Donnerstag, 30. Juli 2015
It's So Cold!!!
durhamfamily, 15:33h
For the first time in my life, I am thankful that I've been freezing for the past several days. Back in the states, it's fairly easy to hide from the near Amazonian heat that covers Kentucky, but in a country where A/C is not the norm, you're pretty much stuck with what you get in the summer. I've been wearing jackets in the middle of July and I'm absolutely thrilled about it!
As Kyle mentioned a few days ago, YES! He's training for another marathon! I'm so proud of him that he continues to push himself to crazy limits, even while we're still slightly unbalanced in our new living situation. He's considering other marathons in Athens, Budapest (I'm SUPER excited about that one), Dublin, Amsterdam, Switzerland (Jungfrau), the Medoc in Pauillac, Midnight Sun Marathon in Norway (starts at 8:00 pm, but the sun is out the entire time because it's so far north), and the Reykjavik Marathon. The best things about these races is that it's really easy for us to make a four day weekend out of any of them and be back at work like nothing happened. But first things first: the Friendship Marathon in Amberg/Weiden in September, which kicks off our first official European vacation, and then the Schwäbisch Gmünd marathon in October. (I'll save talking about our vacation for another time so I don't drive you guys crazy gushing over how excited I am about it--my new weekender bag just came and it's so nice, I just about pooped myself. I feel like such a fancy adult!).
So! Nuremberg! Kyle pretty much covered it. It was largely uneventful, but definitely felt good to see a new place. And it was absolutely critical to learn that we need a data plan for directions on our phones before we go any place else. We actually accidently stumbled upon the most prominent historical site in the area and didn't know exactly what it was at first. I vaguely recognized it and it wasn't until we went to the Nuremberg Museum that we realized what it was.
This is what we found:
And this is what it used to be:
Even without immediately recognizing the building at first, Kyle and I felt really uneasy about being there. It was such a stark contrast to the people rollerblading past us. Apparently, it's still 1998 in Germany.
Kyle keeps saying "Ask Elizabeth about this" or "Ask Elizabeth about that." He's not very subtle, is he? =P Well, he mentioned me visiting an English class with our German tutor. It's a corporate group of seven people who are learning English for work. Our tutor thought that it would be helpful for them to talk to a native speaker, and I agreed to tag along. I never realized just how much slang we use until I kept catching myself mid-sentence saying things like "hit and miss" and "ginormous" and "staycation." Even our tutor didn't know these words. Other than being a little awkward, the sessions were fun and I heard about a little Irish pub in Göppingen that has trivia nights every Wednesday. IN ENGLISH!!! (Kyle, we're grabbing all the ex-pats and totally doing this).
Kyle also mentioned that you need to ask me about my "teaching opportunities". I think that term is a bit strong. I think that perhaps our tutor is being nice in saying that she could use me to teach English, but I'm afraid that 1. I don't speak enough German to teach English (ironic, right?) and 2. I'm not as familiar with grammar terms as I should be (reflexive-genitive whatnow?). I think the job would be fun and I would like to contribute to our family's income, but... well. Yes. Ich habe angst, as our tutor so aptly puts it. But that would be a incredible opportunity that I would enjoy. Eventually.
Apologies for the long post! I swear I'm trying to keep them on point.
--E
As Kyle mentioned a few days ago, YES! He's training for another marathon! I'm so proud of him that he continues to push himself to crazy limits, even while we're still slightly unbalanced in our new living situation. He's considering other marathons in Athens, Budapest (I'm SUPER excited about that one), Dublin, Amsterdam, Switzerland (Jungfrau), the Medoc in Pauillac, Midnight Sun Marathon in Norway (starts at 8:00 pm, but the sun is out the entire time because it's so far north), and the Reykjavik Marathon. The best things about these races is that it's really easy for us to make a four day weekend out of any of them and be back at work like nothing happened. But first things first: the Friendship Marathon in Amberg/Weiden in September, which kicks off our first official European vacation, and then the Schwäbisch Gmünd marathon in October. (I'll save talking about our vacation for another time so I don't drive you guys crazy gushing over how excited I am about it--my new weekender bag just came and it's so nice, I just about pooped myself. I feel like such a fancy adult!).
So! Nuremberg! Kyle pretty much covered it. It was largely uneventful, but definitely felt good to see a new place. And it was absolutely critical to learn that we need a data plan for directions on our phones before we go any place else. We actually accidently stumbled upon the most prominent historical site in the area and didn't know exactly what it was at first. I vaguely recognized it and it wasn't until we went to the Nuremberg Museum that we realized what it was.
This is what we found:
And this is what it used to be:
Even without immediately recognizing the building at first, Kyle and I felt really uneasy about being there. It was such a stark contrast to the people rollerblading past us. Apparently, it's still 1998 in Germany.
Kyle keeps saying "Ask Elizabeth about this" or "Ask Elizabeth about that." He's not very subtle, is he? =P Well, he mentioned me visiting an English class with our German tutor. It's a corporate group of seven people who are learning English for work. Our tutor thought that it would be helpful for them to talk to a native speaker, and I agreed to tag along. I never realized just how much slang we use until I kept catching myself mid-sentence saying things like "hit and miss" and "ginormous" and "staycation." Even our tutor didn't know these words. Other than being a little awkward, the sessions were fun and I heard about a little Irish pub in Göppingen that has trivia nights every Wednesday. IN ENGLISH!!! (Kyle, we're grabbing all the ex-pats and totally doing this).
Kyle also mentioned that you need to ask me about my "teaching opportunities". I think that term is a bit strong. I think that perhaps our tutor is being nice in saying that she could use me to teach English, but I'm afraid that 1. I don't speak enough German to teach English (ironic, right?) and 2. I'm not as familiar with grammar terms as I should be (reflexive-genitive whatnow?). I think the job would be fun and I would like to contribute to our family's income, but... well. Yes. Ich habe angst, as our tutor so aptly puts it. But that would be a incredible opportunity that I would enjoy. Eventually.
Apologies for the long post! I swear I'm trying to keep them on point.
--E
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