A Highlight From the Heart

Okay, so I've seen some pretty amazing and beautiful things in the last 10 months and making a list of highlights would be almost impossible. However, yesterday afternoon in the living room, the sweetness of my five year old brother, Samuel had me smiling from ear to ear in what I have no doubt will forever remain a highlight.

Samuel and I were home alone and were both reading on the couch in the living room...his steady commentary had me reading more of his book full of pictures than my own, but it was cute :) I was tired and so, jokingly, laid down with my head in his lap. I expected laughing or maybe even the daily questions "are you ticklish today?" but instead received the reply, "Ok, I can read on your head." Seconds later I felt the book on my head as he silently continued to flip through the pages.

The phone rang. Sami let it ring three times and then said softly, "Julianne, the phone is ringing."

I got up and answered the phone. It was a quick call and as I hung up the phone and stood in the kitchen I heard from the living room, "Are you going to come back?" My heart just about melted. I asked him if he wanted me to and he responded with only a grin. I walked back in and he smiled and put a pillow on his lap before I laid down.

Not often can you catch a five year old boy calm enough to sit still for minutes on end but Sami didn't say anything...and I started to drift off to sleep. Then he started rubbing my back and I couldn't contain my smile. A few minutes later he started playing with my hair...gently and carefully working out the knots he found it that mane of mine.

Then out of the blue a giant blow in my ear! Have you ever had someone blow in your ear? Saying it tickles is putting it lightly. To Sami's delight he got quite the squeal out of me which triggered a fit of laughter from both of us. There was no more going back to sleep or silent book reading once the giggles got out, so instead we moved on to a heated game of memory :) It was an afternoon I won't forget and I only wish I'd had the entire thing on video. I'll say it again, it was the sweetest thing I've ever seen!

We're Celebrating!

In a family the size of mine, there is always something going on, always something being planned, and always something to celebrate! Naturally, birthdays certainly lead the charge, thoroughly hitting every month of the year, but Anniversaries, weddings, baptisms, and Confirmations are not to be forgotten.

The Owens family interprets "crazy picture" differently..

The Weihing birthdays are perfectly scattered throughout the year; summer, fall, winter, and spring. Wayyy back when, we Celebrated Christian's birthday with a day trip to Switzerland after a week on Lake Constance. In November, our house looked (and sounded) like a kindergarten with Samuel and all his friends running around happily. Selina and I share February as our birthday month and although it wasn't on our birthday, the family ski trip was certainly a great Feb. treat. In March, friends and family came for the evening to celebrate Papa's birthday and unlike in American culture, I've come to learn that adults usually throw themselves a birthday part too--why not? To Jonathan's disappointment, I'll be in Berlin over his birthday but once I promised to bring him back a surprise I think the disappointment faded a little bit :-) And then this summer, after I leave, Mama will celebrate her birthday. Mentioning the birthdays of my eight cousins, three aunts and uncles, and grandparents would simply take to long and bore anyone to death...but i think you get the idea!

Me with my cousin, Annika

However, at the end of April, our family had something bigger than a birthday to celebrate--a Confirmation. The closest thing to compare it to in the U.S.A. would be a high school graduation. Confirmation takes place around the age of 13 and it is the students' commitment to continue their life following God and comes only after a year of classes and a bit of preparation :) The church was packed!

Once the ceremony itself was over, our group of...well..many...headed back to the house where the celebration began. Oh. My. Goodness. Never have I seen so much food! As soon as we got to the house, the adults toasted to the occasion and everyone nibbled on the small assortment of finger food set out on the patio. The delicious snacks certainly would've held over my appetite for another hour or two but what felt like only minutes after the treys were pulled, the lunch bell rang and we all filed in to an enormous buffet of chicken, venison, pork, potatoes, veggies, salad, and certainly a handful of things I forgot.


Without going into useless details, I'll fill you in on the rest of the day: after lunch free time for an hour or so until "Coffee" (which is code for a tiny cup of coffee and giant slice of cake), family games, dinner. The response to "dinner time" has to be one of the most humorous responses I've ever heard to such a delicious buffet of breads, meats, and cheeses, but I too was stuffed to the gills and the thought of finding room for an entire meal was somewhat laughable but somehow we all managed.

