So a second week of German class is complete. Learning the language has been very humbling, but I have really enjoyed the class so far with the other international students. These are engineers, social workers, businessmen, and doctors who give up their education to appear like dumb, fumbling children. We all struggle but struggle with and learn from another.
On Thursday I played volleyball with the team here. Most of the officers are gone so it was a very low-key practice/scrimmage. Let's just say that though I had a good time, I'm better off just sticking to running. My fun there isn't intruding on anybody else's! O yeah, I was indirectly told to never come back!
On Friday I took a train ride north to Otterndorf. This village is right down the road from where my grandmother and grandfather grew up in Neuenkirchen. My relative and gracious host Maria picked me up in the city and spoiled me with an amazing dinner. We talked for a while after, and then I went running with a flashlight in the pitch black. I came back around 10 and figured that she would want to go to bed. Nope! We had dessert and talked the night away. Whereas I stumble and talk like I'm in a traffic jam in class, I seem to do much better when I'm just socializing with family.
On Saturday morning, I once again was spoiled with an amzing breakfast. We then went walking through Otterndorf and hit up a florist on the way to bring to family friends, whom we visited. After that, we had leftovers for lunch and then purchased flowers again from the same florist before visiting other family friends. After that went to a southern-German-style restaurant and ordered very nontypical food from that region....fish! It sure tasted good, but it wasn't on their menu!
The half marathon course on sunday was just beautiful. It went through the village (think cobblestone streets), along a canal (lonely and windy), and along the sandy banks of the Elbe river (you'de think it was the ocean). Running through Germany has been quite an experience so far, but I have one complaint: half marathons aren't exactly great photo-taking opportunities.
On Thursday I played volleyball with the team here. Most of the officers are gone so it was a very low-key practice/scrimmage. Let's just say that though I had a good time, I'm better off just sticking to running. My fun there isn't intruding on anybody else's! O yeah, I was indirectly told to never come back!
On Friday I took a train ride north to Otterndorf. This village is right down the road from where my grandmother and grandfather grew up in Neuenkirchen. My relative and gracious host Maria picked me up in the city and spoiled me with an amazing dinner. We talked for a while after, and then I went running with a flashlight in the pitch black. I came back around 10 and figured that she would want to go to bed. Nope! We had dessert and talked the night away. Whereas I stumble and talk like I'm in a traffic jam in class, I seem to do much better when I'm just socializing with family.
On Saturday morning, I once again was spoiled with an amzing breakfast. We then went walking through Otterndorf and hit up a florist on the way to bring to family friends, whom we visited. After that, we had leftovers for lunch and then purchased flowers again from the same florist before visiting other family friends. After that went to a southern-German-style restaurant and ordered very nontypical food from that region....fish! It sure tasted good, but it wasn't on their menu!
The half marathon course on sunday was just beautiful. It went through the village (think cobblestone streets), along a canal (lonely and windy), and along the sandy banks of the Elbe river (you'de think it was the ocean). Running through Germany has been quite an experience so far, but I have one complaint: half marathons aren't exactly great photo-taking opportunities.
After the race, Maria spoiled me once again (it's a common theme with Germans, hosting, and food i think) with dinner before she dropped me off at the train station for the trip back to Hamburg.
When I finally made it to my room at 10, I found out via email that my Uncle had passed away. That was last night, and I was out of phone minutes and wasn't able to call my father to mourn with him, my grandmother to tell her about my time in her birthplace, and my mother who too has many memories of this place.
Sorry to bore you all!
When I finally made it to my room at 10, I found out via email that my Uncle had passed away. That was last night, and I was out of phone minutes and wasn't able to call my father to mourn with him, my grandmother to tell her about my time in her birthplace, and my mother who too has many memories of this place.
Sorry to bore you all!
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