Hey guys I'm in a German article

This article is a summary of our game last Sunday against Dusseldorf. It mentions that I made a goal and an assist. "Ein tor von Sarah Treger" (a goal from Sarah Treger) and "mit einem Assist von Sarah Treger in der 34. Minute" (with an assist from Sarah Treger in the 34th minute)

Never underestimate the power of fuzzy socks

Germany is freezing already and it isn't even winter yet! Well, I think it's freezing cause it's always cold, rainy and grey then I also just get cold easily. My feet are always cold, even when I'm inside, cause heat is expensive in Germany so we don't use a lot. Which means I'm always wearing my fuzzy socks to keep me warm  (I also have my fuzzy blue blanket I brought over from the states). 

Other small differences I've seen so far:

No girls wear dresses. Or skirts.  Unlike Saint James where dresses and skirts are usually worn more than pants, here it's blue jeans with a sweater and scarf. Pretty basic with little variation meaning most of the teenage girls here look the same to me. 

Germans wear wedding rings on the right hand ring finger. I don't know why, Bettina made a joke about it having to do something with the practicality of Germans. However, most other countries in Europe wear the wedding bands on the left hand, Bettina and Joe couldn't think of another country that wore them on the right. 

German trains are always late. When I was in the states, I always heard the German rail system was punctual and just good in general. They have the departure times down, a train will say it departs at 3:01 (I really don't get how that one extra minute makes that big of a difference) but chances are it won't leave right on time (sometimes it won't even be at the track when it's supposed to me departing). That doesn't just apply to trains either, the cable car is not usually late but there was one time it just didn't come. At all. I was waiting at the stop, early for once, and it said the cable car was coming...but it just didn't. Which then I missed my train....as you can tell, I like cars and the fact Americans are lazy and always take cars everywhere! 

Just more stuff

I had my lacrosse game last Sunday and we were tied with 10 seconds left when the other team scored making the score 7-8. We played against Dusseldorf, and Cologne and Dusseldorf are rivals for pretty much everything, especially Karneval, so losing to them wasn't good. Unfortunately, the lacrosse game made me sicker because it was cold and rainy so Bettina and I went to the doctor and the doctor said no school Monday or Tuesday and no lacrosse the whole week. Then of course on Monday I got my new lacrosse stick, but I can't use it until next week. 

So yesterday and today I've been doing nothing but sleeping, watching tv and reading to get better. 

I did help make dimmer yesterday though and Emmi and I made spätzle which is one of my favorite foods! It's German (obviously) and is made out of spätzle flour (some kind of special flour), eggs, water and a little nutmeg. I also had a craving for baked apples so I made some for me, Bettina and Emmi. 

Also last weekend, friends came over and they had a one year old and three year old and I was home cause I was sick. The baby girl decided she liked me, so she'd crawl over to the couch, pull herself up then bounce up and down trying to get my attention. I tried to just ignore her, but was unsuccessful when Bettina said I think she wants to get up there with you! Then when she was on the couch, all the parents were laughing cause she was just laughing and smiling and I was just looking at her like what do I do with this baby? 

 

Spätzle

An old pic from vacation on the island Sylt. 

Pictures

My school picture 

My German class

A four wheeler in the middle of Bonn

Then these are pretty interesting..it's the first week of school for freshman, and they have orientation stuff but they're all drunk. One task was to create a chain of clothes, and whosoevers was the longest won, so all the guys took off their clothes. They also borrowed our lacrosse sticks...

A whole bunch

Everything that's happened:

Saturday night I went to dinner with my friend, Yoann, his dad, and his dads girlfriend in Liege, Belgium. However, true to French and also Belgian culture we ate late. And I don't mean late as in 9...we were eating dinner at 10:30 at night and finished around 11:30! Of course I knew we'd eat late, so I had a snack of a baguette and Nutella at around 5, but I didn't think we'd be eating that late! After dinner, Yoann and I went to the "October fair" in Liege, which is a fair plopped down in a park in the middle of the city. We walked around and finally decided on a ride which cost 14€ but it was worth it!  It's basically a vertical metal piece with two cars on the end where people sit and our feet are dangling, and the cars go in a vertical oval while the cars are spinning too...if that makes any sense. Here's a picture of the actual ride in Liege!