But don't worry, there was at least a little more to the giant celebration than food, food, food :) Several family games had us all laughing--including one that had me admitting to the three grey hairs I'd found that morning and the grades I'd received for my latest Chemistry test. I played photographer as the 14 kids took their best swing at the pinata which wasn't always the safest job..."stand close to the blindfolded kid with the baseball bat to get a picture of him swinging madly.." hmmm. Oh, and I played memory. I remember the days when I was so good at that game...

And in a nutshell, that sums up a fun, beautiful, and exciting day of celebrating with my cousin her Confirmation :)

Burgers!

American culture doesn't get more stereotypical than a big juicy cheeseburger, a generous helping of salty french fries, and a giant coke to wash it all down. And although, to the surprise of some, I don't eat burgers on a daily--or even weekly--basis, there really isn't a more American food and so I caved...I made burgers! 

I had to laugh at the German culture that snuck its way into the meal though :-) Thankfully, my host parents share my disgust in the airy white buns that normally go with hamburgers and so when dinner time came, we had good ol' German rolls (not exactly rolls but also not bread) that certainly tasted better than the buns the kids went goo goo over! 

The burgers took a while on the stove and by the time they were all on the table, I smelled like grease and had a flashback to my days waitressing at Colleen's when I would come home from work to "Wow, you smell like a french fry!" But the burgers were quite the hit with certain members of the family eating up to 3 giant ones! The  best part was that the electricity didn't go out, I didn't burn anything, I didn't break anything, and I didn't ruin the recipe....could that mean I actually cooked an American meal without a catastrophe? I never thought I'd live to see the day! :-)

But That's Boring

I remember so clearly both saying and hearing those words during conversations with my family on Saturday mornings and Sunday afternoons as we brainstormed how to spend the day...well, some things don't vary much between cultures and sitting around the dining room table after church those were just the words I heard. What were my host siblings referring to? That's where the story gets good. No, not a bike ride, hiking trail, or game, what my host parents wanted to do was visit a special landmark about a 30 minute drive from us. After a fair amount of whining, a deal was finally made and, reluctantly, the kids agreed to spend the afternoon at a castle. 

A CASTLE! I laughed out loud just thinking about how many Americans would give anything to spend Sunday afternoon touring a castle--kids and adults alike. It did, however, make me realize how easy it is to take for granted the beauty found so close to home. More than one of those "but that's boring" conversations at home had something to do with the beautiful pacific ocean--something everyone of my host siblings agreed was certainly more exciting than a castle :)

I fit in the doghouse!

Well, we pulled up to the castle and I was all giddy like some little kid...but most have gotten used to my child like excitement by now. Unlike Neuschwanstein Castle, Lichtenstein Castle doesn't attract millions each year and therefore isn't quite as "roped off". Of course, it is still an amazing and breathtaking tourist attraction, but the smaller number of visitors allows the grounds to remain a bit more natural looking and I was blown away.

We toured the inside of the castle and it was just like the movies! Trap door escapes, a ballroom, and an impressive display of suits of armor that made my host brothers grin from ear to ear. We came to one room and instantly noticed the giant bullet hole in a mirror. Our guide quickly explained that during WWII, the French had invaded the castle searching for German troops but instead, found only a full wine cellar. One of the soldiers walked into the room a bit later and believed his reflection in the mirror to be a German soldier and so he shot "him". Whether or not that is simply legend or actually fact I suppose we'll never know but it makes for a good story. 

 Of all the many Sunday afternoon outings with my family, our afternoon at the castle stands head and shoulders above the rest. It was a beautiful day and a very beautiful castle with an amazing family <3

Easter Afternoon

After a morning of celebration with just us, we prepared to host the entire Weihing clan. An extra table was brought upstairs, cute and festive table decorations were found and put to good use, and then around 3:30, the crew began to arrive. the Weihing clan consists of my host dad's three siblings and their families--two of which also have four kids :) It's no small party!

A number of delicious looking cakes decked the table and the coffee pot was ready for action--and after seven weeks without the weekly tradition of German coffee and cake, so was I! As much as I would have thouroughly enjoyed samplying the entire variety of goodies laid out, after my first slice of "nuss zopf" (A sweeter version of zopf with nuts) that was only a few hours old, the other cakes just couldn't compare. :) I will have to find a way to get my hands on my aunt's amazing recipe!

He wanted to hide something with our bunny but in the end he said, "Charlie bit me"  I'm assuming it really hurt ;-)

GO!

