Tell me when can I see you again

My dear friend Ary visited me last weekend. Ary was one of my roommates in the German House at BYU and is now an Au Pair in Berlin. I've missed this girl a lot in the past months. We've been trying to work out how we can afford to visit each other for a while now, and it finally worked out, just in time for my birthday!
Friday night I picked Ary up at the Hauptbahnhof. I conveniently had waaaaaaay too much time to kill, so I decided to finally get around to composing. I've determined composing is much easier with a piano around. We talked and talked like the good ol' days less than a year ago. This time last year, we were thinking and dreaming and scheming (ok, I was seriously scheming) about coming to Germany as Au Pairs. And now it's all come true!
Saturday we tried to go to a spring fair. We got there a good bit after it should have opened, but it was rather creepily deserted. I can't blame them though, since Winter is just barely starting to loosen it's grip now, when it's almost April. Maybe it was just open at night or something strange like that. Should've asked a local beforehand... So we went shopping instead.

Oh, and we made pumpkin pie. Well, technically some cupcake-sized pies and... a loaf of pie. It was taking much too long to make all the little pies and we only had one tin. Pie isn't  big here, so we had to make do with what we had. So what if we were a bit late for Pi Day and very late for the normal pumpkin pie holidays? It was still delicious :)

We also tried to watch a movie that refused to work. It was super frustrating, especially since that meant I had to go exchange the blu-ray. Eek. 

You should totally read Ary's post on the weekend. She wrote it much sooner and it's much more interesting from a visitor's perspective. We had such a great time together! I can't even express how nice it was to have a roommate again, if only for the weekend. And I get to see her again this weekend at a Young Single Adults church conference in Leipzig this weekend!!!

They say it's your birthday

I really should've gotten around to writing earlier, but I was (somewhat) busy last week and then had an adventure and then found a link to watch Downton Abbey over here... Anyways. Birthday.
It was all-in-all rather chill. I won't bore y'all with every minuscule detail.
We didn't wake up early for the presents, and I think Joni was more disappointed than the birthday girl.
I was just getting ready to take a shower, when Maria said someone was here to see me. Huh??? I went up the stairs fully bewildered and in all my unshowered glory and met the senior missionary couple. They're responsible for the Young Single Adults in the area. Apparently they bring everyone a card and a chocolate bar for their birthday. 'Twas a nice surprise.
The kids gave me sweet little gifts. I think my favorite was a painting of a jellyfish from Jilli. Her little three-year-old German brain might think Jilli and jelly are the same thing... naja. I got a coupon for the purchase of the Hobbit as soon as it comes out over here, a month later than 'Merica. I really want it German as a bit of nostalgia. yay memories... i'll probably cry at the sight of it when i'm back in the states...
I'm pleased to report that KFC is at least as delicious here as in the States, perhaps even better for the lack of it for so long. Not that I ever ate out much, but sometimes a little food from back home can make all the difference. Chicken tenders, barbecue sauce, fries, fountain drinks with free refills and an ice machine (nobody puts ice in their drinks over here. It's cold enough already outside without the superfluous ice in your drink) with the best kind of ice- namely the small, crunchy pieces- and salt and pepper packets for free... and to top it all off, Ben and Jerry's cookie dough ice cream. All the best parts of American junk food. It was beautiful.
I also got to skype with Felicia, my mom who was visiting her mom in Texas, and the rest of my family. Fortunately these conversations weren't simultaneous. That would have been confusing.
And my dear friend Ary came to visit me this weekend just for my birthday! But that qualifies as a whole nother adventure. So, new post for that one.

I look at the world and I notice it's turning

Hello, World. Just thought you'd like to know that tomorrow's my birthday. My 21st, to be more exact. There will be no "first legal drink" for me! Firstly, I could've had that months ago when I first got to Germany. Secondly, and more importantly, I don't drink. Never will. And there ya have it.

Today my thoughts have turned back to what was going on in my life a year ago. Life's changed tremendously. Around this time I was:

The happy wearer of shorts. This year, not so much. I don't really dig the whole shorts and tights look. I've already vented enough about the cold front. But last year, the weather in Utah was oh-so-lovely.

Celebrating my birthday with two parties. One was planned for the weekend, the other involved my friends spontaneously deciding we also needed to celebrate my birthday on the actual date and buying lots of ice cream and inviting everyone in the Foreign Language Housing over. I felt rather loved :) That's not to say I don't feel loved now; I have small friends that tell me they like and love me all the time. Goodness, I miss the German House.

Still obsessing over that one boy. I never knew how much or even if he liked me. It seemed to vary more often than the weather, which, as anybody who has lived in Utah knows, changes all the time. It all seems a bit ridiculous now. Heck, I knew I was being ridiculous then! But in hindsight, I'm glad nothing came of it. Still single, though. That most likely won't change any time soon. Here's to the next two years being as single as the last twenty! Yay...