Anyways, since it was late we were the only two people in the one car and we got sent up to the top while the other car was being loaded...and we were 210 feet in the air, taller than the buildings. Instead of just leaving us stationary, staring at the sake view, the ride operators decided to spin us slowly around so we could see the whole city. To most people, this would he great. To me, it was awful. I'm not a big fan of heights, and seeing all the buildings we were above just scared me more. And then I kept remembering all my dads cautionary tales of fair rides breaking down and I kept imagining it just crashing to the ground (I have a wild imagination when I'm scared). However, as soon as the ride started it was so much fun! I laughed the whole time and loved it. The next day, coming back on the train, I had to stand the whole time because all the seats were taken. And then my second train from cologne to Bonn was cancelled, so I had to find another one, which was pretty easy. However, it was one of the older ones and the doors are really heavy and I couldn't get it open. The train was almost leaving, and I ran up to someone and asked them to help me, and of course they did but I got on the train just as it started to pull away! 

Then comes school. It's getting a lot easier and I have a French exam tomorrow and that's about it. 

Lacrosse is great, I'm excited for my game and on the way to lacrosse yesterday since I take the train to Colgone with two friends, we met a French guy Marlene (one of my friends) had talked to before! He asked me if I knee French, and when I responded a little he started talking to me, and then he found out it's more than a little so we talked the whole train ride! When we were getting off, he said I love meeting Americans who actually can speak French! And he also told me I have a great accent, there's barely an American one, and my grammar and vocab is very good! Then he asked why I didn't go to France...which makes a lot of sense but I told him I want to learn German. Then walking to lacrosse my friends asked yeah why didn't you go to France?

But my German is getting better every day and I can almost understand a whole class! 

Today's my lucky day

I'm going to Belgium for the weekend to visit a friend, and it didn't start out very well. My train left at 3:01 and I was waiting for the cable car at 2:50. The sign showed one coming, but it just never came. It takes 5 minutes by cable car to the train station, and between 10 or 15 to walk there. I started walking but of course I was already going to miss my train because now it was 2:55. I went up to the information desk and asked the guy what train I could take to Köln and he said there was one at 3:22 but I would have one minute for my connection in Köln...then he realized the train leaving Köln at 3:43 was 10 minutes so it in fact would leave 9 minutes after I got to Köln (my train arrived at 3:42). He was incredibly nice and helpful, I think he saw my slightly panicked face (I was NOT freaking out though) and realized I'm not exactly good with trains. I made it to Köln and got to the right platform exactly as the train pulled up. Of course I got lost in the crowd of people pushing their way into the train and found a seat but in about two minutes found out it was reserved...so I stood with some other people in the back until everyone was settled and found an empty seat that had nobody in it, even though it said reserved. Now I'm finally settled and not worrying about missing another train 

 Needless to say, this day has been an experience. My host father, Emmi and I went to the Ausländer (foreigners) office this morning, to get an official document stamped since I don't have a visa yet and the appointment to get one is after I'll have been here for three months, so that would not be good. We arrived at 8:30 and were number 20. It took until around 10 (I think) to see the lady and it took about 5 minutes to get a stamp. I was also a minority; the people were majority middle eastern or northern African, with a few Asians. Emmi wanted a stamp too, so she asked the official and got a piece of paper, ink and an stamp. Giving a three year old ink is a really bad idea...Emmi ended up with blank ink all over her hands, on her face, on the lady's desk and her jacket. She was ecstatic though and when Emmi's happy, it's really cute and funny because she just constantly giggles. Then I had French class. It was my only class, and it was an hour and a half of, honestly, not paying attention. I sit with two other girls who have become my friends, and then two more girls sit in front of us that I talk to too. We read an article the whole time about the press and their rules, such has protecting the truth. I read the article and understood it (thank you Ms. Flowers) and then had a discussion about it with the girls at my table, or tried to, because they're not that good in French. They also just don't care like most of the kids since the grades don't matter before 11th grade. 

Lacrosse is great, I'm making friends and they tease me, which is funny and shows me were actually friends. I have a game October 13th in Dusseldorf! 

I've been with my host family for a month now, and looking back at it, I'm proud of myself! I'm taking the train to Belgium by myself, I take the train two days a week with another friend for lax practice, I went shopping for Ian's birthday presents all by myself, finding where to go all by myself and I didn't even get lost! I'm most proud of my ability in German. I still struggle immensely with speaking it, but I can understand almost everything people say, when I actually want to. Bettina, Emmi and I were at our neighbors and Emmi's best friend's house, and the mom was speaking to me in German, but I answered in English. Then the dad came in and the mom asked "have you seen something" but I didn't get it what, so I asked Bettina have I seen what? And the dad goes woah! She understood that? And Bettina responded she understands way more people think, when she wants to! Which is completely true. I let the kids talk about me in school and don't tell them I understand cause well it's hilarious and if I do actually tell them, they look shocked and don't know what to say.