Wow that was the longest lapse so far I think. Crap! It's not so much that I don't have time to write but that I don't have much to say... shame on you Brenna! There is ALWAYS something to say.
Ahhh... yes. I know. Must keep that above thought in mind. OK let me just try and remember what has happened this past... month almost? Wow. I was really slacking.
First off: London. My visit to the United Kingdom (first time ever) was really fun, albeit a little too short. It was great to see Leanne, my college roomie, whom I haven't seen since she came to visit me in Vienna almost two years ago. It was her birthday, so it was really fun to be there with her and her boyfriend to celebrate that. It was weird to go to London from Germany, because suddenly everyone is speaking English again and when I open my mouth I almost have to remind myself to ask my question in English. That, I suppose, is a good thing. What I still couldn't get over, even by the time I left, was that people drove on the wrong side of the road. You read about it, hear about it, see it in movies, but it is still SO weird to see it in action. I don't think I would ever be comfortable driving around London. Or anywhere in Europe and the UK for that matter. Or anywhere else except the U.S. And often I am not comfortable driving there either. Why am I still talking about this. Driving is scary. There.
Ok, so... I got to see most of the sights I wanted to: Big Ben, the London Eye, Kensington Palace, Westminster Abbey, etc. But we didn't make it to the Tower of London or to King's Cross. Boo hoo. (You know why I wanted to go to King's Cross... that's right, Platform 9 and 3/4.) But I did get to see the Temple Church (from The DaVinci Code,) although it was closed and we couldn't go in. And it seriously took us like two hours to find it, Dan Brown wasn't kidding when he described it as hard to locate...
But I saw and rode the double-decker buses, stepped in a red phone booth, witnessed the changing of the guards, and was told to Mind the Gap. And I saw Leannie. So it was a good trip.
I have posted pictures of this trip here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2065508&l=6d356&id=23500703.
When I got back, mostly my weeks have consisted of rehearsing with my choir for our debut performance for a big Christmas party on the 13th. I also met with friends, went shopping and found a church I like to go to on Sundays.
The choir I am in went caroling at the Christkindlmärkte around town, as well as stopping in a few pubs as well. That was really fun, especially when people sang along and applauded. We even got free Glühwein for our performance. Toll!
The Christmas party hat Spaß gemacht, but it was hard to sing over the more than a hundred people talking to one another. But everyone thanked us and the orchestra for our carols, and said we all did a really good job. And the party was a blast all around.
Shortly after, however, (and I felt it coming on but could not miss out on the party) I got the flu. And it probably didn't help that Mark, the choir and orchestra conductor had the flu at the party. But I was sick basically from Monday until... well, I am still not 100 percent. But it's good I got sick now and not during actual Christmas!! But still... not fun...And as for the job thing, I am definitely starting my position with Focus Magazine on January 12, 10 a.m. Focus is the third-largest news magazine in all of Germany, and I am going to be working within the Modernes Leben (Modern Living) department. I am still not quite sure what I will be doing for them, but hopefully it will be a great experience and I know I will learn a lot.
My upcoming plans consist of spending more time at the Christkindlmärkte, eating dinner with Helmut, Lisa, Peter and their neighbors on Sunday, and seeing my friends.
Ahhh wait, to explain what Feuerzangenbowlen are... and thus my alliterative headline
... Feuerzangenbowle is a traditional German alcoholic drink, and one can find them in abundance within Munich's Christmas markets (Christkindlmärkte oder Weihnachtsmärkte). The name translates literally as "fire-tongs punch." It basically consists of mulled wine (Glühwein) in a bowl, which is topped with a cube of sugar soaked in rum and then set on fire, which melts and carmelizes the sugar until it mixes with the wine. Yummmmmmmm.Honestly, I will REALLY try to update more often. New Year's Resolution, right?
And Happy Birthday, to me.
