So much has happened this past week, I don’t know where to begin! First off, last Sunday I went with some friends to the Christopher Street Day Parade, or rather, the BIGGEST gay pride parade in all of Europe. It was insane. It was hot, hot, HOT out, but it was such a great time! We ended up in the Aldstadt (Old Town) area at a beer garden and hung out for hours drinking Kolsch and swapping stories. It was a *fabulous* day! 

The kids are finally beginning to warm up to me.* Correction, Gustav has liked me since day 1, but Pauline is finally starting to warm up to me. The problem was that when their parents were around, the kids knew they didn’t have to listen to me, so they didn’t (understandably). But after a little bribery (ice cream is my best friend) and some alone time with the kids, they were my new pals in no time.

This week I had language class where we had some new students; a French man and a new man and woman from Spain, and I am picking up more and more German each time. I explored the Aldstadt area with my friend Gabriel- which is my favorite area thus far because it is right on the Rhine River. It is simply beautiful.

 

Yesterday Esther and I went to a barbecue for Gustav’s class for the end-of-the-year, and I ate the most delicious food ever. It was adorable and fun and it was a great end to the week. Back to the city tonight to check out a jazz club! Until next time-

PS- On my way home from the parade last Sunday, I accidentally stayed on a train that was going out of order. Thankfully the train conductor did a walk through the train and realized an idiot (ME) was still on it. After a little wait, we turned around, went back to the station and I got on a new train. Ah, that explains why I was the only person on the entire train!!…..

 

Exciting Adventures and the Cathedral Dom

I am finally beginning to settle in over here. Since my last post I have had a second language class, had a night on the town with a new friend, gone shopping alone in Koln, oh, and officially became a citizen of Frechen, NRW, DE! 

 

My second language class was much better than the first one. Because my classmates and I are more comfortable with each other now and no longer nervous, we have fun learning new words that sound like alien-talk to us non-Germans. 

On Friday my friend Gabriel and I decided to have a chill night out in Cologne, where we went to dinner at a steakhouse type place that was pretty good. I also had my first Kolsch, official beer of Cologne brewed right in the city! It was crisp and delicious and we got them mixed with sprite which sounded interesting, but was so good. After dinner we walked around for awhile looking for a big outdoor party to celebrate pride weekend here (which had just begun), but after a failed attempt at finding it, we decided to get some wine and hang out outside on that beautiful night. 

 

Lastly, I want to mention the Dom (The Cologne Cathedral, and U.N.E.S.C.O. World heritage Site). Directly outside of the central train station lies one of the biggest Roman gothic churches in the world, and although I’ve walked past it maybe 15 times thus far, everytime I see it I can’t help but pause and stare for a bit. The Dom is so large and unlike any other architecture I’ve seen before. The best part is being able to sit on the front steps along with plenty of other people, and simply be able to turn your head and look at the beautiful cathedral. Looking at pictures online could never do it justice. I will post better pictures once I am able to get over the grandeur of it, but for now- have a peek at the few I’ve managed to snap. 

And these guys were cool.

Until next time, Kelly

A German Birthday Party

Hi! Today we celebrated Pauline’s 6th birthday party with 12 of her friends at a sort of petting zoo type place about 20 minutes from home. It was an exhausting day, but a fun one. We also went to Pauline’s kindergarten on Saturday where she and all of her classmates had had a sleepover and performed a show for us in the morning. It was adorable. Through a combination of body language and facial expressions I am quickly picking up what people are talking about, especially at the kindergaten performance, because children are so expressive. 

Back to the birthday party. There were a few adults at the soiree but I decided to stick with the kids as they went on a treasure hunt around the farm, and eventually found the booty filled with boxes of food to feed the farm animals with. It was a hilarious ending to a very detailed treasure hunt. The funniest part of the day was the kids realizing that I didn’t yet speak any German and speaking it to me anyways. Like I said earlier though, through a combination of body language and with help from some of the other kids, I understood fairly well what they were saying to me. The kids ate sausages and we fed animals and opened presents, and I ended the day by shopping with Esther (the kids’ mother) for fresh fruit and flowers from the farm’s store.

I start my language course tomorrow evening in Koln which I am super excited for. I can’t wait to meet some friends and explore the beautiful city some more. For now, it’s time to hit the hay and recharge for another exciting day tomorrow. 

Pauline’s Kindergarten show, complete with professional magician

Found a little bit of home at the “English Store” in Cologne. Check out the prices- 40 Euros + a bottle deposit for a 12-pack of Sam Adams!

 

 

The kids receiving the treasure map.

This one’s for you, Danny!