An Impossibly Beautiful Day

A good time to resurrect what with my summer worldy travels commencing!

I'll start off with today. My last day in Nijmegen before I continue onward.

This morning was an Impossibly Beautiful Day. So I took a walk, which is something you do on days like that. I listened to "Helplessness Blues,"of course, and strolled around taking pictures of pretty houses. One house in particular stood out to me, although it was gaurded by trees and a wooden fence. I took pictures of it anyways. As I continued walking along, an old man followed me and started speaking to me in Dutch, to which I promptly replied, "Ik spreek niet nederlance, maar ik spreek engels en een betja duits." So, he started speaking to me in English, of course, asking me why I was taking pictures of the house (Because it's so beautiful!), to which he proudfully responded to me by leading me into his backyard, which proved even more beautiful, and leaving me there to take pictures. This is an ode to his house. I asked him if I could live there with him. He laughed, and said that there are most assuredly houses like this in California. . . it's not the same.

Mmm

So, Molly turned me on to bio croissants. Oh man so tasty. And now I can feel better about eating a croissant! So, I tried to make the delcious shortcake jamble thing and get this: besides Switzerland having no Cheez-its, Chewy Bars, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Sourdough, Urban Outfitters and Peanut Butter, they also have NO BROWN SUGAR. WTF. So, I can't make it.

December 3

I'm in a good mood today because tomorrow is my birthday. So, after French, I decided to skip Biology because there's a test, I'm not going to take it and I'll just be bored. So, I came home and found....TOAST BREAD! I was ecstatic. I remembered the spring days in Albany where I had toast toast toast with honey which later became peanut butter and honey. I decided to re-inact that delicious meal so, my honey search began (there's like no peanut butter anywhere but my house mom found some in Germany). I look in the cupboard and see no large honey jar. Instead a very small one. I pick it up and read the description then look at the way the honey flows for inspection. It was orange blossom, I believe and it looked amazing. So eager to taste this honey, I started twisiting it. It wouldn't budge. This failure made me pretty sad espescially since my toast was the perfect golden brown. I got no delcious honey but toast is toast and I missed it. I can't wait to eat french bread toast and sourdough toast! The latter apparently doesn't exist here. But, I'll miss my migros bio delcious croissant. Mmm. I think I'll head over to coop and buy more bread. Coop isn't nearly as good as Mirgros. It lacks the awesome rhmying name and it doesn't have the extremely delcious croissont chicken thing. Oh man. Love. But, in one Coop I did find an item which I was told did not exist in this realm of the world. BLUEBERRY MUFFIN. And I have to say, it was the most delcious, fattening blueberry muffin ever. My Coop doesn't have that, unfortunately.

Today

Wasn't so good until I got home. We played the awesome Swiss game and, I studied. So much. I studied tons of German on my new favorite site: answers.com where you can easily learn stuff you've got to know. It's excellent for languages. I'll be using it for music too, however. Catherine is helping me learn all the fis cis blah blach scales for my music theory. That's my favorite class (and drawing. And french although french isn't challenging enough for me. That's why I've been learning it out my own). Anyways, she made me a test with all this and she was saying 'oh nein' the whole time. I apparently failed...I had 3,75. out of 6. But, I think she was being nice. I'm aiming to get notes in four class. Computer App, drawing, music theory and French.

It was also really funny because when I was studying music theory, I looking over to get my sole study guide with all I need to know and....it was burning. I could salvage only one third of it. I'm making it my goal for tonight and tomorrow to know all of this fis businuss. I also made funny things to help me remember like....Gilbert Drowns An Elephant Having Fish and France Became Astrofic Destroying Guest's Cesear. Okay. The last one doesn't make much sense but I somehow remember it so whatever.

Snow!

It snowed here! Not much and it's actually almost gone but, it was a nice morning surprise. Yesterday was a day I'd been looking forward to for some time. It was the 'Pfauen' day. Pfauen is sort of like bloomingdales. Except it has house stuff and toys...and it's not as big but it has five floors with a restraunt on top. Anyways, my aunt and host mom go every year for hours and hours to this places because my aunt has 20% off. So, of course I wanted to go to and it was loads of fun. I had a small list of things I wanted to buy. Both really exensive. I didn't buy any of them either. Instead, I went to my replacemnet store for Urban Outfitters (Zara) and bought a beautiful skirt. It is green and black. It reminds me of autumn in England. Well, that's the picture it evokes for me. And, I bought a wool grey sweater because I have no grey and I wear the same H&M sweater practically everday. On this outing, I fell in love with two pairs of shoes, three jackets, a dress and starred admiringly at other items I'll never have. It's a disease. And Europe did this to me with its absurdly amazing clothes and shoes. The US just doesn't have good shoes. Another good thing about yesterday was when I checked how the US dollar as doing. Instead of the pound being double the US dollar-something it's been for, I believe, the entirety of my life-its value dropped 50%. The Euro has finally gone down to the value it was at four or five years ago, and since I've been here, 1 dollar = 1.23 CHF. That's about 20% more. I asked my host dad why, and he said it was because the dollar is now 'safe' or something. Anyways, I am so happy. Hopefully this means I'll be able to take how a few more clothing souvenirs. Mom?

