a great host family, I'm making some good friends, and I'm able to do a little bit of my homework, nevermind that it's mostly just my english homework, I still feel proud of myself. I'm also starting to appreciate more things about the culture here, like how Germans love to decorate their houses with cute mushrooms or other random things that they make by themselves. It hasn't snowed yet but I'm sure I'll appreciate that when it comes around.

I can't quite think in German but I think I'm at least dreaming a little bit in German because it's not so hard to wake up and speak German right away like it used to be.

I'm still missing things like my family and my friends and the movies (which they have here but it's not quite the same), but I'm trying to keep in mind that I'll end up missing all of the things here too when I come back to America, so I'd better take advantage of it all.

Well, hopefully next time I blog it will be soon, and hopefully I'll have seen some snow by then. Or maybe not, I think I have to buy a new jacket and some shoes which I'm trying to avoid. I'm secretly hoping it doesn't get any colder than this.


Thanks for reading and allowing me to speak English!