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7/1/10, Weeks two and three     

               Sorry I’m a little bit late with this update, but hey, this is a blog! (Love that it’s a blog.  Takes a lot of pressure off)               

  Having surveyed my first post, I realize that while it describes my dream life throughout the first week of my journey, it does little to inform the reader of any specifics, and answer the more basic questions, like: what Germany is like this summer, who am I staying with and how are they, and what have I been doing besides nearly falling asleep in a beer garden and having interesting dreams?  Well you’re about to find some of these things out, but bear in mind that I am here for eight weeks and I do not wish to run out of writing material (in other words I don’t want my posts at the end of the trip to be mind bending tedium).  It is my hope that the answers to some of your questions will eventually reveal themselves in one of my future posts.  And so, without further ado, here is a short informational based summary of my surrounding here in Germany.              So how is Germany this summer?  In a word, hot.  Hot from the moment I exited the air conditioning of Franz Joseph Strauss, and stepped into a humidity that made my light, white shirt seem like a black wool great-coat.  Now, when you’ve spent 11 hours on a cramped airplane, it is unlikely that you are at your freshest, so I wasn’t sure if a smelled bad as I shook hands with Lenny and his Mom, but the moment I was introduced to The German atmosphere, the doubt in my mind evaporated with the heat. I probable didn’t stink but……..  It was really rather embarrassing, making a first impression this way, but I grinned and did my best to ignore the sticky sensation on the back of my neck.  On the train ride home I hoped that the canned air of the compartment would help my malady, or at least not exacerbate it.  No such luck, it seemed my shirt had entrapped some of the heat and it was having a sort of green house effect.  By the time we reached*************, the station located a few blocks from ****************, I wasn’t sure if I was  going to leave behind one of those sweaty slicks one sometimes encounters on Muni seats back in San Francisco.  I hurried off the train where my bag and I were driven by Lenny’s Oma to the house.              The house is set in a block of about six or so grey cement abodes.  Don’t let the grey cement throw you off; the block actually has a very pleasant and modern look to it.  The interior is quite spacious.  There are three floors plus an attic. The lowest floor is actually underground and extends under the very quaint, albeit small, garden at the back of the house.  I have been given a large room with a balcony, overlooking the garden, on the third floor.  It seems that before I arrived it served as a family sun-room and entertainment room. I  Feel slightly guilty about taking up this space, but they don’t seem to mind.        

 

  

a view out the window of my room

 

view looking south from my balcony

 

 

 

pictures have been edited

     

German, but is still nice.        

My Exchange, Lennard:  he’s 17 years old almost exactly a year older than me, (his birthday is on the fourth of August mine is on the twelfth). His father is Bengali but is separated or divorced from his mom, I’ve never seen him and don’t know his name.  (I also made the mistake of asking after Herr Merdha the day I arrived, even after my own mom had told me that Susanne was a single mother, ooops.)  So Lenny is half Bengali half german.  He is about my height.  He speaks fairly good English, (better than my Deutsch), and from what I can tell, he is a very good student.  He also plays cello in an advanced youth orchestra, I can’t remember the name at the moment, but from what I’ve heard of him he’s quite talented.  He’s been a very helpful and understanding friend throughout the first three weeks of this trip.        

 

  

The Mom, Susanne, Is a blond woman in, I would guess, her mid to late forties.  She has a powerful, assertive attitude and manner but is very kind and helpful, and really quite a blessing for a stupid American, such as me. I also get the sense that she is highly intelligent.  She speaks English quite fluently, which can be quite a drawback for someone trying to learn      

The Sister, Sophia: is thirteen and has almost the same Birthday as my brother, she has a vaguely similar appearance to Lenny, though much shorter.  She’s is comparable to my Brother in some ways, but considerably less annoying.  All her friends are convinced that I’m from Switzerland, (because of my distinctly Swiss appearance?); I think I’ll let that impression play itself out.         

 Oma and Opa: are a petite pair, likely in their late seventies or early eighties.  Additionally, they are the sweetest old couple I’ve ever met.  I’m not going to elaborate, except to say that the grandfather is very amiable and smiles whenever he sees me, and accordingly with the grandma, who is, I’m sure, the kindest, most helpful old lady in der Ganzen Deutschland!       

Oma and Opa aka: Nanu and Bapu

         

 

       

some pictures have been edited for security reasons

  

        

outside table set for tonight’s dinner