As the kids began to figit it became obvious that it was time for the easter bunny to go to work. Naturally, all the dads had to help with his enormous load and I tagged along as photographer. Finally, everything was ready.   One basket from each aunt and uncle multiplied by 13 kids doesn't leave many unused hiding places but with a little creativity and a big yard, we managed. the kids stood in the doorway--yes all of them--and waited for the command that sent them caotically flying in all directions--go!

Taking the time to play photographer meant that my dear little brothers, who zoomed around the yard at the speed of light, had located all of my easter baskets before I'd even set the camera down and therefore "hunt" is certainly a bit of a stretch for what I had to do to get my baskets.

The playing field-aka my backyard :)

As expected, the day flew by and I was suddenly celebrating not Easter Sunday, but Easter Monday. This time around, it was Mama's side of the family who filled up the dining room and once again, we had a wonderful time. By the time everyone left and the dust settled, my jaw dropped. Never in my life had I seen such an enormous amoung of Easter candy!! And I must say, I'll take Germany Easter candy over peeps and creme eggs any day!

And that would be the very sumorrized conclusion to my Easter in Germany--it was a great one!

The Morning Celebration

My Easter basket--found!

What does a church service in the cemetery, a German flag hidden behind some flowers, and over 20 pairs of shoes outside the front door have in common? I'll make it a little easier on you--what does an over abundance of colored eggs, an invasion of bunnies, and the phrase "He is Risen" have in common? Ok, so if you're still clueless, it's no longer my fault :-) But everything mentioned above--and much more--is what made April 8th such a memorable and exciting Easter Sunday.

Church service in the cemetery wasn't a joke...I realized that clearly as I pulled myself out of bed at 6:00am! Although getting up at the crack of dawn wouldn't have been my first choice, I thought of my own family's 5am Christmas morning tradition and the five exchange students who learned to love (or at least tolerate) it. We got to the cemetery at quarter before seven and as we piled out of the car, April decided to sprinkle a few snow flakes. I must have gotten Easter and Christmas confused in my "dear Santa letter" but will certainly pay better attention next time ;-) Nothing turned to white but the tiny flakes justified our shivering.

But the service truly was something I won't forget and such a creative way to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. The brass band played several songs--most of which were older than my country. And although I probably could have predicted the sermon word for word in English, as I stood there listening, I realized I understood the whole thing! It was a very triumphant moment :) Around 7:30 the last song was sung and kids and adults alike scurried back to the cars to run home to an Easter breakfast.

No more lent, no more fasting. Mama and I both sat at the breakfast table trying to decide what our first taste of sugar should be after 7 weeks without. The lindt bunnies on our plates? The vanilla cakes shaped as lambs? Or good old zopf smeared with a thick layer of jam. I opted for the jam and never had it tasted so good. That first bite of my lamb cake was certainly a shocker though. SO SWEET! I was initially excited that after going "so long" without sugar I wouldn't be able to eat as much...hahaha. How naive!

My German flag :-)

The children finished and then began eagerly asking about the Easter basket hunt that they knew came right after breakfast. Papa and I got up a few minutes before everyone to help the Easter bunny with his enormous work load and then let the kids loose! By 9:45, all gifts and baskets were found and sifted through quickly before packing everything upstairs and heading off the the second Easter church service. 

Everyone was there and the pews were packed. Hopefully it won't sound rude for me to say I was excited to see that the normal worship of 17th century hymns with an organ was replaced by songs younger than me accompanied by a keyboard and guitar. Oh, and the best part? They were in English! Don't get me wrong, I love German, but seeing an English song pop up on the overhead now and again is a happy thing :)

And that was the first half of Easter. Considering I've already got a good number of paragraphs behind me, I think I'll end here and fill you in on the afternoon celebrations next time :)

The Humor in My Life

After several hilarious incidents and a life that is, in general, full of laughter, I've decided it is most certainly time to whip out another random post :-) So here are the five funniest stories and most laughable moments from my last few months!

1. My host family is so sweet and knows I'd rather not receive a ten year stash of chocolate for Easter so they put a creative spin on my Easter baskets. As everyone tallied up the day's "winnings" a huge grin spread across my face as I looked at my pile: In addition to the inevitable supply of chocolate, my basket contained five kiwis, three jars of peanut butter, and a box of Chamomile tea!

