die Geige

I was a bit too into school and activities in things in the States. My life revolved around it and I had a great time, even if it was a rather taxed commodity. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade my high school years at MLWGS for anything. But the amount of free time I have here is a little new and disconcerting. My gymnasium doesn't help much because it has a culture that no longer sustains AGs (German semi-equivalent of after school activities).  So I'm on the lookout for things to do.

I would say I've always wanted to be musical, but that's not exactly true. I was too stubborn to properly learn the piano as a kid just because it wasn't my choice. (Yes, Mom, you were right.) A arrogant band teacher later and the clarinet, along with everything else musical, was history. Or so I thought. I like listening to music. I like being surrounded by music. I just can't make music. Which is sad, somehow.

So, with all the newfound free time, I figured I should do something about it. I found a music school and rented a violin and am now screeching and scratching my way to "proficiency." My real goal is to just be able to eek out a melody that resembles O Tannenbaum (O Christmas Tree) by Christmas.

The guy who rented me my violin used to live in the house next to ours and we had a nice conversation about the village. Small world all around.

The lessons are particularly funny because my teacher and I work on communicating at the same time. He's not German and neither am I, yet we're holding the lessons in Germany in German. His accent is thick Bulgarian and he has (actually pretty decent) self taught English. I have an American accent and I know no Bulgarian. We make it work though and I'm glad I started.

Halloween und Messe

Halloween is not really a German thing. It's the old English pre-All Saint's Day celebration merged with a Celtic holiday, but in the last century or so it's become stereotypically American. My host Oma asked me what it was all about anyways, all she knew was that it came from America because the GIs brought it with them after the end of the war.

That said, my host family has more or less always celebrated it in some way. My host siblings picked it up when they lived in Spain and for years were the only ones in the Dorf to trick-or-treat (Süßes-oder-saures). This year it was just a bonfire in the backyard; cozy and fun.

I'm going to skip through time a little bit here and shoot to last weekend and the Mindener Messe. I went with a group of 10 friends to carnival to just hang out and see the rides. Apparently it comes twice a year, and I'll get a second chance in slightly warmer weather. Although, to be honest, it wasn't that bad. A thick jacket, gloves, and a scarf did the trick.

It was a brilliant evening and when I was on one of the rides, I had an interesting thought. My life is basically a movie right now. It looked like a scene ripped straight from a movie, with the passing music blasting out of the stereos. I was on a carnival ride, whirling around, with awesome friends and the fair lights twinkled in the background while a cold wind brought the smell of popcorn, roasted nuts, and pizza. It's moments like that that make this experience worth it.

Largest transportable Ferris Wheel in Europe