Sunday

That's a really creative title, I know.

Carrie, Annie, and Alana left this morning. The woke me up at 4:45 and we got ready and made sandwiches and then I drove them to Bonn, where their train left at 5:44.

We had a really good week and you can see some pictures that I'm not going to post at my cousin's Blog: calhoungirl.blogspot.com (I'm not blog-savvy enough to know how to make a link. I think I remember seeing it somewhere, but I really don't want to look now).

It's almost seven in the morning. I tried going back to bed, but it didn't work.

Oh yeah! The Marstons are coming to visit this morning! Please pray for their safe travel and then for our safe travel to Paris and then back to our separate homes again.

Here's the von Bibra's

Here's Annie with Philipp Lahm, the famous German soccer player.

I've had enough with this blogger thing. It won't load pictures correctly. On my computer this picture is facing the right way. Maybe it's just my lack of savvyness, but it's irritating nonetheless.

They are here

Annie and Alana arrived safely! I'm thrilled to have them. Hopefully we'll have some pictures soon, but tomorrow is so full that I don't think I'll have time...

Besuch

Annie and Alana are flying soon to Germany. Please pray for their safe travel!
It's finally Friday.

Tuesday.Dienstag

I just made lunch: Cooked carrots mildly seasoned with a touch of butter to finish and boiled potatoes. Mmmm. Tasty. Now I'm going to ride my bike to Bonn, most likely listening to German music on the ipod. (Thanks again for the ipod!)
Last Saturday we listened to Wind in the Willows in German as a family. Did I post that already? For anyone who doesn't know Wind in the Willows, you're missing out. Plus, the German translation was not a disappointment. I was really impressed, it was really good.

And it's sunny today, which means I definitly taking my rain poncho because last time it was sunny I rode home in the drenching rain.

A little while ago, as I was checking my sauteéing carrots and suddenly Vincens popped into the kitchen. Talk about a shock! He was the last person I was expecting to see. You must understand that every Tuesday Felicitas leaves to teach music to preschoolers and I´m left at home alone. So I went around the house today, cooked, cleaned the upstairs bathroom, la la la la. and all the sudden there is someone there and I´m thinking: Ok, do I talk out loud when I´m by myself (sometimes I pray outloud too) and I was thinking of what I said and I concluded that it doesn´t matter and I don´t think I vocalised any of my thoughts and if I did I still don´t think i have anything to worry about. Strange. Jesus is always there.
I´m off. Oh, and I´m not forgetting my camera today!!! Now I just have to remember to take pictures and be brave.

For my padre

Dear Dad,

Happy Father's day! You're a great dad and I'm so glad that you are my dad and that God gave me to you as your daughter! I am so grateful for you!
Love,
Hilary

Kate's Birthday

Today is Kate's birthday, Happy Birthday Kate!!! I love you very much!

I woke up this morning and turned off my alarm and when I woke up again it was 9:15, which is usually when I leave for school. AAAAAAHHHH, so I rush and rush and am out of the house by 9:30. Then I start biking and am like, WhOAA, I'm really tired. So I just rode to Bad-Godesberg and took the train.

Then during the very non-interesting lecture about the history of the German language--(like verb conjugation patterns used in the 1100's, ok...) We are now to Early High German, so it's recognizable, but anyway, I spent the whole time thinking about what I'm going to do with Carrie and possibly Jane anda Ray at the end of summer. The possibilities are endless. This could be very cool.

Then at the end of the lecture I got the brilliant idea of making cornbread--and this thought is what kept me going until I got home. I think I'm getting sick or something, because I'm very exhausted after doing completely normal amounts of movement/excercise.
Moving on...I made pretty much the best cornbread of my life, no joke. It's SOOOO good and super easy. Here's the recipe-ish, I don't have any measuring utensils.

Approx. 2 cups of flour 1/2 corn and 1/2 white. My corn flour is very fine, so I did 3/4 corn.
1.5-2 Teaspoons baking powder
1/4-1/2 cup of suger (depending on how you like it)
1.5 teaspoons salt
3/4-1 teaspoon baking soda

(these don't have to be exact. Just make sure you have enough salt (but not too much!!!). If you have too little baking powder it will simply be heavier and less fluffy)

approx. 3/4 cup buttermilk (I have no buttermilk, so I squeezed 1/2 a lemon into my milk. You can also use vinegar to curdle your milk, or sour cream, or jogurt as substitute. Or you can use regular milk and no Baking Soda...)

2 eggs (not very large, on large one would probably suffice)
1.5 tablespons of melted butter

I think that's everything. I mixed all the dry. Then I mixed all the wet and then I put them together, stirred it up and poured it into a greased pan.

It is amazing tasting, especially with honey on top.

I think I'm going to go take a nap.

tasty

Well, Germany lost the game against Croatia. It looks like Alex and I will each be eating a whole sardine. She and I made a pact before the game: Germany wins we eat ice cream together. German looses we each have to eat a whole sardine.

Peanutbutter Flips, a highly consumed snack food in German and other parts of Europe, are very strange but somehow good. We don't have them in America.

It poured rain today and I got to use my new Poncho from Pia. It worked very nicely; I should have put it on sooner.

Today I had coffee with Martina, a really cool girl who is going to live with my family next semester. After we had coffee and talked for a while we went to the Kaufhaus. In the basement is pretty much the fanciest Delikatessen/store where you can buy things to eat. It is beautiful, very international, and very expensive. There is this section with all kinds of beautiful little chocolates--and we each chose two of them (there were about 50 different kinds). They were very delicious.

Tetley Tea is very good.

Birthday

Happy Birthday Mom!!!! I hope you have a wonderful happy birthday. You are awesome, you can french braid your own hair, you are very good with animals, you know all kinds of information, you are an amazing cook, you raise nice children, you aren't flimsy, you are very consistant, you don't put applesauce on your meatloaf (thank you), you are very wise, you are very trustworthy and honest. I am very grateful for you and thankful that God put me in your family.
I love you,
Love,
Hilary

Cocina

Meine Güte!

I am a culinary genius. Let me explain.

On Tuesdays I am in charge of making lunch. The first reason is because I'm here on Tuesdays at the right time and the second reason is that Felicitas is not. No problem. Usually I make carrots and rice or potatoes.

Here's how it went: I realize that we have no edible potatoes, no rice, and no carrots today. Hm. My brain connects the dots and I realize that I'll have/get to make something else. But what? (these germans keep totally different kitchens than we do, let me tell ya'. For example, in the pantry/storeroom downstairs there is a whole crate of Rot Kohl (pickled red cabbage)). Then I remember that a while back Aldi had an american week with "American" food for sale, and what do you know? They had tortillas--under the name 'american wraps'. yeah whatev, they were tortillas. Anyway, Felicitas bought a bunch but we haven't eaten them all up, because they aren't a german food and you have to go out of your way to figure out how to use them in Germany.

That's off the topic. So then I was like, what can I make with tortillas? No meat in the house and nothing even remotely mexican. BUT, my mom sent me some spices--enchilada and taco. Aha! So I get some canned tomatoes and dump them into a bowl and the juice into a sauce pan. And then I get some canned kidney beans (maybe there weren't kidney, I don't remember) and dump them in. Then while scrounging through the cupboard--looking for anything that could taste good with mexican seasoning, I found some orange lentils. Knowing that lentils take on pretty much whatever you flavour them with I decided to try it out. We're going vegetarian here. Then I take the taco flavour and dump some of it in my pulverated mass of beans, tomatoes, and orange lentils. (this smells really good by the way). Then I'm like, I need a pan. I look for one and, to my disappointment, there is no pan. The only thing remotely similar is a round spring-form pan, the kind you make cheese-cake in. This will have to do. I put some butter in the bottom, fill my tortillas with the mexican-ish goodness and, oh, I almost forgot. They don't have sour cream, so I decide to use unflavoured quark. This will definitely be good, even if it not completely authentic, and they won't know the difference anyway, I think to myself slyly. I cram as many of the tortillas as I can into the pan and then pour my taco-flavoured tomato sauce over the top, cover it with foil and throw it in the oven. I contemplate how to explain in german in writing how to eat it. I won't be here when they eat lunch.

I just put the cheese on as the finishing touch. I hope they like it.

Ok, and I'm including some pictures from the last couple of days!

Here are Rainer and Pia. We had breakfast on the patio. It was quite lovely.

I took the train. Here's what the seats look like. These ones on this train didn't recline, but they were pretty comfy.

Here was my din-din. Bread and cheese, seriously a staple food in this country and very tasty.

And...I coudn't resist. Everyone was gone this morning so I could take a picture of the dirty-pool-water carrot salad without being suspicious.

\

Carrots

I'm back in Bonn; had class today; was less than impressed with my knowledge of Konjunctiv I.

Oh yeah, I ate carrot salad that tasted like dirty pool water (the chlorine and everything). No kidding.

I have one chapter left to read of The Voyage of the Danw Treader (Die Reise auf der Morgenröte).

