Last Friday

Today is Friday and the first day of Christmas Break! I am really excited. One full week off of school! Last Friday I went to Rotarys Advent Celebration. It was very cool. First we met at a restaurant and then walked over to a church where someone talked a bit about Christmas, and then we sang a few carols. Then we went back to the Restaurant and there was a buffet. I was really excited because the food was absolutely AMAZING. Coq au Vin, ginger/pumpkin soup, rice, wurst.. it was delicious! After dinner a dance team from town performed a bit, it was very cool.

The Essen.

Schnee! On my way to school, was geil but melted before 9 :(

Then on Sunday me and my mom went to buy a christmas tree, I was expecting the average fir tree but my host mom wanted me to have more of a typical german/east german christmas experience and its a different kind of christmas tree.

Our tree, inside finally two days before christmas (the norm in D-land) to be decorated tonight or tomorrow. On the tv is Last Christmas, by Wham.

Ours is a bit smaller than the ginormous one at Hauptbahnhof. Thats me, the red speck to the right of the clock. And all I can think of is where in the world they keep these things in the off season??

Let's see... two weeks ago my music teacher asked me to read a poem for the schools Christmas Party. The first Thursday that I did it was for the teachers, and the second time (yesterday) was in front of the school. Rebekah is an amazing singer so they asked her to sing. Yesterday after it was all finished up Rebekah and I were like "right, no we can go home" and then the Mensa starts filling up with more students and that's when we find out we have to do the whole thing over again! The poem was very seriously Danglish. I read it with a girl from my class and she was a little nervous so she read it pretty fast and I'm right next to her reading about twice as slow so that I don't mess up my German (or English). Since it was English and German together I ended up with a german accent when I spoke the English and a pretty decent English accent when I read the German parts! The poem was called "Merry Weihnachten"

Taken from inside school, a portion of Fürstenwalde. I love looking out of the window and watching the sheep. They are awesome.

Merry Weihnachted
(the stanzas I read)

Aber auch zu Mum und Dad

ist Old Santa pretty nett;

denn die Gifts aus Peter’s Shop

sind Prime Collection , - einfach top;

From Heaven high, da kommt er her,

und bringt der Goodies mehr und mehr.

Grandma, Grandpa, ach Ihr Alten,

Weihnachten könnt Ihr gern behalten,

X-mas providet globally

Corporate Identity;

Joy to the world, bald ist’s Zeit

again für Silent und für Holy Night.

Wenn wir daheim schon nicht verstehen,

wie soll’s global dann besser gehen?

Nicht, wenn Ihr fremde Wörter stammelt, -

doch wenn Ihr unterm Wort Euch sammelt,

strahlt in die Welt so weit, so breit,

der Friede dieser Weihnachtszeit.

The other night in Berlin I had to take a picture of thise, a smartcar, epicly parked. I love it.

One last thing, since I won't be seeing anybody from home for Christmas so I hope everyone has a very, merry christmas! Love, Rose