Worried about the future. I found out too late when the scholarship renewal application thing was due... there went my method of paying for education... It was then I decided to somehow move to Germany for a year for real. I'd been dreaming and scheming for a while, but without any resources. That's when I got serious about finding a family that needed an Au Pair.

Enjoying a short visit from my Dad.

Fed up with school. Didn't realize at the moment that I'd soon be taking two-and-a-half to three years off school... Yep. It depends on when I get my mission call. I wasn't even thinking about a mission then. I just wanted to get to my beloved Germany.

Going on picnics for dinner. I mean, I would do my best to persuade the rest of the German House that it was nice enough to carry all of our food and dishes down two flights of stairs and over to some picnic benches. It worked several times! For some reason, I don't think Maria would like the kids eating in the backyard...

My goodness, how life has changed.

Winter's here again...

For some unknown reason, winter decided to make a comeback. And my birthday is supposed to be the coldest day of the year. I don't remember ever not being able to wear a short-sleeved shirt, usually with shorts on my birthday. Well played, Germany.  Dumb snow. I've never seen snow in March, either. I think I'll be able to survive anything now. Maybe not Siberia, though.
This week, I tried to get out a bit more. Thursday I got off work early enough to go into town. I headed over to the library to get me some education. As just about any regular American living in Europe, I can definitely feel the holes in my general education. So I found a decent little "Short History of Europe" book to read. And when my head refused to focus on the German words anymore, I found that I still had time to dispose of the remaining funds on my gift card from Christmas. I bought a super-cute skirt for my mission. It even has pockets!!! Pockets add about 100 Awesome Points to any given skirt.
When I got home, there was a phone call (!!!) for me. Jared's sister wanted to know if I could babysit the next day. Ummm... Yes. It took a minute to make the decision, since we were supposed to go to this really big store with absolutely everything. And normal people (AKA non-business-owners) can't normally shop there. But... I need money. Any additional income is most welcome, especially since Au Pairs here don't get paid squat. So I worked my six hours Friday, hopped on some buses over to her home, and babysat. We even got to watch The Incredibles! AND they all went to bed without a fuss, well, with the exception of the baby. But that's to be expected. Yay for easy kids :)
And Boris died. He was already a bit indolent and lethargic Thursday. When I got back from babysitting, he was all curled up and dead. That reminds me, if you want to laugh at something, watch this Monty Python vid. Or just about anything Monty Python. I don't recommend the inappropriate ones.
Saturday, I got to go to the library again, but this time with a cardholder. Jared, Dana, and Jared's mother accompanied me. Finally I was able to get some good reading material and a blu-ray to take home. I got the European History book, a small book of German poems and The Nibelungenlied. That's not something I can easily find auf Deutsch in America. I then went shopping! More stuff for the mission. I got to go to the store that I skipped out on for babysitting, too. Jared said it was exhausting going there, but because stores of that size are, well, commonplace in the States (think Costco/Sam's Club/Walmart), No Big Deal. I hurried back home because I was supposed to babysit for Jared and Maria in exchange for some free time on my birthday. Then they ended up not going out. And to think, I could've seen Les Mis with my friend :(
Backup to Saturday morning at 7:45. Maria had taken the car out for a tune-up. Jilli came down to my room and woke me up to take her to the potty (still working on the whole potty-training thing, so I wasn't too upset that she recognized that she needed to go). Turns out, Maria told Jilli to wake up Jared if she needed something. I was slightly honored that Jilli picked me, even if it was early. And she's started calling me "my Shelby" and giving me super awesome hugs. Score!
It snowed all day today. Not happy. It should never snow in March, let alone three inches. And it may have snowed more since I've been down here in my cave.

Feels like the first time

Yesterday I went to the doctor for the first time in a very long time. I don't even remember the last time I went to the doctor. I mean, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" right? Nothing was wrong; it was just a necessary visit for my mission papers.
So my host dad is a doctor by profession. He asked his coworker to give me my physical just for the sake of decency. She agreed to do it for free since I'm going on a mission :) I had to take a bus, and then the Straßenbahn, and then another bus to the practice. It's in another town, and I've never been there before. It was an interesting experience. The bus didn't have a display that showed which stop we were at, which complicated things just a little. I ended up getting off two stops late, because I had to go by the time instead of stops. Luckily I spotted a street sign that clued me in on where we were. I then walked to the practice. Thank goodness it was another sunny day! It made the walk rather pleasant. The ironic thing, though, is that I wanted to get off at the proper stop, but couldn't see if it was right or not, so I just stayed put since it was three minutes too early. I had to laugh at myself when I walked past it!
One of the things the doctor had to do was take a blood sample. It was a whole new experience for me. Here's my thought process during the procedure: "Oh gosh here it goes... Don't look... Oh wait, lookie here, this is actually kinda cool... and that's my blood in a little vial... and here's a band-aid! That didn't even hurt! Hmmm... maybe I should donate blood sometime... do they even let foreigners donate blood? I guess I'll have to see if I can do that when I get home...."
And, as expected, I'm perfectly healthy. Woohoo! Just need to get some shots now. And go to the dentist. Both of which are things I haven't exactly done in the past few years. Shame on me.

