First, Erica came to visit!!! My wonderful ex-suitemate and housemate who is currently studying in Rome came to Frankfurt for a visit. It was wonderful!!! I showed her all around Frankfurt, and we did all of the touristy things--bratwurst, apfelwein, etc. We also made a trip to Heidelberg, a scenic town about a half an hour away from Frankfurt by train. I had heard that Americans loved Heidelberg, but I thought it was an exaggeration...until we got there. We heard far more American English than German and after translating about five peoples orders for coffee (the german word is kaffee for god's sake!!!) I was frustrated. It's true, we're obnoxious. Not only that, but we choose to send our children to Europe in highschool---our most annoying time!!! I think teenagers from Ridgewood and retired couples from Tennessee have as much to do with America's bad image abroad as our foreign policy....anywayy....
Erica's visit was so wonderful--a taste of home when I really needed it. We even made funfetti cupcakes and taught my European friends beer pong. It was America-tastic!
The next week my classes started. This is what I'm taking here:
Mondays:
Grammatik & Wortschatz (Grammar and Word-usage)
The Rise and Demise of the British Empire (in English!!)
Tuesday:
Akademie Mittelstufe 1 (A two hour Mid-level German for foreigners class, 2x a week)
Wednesday:
I forget the actual name, but its a class about modern Spanish theater
Thursday:
Phonetik 1 (German Phonetics)
Akademie Mittelstufe 1
It's a pretty light schedule, but-let's face it, this semester is a vacation anyway so I might as well allow for some traveling and such.
That week, Meghan came to visit!!!
I was really excited to see Meghan especially because (except one Diner breakfest over winter break) I hadn't seen her since last spring!! We had a great time doing the touristy stuff, taking full advantage of the nightlife, and exploring the Frankfurt Palm Gardens.
The next weekend, I had a much-needed break. Visits from friends are wonderful, but you tend to neglect things like laundry, room-tidiness, and personal hygiene while they're here. So this weekend gave me a chance to catch up on most, if not all of the things I had been ignoring.
This past weekend, I went with a few friends to Barcelona. I don't think any city could be more the opposite of Frankfurt--it's huge, dirty, dangerous, spicy, warm, sunny, and tropical. It's the kind of place you need to visit, but when you leave you are anxious to wash it off of you. Or at least thats how I felt. My absolute favorite part of the trip was going home with Nuria, our friend from Frankfurt whose family lives in the breathtaking Mountains north of Barcelona. We got to experience not only the beautiful landscape, but also meet her whole family, taste Catalunian food, and experience a true family environment. It was wonderful.
My busy month is not over yet!!! This wednesday, I fly to Rome to repay Erica for her visit. I'm really excited not just to see Erica, but to see Rome. I've never been south of Venice. Knowing her, she probably has each day planned out with great things to do. I've already packed because I'm so looking forward to it!
As if all of those visits and trips weren't excited enough, the weekend after I get back from Rome is not only my BIRTHDAY but Mom, Mike, and Katharine are coming to visit!!!!!!!!! I can't explain how excited I am. It's at the point where right before I fall asleep I wake up panicked about whether to take a cab or the subway from the airport to their hotel or some other ridiculous thing----I mean come on! This visit is unique too because it's not someone who's in Europe already coming just to visit Frankfurt and me. They're coming all the way from home. Accordingly, we've planned an excursion to Switzerland--which should be a beautiful train ride--for a relaxing weekend in a lake town. Then, during the week I can show them all around Frankfurt, and maybe a cruise on the Rhine? Who knows, but it will be wonderful just to see them! Mike and Katharine should probably bring elastic-waist pants for the plane ride home because Frankfurt will be heaven to the beer-lovers in them!
Anyway, that's what I've been up to and why I haven't written and probably won't write again until mid-May!
