Rock Without Limits!

What's better than a two day Christian rock festival? Let me tell you :-) Germany's biggest Christian rock festival--and not only going, but getting in free as a helper and then finding out the festival was over-staffed. Since I was left with nothing to do, I had no other option but to sit there and watch concerts of bands from Germany, Finland, and the U.S.A. :-)

It was so much fun in so many ways! Several bands I'm familiar with in the states--including Thousand Foot Krutch, Everyday Sunday, and Paul Coleman--were there as well as a few I'd never heard of but thoroughly enjoyed. The festival was set up in three different venues--main stage, which was usually more of the pop/rock and the more famous bands, "the tent", which was the heavy metal that I usually avoided, and "the loft", which was smaller and usually bands or individuals with just a guitar or keyboard.

One of the highlights for me was listening to Paul Coleman and Steve Savage (from Nashville) in the loft. Their music was great...but what I enjoyed even more than their music was their humor. Both spoke soley in English and several times made jokes that the majority of German speakers in the room didn't understand. For me, the awkward silence where laughter is supposed to erupt made the jokes ten times as funny! Then, Steve Savage began cracking jokes about Americans and I just about died :-)

I had another memorable experience on the last night when the band that everyone was waiting for came out--Thousand Foot Krutch. The entire area designed for people to stand was packed as, were the bleachers behind, so I'm guess a total of 1000-1500 people were there. Of course, I squeezed my way right up to the front but I didn't exactly realize what I'd committed myself to by doing that. Within minutes the people behind those of us in the front had packed us in so tight that there was little room for any movement. Then all the big guys around me got all sweaty...I'll just say I'm glad that as the crowd surfers made their way up, I was able to secure a spot in the very front where a little fresh air could get to me!

I'm so glad that I was able to "help" because I really had a great time :-) something i didn't mention was that in addition to tons of fun music, I was able to hang out with some of my best friends in Germany <3 It really was a great weekend and a wonderful start to my week of fall vacation which you'll hear more about soon.

From Apples to Pears

Those of you faithful followers out there may remember my post several months back talking about apples and the crazy amount my family has. Well, have no fear, the hundreds of pounds of apples aren't sitting in a lonely shed somewhere--most were sold to make apple juice :-) But I'm getting off topic. Apple season is over. My first thought was that meant no more Saturday mornings spent bent over for hours gathering fruit--HA! I was quite wrong. Saturday morning, we put on our sweatshirts and grubby boots and headed out to gather--pears!


Those aren't leaves on the ground!




This one tree took us over an hour!

The job really isn't that bad although apples are easier than pears who like to hide among fallen tree leaves. I would actually imagine I'm somewhat entertaining to watch as I create an interesting variety of positions to kneel, squat, sit, and bend over in to try and avoid being to sore later on. However, try as I might, two hours of gathering pears off the ground amounts to an unavoidable amount of bending over and I can always tell on Sunday morning whether Saturday was spend gathering or not:-)

 

Unlike the warmer apple season, it is downright cold out most mornings! Although this isn't always pleasant as we begin gathering, I personally find it fun to find the pears the sun hasn't gotten to yet--the ones that have a shimmering frosty coat left over from a night that dipped below freezing.

Hopefully this post wasn't too boring :-) Pears may not seem that exciting....and don't worry, I haven't gone completely mad and am not arguing that my weekly pear gathering expeditions are the most exciting aspect of my exchange...but its definitely something I'll remember and definitely something new that I hope you have enjoyed hearing a little about :-)

Sweet Dreams

Let me start by apologizing for falling so far behind on my blog! Although the last 10 days have been extremely fun, they have also been packed full--giving me plenty to blog about but no time create a post! But now it's ferien, and with no school in the morning, I'm perfectly content with spending a while updating all of you on my German life :-)

So, one day last week, Mama and Papa ran to the store and took longer than expected--which really shouldn't come as a surprise anymore, but anyway, dinner is usually served between 7:00 and 7:30 so when 8:00 rolled around and the kids eyes began to grow heavy, I heated up left over spaghetti.

By the time the table was set and the spaghetti ready, Mama and Papa had returned and before long we were seated at the table...but not all of us. The two youngest--Samuel and Jonathon--had become so tired that they'd forgotten all about their hunger and curled up on the coach.They were fast asleep.

 Once we had finished eating, Papa picked up Jonathon and I took Sami :-) We carried them to bed and Mama commented that Sami looked dead, not asleep, as he didn't even stir as I carried him to his room. The two were soon under their covers and unaware of any change. However, for me, that was probably the cutest thing I have seen in a long time and thankfully my camera was nearby and Mama captured the precious moment so that now, I can share it with you :-)

 

BREAKING NEWS!!!

Well, it's very "Oregon coast" of me to be so excited over such a small and uneventful little thing...but that didn't stop me from freaking out when I looked out the window and saw Gomaringen's first snow!!!

Okay, so I know it's not that impressive...and the ground was already so wet from an entire day's worth of rain that it didn't stick at all..BUT--it's snow :-) I took a bunch of pictures and then sat down at the table with mama and had a perfect cup of coffee..and even though it wasn't the weekend, I even nibbled at a bit of her baked apples that were fresh out of the oven....well, baked apples with a decent amount of sugar and butter. :-)



Christian had a hard time not covering the flash, but this one isn't too bad :-)

If I hadn't known any better, I would have said it was December but there was no Christmas music, the fire place was cold, and most importantly, I had school the next day. My friends just laughed when I told them school was normally canceled in Coquille when it snowed. But now it's the weekend and although the sun has come back out, the temperature this morning (as I rode my bike to school) was under 40 degrees and throughout the day I'd be surprised if it broke 50.

I'm sure sometime--probably in the next month--I'll be able to have a post full of snowy pictures and give you a chance to see Gomaringen under a blanket of white but for now, an afternoon of flurries is going to have to suffice :-)

While the Sun is Still Shining

Take advantage of it! I can't count the number of times in the last few weeks people have marveled at how the weather is still so beautiful and Sunday afternoon was no exception. The sun was shining and there was hardly a cloud in the sky so after lunch we packed up and headed out....although I felt too embarrassed to admit that I didn't understand where they'd said we were going. I knew it wouldn't be too long before I found out--and I was right :-)

A fifteen minute drive took us half way up a little mountain (or maybe giant hill is more appropriate) and the view was incredible. Off in the distance the tiny figures or airplanes could be seen taking off and landing at Stuttgart airport, towns and cities were scattered all throughout the landscape, and the color of the once green forest was a beautiful mixture of orange, yellow, and red.

But that was only the beginning--up, up, up, we hiked! I started the trek with my sweater and jacket and reached the top with my sleeves rolled up and jacket hanging uselessly from my arm. Again, the view was breathtaking. But, when your siblings are 4, 7, 10, and 11, "breathtaking" only means "boring", and our time spent atop the mountain was short--just enough to snap a few pictures, eat a few apple slices, and realize that there was no bathroom. :-)

Once the troops had been loaded back into the mini van, it was Sunday afternoon--and what's Sunday afternoon without coffee and cake? Not twenty minutes later we were sitting in the sun of what I believe was a perfect fall afternoon, sipping lattes and nibbling on cake :-)


The view from the top :-)

 We made it home just in time for me to grab a bite to eat and run out the door for the youth church service. It's not every week the service takes place in Gomaringen but when I'm able to go, I enjoy it so much as it closely resembles my church at home and isn't quite as...traditional...as the normal morning service. But before I new it, that too was over and it was Sunday night.

Let week number six of school begin!

The Week in Review

In other words, I was so busy this week that I didn't have time to post about my individual adventures so now you get to read about them altogether :-)

My host dad's side of the family

SUNDAY: . The occasion was my grandparent's 47th anniversary and the result was a restaurant full of family--26 people to be exact--and a house overflowing with smiles, laughter, and of course, coffee and cake. :-) The afternoon was chatted away and although I didn't understand everything, I was able to participate in a number of conversations which proved to me the drastic improvement my German has seen in the last two months. But even with a house full of people, I felt comfortable; at home, just like part of the family. I was touched when Oma called my name as she passed cards out to the grandchildren and I opened mine to find a handwritten letter and a small gift--the kind that fits in an envelope :-) When she stood up to thank everyone for coming, her eyes watered, her voice cracked, and a silence fell over the room as the question of how many more anniversaries her cancer would allow her to see lingered in everyone's mind. The moment passed and later that evening as everyone left to go home, I realized, yet again, how blessed I am to be in such a wonderful family.