We also decided where to eat for my birthday. Jared said, "Hey, we saw this new restaurant this weekend, and the kids are dying to go there. It's called KFC, I think..." DEAL!
And Boris is surviving his incarceration just fine. And by that I mean...If he could talk, he'd say: "I'm not dead yet!"And I'd respond: "Oh, shut up, you will be soon!" (name that movie!) I do wonder what the little guy eats though. He's bound to be hungry... wait a sec. I don't really want him to survive anyways.

Boris the Spider

Imagine that it's quite late at night. You are laying in bed, lights out, doing some last things on your computer before finally shutting it off for the night. Then, out of the corner of your eye, you see a spot on your headboard (well, technically backrest since you sleep on a pull out sofa bed) move in a most curious manner. You turn to see it properly, and, lo and behold, there is a spider mere centimeters away from where your head is.

What do you do? Freaking out won't do any good- you'd just end up with six quite agitated people rushing down to see why you're screaming bloody murder. Can't squish it with a shoe- the sofa is white and that'd would bring only an ugly spider-entrails blob and a heap of disappointed complaints. Can't take it outside this time of night- the host parents wouldn't be too pleased with an open door at that hour. You keep a somewhat cool mind and look around the for options. Don't wander too far or let your eyes leave Shelob's spawn for too long. Don't want the thing running away, maybe into your sheets, only to reappear once you're finally asleep, if you can manage to sleep in your bed after such an encounter. Your eyes rest on a plastic box that, until a few days ago, held some Q-tips. Bingo! You place the box over Aragog's little friend and watch as he crawls into it, no need for a piece of paper to help him out. Congratulations! You now have a new house pet. And since you love rock, you know that the Who wrote a song about a similar occurrence, except with a rather more violent ending. But, since you are a kind soul, you just incarcerate Boris and show him off to the kids the next day. And you hope and pray Boris didn't have a girlfriend.

P.S. Sorry for all my nerdy references to really large spiders from fictional works. Boris isn't even big. He's rather average, if you ask me. And he's about as entertaining as a pet fuzzy. Except with fangs and legs.

It's been a long, cold, lonely winter...

Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun!!!
It's finally starting to thaw out here. Spring won't be as warm as I'm used to, but hey, at least the snow's gone. Normally I can wear shorts on my birthday, which is a little more than a week away, but that won't happen this year. But I might not have to wear a coat. And that's almost as good. It was relatively warm today and the sky was clearer than it's been for months. I know, 6°C or 43° F doesn't seem very toasty at all, but the sun made up for it. It's as though the sun got sick in the fall, took bed rest for all of winter, and appeared today in all it's glory. I even sat outside in pants and a t-shirt- not even a jacket!!! I haven't done that since... September?
Which brings me to what I was doing outside. I can now cross something off my bucket list. I have officially read all seven Harry Potters in German, as of this evening. Oh yeah. I feel awesome. And just as when I read them in English, I still want more. And what does one read after the marvelous Harry Potter? It's a shame that library cards cost here. Wait, I rarely would be able to go anyways because of my working hours and because they're only open until 14:00 on Saturdays. Dumb. Anywho... It felt great to read all day today. It was like the good old days, before Facebook, before I even had an email address, when I could read for hours so long as I put the book down for dinner and did my chores. I remember, when the last couple HP books first came out, my family would buy a copy to share and race to see who would finish first. I don't think I ever didn't win.
So my boss/host-parents/whatever-they-should-be-called said we could all go out for dinner or go somewhere for my birthday. That presents somewhat of a conundrum for me. I recently found out there's a KFC on the other side of town, and some good-ole fried chicken always does the soul good. But, I can also fry my own chicken, and KFC is rather, well, American. So... what about some Schnitzel? Except that gets expensive, especially when there are seven mouths to feed... Or I could have a party. Problem is, my friends kinda sorta live all over the country/continent/world. Oh dear. Ideas? Suggestions?
And, yesterday Dana drew me a picture of a desert oasis with a camel holding a heart that says "ich hab' dich lieb" (i love you). Day made! I think I finally won her over :)
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes