It's Finally Springtime!

As we reach the last few days of April, Tuebingen is once again coming alive! School's started and all the students are back in the dorms. I think finally after two months, I've met all 15 of my new roommates! The people on the bus and in the elevator are becoming familiar faces with whom I exchange Hallos and friendly smiles each morning and afternoon. 

I somehow (rather by chance) managed to achieve every college student's dream and only have class Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. For me unfortunately, I'm not sure what I am going to do with all of this time on my hands, but now that the sun is out and friends are back, I can foresee many picnics in the park and by the river. I'm sitting in on two German lectures just for the comprehension and all I can say is that I'm happy that I am not taking them for a grade! I understand a little more each day and have more of a confidence while walking into the lecture hall, but at the end of the day, I might just THINK I understand what's going on. I'm taking a US Congress class, in English and each week Kaila and I take more notes than any of the other 100 students in the class. It's quite embarrassing how much more the German students know about our congressional system than we do. 

All of my German classes seem to be difficult enough that I will learn something but not too difficult to the point where I am completely lost in class. I'll have to work, and they're going to be a challenge, but I miss that aspect of school, last semester was more of an adjustment than anything. 

Since Thursday, it's been abut 78 degrees everyday and it's wonderful! 

Hannes and I went to a restaurant for a student lunch called Speisemeisterei in Stuttgart. The famous German tv Chef, Frank Oehler works there and it is known in the area for it's specialty food and extremely high prices. Due to the fact that it is at University Hohenheim (where Hannes studies...IN a castle), we got our meals for only 10 Euros. Not bad for 6 pieces of German asparagus with hollandaise sauce, ham and potatos.

Thursday and Friday were spent building a coffee table and searching for a dirndl, which I still have not found. The weather on Friday was so perfect, we whipped out the grill and had a nice little BBQ with Markus and their friend Benjamin. 

Yesterday, it was back to the Wasen, Frühlingsfest has begun! It's basically Volksfest, but in the Spring. It was 80 degrees without a cloud in the sky! We met a bunch of the California program and Markus, Holger and Brittany. It was such a wonderful day filled with festival food, music, friends and the house of mirrors! There of course was no better way to end it than with some take out chinese and tv with the Nellingen friends! 

Today is a reading day, and tomorrow it's back on the mission to find my dirndl! Tuesday is the 1st of May and is the German equivalent of Labor Day. The boys are having a Manathalon, I'm not entirely sure what that means but it includes smoking shirts, hats and canes. Brittany and I decded to have a Frauathon, which will most likely include making fun of the Manathalon while they try and see who can throw a bike the farthest. Just an ordinary day in Swabia.