Germany beat Poland 2 to 0 last night. It's the European Championships. I watched it in the Kaiser Platz=lots of yelling, cheering, chanting, and beer. Very fun.

It's only 8:14 and I'm tired and want to go to bed.

I hope the rain comes back for two reasons: 1) it's cooler, and 2) I might have a chance to use my new rain poncho.

Pia gave me a Spätzle maker.

God continues to be faithful.

Spanking your kids is illegal in German...this could explain a lot.

Blessings to everyone.

German (y)

Hi, I dream in German. Crazy, eh? I think in German, dream in German, have complete conversations in my head in German, remember things in German, live a complete life here in German. Shocking, truly shocking Watson.

My minimal English time has made the most noticeable difference since I've came to Germany in February....now I think it's getting better, and when the English-speakers start coming (starts on June 20th!!!!!) I don't think it will be a problem. The languages are better separated in my head now. I'm going to try to be speaking mostly German until Annie and the others come, but I thank everyone for their patience and encouragement.

Right now I am in Gärtringen, south of Stuttgart. It is so beautiful here, although it´s a little cold. The coolness is better than the draining humidity, so I can´t complain. I´m staying with Rainer and Pia, two of the most hospitable and kind people that I´ve met in Germany. It is very refreshing here and I am having a great time. Last night I didn´t take pictures, but I came on the train and they picked me up. Then some of the young people from the church came over and we ate dinner and talked until midnight. I was exhausted but we had a good time. I can´t believe that my life is actually functioning in German! Ok, there are still difficulties, especially with the Schwäbisch dialect, but the people are really kind and try to speak High German to me when I don´t understand. The language understanding is now not so strenuous...it´s pretty much like this : either i understand what was said or not---mostly based on the fact of whether I know the words they used or not. That, my friends, is cool because it means that the language comes into my brain and I understand it without having to process (now with the dialect I have to process more, but that´s normal.) Language production is getting faster, but it is still frustrating when i can´t say exactly what I want how I want, but that will just take more time and practice I think.

Anyway, today we ate breakfast (delicious German bread, let me tell ya) and then went to the place where Rainer works. The people were so nice, it was incredible! He works for this metal/car recycling center place with lots of semis. He drives truck, a big one. I got to take a ride in it, it was very cool.

They are so generous, Rainer and Pia.

Oh yeah, I had the same really irritating experience this time with the sideways fotos and I don´t know how to fix it. Anyone have a clue???

Yes friends, there I am sitting in the big Volvo truck. It was a beauty, enormous, and very wide.

There is the silver volvo that I got to look in and sit in. It´s slightly bigger than my silver volvo.

Rainer and I in front of his truck. This is the one that I got to take a ride in.

They do all kinds of metal and scrap metal and everything. This is copper piping. it was so pretty and shiny. The lady (whose picture is somewhere below) gave me a piece about 2 feet long.

There is Rainer´s truck again...long.

There is the nice lady. Unfortunately I can´t remember her name, but she has a germany flag thing on her cheek because the European Championship starts today. The football craze. I´m looking forward to watching Germany play tomorrow at 8:45pm.

Pia and I drinking our cappaccino (somehow that isn´t right). I drank two coffees at breakfast and then was offered a cap. here at the work place and i couldn´t politely refuse. My head felt like it was going to expload after that---somewhere between explosion and floating, I don´t know how to explain it.

This is not the greates picture ever taken, but it´s really cool and I'll tell you why. When the trucker get's in the truck he takes one of these things, blang, and puts it into something that looks like a cd player. This thing then records how long you've been driving, when you took breaks, when you slept, and how fast you drove. Then, if you get pulled over the policeman can check this thing to see if you were speeding or if you drove longer than you were aloud. In Germany i think that you are aloud to drive 3 days a week for 9 hours and 2 days a week for 10 hours or something. It is very clever, actually, and I think good because then the semi drivers cannot be forced by their company to drive longer or faster than they should.

And here is where I stay, in Alex's old room. The bed is comfy and the down comforter is excellent. making your bed in Germany, and other european countries for that matter, is really easy. you just fold your comforter in half. That, believe it or not, is standard and completely acceptable. On my narrower bed at home I fold it in half and then lay it long-ways on my bed. Snappy.

Ok, finally I'm posting, my goodness!

First, It's been incredible how much my German has improved in the last 2 weeks. Incredible.

Second: I'm really excited about Annie and Carrie coming!

Third: I'm driving to Stuttgart (actually south of Stuttgart in Gärtringen) to stay with Alex's parents. I'm excited about that.

