Week #18 and #19 in Germany

The first week of the New year was fairly uneventful and lazy. It was the last week before school started back and so I took advantage of staying up late and sleeping in late. The first week of school, however, was fairly eventful. On Monday I bought stuff to start crocheting. I thought it would be a fun thing to learn and a useful way to waste time, seeing as I could make gifts with such a talent. I didn't realize it would be so challenging to start, but once I got started, the process was fairly smooth. I crocheted my first scarf in just four days (see picture on right). It was a birthday present for myself :). Wednesday was a tea party for the English Department. We discussed American politics, among other things, and had a delicious tea party with four different types of tea, and a wide variety of food. By the time Friday got here, I was very excited to be celebrating my birthday this weekend, and it was a wonderful birthday!

My birthday was Saturday morning, and I got a delicious breakfast in bed. Then I lazed away the day and got ready for the evening. I didn't know what to expect, I only knew there was supposed to be a surprise. Mehmet told me that the surprise wouldn't happen, because everyone was too busy studying, so we would just have a nice dinner for the two of us. He also said that he didn't have time to buy everything, so I wouldn't be getting flowers or even a cake. I was a bit disappointed, but I still was able to enjoy the delicious dinner. After dinner, Mehmet suggested we get a cocktail somewhere. When we got into the back room of the bar, I didn't want to stay because it was too smoky. He told me to wait by the entrance and he would check something. Finally, he came back and told me to come in for just a few minutes. When I got in, I saw my friends waiting at the bar with a birthday cake that had the candles lit. They were singing happy birthday to me, when Mehmet gave me roses. It was such a wonderful surprise, and it ended up being one of the best birthdays I've ever had.

Something that's been really great about this past week is the weather. Of course it's been cold, but it hasn't been below freezing. In fact, it got up to nearly 50F a few times. When I realized I was happy about the weather being so "warm" in the mid to upper 40s, I realized that I'm definitely becoming acclimated to Germany. I've even gone out of my way to go for a walk in this weather. Normally, I would need on several layers, and be forced outside when it's this cold. But, I'm actually enjoying the "warm front". Sure, I still have to wear a bit more clothing than Germans, but the Southern girl is slowing getting frozen out of me. Which is really a good thing, because D.C. can get pretty chilly, so I should definitely get used to the cold weather.