The girls stole Daniel's chair :-)

 

Oma passing out cards and chocolate
















MONDAY: For the first time I actually understood how to do the math homework. You'd think numbers are numbers and therefore math is a pretty universal subject, right? WRONG! commas are used instead of periods and I'm still not sure exactly what the division sign is but regardless, I conquered Monday's math :-)

My school <3


TUESDAY: I went over to Hanna's house for coffee after school. I'm so thankful that I have someone only a five minute bike ride away who understands what I'm talking about when I mention homecoming, spirit week, Coos bay, brown sugar (yes, its very different in Germany), and all those little things--whether American or specific to the Oregon Coast that are so normal to me. (For those of you who don't know, Hanna was an exchange student to Oregon a few years ago)

WEDNESDAY: I finished my book.:-) One day last week Mama came home from the bookstore with "A Thousand Splendid Suns", claiming she'd wanted to read it but it was expensive in German. Then she'd found the English version and it was much cheaper, so she she bought it for me. Isn't she sweet? Well, If you've never read it, I highly recommend it for a weekend when you don't have to keep putting it down but can just sit down and read :-)

THURSDAY: Keeping with my schedule, I went for my 2.2 mile run. My first week with my host family, it became quite clear to me that without discipline I was going to be bringing quite a few extra pounds back to the U.S. as unwelcome souvenirs in June. The idea was less than thrilling so I made a plan. Weekdays are healthy--no sweets, no butter, lots of veggies, lots of exercise. Weekends and holidays are relaxed--chocolate, cake, bread with butter and jam and whatever else I happen to want :-). Last weekend I reluctantly weighted myself and was shocked to see that I've lost six pounds...I guess biking to school everyday does have its benefits :-D

FRIDAY: I went out to dinner with Mama, Papa, and some friends for hamburgers! A "Hawaii burger" to be exact. Okay, so it wasn't the Broiler...but it was certainly a decent burger. The best part was the comments: "now you feel at home" and "just like home, huh?". I was tempted to reply, "oh yes, how I've missed my daily hamburger!" But having no idea how to use sarcasm in German, I simply laughed and smiled :-)

SATURDAY: Hey, that's today :-) Well, obviously I spent sometime blogging, but I'm also planning on dedicating a good portion of my evening to my college application that I'm hoping to submit in the next week. (AHHH exciting :-))) Anyway, Mama and Papa are at a wedding and will be out late so they have the kids farmed out to various friends and relatives...and me? I'm home alone for the first time in months and with my giant cup of coffee by my side, and my music fairly loud, I must say I'm enjoying myself :-)

So there you have it. My week....a pretty great one if I do say so myself :-)

Ernte Dank

Translation....the closest thing to Thanksgiving I'm going to get in Germany :-) Actually, it's a Sunday set aside, once a year, where people bring food--and LOTS of it--to the church who then distributes the food to the needy. However, come Sunday morning the church is a sight to be seen. Piles of canned food, windowsills full of potatoes and bread, and wagon loads of fruits and vegetables. There was a happiness and warmth in the air that wasn't too different from the festive spirit at my own church every Thanksgiving Sunday.

 

The children were spilt into three different color groups and came up onto the stage to perform a series of songs at various times throughout the service. Instead of being divided up based on age, families sat together, pointing at their little ones on the stage and smiling at the shyness of some and boldness of others. I joined the parents on the balcony for a few pictures--just for you :-)

 Once the service was over, everyone shuffled next door where lunch was waiting. I, however, took my time walking around church and taking way too many pictures--again, just for you ;-) Once next door, I sat down to lunch with my wurst, soup, and bread...oh, how German of me! While lunch was good, it was the dessert table that maintained a steady stream of people. A long table was lined with strudels, tiramisu, a variety of cakes, and any other dessert you can imagine that can be made with apple ...be creative :-) Every dessert had apple, and every one I tried (which was probably a few too many) was delicious :-)

So, maybe it isn't Thanksgiving, but it's something German; something special that I may never get again so I thought I'd share it with all of you :-)