Es ist Winterzeit!

Oh December, where is my snow?

It's almost scary how warm it has been, and with NO rain. I'm beginning to worry it will all come at once. I'm pretty sure that I am not prepared. 

This weekend was the Tuebingen Schokoladenmarkt, Germany's largest chocolate festival. It took over the majority of our Altstadt, there were booths and people EVERYWHERE. There were so many different types of chocolate and cookies, it was basically overload. Since it was so close we were able to walk through everyday after our classes browsing through the booths and of coure sampling all the chocolate. 

This weekend Kaila's friend Aidan from California came and stayed with her. On Saturday night we decided to show him a little bit of our German day to day life, complete with a Tuebingen Walter Tigers basketball game against Bonn. It was my first German basketball game but SO much fun! The energy in the Sportplatz was incredible and I was surprised by how popular the game is here. It was a close game, we won by only one basket in the last 30 seconds. Go Walter Tigers!

After we went out to a bar in the Altstadt with a large group of pictures and were out until around 2:30 AM. It was really fun getting to know all of the Germans that were at the game with us and just spending time with each other. 

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On Sunday I went back to the Esslingen Weihnachtsmarkt with Kaila, Aidan and Miles. It was a little rainy but it just heightened the experience which was so different from the one that I experienced when I was there in the evening. 

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After the Weihnachtsmarkt and a nap on the train, I went back to the Schokoladenmarkt with Hannes, Markus, Brittany and Holger. We chatted and drank Glühwein while strolling through the rain. Andrew and Erik were playing music in front of one of the stands which I think really added something unique and excting to the market. We went to dinner and then to a bar for visiting. I was really able to see how out of practice I am with speaking German which sounds strange since I live here. It's so difficult since many of my friends are from the California program, or when you meet someone and the recognize that you speak English because they want to practice with you. It's only December, right? I have time? I sure hope so, which reminds me... I should go study! I have my first final on Thursday (even though the semester doesn't end until February)! Wish me luck!

 

Bis bald!