2. Apparently there is some unspoken law that forbids me, as an exchange student, to cook or bake anything American without a catastrophe of one level or another. What were intended to be black bean quesadillas, were served as "kidney bean warmed tortillas". Discovering that black beans are hard to come by in Germany was no biggy--after mincing wurst to create "breakfast sausage" no form of improvisation intimidates me! However, as quesadilla number one was in the frying pan, the burner suddenly turned off--along with every other form of electricity on our street. We made the best of the hot pan we had, but once again, my cooking attempt turned into quite the adventure!

3. Back in the fall, I broke a glass. No big deal. After breaking glass number two, weeks later, Mama teased that I'd have to break six glasses before I would get in trouble. Last week, while unloading the dishwasher, I broke glass number five. I, personally, find this more irritating that anything else and perhaps a bit embarrassing, but others assure me it is humorous and thankfully my host mom also views my klutzy behavior as laughable. All I know is that I've discovered a new appreciation for plastic...

4. Neuschwanstein Castle--the international tourist attraction draws Americans, Russians, Italians, and approximately half of Japan to Southern Germany on any given day--or so I've heard :) As we were taking pictures, I froze as a man walked by me wearing--AN OSU JACKET! I childishly and excitedly pointed him out to my friends...and then stalked him :-D I walked up to a random part of the castle wall to "take a picture of a plaque" but my ears were peeled and I'll admit to being thoroughly disappointed when I realized he wasn't speaking English and he wasn't speaking German. Too scared to start a conversation, I snapped a shot of the jacket while he was facing the other direction to prove to you all that beaver believers aren't just in Oregon!

5. Hopefully the humor of this will survive translation, but it is sure worth a try! Back in the heat of homesickness and culture shock season (November), I received a packet from my organization. Among stories from past students, advice on how to adapt, and encouragement, there was a poster with a  bouncing penguin baby in a kangaroo pouch and a shivering kangaroo baby between the feet of a mommy penguin. The title read "Stupid exchange" and the kangaroo baby was saying "I'm cold!" while the penguin baby whined, "I'm sick!" Somehow, I missed the memo and wasn't experiencing any culture shock--so we just laughed at the poster. Well, it became a family joke and now NO ONE can say they are cold without the instant reply--from somewhere in the house--"I'm sick!" :)

There are so many moments that could easily be added to this post, but for now I'll leave you with my top five and hope you were able to get a laugh out of them :)

The Disney Castle!

So, while Disneyland was amazing and taking my picture in front of the famed Disney Castle was exciting, my Disney castle experience this week stands head and shoulders above the rest. What castle am I talking about?

That's right--Neuschwanstein Castle!

The alarm clock forced us out of bed at the crack of dawn--ok, so maybe it was only 6:30, but we're teens on school break and 3 days is more than enough time to get out of such a habit! A series of cars, buses, and trains, that lasted the entire morning took me, Miri, and two friends about as south as one can go in Germany. I realized this only when I saw the sign saying Austria was less than 10 miles away!

We did miss one of our trains...but have a great group photobox shot and afterwords had time to sit around goofing off and playing the guitar so everything worked out just fine. Being bored is a rare thing in a group any bigger than one. :-D

We finally got to the castle and from the bottom of the hill, we looked up and there it was, stretching as far as the eye could see--FOG! Being from Oregon, a little unplanned weather is nothing unusual and I'll admit that, although better weather certainly exists, the castle was breathtaking regardless. The tour of the inside only lasted about 30 minutes and sadly I wasn't allowed to take pictures so I bought a handful of postcards that certainly suffice. We then walked up to the bridge that overlooks the castle and after taking more than enough pictures headed back down the great big hill.

 It was quite the day trip and I was as tired as a dog by the time I finally fell into bed  that night :-) but is was well well worth it and certainly a day and a castle that I won't forget.

It Takes 7 Months--My Success Story

What am I referring to? You'd probably guess something important like adapting to a difficult aspect of German culture, learning German, or finishing a project of some sort. I highly doubt many of you would guess that I'm still childish enough to become both super excited and totally proud over something like...well...bread.

Yes, Zopf. MY zopf! Up until last week, the weekly joke around the house was that "Julianne can't go home yet because she still can't make or slice zopf right" Then last week, all by myself, I tried one more time. The dough looked good enough, I managed the world's most complicated braid, I didn't burn anything, and once it was sliced, it was thin enough to please Christian and thick enough to be sturdy. One question remains...how pathetic is it to be bursting with pride over bread?

