Starting in Stuttgart

Hallo meine Damen und Herren und Willkommen!

I believe some explanations are in order to those of you who have not talked to me in a while. I will be studying abroad in Germany for the next six months, learning the language, attending classes, and otherwise trying to not make much of a fool of myself (too often anyways) while I am here. This will just be a compilation of my thoughts and experiences, hence the 'Erlebnis' in the title, and it'll hopefully save my mom the burden of repeating everything she knows about my welfare while I am gone and ditto for me when I get back. I do not guarantee the spelling, grammar, or interest level of the content in anyway; nonetheless, you're welcome along for the ride.

 Niklas is at school right now and has been so kind as to allow me use of his computer to start my blog.

From the beginning then? I guess I should start out by saying I am safe and sound in Germany. (big sigh of relief) The flight over was a hassle, but no more than usual and I didn't have to spend the night in an airport foreign or otherwise. I am counting myself lucky. I arrived in the morning with Isaac and while he boarded another train to Bela's (another foreign exchange student from Ubly) home in München, I was whisked away to Nick's home for the weekend before meeting my host family. So far, I have to say, so good.

The first day was like everyone's first day in another country after twelve hours on a plane. I slept. A lot. I arrived in the morning and just got settled, showered, napped, ate. The sort of day that would make a cat jealous. The weather in Germany right now is so wonderful. Mom, that winter coat right now would be wasted on forty degree days without snow. Wie schön. The following morning we took a walk, enjoyed the weather and decided what could be better than to go swimming? So we did.

Now, before I go on, let me inform you that Stuttgart has natural geysers in the area and so there has flourished a string of spas and hot mineral baths. This is what everyday normal people do when they want to have fun. It's über-cheap. Crazy as it sounds, high class people go hunting in Germany while the layman goes to SPAS. Awesome, right? That evening we took a train to Mineralbad Leuze and I basically had the best time ever. There's a regime to it: Take a shower before, go into the luke warm bath for a time, then the hot for fifteen minutes and then back. Repeat and then sit out and relax on a pool chair for a while.

The water is so full of minerals that it feels like your skin is oxidizing when you get in. Bubbles cover you and it kind of tingles. When you get out your skin is super smooth and for some reason you get really tired. There's also a sauna--nude, so I steered clear--where after you finish you jump--nude again-- into a tube of iced water. We'll see if I ever get daring enough to try that one out. That night Niklas invited a few friends over to play Wii with and I read. All over, great day.

Sundays are slow days in Germany. Everyone just relaxes at home and eats a fancy meal. Most places of business are closed so Niklas and I took a walk to the nearby stables and checked out the giant bunny statues (pictures coming soon!) before making a nice meal and playing the marble game. Allen, I think Ray is addicted to it... but he cheats!

So that's been my time here so far. As of today I just walked around the Schlossplatz in Stuttgart and ate some Schokolade Eis. Yep, taking walks and eating ice cream in January. I think it's a sign this will be a good trip.
Until next time,
Rebecca