Lessons and Fun (Oxymoron?)

Yesterday I got to drive a tractor. Granted, it was a very small one, but it was fun nevertheless. I didn't run over any chickens nor break it, so I count it as a job well done. Today was fun in English. We were working on translating, so I got to learn stuff too. They would take a (rather simple) German sentence and translate it into English to rid confusion about the perfect tenses. For example, ich hatte gelaufen means I had walked; ich habe gelaufen means I have walked. Ich bin gegessen means I have eaten and ich war gegessen means I had eaten. We only use the word have when we use the perfect tense, but they use be (sein) and have (haben). Other than that, it is the same as english: present perfect= pronoun + congugated be or have in the present + past participle; past perfect= pronoun +congugated be or have in the past + past participle. Before I started learning any languages, I was told that the more languages you learn, the easier it becomes to learn them. You start thinking about the language not only in your language, but also with connections to the others that you have learned. In many cases, it is easier to think about it in terms of another language because who thinks about their own language? One last thing. For anyone who doesn't already know what the 'cork trick' is, next time you eating a meal with my brother or dad, ask and you are sure to be entertained for quite a while. It is basically where you have to corks in your hand and you try to switch the ahnd that is holding them without letting go. Anyways, I taught Wolfgang and Vanessa (my dad had already taught Lukas while he was here), so dinner was quite entertaining.

Here is something that I have learned...
When you are far away from home, everything that you see either reminds you of home or proves how far away you are. People's faces, the trees on the hills, the winding of the roads, the shapes of the houses and the gardens in front, the food, the weather, and the cultural customs. It is your choice whether to see them with joy that you get to have a little bit of home so far away or to cry every time because you really would prefer to be with the people you know and love.

Almost Easter

In exactly one week I will be on my way to Holland. It is a trip with Vanessa'a church, kind of like a youth group. We will be there for one week, without any schedule planned for us. We can go into the town, go swimming, whatever. There is a service each night for a couple hours, but that's it, I think. Then, the day after I come home, my parents are coming, then it's Easter. The next three weeks are looking VERY good.

So Much for Springtime!

I shouldn't have said it. I cursed us. Friday afternoon, the last thing I said was no more snow and guess what! Friday night it snowed! Not too much by New Hampshire standards; only about 3 inches, but that is a whole lot for Germany in March. And it had been so warm!!!

Yesterday, I took my first Spanish test (the other one was only a quiz) and I think that I did really welll! But, I should, because I already know everything that this class is learning. Today was their first day of learning the preterite temse, which I learned in 8th grade, maybe even 7th. It makes me feel really good to be more fluent than them in a language, because the only other language is English and that doesn't count.

Spring is Here!!!

So now I have updated everything, but I haven't written anything new. Not much has happened for a few weeks here and I have had one of those persisting colds that I get every year, 'round this time. I am extremely sorry for keeping you all waiting for so long. I am writing this during second period and I just took a Chemistry test that I am pretty sure I failed. However, I am not to worried because when I could understand the question, I could do the calculations. There were only four questions and the last one was; "Explain the idea of 'Stoffmengenkonzentration.'" Something about material-quantity-concentration. Any ideas, Ms. Wright?

Here are the people in my class. I am not sure how to spell everyone's names, but I think that I will come pretty close. I won't decribe them, though, because I don't want to offend or embarrass anyone. Speak to me later if you want the gushy details.
Adrian, Angelina, Carolyn, Helena, Ina, Jannik, Jannik, Jannik, Johanna, Johannes, Julia, Julia, Kathrin, Leah, Lena, Lukas, Marie, Melisa, Mena, Michelle, Niklas, Patrik, Peter, Petra, Sara, Sarah, Tina, Vanessa, Verena, Verena, Zimon. It's a pretty big class.

P.S. No snow anymore!!!