I'm Still Alive

I know you've all been terribly worried and curious, and I swear I am perfectly fine and happy.

So let's go back to Friday. . . got on the train and got to Augsburg with no problem and mixed emotions- relief and a little worry and the usual thing. And got off the train and Rosie and Norbert were there waiting for me and we clicked immediately- Rosie is the most awesome person ever and we are going to have so much fun together. Norbert is her boyfriend and comes down on the weekends and is also so much fun to hang out with- I swear I have not laughed so much in a long time. We stopped at Bonny's Diner, an American-style restaurant (complete with Blues Brothers statues, Casey and Mary!) and I had a delicious burrito (yay for Mexican) and then we came to Obergriesbach and my new house, which is so cute and comfy and wonderful. Of course, I had no interest in unpacking after having just packed up, so we watched tv and talked and hung out and then headed over to my Betreuer's house (I have a Betreuer!) because she was having all of her exchange students over for Bavarian food (not as delicious as Mexican, and Rosie agrees) and hanging out and I got to see Chris and Priya and Mike (Rosie thinks Mike is just about the most awesome person ever due to his social tendencies) and an Australian named Karl who is pretty much exactly like Chris (somehow Georgian and Australian accents even sound alike) and 2 Columbians and an Ecaudorian. And it's always fun to hang out with people you haven't seen in a while, and we stayed late and left all tired and happy and drove home through the thickest fog ever (I am now living in Fog Central) and crashed on the couch for a glass of wine and more hanging out until 1 am, when we finally decided to go to bed. And then Saturday was just as great- first we went out to find me some better shoes (I am now equipped for German winter and German walking) and we bought cake and looked at art and wandered around Aichach, where my school is, and it's a sweet little town and rather pretty to look at. And we came home and read the newspaper on the terrace in the sun (who said Germany had bad weather?) and I can totally read and understand German newspaper without trouble, which was a pleasant surprise (man I missed newspapers) and then Petra, Rosie's best friend, came over and we had cake and coffee (tea in my case because I still don't like coffee) and talked forever and Petra is a really awesome person, too. It did eventually get chilly as the sun started heading downward, so we went inside for Prosecco (which I find delicious) and more talking and hanging out until it was time to go to dinner- Italian! A real Italian restaurant run by real Italians where I heard more Italian than while I was in Italy. And the food was amazing and I ate too much and I like the German meal pace- they have no problem sitting around and talking for an hour or more after dinner, and it's really nice. And we stayed up late watching tv but that is okay because my bed is warm and fluffy and I have no trouble sleeping in late. This morning was American breakfast morning, meaning bacon and scrambled eggs and toast and it was so yummy- do you know that Rosie and I are going to make blueberry muffins? I am so excited- I have missed muffins so much. I am so so happy here and so glad that I switched and tomorrow we are going up to the school to figure out my schedule and everything, but I will probably (hopefully) not actually start until Tuesday. And then I've got 2 weeks of school and then a week of Fall Break- again! Yay for switching states. And my school breaks are all different now, so hold off on those travel plans- I'll get an updated calendar to you soon.

Also, gmail is apparently having issues, so I swear I'm not ignoring your e-mails- I just can't get to them. If anyone knows what's up and wants to clue me in, I'd appreciate it.