Funny, I feel confident that baking zopf every Saturday morning will be one of my fondest memories once I'm back in Oregon. Week after countless week of braiding it 3, 4, 5 times before calling in the professional (Mama) to rescue what I had turned into a mass of overworked dough and watching her somehow revive it to what always turned into a gorgeous Sunday breakfast. I must give credit where credit is due, however. Zopf, in fact, is not German at all but rather Swiss and although I wasn't aware of it at first, my exchange included personal baking lessons from the best <3

Making it Official

After being teased for long enough, it was finally decided that regardless of what the sun decides to do this week, spring is now being made official. Perhaps I'm the only one who viewed the mass flower shopping trip and day-long gardening project in such a romantic light...but regardless of how you look at it, the flower beds and clay pots around here have certainly added a bit of springtime to our atmosphere!

The car containing Mama, Oma, and Selina, pulled out of the driveway not too long after breakfast sometime before lunch pulled back in but this time full! All types and colors of flowers, plants, and pots were shuffled to what became a work station for the entire afternoon.

 

By dinner time, hands were black with fresh dirt, empty flower containers were strewn about, and the flowerbeds looked wonderful! From your run of the mill pretty pansies to super cute creativity, no one can deny that our house has put away the snow shovels, set up the trampoline, and made the transition from winter to spring. I must add that both Mama and Oma did more than a mediocre job ;-)

 Oh, and now that is it officially spring, rumors are spreading that we may be in a dusting of snow on Easter...why didn't I see this coming? :-D

Springtime Sundays

The sun is here!!! Okay, so maybe it isn't here to stay...I know, I know, it is spring not summer but please, after my first ever winter with temps as low as 0, allow me my happy moment. This past week, temps got as high as the mid 60s and I even dared to wear a pair of shorts around the house! Mama said I looked funny with my shorts and fuzzy socks...I assured her my family at home would agree and that it won't take long for her to get used to it :)

So, last Sunday, the weather was perfect. Not a cloud in the sky and a light breeze to keep things from becoming to stuffy. To not take advantage of such a wonderful day would have been unthinkable and so after church and a wonderful Sunday lunch, tires were pumped, helmets were gathered, and our family of seven set off with our bikes.

We met up with friends at the edge of town and biked 10km/6miles to a nearby city for ice cream. OH! and never have I seen such ice cream delicacies--I'll have to come back to that--anyway, we began our little journey in a party of twelve. The older kids raced ahead while the little ones lingered with the adults. The ride was smooth and fairly uneventful until we got to a never ending hill that the two youngest bikers couldn't quite handle on their own.

Once we reached the ice cream shop, it became clear to me that after Easter (when Mama and I are once again allowed to eat sugar) I will most certainly be returning, most likely on more than one occasion, to try one of the many incredibly delicious looking fruit and ice cream platters, yogurt and berry cups, or maybe even ice cream crepes...we'll see.

Dad #1 with an extra body, dad #2 with an extra bike :)

The ride home certainly proved to be more eventful with both wipe outs and flat tires, but we did manage to make it home--with a little help from the dads that is!

It was the perfect way to get in a bit of exercise, spend time with friends, and enjoy the beautiful spring sun all at the same time.

Invasion of the Easter Chocolate!

yes, I gathered them all for a group photo

Racks of Lindt in front of racks of Milka

Maybe it is just a "Christmas wanna be" but regardless of the reasoning, I have never in my life seen so many Easter eggs and Easter bunnies in one place. To give you an idea of what Easter shopping looks like, and the variety of goodies there is to choose from, I turned into a tourist (and a slightly embarrassed one at that) and walked around the Easter section of the store taking pictures....so maybe I did wait until no one was looking but considering I've lived here for over seven months, things like the grocery store shouldn't be quite so exciting. :-)

Then we got an advertisement for a one day special in which all Lindt chocolate would be 20% off. If I was 10, maybe that would be a suitable reason to get excited...but last I checked, I'm a little older. So, call me crazy if you will, but I looked forward to it all week and Wednesday after school, I rode my bike to the store and sorted through Easter eggs and bunnies of all flavors and sizes. I finally decided on one, just one, bag of eggs that are white chocolate truffle things...the picture looks good anyway ;-)

