Family Matters

So yesterday was good--at around 2:00pm, Paula and Gunther (sp?) picked me up and took me to Gabi and Salvatore's. I had a really great time with them. First we had coffee and cake, then we went for a walk in a very old town (nearby) with a couple of very nice churches. And there was a river going through the town, as well as a little falls. It was very pretty. (And I'm afraid my English is getting worse, and that it's starting to sound like the German-version of English--like Tobi's English. It's sort of entertaining, but I have to think twice about how I write.) After we went into town, we went back to the house and Gabi and Paula made dinner--some sort of Tuscan pasta, I think. It was quite nice. Then after dinner we talked for a long time, and I told them about the States and where I've been--and what I think it worth seeing, and what's not worth seeing.

And I talked a lot with Sarah and Valentina, which was fun. I'm so excited for Sarah to come visit with the family, so that I can show her around and we can go to the grocery store and look at the ridiculously large amounts of food that are so very cheap compared to everything here. Oh, and Salvatore is learning English--he's been attending a night course for three months, so he should be prepared by the time they come to visit. I found his English very entertaining--especially when he pronounced "cheese" and "k-heese." But I think he's making good progress. I told him that to talk to my dad, though, he probably doesn't need to know the same language as my dad. I think the both of them are very good at communicating without a common language. And apparently Salvatore also pretends to know how to speak English, just like Mo pretends to speak Spanish. Gabi was telling me that there was an English couple he met at the Oktoberfest, who were convinced that he spoke English because he just kept saying things like "very good," "yes/yeah," "really," etc. Definitely seemed like a Mo in Costa Rica moment, where everyone thinks that he is a Mexican. So I had a very nice time with them.

This morning I was very confused about the time of day. I knew that Daylights Savings time was today, so last night I changed my clock--but I set it ahead on accident. But I wanted to call Soraya and I knew that the time difference would not have happened back at home, so I set my alarm clock an hour earlier than necessary to make sure that I would get up at the right time. So, I think, somehow I first woke up at around 4:00am--which was not very pleasant, so I fell back asleep. And then I eventually figured out to call Soraya. It took me a while to figure out my mistake though.

Then today we went to Tante Anni's for dinner/lunch. It was wonderful! So at Tante Anni's it was Tobi, Gerlinde, Florian, Tante Hilde, Tante Anni, and me. It was good, although I could not understand a sizeable amount of the conversation, since it was in German, but that was okay. I have decided that Germans are much happier people than the Swiss--the Germans laugh and joke a lot more. I think it's healthier. Going back to Lugano rather than staying here or going home sounds terrible right now!

Then this afternoon I went with Melanie and her boyfriend to the market/fair that happens twice a year in Lohhof. The Germans are very practical people--most of the things on sale were all sorts of cleaning brushes and socks. And there were lots of clothes and jewelry and some food vendors. And there was the smallest merry-go-round that I have ever seen; it's the one thing for kids at the market, according to Melanie. They had a lot of chocolate-covered fruits on a stick too. So that was all right.

Oh and Bardia secured a job in Neuchatel, so he is going home to Australia on Tuesday, but he will be returning at the end of November, and his job starts on the first of December. So I am going to visit him sometime before I leave, but not next weekend. This is probably a good thing, as I am probably going to have a lot of homework to get out of the way. And it would be nice to have a weekend just to chill.

Tomorrow I am going into Munich for some sightseeing and maybe some souvenir shopping. I haven't sent any postcards! I should at least buy a few here. More soon. I miss everyone!