Ergenzingen, Germany

I had a lot of energy in class today which made the day quite enjoyable. A girl in my class, sitting next to me, became so frustrated when the teacher kept trying to help her with pronunciation that she started crying. It was definitely a surprise to me because she is 29 years old and I don't find it to be frustrating that pronunciation is difficult. Either way, I understood a lot more of what the teacher was saying today. A step in the right direction.

After class we had a meeting with everyone and the main International Affairs coordinator, Anita. She spoke about responsibility and drinking. Apparently someone came home drunk and the host parents put in a complaint. It's interesting to see how the younger kids (under 21) are responding to there newly found freedom in Germany. I have two theories: either what Anita talked about actually happened, or she says that every year to the study abroad students for good measures. I'm kind of 50-50 on where I stand.

When I got back home Erika, Wolfgang, and I ate dinner. It was a "Swabish" dish called "Linsen und Spetzle." "Swabish" is the term out here for the people in Baden-Württemberg (the state in Germany where I live) that speak a certain dialect. Basically, the meal consisted of noodles, a soup kind of thing, and "Winerle" (kind of like a hot dog). It was a good meal.

Once my food digested a little bit I hopped onto a bike and headed north to Ergenzingen, another small town about 6km from Weitingen. The ride was fun, going through paths in between cornfields and also riding on the road. I was on a mission to find a store called "Kik" so that I could buy a soccer ball. To my dismay Kik  did not have any. Damn. On my way back I stopped at a swamp like place and hung out for a moment and then continued my journey. It really is quite an experience riding around in an unknown land.

Back at the house I enjoyed the luxury of swimming in Erika and Wolfgang's pool and did some push-ups, dips, and squats while simultaneously drinking a beer. Who needs protein powder, right?

In the evening I went to a pizzeria/bar with the other Jonathan (he's from CSUCI as well and we're the only California students who live in Weitingen, the 60 students are spread throughout various little towns in the area) which was only a two minute walk. While there we drank, ate, and sat with some Germans near in age and conversed in the Mother tongue.