A Belated Final Post

I never did give this blog of my Intermenno year a proper end. It is over two months passed, I'm well into my college life in the US and I thought that I should close this no matter how much time has gone by, just in case people would stumble upon this blog.
I think about my time spent in Europe frequently every day. I enjoy my life now, but so much takes me back and I miss Europe terribly. I also spend an equal amount of time devising ways to get back. Mostly though I miss the people.
At the Intermenno orientation they warned us about October, which is trainee irritation month. As it turns out, that happened to me upon return to the United States. There are things about American culture that frustrate me: Rushed meal times, Big Cars, People taking too many showers, Eating without a knife are just some of the things, a Horribly twisted view towards alcohol are just some of the things I can think of.
The only thing that keeps me in America is my need for a college degree and lack of money, hoping once I achieve the first, the latter problem will be resolved. I don't mean to sound like I'm arrogant or anything. Intermenno helped quench my desire and at the same time flame it.
In conclusion, this year was the best year of my life so far, that has provided me with a vast sum of knowledge, understanding and memories to take with me all me life.

Enjoying the Company

Two weekends ago I went to Vienna to meet with Jessica, Rebecca, and Nikki. I took the night train 10 hours Friday night then back again Monday night. I traveled with the three girls in Italy. We liked that enough, that we planned this weekend with each other. We weren't much into visiting buildings or museums. We appreciated them from the outside, and spent a lot of time in cafes, which really is the thing to do in Vienna.
I came back Tuesday morning to a full day of work. I did manage to get to sleep even in a full train cabin where I couldn't sprawl out onto another chair. That evening I picked up Sarah Jane, another trainee from Holland at the airport. She came to visit for a week. It was so nice to have her here, even though I worked. Jessica came on Thursday and is here till this coming Monday. So double whammy, but the good kind of whammy (what does that even mean?) So it was a full house, and more a full bedroom for me.
Sarah Jane wanted to see Strasbourg so we went Friday afternoon and came back Saturday evening. And funny side-story, I almost didn't even get let into France since I didn't have my passport with. Luckily the border control guy was nice. We decided to give ourselves some adventure and not plan ahead of time where to sleep. The hostel we tried was full but luckily they directed us to a cheap and not even shabby hotel. It was so nice to speak French, and nicer because Sarah Jane can speak it basically as well as I can.
Yesterday Geigers planned a little hiking trip for the day. We took a gondola up the mountain then somehow hiked back to the car. It was lovely minus the cold wind that was at it's peak while we grilled and ate our lunch.
Today my lack of sleep and the bad sleep I got last night caught up with me. I woke up feeling achy and extremely tired. It got better as the day went on, but I do need to sleep soon.
I have already had to say a few final goodbyes, today to the sweet 11 year-old neighbor girl Daniella and to Sarah on Monday who's at camp till after I leave! The end is beginning to feel real.
I have the odd combination of homesickness (which I never had this whole year), and the scary prospect of leaving my life here, which I love, as well as Europe as a whole with no definite plans in the immediate future to return. Okay so I do have some plans up my sleeve...

Another piece of my heart lost in the Mediterranean

Sunday I returned from my last big holiday of my Intermenno year in Girona, Spain. I was there nine days. Unlike the other places I've traveled to this year it was not new to me. I can't even compare it with the others. It is just Girona. and the life I know there. which is really the best for me.
Just like last time I stayed with my friend Nerea. My memory of two years ago when I was there was so good and I had this fear in the back of my mind that everything would be different this time and a let down. To my pleasure as far as surroundings, everything was the same, only minor things like gas prices had changed. Girona is still beautiful. Even in front of the cathedral, Nerea said hi to the same aquaintance, who was setting up for the same religious music festival as two years ago. My own little Brigadoon-don't I wish. Ha. It also had a lot to do that with the fact that I came at the same time of year as last time.
We spent our time there at the La Conca beach, being with Nerea's family, and her friends, at Las Carpas, and taking the dogs for walks, as well as other things. We also spent a day in Barcelona where Nerea showed me her University and residence. We met up with her boyfriend Ivan and toured La Sagrada Familia.
I love the culture in Catalonia-Spain. The Mediterranean culture is so different. American's have the tendancy to generalize Europe too much as whole and that really doesn't work. I think the Germanic culture has many more similarities with American than compared to Mediterranean.
They eat lunch at 3:00 and supper around 10:00. They always give 2 kisses for saying goodbye and hello, which avoids a lot of awkwardness. And people are just more open and inviting in general, which I can especially appreciate as a visitor.

