The reason why ich bin dicker geworden

(this post is especially for my Papa...)

Essen (Food) in Deutschland

The typical breakfast on Saturday or Sunday.

Heidi cooks some pretty amazing food. Here are some of my favorites:

Zuericher Geschnizltes
(no idea how to translate that, but it is chicken and onions in a very tasty sauce.)

Pfiferling Spagatti
(chicken and mushroom sauce)

One of my very favorites: Kaiserschmarn
(comparable to something like pancakes covered in powdered
sugar and eaten with applesauce)

Spätzle mit Huhnchen und Piltz
(Spätzle with chicken and mushrooms. Spätzle are typical egg noodles served as a side in Germany)

Spargel Sauce mit Kartoffeln
(White asparagus sauce served over potatoes...)

Eier, Kartoffeln, und Spinat
(Sunnyside-up Egg over Potatoes and Spinach)

Now to those typical foods:

Bratwurst
Check out the huge long wurst in the tiny brötchen....so normal

Currywurst und Pommes

Leberknödel Suppe
(took me a while to get used to....didn't realize until last month that Leber=Liver. No wonders I didn't like it particularly.)

Döner
I love these things. So good.

Käse (Cheese!!!) - Heidi discovered in the first two months that I love different types of cheeses. And let me tell you, they have quite the assortment of cheeses here in Germany. DELICIOUS!



And of course:

German ice-cream

Spagatti Eis

So that was just a little overview of the types of foods I normally eat here in Germany. It's going to be weird having to eat American food again.

When I get home...

...it's PARTY time!

My list of things to do (no particular order)...
- Hug and catch up with the family and friends who I haven't seen for 11 months
- Hug my dog (Man, I really miss him...)
- Puppy sit for Guide Dogs for the Blind
- Play my harp (perhaps a few harp lessons?)
- Ride Bro. Adams' horses
- Jump/Swim in our swimming pool
- Go to Jamba Juice
- Enjoy my Papa's delicious Pizza
- Share my Germany Year Slideshow
- Play with legos with my little brother
- Have an adventure with my siblings
- Register for BYU classes and prepare for university
- Cook delicious German food for my family
- Watch Psych with Arianna
- Enjoy life in the USA (try to avoid all that reverse cultural shock stuff)....


Sometime in all this, I'll get around to sharing the goodies from Germany. :D

The count down is on!!! One week left!!!!!!! Ahhhh.... am I sad? happy? excited? scared? I just don't know. I'm everything all at once. :D

Brescia: The Lioness of Italy

Life is hectic. I have only a week and a half left. Ich bin sehr traurig!

Changing things up a bit from Germany....my trip to Italy!

I traveled to Italy for a few days with my friend, Anya. We stayed in Brescia with Marco (who is a former exchange student that my family hosted when I was in first grade) and his family.
Marco and his father showed us around Brescia, and then Anya and I visited Verona and Venice on our own.

Here are a few pictures (unfortunately they don't even capture how amazing Italy is...)

Weather was a little too warm, but having the sun shining was a pleasant change from Germany. We both came back with nice tans and grateful hearts for Germany's cooler weather.

Word to the wise: Italian drivers are verrückt!
Lines on the road are simply optional. People weave in and out, going where ever their cars fit. Marco told us that in Southern Italy, especially Rome, driving is even crazier. In Rome, the street lights are just suggestions. So if the light is red, one can simply decide if it's worth waiting. Also Italians crazily/constantly honk their horns without any real reason.

Italian food: I tried out some true Italian pizza: it was scrumptious. I'm proud to say that my dad's pizza is pretty much the same. He makes killer Italian Pizza. I also ate a Sicilian Cannoli, which was heavenly. Yum yum. I love Italian food. :D

I felt so at home in Italy. I was quite happy to see that there were many people with curly hair, just like mine! And the boyz there were HOT. :D

The food, the people, the culture - all of it was great. I will be definitely going back to Italy in the future. Perhaps a study abroad program for a semester of university or something...

The Best Ever

I just have to say...

...My host dad is the best ever!

Today he came home from work and made the most scrumptious chicken salad I have ever been privileged to eat. I've eaten a lot of different chicken salads, but this one was by far the best ever! Not only did it taste good, but it also looked splendid. Unfortunately, he wouldn't allow any pictures to be taken...

(okay, I'll own up to the fact that since I've been ill the past few days, I've hardly eaten anything...so I was pretty famished... but still it was extremely tasty food.)

Perhaps you ask why he made dinner? Well, Heidi is currently in Wien, Österreich (Vienna, Austria) with a friend. So Dieter played Mr. Mom. He's amazing!

A Day at a Time - Part 7

Saturday

Well, this post ends my week-long "day at a time" posts. This week was pretty typical. Life is always interesting.

Today was a pretty chill day. I practiced harp, worked on some homework, and baked some delicious snickerdoodles and chocolate chip cookies.
Later in the afternoon, I headed to my church for a baptism of a Russian girl who is working as an Au pair (nanny) here in Germany. That was pretty awesome.

After that I met with some friends from school and went bowling. Es hat so viel Spaß gemacht! (It was so much fun!)