I have my History of the German Language class today. Let me tell 'ya, not the most intriguing stuff one could hope to listen to...but it's a lot better now that we are in to Middle High German. Old German was...

And MHD (mittle hoch deutsch) is more like middle english...Chaucer's era and I can understand about as much Middle German as I can Middle English. WoooHoooo.

But the Prof always seems into it, which is really cool.

Other observation: The weather here is humid. There are lots of little flies and when I ride my bike they come blizting into my face and all over me. When Mengni and I were riding to the ferry we were covered (the front of us anyway) with flies...ewy.

I've been playing my violin more lately, which has been wonderful. I kind of forgot how much I like playing the violin. I've also been giving lessons and I must say that Amelie is doing fabulously...we're already done with all the twinkles (for those of you who know Suzuki method) and we're on Lightly Row. She learns fast. Probably helps that she can already read and count music and play piano.

Oh yeah! My garten. I also have some pictures of my garten that I've been working on. We started a little late, but it's coming along nicely. A lot of work, let me tell you, but worth it. If I don't stay in Germany I won't be able to harvest my veggies, but it is still worth it.

Oh, and I got some German music from Alex (andra), which I'm looking forward to hearing. Unfortunately i can't put it on my ipod until I get it on my stick because my CD drive doesn't work...wow.

Ok, here are the pictures of the adventure that Mengni and I took...we tried two other times to take a boat ride on the Rhine but were too late both times before. Third time's the charm. We rode up the river to Linz, a beautiful little city, had soup, hung out, and then had ice cream. We had a really good time!

Here's the boat we rode up on. As I saw it coming, I was like "are you serious? We are rideing in that thing?" of course, I thought that and didni't say it. But seriously, how touristy can you get? However, it was totally pleasant and wonderful and professional. It didn't look like a whale on the inside. We actually sat on top in the open air in the very front. It was beautiful and relaxing and because it was so warm and sunny most of the other people were in the shade. Fabulous.

Here's our view of an ICE train, the really fast inter-city ones. I'll be riding one of them today when I go to Stuttgart. This one that goes along the ride is probably the most beautiful train trip that one can imagine.

Ok, these next pictures are all out of order, but OH WELL! I don't have time to organize them. This was the ice cream than Mengni bought. It was 5 scoops. I was totally impressed that she downed the WHOLE thing.

Conquered. She did it, and in enough time too. We had to make it to our boat on time, but she finished it. She's a kick. Full of life...you know when you meet those people who are just full of life? That is Mengni.

This is completely out of order and extremely irking that it is still sideways, even though I rotated it on my computer. Bwawwwww. Irritating. Anyway, this is totally non-typical, to have basketball on the newspaper front. Oh yeah, the European soccer championships start on Sunday!

Here's me doing the double peace thing, I don't know, the students from China and Japan do it, and I was hangin' with Mengni, so I did it to. Right after this picture was taken it started to rain like torrentially (not spelled right, I know...)

Mengni, very content on top of the ship...

Sideways. Ergg. There's a view fromt he back of the ship.

When it started raining we went inside and Mengni noticed that we were the only people under the age of like 65...hmmmm. Ok.

Ah, there we are in the ship.

In Linz there was this fountain. I think Mengni and I took about 20 pictures of ourselves making various faces...

<> Ok, after the Boat Adventure on the Rhine we had to ride home with the bikes. I, being the clever thinker that I am, did not remember to bring a rain jacket or umbrella with me (I mean, COME ON, it was like 90 degrees and sunny when I left!), however, that same brain that didni't remember the umbrella was clever enough to think "Oh, hello, a garbage bag will keep the rain off", oh aren't you smart hilary. Ok NOT. I didn't realize that a garbage bag was such a big deal. Drama, anyway, I don't have much time, but the lady in the boat wouldn't give or sell me one, and the lady in the cafe on land wouldn't either. It was lame. I was shocked and appalled. Really? No garbage for a poor, freezing, drenched girl who (I told them how far) has to ride home with a bike? Nope. We had fun though and it was an adventure. When we got home we watched an old German movie about the queen of Austria and drank tea.

This is totally unlrelated. I woke up last week to this. It was fabulous. We had thunder and lightening about 3 nights last week.

Ok, there is my garden before the work that I did this week....

Maybe you can't see the difference, but the difference is about 2 hourse of work. Ripping up that grass and weedness (left) is very strenuous, and then breaking up the soil with a shovel isn't too easy either.

Here are herbs, Kohlrabi, Fennel, Lettuce...On the other side I have Cukes, Zucchini, Tomato and peppers.

Oh, there are the Cucumbers!

Ok, Bye! I'm so late.