Today I'm going to go walking in the forest with Catherine, play the piano, study French and Music Theory, read, finish writing letters and bake cookies. I've been reading Wuthering Heights and that just sounds so stereotypical 1800s. Espescially with the name Catherine. Just because she's two main characters in Wuthering Heights. Okay enough.

update

So...Friday in chemistry we made great lipbalm and hand cream. It was legit and everything.

One thing that's great about the school here is that when your teacher is absent that means you don't have that class. It's so awesome. Wr have weird scheduels all the time. And the fact that we're only one class, that allows us to TAKE FIELD TRIPS! OH MAN. I miss those! And I know that your stupid art classes take you places but, we're going to the Zoo, Molly went camping or so for a week, my sister went river rafting and I'm pretty sure everyone goes skiing or snowboarding once. Anyways, there are loads and it's great!

Saturday I went ice skating with Anna Buser (we're getting to be great friends). Yes, we always speak English with each other. And with good reason, too. It's refreshing and wonderous to hear 'hella' and 'I'm so juiced' and 'dude.' You have no idea. She's my little piece of Albany. Yesterday, however, I was in one of my really low points I'd been in for a while (that was my worse). I'm feeling considerably better today although, I'm not at my finest. I'm a bit stuck. I really needed and need Molly but, I an't really get a hold of her. Luckily, she's agreed to come over for my birthday weekend. I don't think we'll do much, as I detest my birthday, but it'll be comforting knowing that it's better than the horror last year brought me. Catherine unintentionally made me feel better. I don't really know how or why but all in all, it's great having a sister. I'm pretty sure I bug her a lot, for I'm always inqcuiring what she's doing and such. Another reason for my mood raise was because 1. in the Summer we're definitely going to Sweden and 2. in Spring we're going to either Berlin, Prague (woah...just had a German first thought there. Anyways, I don't think we're going there), Barcelona or Rome. I'm trying to think of other places. 1. Prague 2. Rome 3. Berlin 4. Barcelona. I have no idea why I'm so against Barcelona. Ich habe kein lust. Ich weiss nicht warum. Ich liebe Deutsch sprachen wenn ich kann. Aber, es ist sehr sweirig manchmal und ich kann nicht shrieben. So, all in all, I'm pretty lucky. In Febuary I really want to go to Holland or Paris; with my friends. But, I don't know when we're going skiing...

the Days. die Tage. les Jours (that's all I know...)

My favorites are when I speak a lot of German. That was today. It kind of sucks because sometimes I'm talking to someone and then I don't understand and then they try to explain it to me but, I still don't understand. Life fails.

I love the sandwiches here. And I usually hate sandwiches. The food here as grown to love on me. Now, it's not only 'Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate, cookies, chocolate, marble cake, chocolate, chocolate.' There's more to food then sweets, Max. I love the croissentss with ham and cheese. I love the wrapped hotdog thingys. I love pasta with applesauce. I can't believe Americans haven't thought of putting applesauce on pasta. They make cheesy fries but no applesauce pasta? For those of you who are cringing your nose, you can join life. It's delicious. And apparently pineapple goes with more than pizza and cake. It's delicious with cheese dishes. Which puts pizza in the cateogorie...eww cheesy cake. CHEESE CAKE. That was not a good cake invention. Blech. Cakes can go wrong so easily. That's why I'm picky about my birthday cakes. And that's why laste year fudge subbed for cake (oh man....that was delicious). Anyway, my wisdom to yours. I think it would be really awesome if I became wise and knowledgeable. And after Switzerland I could just sit in a teepee and have people come to me then say an obscure proverb and have it change their life. And a bunch of incense.

So, while German is awesome, I'm discovering how much I love English. There are so many creative, quirky things you can do with it (though I have yet to figure them out) and, I really miss the over-use of 'epic,' 'intense,' 'fail,' and 'hilarious.' I'm gonna have to teach these youngins some of that.

Hehe. Ramble ramble. I'm going to the carnival soon. I feel like it would fail (wow. see? over use)
or crumble or die in San Francisco. Serious chaos. I bet they never even tried it because it was just inevitable. Well, here it's all neutral. Nothing bad nothing fantastic. That's not true but, that's the best I could do with Swiss stereotypes.

ah k. Ich gehe jetzt. Ich will shoppen aber, ich finde es ist sehr spät. Gah.