Okay, so apart from the chocolate that is overtaking Germany, Easter does seem to be a larger celebration here. As the one week countdown begins, the baking is already underway which pretty much means the house is going to smell like heaven for an entire week. The final details of who is baking what and when and where everyone is going for which meal have finally been sorted out and the conclusion I've come to is that, when all is said and done, I'm going to be so incredibly stuffed so many delicious Easter specialties that I probably won't have to eat for a week or so :-)

A few of the cake forms I saw at the Easter market

I honestly can't believe Easter is only a week away. I'm now on my two week Easter school break (yaaaaaayyyyy!!!!) but I feel like just last week I was in Switzerland! All of the decorations are slowly transforming into spring colors of green, yellow, and sky blue, and the sun has even decided to show its face on multiple occasions lately. Easter is in the air and after an unforgettable Christmas full of new experiences and traditions, I'm excited to see what the next week has in store as I celebrate Easter in Germany!

It's a Small World After All

You're welcome, now you can have that song stuck in your head all day long ;-)

However, I can't think of a title more appropriate for the story in which the lives of several families, on multiple continents, became intertwined, bringing together five people in a little Tuebingen cafe one Saturday morning. In case you hadn't guessed, I'm one of those five people :-)

I tried to write this post once before, explaining in detail exactly were the connections were and I did a wonderful job of making a fairly simple scenario far too complicated. What it boils down to, is my friend Miri, who was an exchange student in the US last year, and her host family who is currently hosting a German exchange student, Clara. Oh, and my mom is the one placing the exchange students and I'm friends with both Miri and her host family...I think that saves me from being a random tag along :)

Several months into my exchange, someone noticed that Clara was from a town only fifteen minutes from Gomaringen! Three months after this discovery, a date was finally set in which her German family, Miri, and I were all able to meet up for breakfast. Miri spent the night Friday (which is always fun) and Saturday morning we chugged a quick cup of coffee before heading out the door at a brisk case to catch the bus.

We had so much fun telling some of our stories about the Oregon coast, American high school, and confirming that, yes, it really does rain all the time. We talked about youth group and in the midst of explaining, found ourselves getting caught up memories and reminiscing more than anything else. It was a great morning.

After a delicious breakfast and multiple cups of coffee, Clara's mother had an idea--a good idea I might add. A few minutes later a pen was being passed around as we filled out two postcards that should be reaching the U.S. any day now. I had fun playing a little bit of translator as English grammar, vocab, and spelling became the topic of conversation. We finished up the cards and finished that last sip of coffee and after a round of hugs, went on our way.

It was so much fun to be able to meet Clara's family and I thoroughly enjoyed spending the morning chatting. Oh, and did I mention Tuebingen is just about one of the most beautiful cities I've ever seen? Simply walking to the Cafe for breakfast, I looked around me and asked myself, "Okay, Julianne, why are you so set on traveling hours to see the beauty of Europe when it is only a 15 minute bus ride away whenever you want it?"

I'll Never Forget

As you may have noticed, I usually try to upload a picture or two to go along with my post--just to try and keep things a little more interesting and not only tell, but show you, what I've been up to.
Well, today is different. Today, I'm glad I have no pictures to share. The images that would help bring to life the words I am about to write, aren't the kind easily shared by the click of a button, nor are they the type easily forgotten. And so today I will attempt, without photos, to accurately articulate the emotions I felt and heart brake that overwhelmed me as my life was changed by the unforgettable story of one Holocaust survivor.

As much as my host parents wanted to attend, they had no extra room in their already busy schedules and so at 7:00pm, Thursday evening, I seated myself in a new church next to a new acquaintance. I figured if I could handle an entire year in a new country, family and language all alone, one night in a new church probably wouldn't kill me. Although I'm getting a bit off topic, I was quite impressed by the number of people who approached and introduced themselves and by the time the presentation began, I felt relaxed and welcome.

Peter Loth walked onto the stage, but not alone. The only explanation I could come up with is that someone would be translating--I was right. Although I understand more and more German each day, hearing the words in English, directly from his heart, made me ecstatic. I could not only understand the words with my mind, but with my heart.

