Back in the States

Well, after 30 hours of travelling I am back in the U.S. of A. My Mom was kind enough to come visit me and ignore the rest of the children. That proves I'm her favorite! So, Mom and I pretty much sit around and sew, watch movies, and cook. I made cinnamon rolls for breakfast on Monday and now I'm craving everything else I can think of!

I have also undertaken the task to deep clean my apartment. So far I've cleaned out the fridge and changed my fish's water. I think he missed me the month I was gone. I also cleaned my bathroom...horray Whitney! I have also discovered a love of Baked! Ruffles, Cheddar and Sour Cream.

I gave myself a haircut and highlights yesterday and now it's Mom's turn. We're going to play salon today. Why did I just scrub my kitchen floor if I'm going to cut hair? Good thinking, Whit!

Music and the Spoken Word

During the week I spent a lot of time in class, and the rest of my time going to various music and dance performances. Here is a quick rundown:Last Sunday Joanie, Megan and I went to the Leipzig Opera House to see a flamenco performance called "Bolero." It was put on by a Spanish ballet company. It was really good! Makes me wish I could dance more than the macarena!
This is the "Gewandhaus". This is where the Leipzig symphony performs. I didn't see any performances here this week, but the first week we were here this is where we saw the University of Leipzig's orchestra performance. This is the 3rd performance house they've had in Leipzig. The first one burnt down (I think) and the second one was bombed in WWII.
Tuesday I went to a production (in German) of the musical "Kiss Me, Kate." Seeing this more modern version made me want to see the movie again. I think Mom and Dad own it, right? Maybe that's just the movie Roman Holiday and Arsenic and Old Lace...I believe I was forced to watch those once...
Part of my group waiting for the concert to start. Megan is in the black stripes. Joanie is in the white shirt. I would like to point out that they offered to buy me a treat at the store this week. When I did so, they neglected to follow through! I had to buy the gummy bears myself. Jerks! In actuality, I forgot I had them in my hand and just bought them. Joanie and Megan, however, felt horrible, and I wanted them to make history in my blog! We finished out the music portion of the week by attending an Operetta at the Schloesschen in Gohlis. (or the little palace that was a rich man's summer home in the 19th century) Students from the local Hochschule fuer Musik und Theater sang various Operetta pieces for us. It was really one of the favorite performances I've been to here. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of the performance. The men were actually quite attractive!

I love to see the temple!

Hello, again! I just got back from a weekend trip to Freiberg (Sachsen). I visited my mission president for the weekend and was able to go to the temple. It was so much fun to play with my mission president! We went for a walk through the countryside, Helga (Sister Apel) fed me time and again, Frank (President Apel) told me story upon story about growing up in the GDR in Eastern Germany, and I got to pretend to be a good translator at lunch on Sunday. Helga and Frank had temple missionaries over for lunch, but they can't speak much German, and Frank and Helga don't speak much English. It was a pretty entertaining afternoon. You really learn the vocabulary you DON'T have when you're trying to explain how someone doesn't have a stomach anymore and the esophogus is attached directly to the intestine!

The best part of the weekend was being in an LDS home again. I loved to feel the Spirit and was able to discuss the church with Frank and Helga!! There were a few times when I wanted to cry I was so happy! The temple missionaries we were with were just called to be the temple president and matron in Samoa. I also found out that my uncle Randy is in their ward in Sandy!

Germinate

So, I've realized a few things over the years. (1) My English is getting worse as my German gets better; (2) I really like to be by myself...spending one month straight with 19 other Americans in Leipzig is starting to bug; and (3) I can see distinct blessings in my life from having served a mission. Unfortunately that doesn't yet include a spouse...good thing I love my job/studies!

Oh, and one of my friends here in Leipzig totally made me laugh yesterday! I would like to submit her definition of "germinate" to the people at Webster's: germinate: the state of having become more like a German in behavior, mannerisms and interests. This includes dying one's hair crazy colors of red and ceasing to shave one's legs. I don't plan to germinate any time in the future.

Two weeks down, Two to go!