I did however forget that last time I left I vowed when I returned I would be able to speak Spanish. That was going fine till German got in the way of that. Perhaps in two years I increased my vocabulary of maybe 100 words. I used maybe 20? Ha. Anyways, what I forgot I quickly remembered. I only remembered how much I liked her friends and less how I couldn't very well communicate with them. I still love Castellano (Spanish) though and want to learn it someday, the Catalan can come yet after that.
If you want to know more about Spain ask me because I love to talk about it, obviously.
Now I am back to good old Lupsingen, trying to make the most the month I have. This week I also have the extra burden of get ready for my trip to Vienna with Rebecca, Jessica, and Nikki this weekend. I don't even have a ticket yet for the train. The kids have summer vacation now, which means I'm seeing much more of them and they keep me very busy.
I also have to mention the biggest news to hit Lupsingen. Yesterday evening the Volg (the only store in the village), burned down! The place I went to nearly every day to buy something! Now what will we do? Ha. So I will leave you with this:

I'll Give This A Go...

Half of me feels like writing the other half not. So we'll see which one wins...
On Wednesday, the trampoline finally got put out for the summer. The kids have spent a ridiculous amount of time on it since then. I have inevitably too. It's a good way to use their energy. I get some pleasure out of it as well, although my attention span is shorter.
Switzerland just scored against Portugal, who's perhaps taking it easy on them. But still impressive. Not the Switzerland has a chance to advance at this point but they could gain some pride or whatever the word is I'm looking for. It's not like they were expected to do good but as the hosting country you could hope they could win something.
They played on Sunday against Turkey. Unfortunately they lost that one. I enjoyed watching it though. Martina, a Swiss girl I met the one night out with Katie, picked me up at the train station and we watched it in Liestal. Her boyfriend is part of some club or something that organized this viewing in some parking lot. It wasn't crazy like the city, maybe 100 people. It was a good crowd though, all people about my age. Martina's really cool and plus she complimented me several times how impressed she was with my German. That always makes me feel good.
On Saturday Rebecca and I were invited to visit Jessica, a girl who lives in France, who we knew through Rebecca's youth group. She's half American so her English is perfect and her French, and her German for that matter. Ugh jealous. Anyways, she lives in Mulhouse but on the weekend we were at her parent's farm. We had a barbecue with two married couple French friends of hers. Which was nice to hear them speak French to each other and to know that I can still understand it enough.
Her mom is from Pennsylvania around the same area that my mom is from. She wouldn't have had to tell me though for me to know that. I realized it's such a distinct Mennonite population especially in that generation and the ones before. She reminds exactly like any one of my great aunts on that side with how she was. Being "disgusted" at things and speaking with a strong PA accent, saying a "gl-ay-ass of woo-ter." I just found it interesting how distinct it really is. Weird. I enjoyed my weekend.
I think I'm off to bed now so I can wake up feeling refreshed for the work week.

My Weekend blogged.

I was randomly reading a magazine, actually I think in the bathroom at Schowalters, anyways, this Christian Family Magazine. There's this section where people submit funny quotes from their kids I've only read a couple. The quote was something to the effect that this kid could not understand why his kindergarten teacher needed a break since playing with kids isn't actually work. It hit me then and this weekend especially that kids really can't fathom that playing with them is in some or many ways work.
I basically stayed at home this weekend and the whole time the kids wanted to play or just be with me watching TV or in my room. It made me slightly crazy.
We didn't end up having an official breakfast or lunch on Saturday and there was a reason for that. We were invited for dinner to the neighbor's, Gabor's birthday party. Him and his wife are in their sixties. Two other neighbor families were there as well. He's quite funny actually, filling our wine glasses as fast a we could drink it and the word "small" meant nothing when it came to portions of food. I ate a piece of pork fillet then he asked if I wanted a chicken leg. I though sure I could eat a drumstick. I end up with a half a chicken on my plate. For dessert we had chocolate mousse, then there was still cake! I was stuffed.
I really did enjoy the good food and the company of the night however.
Elke came down with bad cold this weekend so we didn't go to church on Sunday. I decided that night it was time to get out of the house and go watch some football in Basel. I was really curious how it is there with the "fan-zones" they have set up. It really takes me that extra push to go out by myself. I did though. In Liestal in mid-run from the bus to the train I see Rich. That was a surprise since I thought went back to the UK on Monday. Now he's back since the flat he wanted didn't work out. It was a pleasant surprise though since now I have someone to watch the games with.
So that made me happy enough, plus the prospect of an enjoyable evening of me, my mp3 player, football, basel, and good enough weather. Unfortunately, thanks to this african douchebag that followed me out of the train, and me being to nice than to tell him to "piss off" my otherwise pleasant evening, well wasn't. I can't understand why are African men here so desperate and forward. It's so pathetic. I woudn't even dare generalize like that except that this is like the forth time I've run into it this this year. Every african man I have talked to this year. I hate to even generalize Africa and you really can't in any other way. But I'm curious, from a cultural standpoint, to know where they learn to act in such ways. Sorry, I was just really annoyed yesterday.
Anyways Germany beat Poland 2-0....

