Some days it just doesn't pay to get out of bed...

It would seem I'm not particularly good at keeping up on this thing, but this does not suprise anyone, I'm sure.

The last week has been simultainiusly both unbelievably busy and creepingly slow.

Last Saturday I had planned to join one of the teachers at my school, Antje, and her family at the market, but I woke up at noon. And it would seem though she said call any time, she really meant anytime before 9. Dissipoited in myself for being so lazy I proceeded to mope about wallowing in self-pitty and dwelling on my lack of friends. I finially convinced myself I should probably go to the grocery store so that I could eat something more than grapes and gummy bears. I can not express the energy it seemed to take to put on shoes and a coat and walk the 15 minuite walk to the grocery store. However, by the time I made it I was feeling better and had decided not only was I going to buy food but pehraps even cook it!

Afer a lengthy selection process of my purchases, I waited anxiously in line to pay. Now, you may wonder why anxiously. In germany paying for something is almost always a stress inducing activity especially at the grocery store. When paying it is necesary to first unload your purchases onto the conveyer belt, then emediately begin bagging them as they are scanned, and simultainiously be ready to pay - and you surebetter have correct change. It may actually be illieagl for grocery store clirks to smile. They simply never do. They bark your total at yu and then when you hand them a 20 for an 11:50 purchase they ask if you have smaller bills. No, of course I don't, if I did I would have given them to you! Finially, you sure better be done bagging your stuff before the next persons' items are scanned, because if not, they just get slid along into yours and the next customer scowls at you. All of this happens at an incredible break neck speed. Sometimes I feel compelled to strech or warm up before lining up to pay, just to be sure to be ready. People think Germans stay skinny from walking so much, but really its because they have to condition to pay for things!

Given this, you can imagine the horror and fear I felt whe, while preparing to pay, I discovered to my horror I had managed to leave my wallet at home. There I was - everything rung up and a line forming behind me and absolutely no menas to pay. In America, while this would be of course embarassing, you would smile and laugh sheepishly and explain the situation to the clirk. He or she would thenlikely laugh with you and say to go retrieve your money and they'd keep you things behind the counter for you. Not so in Germany. In addion to be mortifyingly embarassed, I have now committed a major ofense against the store clirk. Who scowls deeply and say. "ok-go!" I mutter something about coming back and esentally run from the store trying not cry. By the time I reached th parking lot I was deffinately in teers (a fairly common state for me - I'm a cryer, what can I say).

I waked the longest walk of my life home, to retirieve my wallet only to meet my crazy land lord and have her tell me I should lock the door when i leave (which I'm pretty sure I do) and then ask why I was back so soon. I was then forced to explain the horrible situation to which she replies "Remember when you did that when I took you shopping?' (I had also forgotten my wallet on the first day I arived when she took me to the store and I had to pay her bck). My favorite asspect of my landlord is that she repeats everything at least three times. "Remmeber? Remember when you forgot it? do you remember?!!" "Yes, yes, ok I remember what an ass I amde of myself, thank you." In explaining things to her, I did not know the owrd for wallet, which then led to a 15 minuite discussion on what the word was in w hich I had to write wallet down for her and she had to look it up. When she couldn't find it, I showed her my wallet and said what is thi called. Finially she got it, and found it necessary to repeat the name 3 tiems louder and louder. At this point I didn't care any more. And she kept asking "Do you understand?" "Yes I understand, or I wouldn't keep saying yes!" Her oppeating plan in interactions with me seems to be repeat, repeat, repeat - lounder if necessary - because the american girl is an idiot. She also really enjoys correcting my shitty german at very inappropriate junctiers in the conversation. Oh Mann! this woman!

Afer my wallet and door locking lecture I returned to the store with my tail between my legs, where when I asked the cilrk where my stuff was, I recieved a grunt and a point for an answer.

When i returned home a second time, my land lord said again "lock the door when you leave. Do you understand?" I said yes, then read the note she had writen about Antje (the teacher calling) on which she had also writen I should lock the door. Geminey chirstmas lady, How do you imagine I even have enough intelligence to function on a daily basis.

Glad, however, that Antje had called, I ran upstairs to return her call. She invited me over for super and said "bring your toothbrush in case we drink too much wine." (perhaps a new supply for English Wine Night when I get back). I listend soooo carefully to her directions and wrote them down, so as not to get lost on the way there.

I sucessfully made it to my first subway stop where I needed to change trains and even then found the propper street train. Lucky me, however, I chose the car with the several loud, scantly clad, 14-yearolds who thought it might be nice for everyone to enjoy the teenybop music loudly played thorugh their cell phone speakers. Aside from being fascinating creatures to observe and ultmately annoying, their music and sould gabbing made it impossible to hear the train stop announcements. At one stop at which I couldn't here the stop name, I thought "hunh maybe this is it, I should ask. Nah, its too soon" And yep, as one might expecct, that was the stop I needed. I twasn't until 20 min. later that I found the courage to ask someone if I had missed the stop. His laugh an d "oh yeah!" where not reassuring. So there i was, now in a competly different town, standing on a train platform, an hour late for dinner, with no phone, and wondering where the hell I was.

Luckly I found the coougage to ask a very stressd out buisness man if I could barrow his cell phone to call Antje and he ablidged. (Not a small thing given the incredible expense of phone calls of any kind in Germany). Between the two of them, Antje and buisness man, they figurd out where I was and where I needed to be. 20 min later I was able to meet Antje's husband at the train station, ashamed at my stupidity and propencity for getting lost but glad to be found.

Antje reheated dinner for me and I talked with her and her husband and their 4 and 1/2 year old son. God bless them are these good people! They talked to me the whole evening in German and listened to me stammer through and butcher the language without ever giving up on me and speaking English. I soo appreicate it when people allow me to butcher the langauge to them and don't get frustrated. I know how doumb I must sound, but if I don't speak it I will never learn it and will never get better.

I did indeed spend the night (not from too much wine though, they simply insisited) and then spent the next morning speaking german with them and playing with Finnion (their son) who has Downs Syndrome.He is absolutely adorable and soo much fun to play with. He's nonverble and I'm esentally nonverble in german, so we get along great. We just look at eachother and play and make noises! It would seem my german soul mate is a 4 year old.

So at days end, I supose I could say it finally payed to wake up, but it was deffinatly touch and go for a while.