The first thing I noticed was what I'm labeling the world's coolest accent. Peter's mother tongue, Polish, mixed with years of living in Texas--oh, it was priceless! However, the accent was the only thing funny about the words he spoke. He started by stating how fortunate he was to have even been born into a concentration camp that spared the lives on infants on only one specified day--the camp's anniversary. His life was, instead, used for the purposed of experimenting--in anyway his merciless captors decided. Although death was not certain, the percentage of children who survived the incredible amount of drugs forced into their fragile bodies was small.

Yet Peter survived. He lived to survive a series of events he can't even remember in which his mother made a desperate attempt to save his life. Walking up to a Polish women, his mother asked her to hold the child, and his paperwork, for a brief moment while she ran back to grab something. For the next 14 years, that Polish woman was the only mother Peter would ever know. In fact, until the Polish government found out of his nationality, Peter too, believed he had been born and raised in the land that was his home--Poland.

By the time the Polish government found out of his nationality, Peter had already experienced more trauma that any human should every have to see. He'd been beaten and tortured in a variety of ways that he vividly described in words I'll never forget. He'd been raped. He'd been starved. He told of events that happened decades ago yet remain forever ingrained in his memory. His tears were contagious as he struggled to tell us the story of his Jewish friend, Star. He wasn't even 10 years old when they were taken together. In her last moments, she screamed his name, begging for help. She was shown no mercy. She was given no funeral. Peter told us that if it wasn't for a women who literally put her body between his and the barrel of the gun, his fate would have been the same.

At 14, his German mother was miraculously found alive and he was told he must return to Germany. "Only if you come with me" he replied to his Polish mother. They arrived at Checkpoint Charlie together. His papers were shown and he was hustled across the border. In fear of the unknown he turned back to his mother, expecting the nurturing comfort he'd received from her all his life. Instead, he saw her standing a distance away, waving. over 50 years later, he still cries when speaking of that day. His reunion with a family he couldn't even remember wasn't easy and after months of being teased for speaking Polish, not German, the family migrated to the U.S.

The United States. Finally, freedom, peace, and the chance to start over in equality, right? It was Georgia. It was the nineteen-sixties. His sisters were fathered by a black man. After surviving the Nazi's and the polish police, Peter and his family faced persecution from the KKK. He was spit on, discriminated against, laughed at, and even beaten.

Yet peter survived--everything. More than one of his vivid descriptions left me wondering how on earth he survived such brutality. His answer was clear--God. Years later, Peter began telling his story. but for him, it was more than a story, it was firsthand proof of the healing forgiveness can bring. Peter stood there and told us all of the moment he returned to the concentration camp of his birth, got down on his knees in front of the portraits of two Nazi officials who were far more than just names in his mind, and said, "I forgive you."

Okay, so at this point, I'm distributing my little Kleenex paccket to people around me who, only an hour before, had been complete strangers. The most amazing part of it all though, was that Peter wasn't a bitter person or a serious old man. He was a genuinely happy person--who LOVED giving hugs! If I hadn't know better, I might have guessed that he could be found in an overcrowded mall every December talking with little kids sitting upon his knee. If anything, or anyone, has ever proven to me the true healing power found in forvieness, it is the life story of Peter Loth.

I can honestly say, in those two hours, my live was changed. The Holocaust will never again feel like something "out of a history book", and forgiveness will never again feel like something "only in the Bible". I will never forget that night.

Zopf

It's not just a loaf of bread....Sounds like a slogan, but actually, zopf has become a weekly tradition in my life :)

Saturday=baking day. Sunday's cake, often a loaf of bread, and always, zopf, never fail to make the Weihing house smell like heaven during the weekend. Mama and I have gotten pretty good at arranging our schedules in a way that allows us both to be in the kitchen at some point for my weekly baking lesson...as unofficial as it may be.

The drill goes like this:

1. Put all of the ingredients into a giant bowl. (I was good at that right off the bat) ;)

2. mix them together. (I used and almost broke the wrong mixing tool once, but now I've got it down)


3. Make sure its the right consistency (I've translated this to: always add just a tiny bit more milk)

4. let it rise (give it enough time...but don't become so preoccupied that you forget about it completely)

5. Take it out of the bowl and split it evenly into two portions (I'm good at this too!)

6. Braid it. (6 months of zopf baking and still no comment on the world's most complicated braid)

7. Let it rise again (twenty minutes will not suffice)

8. bake it (I haven't burnt anything yet...)