Early Saturday Morning Post

Ok, well it's not that early, it's 9:50. But Saturday are typically eating breakfast as a family days. Which is actually more like brunch since it's always late. It's annoying because typically I can't sleep in when I'm used to getting earlier. I almost always wake up like a couple minutes before my alarm clock because my body is smart like that. Today I did pretty well, sleeping in till 9:30. I went straight for the computer, my room is still dark since I didn't even bother to put the roller's up. If you don't know what those are then you've never been to Switzerland or maybe you do know...Even if I did open them there I doubt there is much sun to be seen. My little MSN today weather thing says today is a high of 12 degrees and a low of 12 degress, with a cloud and rain next to it, not so different from the rest of this week.
The work week was alright. I spent quite a bit of time playing with Sarah. I enjoy playing with her, but for short amounts of time and the less pretend the better. We almost always play doctor. I normally like when I'm the patient and I just lay there, but not when she wants me to make birthing noises for 10 minutes. "MACH!" she always says, ugh..."Ich will nicht." Once I'm healthy again then I have to be the doctor or "Krankenhaus"(which actually means 'hospital') She means 'Krankenschwester', a nurse. She just dictates everything I'm suposed to do and I don't always understand what she means and then she gets annoyed. I laugh.
I normally spend most of my time with Simon and Sarah. Yesterday Simon was at a friends house and Sarah has school till 4:30. Elke and her mom were shopping the whole day in Germany. I ironed the whole morning. I then made lunch for Tim and Andre. In the afternoon Tim asked if I wanted to go bike riding with him. He normally does things with friends and I'm with the other two. So we went bike riding in the woods and went to Volg and bought chocolate. It was still rainy and cool though. We went back and watched an episode of Zack and Cody till Sarah got home.
I don't really have anything planned this weekend. I'm invited to go with the family to a neighbor's birthday party this afternoon. Unfortunately, the party is at the exact same time that the kick off of the European Cup begins, in Basel. Which is a pretty big event. The countdown sign and the train stations, that have been up for over a year are finally down to just hours. The city will be crazy with partys despite the weather. I would love to be there as well, but I don't have anyone to go with me. Makes me a little sad, especially since before I had Katie and then Rich, a 10 minute walk away. They're both gone now.
I'm gonna get take a shower now, or at least after I listen to my bbc Friday night pub quiz podcast. It's funny.

Playing with fire

Friday I went along with Geigers to a kid's circus in the neighboring village. I don't think they could do some of the things they did in the states with the kids, for example dipping their hands in gas or alcohol then lighting them on fire! It's better when people don't have to be so strict about those things. It was cute in any case.
Saturday I went to the flea market in Zurich for the second time around. Rebecca wanted to go so we went. I love the flea market there, if I didn't mention that before. It has nice things, unlike the ones in the US. I like Zurich aw well, although I'm not supossed to say that being from Basel. They kind of have this rivalry that started I suppose with football, but I'm not exactly sure. Some people there are minted though. I've seen more bentleys and ferraris there than I've ever seen in my life. In Zurich you can also rent bikes there for free. We wanted to do that, but you have to put down 20 bucks and an ID card. I'm half to blame for forgetting my swiss "foreigner id card" and I blame the rest on the dumb man that wouldn't accept my drivers license as an acceptable form of id. So that kind of sucked.
Monday was a rather pleasant working day for me. I ironed in the morning then spent the rest of the day with Simon, bike riding, playing computer, and dancing. It was just me and him for lunch as well and he wanted me to make "my pancakes" for him, that I had made Friday night. My parents brought a box of hungry jack pancake mix for me and syrup. Comfort food :) The kids really liked them as well. But Simon said the syrup is too sweet so instead he eats them with a pile of sugar on top. Really.
Today I cleaned. When I visited Schowalters, Nikki said she will never clean "like a German." I have to agree with that. Generalisations are not something I like to make, but I'm gonna go with it anyway. I cleaned things this entire year that I would never think to clean myself. For example, doors, the rim between the floor and the wall, and the indents on the buttons on the oven (with a toothpick!). I also think a lot of time and energy would be saved if they just took all the calcium out of the water. So much time is spent getting rid of it. I guess the vinegar lobby is strong in Germany and Switzerland. I dunno...
The weather has been pretty pathetic here. It's been cool, rainy, then a bit of sun and hotness, then windy. I'm not a fan. I'm trying to talk to my dad on Skype now and type this and I seem to be incapable of doing both.