Friday was a full day! We were in class all day, and then I went to two different concerts. The first was Motets from the Thomanerchor. (Thomas Choir). The Thomanerchor is Leipzig's equivalent of the Vienna Boy's Choir, and almost just as famous. It was really one of the best choral concerts I've been to. Right after that concert ended we jumped on the tram and headed to an open air symphony/opera concert. It was great just to sit on the grass and listen to great music!

Before I continue on with the weekend, I'll give you the rundown of during the week. It was another full week, as to be expected. During the week we were in class, had seminars about the oral proficiency test we can take at the end, went to pronunciation lessons (my suspicions were confirmed...I sound very much like an American!!), and went to the theater.

This Saturday was another group excursion. This time to the Harz Mountains. The Harz Mountains are almost dead center in Germany. Compared to the Rocky Mountains, they really are just hills, but they're gorgeous in their own right. It was nice to get out of the city and enjoy some nature.

Before we reached the mountains, though ,we stopped in a nearby city that is famous for its "Fachwerk Haeuser." In Quedlingburg there are more than 100 restored Fachwerk Haeuser (Half-Timbered Homes), and the city is on the UNESCO World Heritage site. The oldest home is from the 1300s, and you can see how the style of Fachwerk changed throughout the centuries. There are homes depicting the styles of the 15, 16, 17 and 18th centuries. After the 18th century it wasn't in style to use the wood anymore, but rather to build brick homes. I went to the Fachwerk Museum and bought a few books about Fachwerk Haeuser, so I'll become more knowledgeable and answer any questions later.

After our short stay in Quedlingburg it was back on the bus (and another dose of Dramamine) and off to the Harz Mountains. Once we got there we rode the ski-lift (Seilbahn) up to the top of the mountain. Then we went hiking to find the horse hoofprint from a legend told about the mountains. We hiked back down the mountain, and then took the tram (Kabinenbahn) back up the mountian to go to the Hexentanzplatz (Witch Dancing Place). Walpurgisnacht is the 30th of April, when they drive the Winter out, and they burn all of the left over fire wood from the winter. That is done at the Hexentanzplatz. Of course, it's mostly a tourist trap, but still fun.

One Week in Leipzig

Ashley wanted some pictures, so here you go. It was a full weekend. We went to Dresden on Sunday, and this is me in front of a Gondola that the former prince of Sachsen built. He wanted the area to become like Venice. We visited the summer palace before we did a city tour in Dresden.

Saturday we went to the symphony. It was really one of the best concerts I've been to! Unfortunately they didn't play the organ, but there was a cool soloist that played the marimba? I can't remember now. It looked like a xylophone, but wasn't. It was a Brazilian composer. The night before I went to the Thomaskirche, where Bach was the choir director. I went to a choral concert, and will be going to many more. The funny thing is I've been to other churches more than my own while in Germany.

We had to do presentations about different parts of the city. We randomly talked to people on the streets (enter mission skills) and ended up in a printing shop. The owner ended up giving us a complete tour of the place. They have printing machines (what are they called in English...that sounds weird) that are still in use from the 1920s. It was super cool!

Back in Germany

I am in Leipzig! I've been here for 3 days and love it already! Of course it's way too warm, but that's how it goes without AC! I've already eaten a Döner, Rotkohl, Sauerbraten, Klöse and amazing German pastries! Man, I am glad to be back in Germany!

My course keeps me pretty busy, but I've had plenty of time to wander the city and make some friends. There are 2 girls (ok, so when you're our age, you're not really girls, we'll say Frauen!) in my program who served missions here in Leipzig, so that is super fun! Yesterday we had to get to know different parts of the city and went out in groups to meet people and get a feeling for the city. The other members in our group were astounded at how easily we just stopped people on the streets and started talking to them. It was weird to not talk about the church (LDS) afterwards and offer them a Book of Mormon. We did get to know some really great people, though. The people here are really friendly. We randomly walked into a printing company and the man (who we know are on a first name basis with--Andreas) gave us a tour of the whole place and talked to us for over an hour! I'll post pictures soon.