9. slice it (I'll put it this way, the family joke is, "Julianne can't go home yet because she can't slice zopf right.")

10. Eat it (professional--right here.)

Although the sites of Europe are breathtaking and unforgettable, it is the things like baking zopf that I know I'm going to miss so much. I've jokingly said to Mama that I can just see myself bursting into tears as I fail at braiding my zopf in Oregon and have no one there to fix it for me....but she laughed at me and I decided I deserved it :D. Oh, and did I mention that zopf tastes amazing and is best friends with both homemade strawberry jam and fresh honey? Oh, yes :)

You Know You're an Exchange Student When...

1. You pause while skyping in English to ask if "combineded" is a word.

2. You've gotten used to acting like you recognize the people you bump into around town who come up to you smiling and ask how your exchange is going.

3.  Your closest friends often serve as your translators since they have become skilled professionals at understanding your broken grammar.

4.  People post on your facebook wall for your birthday, "Hope your having fun wherever you are", "Hope you're having fun away from home", or "Hope you're having fun in a foreign land."

5. The fact that you haven't gained weight after seven months becomes a bragging right.

6. There is a group of middle school boys that raise up the chant "USA! USA! USA!" every time they see you.

7. The majority of your facebook chats with family and friends end with:
Home: "We love and miss you!"
You: "I love you too!"

8. You can fail half of your classes and still be loved by your teachers

9. Your host family and friends have 15 different ways of pronouncing your name--and none of them are right.


10. You sit in front of the TV for twenty minutes watching a job documentary simply because it takes place in your home state.

Girls Day in the City

Switzerland through the train window

Due to my skiing abilities--or lack thereof--I decided to spend day number two of our ski trip in a nearby city that just happened to be the capital of Switzerland and the home of a good friend of mine. I caught the train right after breakfast and although I had a book and my journal for the hour long ride, I just couldn't take my eyes off the breathtaking Swiss countryside as it rolled past my window. At first, everything, including a completely frozen waterfall, was completely white and looked like something off of a postcard. As the train drew closer to Bern, the snow began to disappear but the picturesque landscape of rolling green hills, pastures of cows, and typical Swiss homes all set on a backdrop of the Alps still struck me as picture perfect.

The train rolled into Bern around 10:30 and there was no doubt in my mind that I was once again in a big city. The hustle and bustle of busy people, honking and engines of  overcrowded streets, and smells of everything from freshly baked bread to Chinese cuisine welcomed me instantly to an atmosphere I've always enjoyed and I began making my way to the center of the train station where I knew someone was waiting for me.

Rebekka! Last year, she was in my neck of the woods as an exchange student and our conversations were solely in English. This time around, it was my turn to be the foreigner and although the prospect of speaking English was quite temping, when posed with the question, I decided to see how far my German would get me.

After a relaxing walk back to Rebekka's house, we continued catching up and reminiscing until family began to arrive for lunch. Three consecutive days of birthdays in the Ryf family presented the perfect opportunity for a gathering of the entire family and I thoroughly enjoyed celebrating it with them. Her family was very nice and friendly and even did their best to keep the conversation in German that I could understand by avoiding their Swiss dialect. :-) It was a very yummy lunch and a very fun beginning to the afternoon!








After coffee, we set out to see the city. Although Bern is undoubtedly gorgeous and exciting on any given day, I just happened to come right in the middle of the city's Fasnachs celebration and the city was in an uproar! ..in a good way. As we navigated our way through the mobs, we finally reached a spot where the parade was visible and saw that float/group number 49 was going by. Okay, so if I'm comparing it to Coquille's annual 10 minute long Gay 90's parade...of course I'm going to be impressed, but I do have to say that the parade was totally awesome!

Once the parade itself was over, the many groups spread out throughout the city and began playing music. It was the coolest thing! Rebekka and I went into a restaurant to have a cup of coffee and came out to find one of the "bands" playing right there! It seemed like in every direction we turned, the streets were filled with people in costume and music filled the air! At the end of the day, we trekked back to the train station and took the escalator down only to find one of the groups there, in the main part of this busy train station, performing!

As you can imagine, the day flew by and before i knew it, I was back on that train riding across Switzerland. I don't think I could have picked a better day to see Bern and the fact that I was able to spend the day with a friend I hadn't seen in eight months only made things better. :-)